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State dinner: Who's at the head tables?

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:21:58 -0500

Just as it is when you finally make it past the velvet rope, only to find that there's another, more exclusive VIP room... so it is with the nation's most coveted invitation, a White House state dinner. A couple hundred get to attend, but only a handful get to sit with the president and first lady. At Tuesday's dinner for India, some obvious picks for the prime seats -- the prime minister's daughters and a Nobelist at Michelle Obama's table -- but also some surprising ones: Hollywood titan David Geffen, and his boyfriend Jeremy Lingvall at President Obama's table. PRESIDENT'S TABLE Mrs. Gursharan Kaur, the wife of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass) Ambassador to India Tim Roemer Mary Johnston, Roemer's guest (likely a relative of his wife, Sally Johnston Roemer) Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo Speaker Nancy Pelosi , Paul Pelosi, her husband David Geffen, the Hollywood

White House releases state dinner guest list

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:49:04 -0500

The White House has released the list of expected guests for tonight's state dinner. The highlights: Gayle King! Sanjay Gupta! Steven Spielberg! David Geffen! And the list goes on. Here's who else will sup on the White House veggie garden's spoils while you're picking up your Tuesday night takeout: The President & First Lady Michelle Obama Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, India & Ms. Gursharan Kaur The Honorable (Rep) Gary Ackerman, United States Representative Mr. Sant Singh Chatwal (Guest) His Excellency Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation Mr. Mukesh D Ambani Mr. Tim Dutta (Spouse of Ms. Pia Awal) The Honorable (Mr.) David Axelrod, White House Communications Mrs. Susan Axelrod Ms. Preeta Bansal, OMB - General Counsel The Honorable (Ms.) Melody Barnes, Domestic Policy Council Mr. Marland E. Buckner The Honorable (Rep.) Howard Berman, United States Representative (D/California) Mrs. Jane

"America's Next Great Pundit": Michelle Rhee's ex-husband

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:08:39 -0500

Kevin Huffman Is D.C. a small town or what? From 4,800 entries, the winner of the America's Next Great Pundit contest run by our paper's editorial page ended up being .... the ex-husband of D.C. schools chief Michelle Rhee. Kevin Huffman, a Teach for America exec, was selected from 10 finalists by thousands of readers who voted in the contest. His split from Rhee was amicable: When she took the job here in 2007, they were mid-divorce, but he moved from Colorado to help raise their two daughters. According to the Gotham Schools blog, Rhee's fiance -- Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson -- asked friends to vote for Huffman. "Michelle has been very supportive of my punditing," Huffman told us. Huffman now gets a three-month contract with The Post. Any conflict? "I don't know why you'd define him" as someone's ex, editorial page editor Fred Hiatt said. "He won this

Read this: Adam Lambert, Susan Boyle, Jennifer Hudson, Larry David, Shakira, Jeffrey Zaslow

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:08:27 -0500

Adam Lambert performs at the American Music Awards on Sunday. (Reuters/Mario Anzuoni) Good afternoon, dear readers. Tear yourself away from Black Friday logistics and read up on today's new music releases, including debut offerings from reality television darlings Adam Lambert and Susan Boyle. Allison Stewart says Lambert's effort, "For Your Entertainment," is "a whirligig of pianos and strings," in which he "doesn't always succeed: The riotous electro-meets-hair-metal track 'Music Again,' written by former Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins, resembles a Darkness song after a run-in with a BeDazzler." But it's better than Boyle's "I Dreamed A Dream": The album is schmaltzy and overdone, the musical equivalent of a Thomas Kinkade painting, though this isn't Boyle's fault. She wisely resists any impulse toward musical scenery chewing, bringing a welcome sense of understatement to would-be pathos-fests like "Cry Me a River." A slowed-down version of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" is close

