Reliable Source

Knock Out Abuse, Fight Night: One-two fundraising punch

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:52:07 -0500

A "flower child" hands out blossoms outside the Ritz's ballroom Thursday night. (All photos Marissa Newhall/The Washington Post) Peace, love, puppies -- and an eight-hour party. That was Thursday night's 16th annual Knock Out Abuse gala, where Washington's upper-crust ladies -- and 700 friends -- spent a lot of money in the name of domestic abuse prevention. This year's event had a '60s theme: "protesters" at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel's front door, flower child entry bracelets (worth $500 a pop), and male models in hippie garb, handing out flowers. Our colleague Marissa Newhall was there to soak it all in. From 6:30 on, open bars kept the cocktail reception humming. Carol Joynt, Lisa Collis, Pamela Sorensen, event co-founders Cheryl Masri and Jill Sorensen and event chair Gina Adams, FedEx's top lobbyist, mingled; rumored "Real Housewives" Mary Amons and Lynda Erkelitian were there, as was Paul Wharton, a local style-setter linked

Read this: Men, goats and Christmas carols

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:04:29 -0500

George Clooney in "The Men Who Stare at Goats." (Laura Macgruder/Overture Films via Bloomberg) Good afternoon, everyone. Time to roundup this weekend's new film releases: --Ann Hornaday says "The Men Who Stare at Goats" (George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges) has "an affable, amiable pace; it's a smart, amusing picaresque that taps into the gonzo energy and toughness of Hunter S. Thompson and Stanley Kubrick, while never achieving their ferocity and fire." --Michel O'Sullivan says "Disney's A Christmas Carol" "is a tall glass of Dickens with a 'Beetlejuice' chaser." --And then we have "The Fourth Kind," of which Sullivan has this to say (before rating it one star, out of four): Someone -- or something -- has been terrorizing the people of Nome, Alaska. It has the ability to magically levitate people. Its presence is heralded by the appearance of a mysterious white owl. In its wake, it leaves

Norwegians mourn a-ha's pending break-up

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:03:00 -0500

The men behind a-ha: Magna Furuholmen, Morten Harket and Pal Waaktar-Savoy. (AP Photo/Maya Hitij) Anyone going to the Norwegian Embassy's Web site this week was stunned by news bannered on the front: a-ha is breaking up! Wait ... a-ha has been together all this time? And they're from Norway? And this is really Norway's biggest news? "This is a big event for Norway," embassy spokesman Arild Strommen told our colleague Marissa Newhall. The '80s synth-pop band stayed hot there into the '90s, he said, "then they kind of fell off the face of the Earth. But as with many other onetime great bands, they made their comeback." They toured the States only once (playing Constitution Hall in fall '86), but the vintage MTV icons are still huge in Europe, Russia, Brazil, Australia -- and, yes, Japan. The band will do a farewell tour next year. Norwegian Ambassador to the

Hey, isn't that: Jessica Alba, Gheorghe Muresan, Martina Navratilova, Jon Voight

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:02:00 -0500

Hillary Clinton signs a soccer ball for Jessica Alba on Thursday. (Photo courtesy of the State Department) Jessica Alba on the Hill on Thursday making the rounds of congressional offices and looking like a Hill staffer but, well, better: black skirt, black sweater, black heels, mauve shirt, loose bun. The starlet was promoting an education-for-all-kids campaign connected with the 2010 World Cup, and she wrapped up the day with a visit to Hillary Clinton's State Department office. Martina Navratilova lunching at haute-sushi joint Sei on Thursday with two other women. Jeans, cardigan, leather jacket. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, leader of the Orthodox Church, lunching Thursday at Kellari Taverna, a new Greek restaurant downtown, after a series of meetings with President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and others on environmental issues. Easily recognizable in long white beard, black robes and headdress. Gheorghe Muresan, the former Bullets star and still big Wizards booster, having

This just in: Sandra Bullock custody battle heats up

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:01:00 -0500

Sandra Bullock (Jason Merritt/Getty Images for the Hollywood Film Festival) Squabbling: Sandra Bullock, who with husband Jesse James has entered an increasingly ugly custody battle with his ex-wife, former porn actress Janine Lindemulder, over 5-year-old daughter Sunny Lee. The actress and the former "Monster Garage" host got custody when the mom went to jail for tax evasion, CNN reports, and are trying to make the order permanent, saying Lindemulder has a drug problem and a new husband who's a felon. Lindemulder took the battle public Thursday on "Good Morning America," saying that she's clean now and that "Sandy doesn't know what goes on in my house."