Jack Evans's quest for bobblehead infamy

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:03:00 -0500

The evolution of Jack Evans's bobblehead. At left is the first version; center is the second; final is at right. (Roxanne Roberts/The Washington Post) The new must-have accessory for D.C. Council members: bobbleheads. For the past month, Ward 2 councilman Jack Evans has been handing out a seven-inch version of himself: dark suit, striped tie, one hand casually tucked in his pocket -- and his grinning head happily bobbing up and down. "We got the right tie," he said of his little doppelganger. "I thought I had more yellow blond hair, but it looks more mustard. But it's not bad. And they got the wrinkles down right." Jack Evans poses in his office with his bobblehead likeness. (Roxanne Roberts/The Washington Post) The idea came to him about six months ago. Evans had a little campaign money left over, and everyone cool seemed to have a bobblehead. He found a

Aide's wedding gown gets second life at state dinner

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:02:00 -0500

Semonti Stephens in her wedding lehenga. (Studio 306) Almost no one gets to wear their wedding dress twice -- except Semonti Stephens, deputy press secretary to Michelle Obama. Stephens, whose parents emigrated from Calcutta to the United States in the late '60s, will wear a traditional lehenga to Tuesday's state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh -- the same three-piece gown she wore for her May 24 wedding. Lucky, huh? "I'm considered junior staff here," Stephens told us. "It's a honor to be included in such a historical event."

Quoted: Martha Stewart on Rachael Ray

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:01:00 -0500

Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray (Will Ragozzino/Getty Images; AP Photo/Evan Agostini) "There are no bad feelings between us, nor have there ever been. ... I hope you have a Yum-o Thanksgiving." -- Martha Stewart on her show Monday, ending the greatest beef since Biggie vs. Tupac by apologizing to fellow food diva Rachael Ray for (1) talking down to her about pie-baking, (2) teasing about her non-vite to Diddy's birthday and (3) dissing her as a mere "entertainer" on "Nightline."

This just in: 50 Cent, Alexandra Kerry, Carl Kasell

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:00:00 -0500

50 Cent (Reuters/Danny Moloshok) 50 Cent settled a lawsuit with Taco Bell over a goofy promo campaign that had the fast-food chain sending letters to news outlets asking the rapper to change his name to "79 Cent" or "99 Cent" in honor of their cheap burritos, reports Bloomberg. Fiddy was seeking $1 million for alleged misuse of his trademark on persona; no word on what he got in the confidential settlement. Alexandra Kerry will not face criminal charges from her arrest in Hollywood last week for investigation of DUI. A rep for L.A. prosecutors told reporters they found "insufficient evidence" in the police report on Sen. John Kerry's daughter, 36. The senator's office last week said the filmmaker was pulled over for an expired registration and later tested below the legal blood-alcohol limit. No more 1 a.m. wake-up calls: After 30 years of presenting the news on NPR's "Morning

Quoted: Lorrie Sullenberger on heroism's perks

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:10:20 -0500

Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger arrives at a Jan. 24 celebration in his honor with his wife, Lorrie. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) "The hero sex really helps a 20-year-old marriage." -- Lorrie Sullenberger, wife of Hudson River superstar pilot Chesley Sullenberger, when asked whether his insta-celebrity helped or hurt their relationship, in an NBC "People of the Year" special to air Thursday. "Rock-star sex," Sully added.

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Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:10:20 -0500

Read this: State dinner ramp-up, Emily Miller, "Find My Family," Michael Jackson

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:12:03 -0500

State dinner flashback: This Nov. 4, 1971, photo shows President and Mrs. Richard M. Nixon, at left, and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India standing with performers from the New York City Ballet in the East Room of the White House. (AP Photo) Good afternoon, everyone. Roughly 30 hours left before Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh joins President Barack Obama at the first state dinner of his presidency. And, of course, everything at a state dinner is freighted with underlying significance. Will the food include vegetables from the White House's garden? What will First Lady Michelle Obama wear? And what will it all mean? Robin Givhan has another question: How will the Obamas -- who trumpet the common man (and woman) -- put their mark on state dinners, typically elite, exclusive affairs? Remember back in February, when White House Social Secretary Desirée Rogers suggested holding a sweepstakes, so average