Michelle Rhee and Kevin Johnson get engaged

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:15:00 -0500

Kevin Johnson gives D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee a hug after testifying on her behalf at her confirmation hearing in July 2007. (Dayna Smith for the Washington Post) To say that Michelle Rhee and Kevin Johnson rolled out their relationship carefully is an understatement. Last winter, the D.C. schools chief declined to say whether she and the mayor of Sacramento -- a longtime friend and close political ally -- were dating. Not even after we saw them holding hands during the inauguration! ("I don't comment on my personal life," she said at the time.) But seems as though they're officially a couple now. In fact, she confirmed for us, they're engaged. Rhee, 39, spoke Wednesday night at a Democrats for Education Reform/DC School Reform Now event downtown, and a pretty sparkly thing on her left hand caught the eye of more than one audience member. Seems fitting, since this

Read this: Michelle O's clothes, traffic camera woes

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:05:19 -0500

Left to right: Michelle Obama wore Moschino to her husband's health care address in September; to a Cinco de Mayo celebration at the White House in May; and during a visit to the Vatican in July. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak; AP Photo/Gerald Herbert; AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Good afternoon, everyone. We wonder what Michelle Obama is wearing today. Something simple, from J. Crew? Or perhaps something fancier -- from Moschino? Robin Givhan says the first lady's penchant for this Italian design house makes sense (it's unique and fashionable, just like she is), but it's puzzling that it hasn't attracted much attention. After all, this is the same country whose apparel unions raised hell when Jackie Kennedy showed a proclivity for French clothing back in the '60s. Writes Givhan: For all the public hyperventilation over Obama's favored young American brands, from Jason Wu and Thakoon to the modestly priced J. Crew, the

No Italian wedding soup for the new envoy, thanks

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:02:00 -0500

Antonella Cinque, Italian Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata and their twins, Giulio and Nina. (Courtesy of the Italian Embassy) Italy's new ambassador to the U.S., Giulio Maria Terzi di Sant'Agata, Wednesday presented his credentials to President Obama accompanied by longtime girlfriend Antonella Cinque. That Cinque is not his wife would have caused a fuss just a few years ago. Now, not so much. "I can tell you that I'm excited and pleased to have my family with me," Terzi told us. The 63-year-old diplomat (formerly Italy's rep to the U.N., ambassador to Israel, a foreign minister in Rome) and Cinque, an attorney and former head of Italy's FDA, have been together for several years, own a $2 million home in New York, and have 19-month-old twins (a boy, Giulio, and girl, Nina). Cinque, 48, was married once before; Terzi declined to discuss his marital status due to "ongoing legal

This just in . . .: C. Everett Koop, Carrie Prejean

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:01:00 -0500

Carrie Prejean (Eric Jamison/Associated Press) Sen. Harry Reid's office was temporarily shut down Wednesday by a suspicious letter from ..... C. Everett Koop? The former surgeon general sent the majority leader his thoughts on health care, but since it arrived stampless (no return address, just "C. Everett Koop") a clerk called Capitol Police. "I wasn't aware that sending a hand-delivered letter was an offense," Koop told Roll Call after the all-clear. "I don't have a lot of secretarial help and I'm 93." Carrie Prejean and the Miss California USA folks have settled the issues that landed them in court, both sides announced late Tuesday. (To recap: They de-crowned her, claiming she missed events; she sued for libel and religious discrimination; they countersued, asking for the cost of her breast implants back.)