Peggy Cooper Cafritz suffers second fire, discusses losing mansion

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:04:00 -0500

A sculpture in front of the ruins of Peggy Cooper Cafritz's art-filled D.C. home after a disastrous July 2009 fire.(Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post) This is the kind of year Peggy Cooper Cafritz is having: Four months after a fire burned her art-filled mansion to the ground, she just endured another blaze -- this time in the Georgetown apartment where she relocated after losing her home. A clothes dryer burst into sparks and flames, charring the laundry room and filling her new place with thick smoke. "It was ..." she told us, searching for the right word "... discombobulating." Cafritz in 2000. (Mark Finkenstaedt for The Washington Post) Cafritz, 62, moved into the Water Street condo in September; the latest fire broke out two weeks ago. This time, the flames were contained -- but smoke invaded every cranny, and all her clothing had to be cleaned to remove the acrid

Surreal estate: Norah O'Donnell, Geoff Tracy

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:03:00 -0500

Tracy and O'Donnell, before the three kids. (Courtesy of Norah O'Donnell) Sellers: Norah O'Donnell and Geoff Tracy Asking price: $1.695 million Details: The chief Washington correspondent for MSNBC and her restaurateur husband (of Chef Geoff's fame) are ready to move on from the four-bedroom, 3 1/2-bath colonial they bought near Washington National Cathedral in 2005 for $1.465 million. Why? "Three reasons," O'Donnell told us: "Henry, Grace and Riley" (their 2 1/2-year-old twins and their 16-month-old younger sis). One-car garage, flagstone terrace with built-in gas grill -- and a predictably stupendous kitchen (six burners, double oven). Still looking for the bigger house.

This Just In: Valerie Jarrett hosts Obamas, Levi Johnston poses nude

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:02:00 -0500

Valerie Jarrett (Alex Wong/Associated Press) President Obama and family dined Saturday night at the Georgetown apartment of Valerie Jarrett -- the third time she's hosted them since the inauguration. Must be a fun place: The top White House aide is the only D.C. host who's managed to lure the president to dinner in a private home. Levi Johnston made his long-awaited Playgirl.com debut this weekend; the magazine released a couple waist-up photos, but you can probably Google your way to others. No full-frontal -- lots of strategically placed towels -- but some naked bottom. The most mortifying ex-boyfriend in teenage history could potentially earn six figures for his work, a spokesman told us last week, depending on how many fans he draws to the porny Web site. One of Levi Johnston's Playgirl photos. (Playgirl.com)

Hey, isn't that...?: Barbara Bush, Jackée Harry

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:01:00 -0500

Jackee Harry (File photo by Todd Bigelow) Barbara Bush drinking Russian beer at Russia House in Dupont Circle on Friday night. The dark-haired twin (who was running a new health-care nonprofit in N.Y.C. last we heard) joined a big group that filled up a long table, frowned when other barflies stared too long. Jeans, boots, slouchy sweater. Jackée Harry ducking into Bluepoint downtown Saturday night less than an hour before going onstage in "The Clean Up Woman" at Warner Theatre. Beige sweater, matching Uggs, stage-ready hair and makeup. The former sitcom star posed for photos with theatergoers who were headed to see her, left with wrapped food.

Love, etc.: Jon and Kate settle differences

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:00:00 -0500

Jon and Kate, in happier times. (Mark Arbeit/Associated Press) Settled: Jon and Kate Gosselin, who resolved all their split-up issues in an all-day mediation session Saturday in Pennsylvania, sources told People this weekend. She'll have primary custody of the eight kids that turned them into reality-TV royalty, and he's not disputing it. Only sore spot: She refused to accept his farewell gift of flowers. Their divorce could be final by the end of the year.