The familiar face of Bob McDonnell

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:19:05 -0500

Bob McDonnell (Left: AP/Jacquelyn Martin; center and right: AP/Steve Helber.) Virginia, meet your new governor! But it feels like you've somehow always known him, doesn't it? That's because with his crinkly-eyed smile and great hair, Bob McDonnell has an uncommon number of celebrity doppelgangers. Here are just a few -- but please leave your suggestions of others. Left: local meteorologist Bob Ryan. Right: A young Tom Brokaw. (Courtesy of News 4; Reuters/Peter Morgan) Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds," left; at right, Matthew Modine. (Francois Duhamel/The Weinstein Company; Katherine Frey/The Washington Post) Not pictured: The guy in that Viagra commercial talking to his reflection in the store window.

Read this: The body politic edition

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:31:21 -0500

PETA intern Kelsey Jaye, right, takes a shower in downtown Washington with PETA employee Jessica Levin. Note the high number of interested dudes. (Evy Mages for the Washington Post) Good afternoon, everyone! Jump right into the Reliable Source chat, happening now. Submit a question here. Otherwise, we've got a few things to teach you about PETA interns. You know, the ones doing all those crazy naked things on the street? PETA's are competitive internships, and people as old as 43 are psyched to relocate so they can not be paid to have one. Writes Monica Hesse: The ones in Washington stay in a sleek, donated U Street rowhouse with dorm-style beds. There is a corresponding house in Norfolk. The interns spend their days doing the things that most interns in Washington spend their days doing -- envelope stuffing, office work -- as well as the things that most interns

The news on the street

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:04:00 -0500

The scene at Saturday's ribbon-cutting ceremony. (Founding Church of Scientology)Enlarge Image Timing is everything, and sometimes it's awkward: The Church of Scientology unveiled its grand new center a half-mile from the White House on Saturday -- the same day the St. Petersburg Times unveiled a major investigative report alleging the church deployed coercive tactics and espionage against staff members who tried to leave. Among the dignitaries speaking to the crowd that filled a cordoned-off block of 16th Street NW: Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), who presented the church with a flag that had flown over the U.S. Capitol and praised the organization as a positive force for human rights and religious freedom. Sherman is not a Scientologist, but his suburban Los Angeles district lies within Scientology's showbiz-heavy West Coast stronghold. Asked about the church's latest controversy, the congressman said through a rep that he has appeared at events for "over 100"

Surreal estate

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:03:00 -0500

Alberto Gonzales (Chris Park/AP) Asking price: 1.075 mil. Details: Former attorney general Alberto Gonzales is bidding farewell to Washington, where his tenure under George W. Bush was racked by controversy, and moving his family closer to his job as teacher and administrator at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. They'll be leaving the five-bedroom, four-bathroom Colonial they bought in McLean Hamlet in 2005 for $1.05 million. Two-car garage, gorgeous views, finished basement, granite countertops -- and a sophisticated security system with video-monitored entrances, and a safe room off the master bedroom, behind a thick metal door.

Quoted

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:02:00 -0500

Rihanna (David J. Phillip/AP) "I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears." -- Rihanna on the media frenzy following her February beating by then-boyfriend Chris Brown, in the December issue of Glamour. The pop star (who also has a Diane Sawyer interview this week) is one of the magazine's "Women of the Year," along with U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and others.

Hey, isn't that . . . ?

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:01:00 -0500

Sasha, Michelle and Malia Obama walk back to the White House after attending a morning service at St. John's Episcopal Church on Oct. 11. (Kristoffer Tripplaar-Pool/Getty Images) Vincent Pastore, better known as "Big Pussy" from "The Sopranos," rocking out on the floor at the Bruce Springsteen show at Verizon Center on Monday. Clearly there to support former co-star/guitarist Little Steven Van Zandt, the actor appeared to be showing off the set list to the fans. Also in the house: the White House's Rahm Emanuel, dancing, and David Axelrod, swaying side-to-side. Sasha and Malia Obama with their mom at Tuesday's big concert -- Miley Cyrus at Verizon -- the first lady in black and a ponytail, Malia in lavender lace-up boots, Sasha in stripes.