I Already Have A Slurring Date, Thanks!

Gonna have to pass on this this year.

Last year, the girls and I gave it the ole Chez Copa try to celebrate New Years, despite my early shift the following morning. Assuming the challenge, the girls busted into my bedroom, slamming a champagne flute into my hand, dragged my half awake, stumbling self in front of the television only to watch the infamous Dick Clark slurring special.

This year I have a more humane schedule and will gratefully pass on this American of watching the painful countdown with this once legendary announcer.

LOS ANGELES — Four years after a stroke, Dick Clark is relishing the prospect of another New Year's Eve celebration, determined to appear for his 36th year in Times Square. And he's hardly surprised by the current state of the music industry he helped build _ he predicted this, after all.

Clark, who turned 79 last month and has been in front of the cameras for 61 years, said in a recent interview by e-mail that his involvement in "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2009," diminished though it may be, is a labor of love and "not really a job."

"Obviously, I'm not able to be as actively involved as I used to be out on the street, up on a platform and interacting with the crowds in Times Square" in New York, Clark wrote. "Thank goodness my friend Ryan Seacrest is able to handle that end of the activity on the show these days.

ABC-TV's 3 1/2-hour live extravaganza will include performances by Natasha Bedingfield, Fall Out Boy, Jesse McCartney, Ne-Yo, Pussycat Dolls, Solange and Robin Thicke. Fergie hosts the Hollywood segments.

Clark woke up with right-side paralysis on Dec. 6, 2004 _ "Your life changes overnight," he said. (Regis Philbin filled in for Clark on the New Year's Eve show that year.) Clark still uses a walker or wheelchair, and speaking is difficult.

"I am one of the fortunate ones who survived and have been minimally impaired, so I'm just thankful I'm still able to enjoy this once-a-year treat of bringing in the New Year."

The "American Bandstand" icon and longtime producer of the American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and Golden Globes has long considered them "my television kids."

He's also watched their ratings plummet in recent years.

And I Like Chasing Cars

This was a smash hit at the Benson's Christmas, ironically my sister was the one who played it. See if you can make it through the first play through with out crying. I still can't breath I'm laughing so hard....do do-do do...

Omigod, Omigod You Guys!

Nothing like coming home only to be jumped and blindfolded by 5 glamorously dressed women, dragged out to a car, and submitted to a blasting of the recently released "I am ....Sasha Fierce" Album.

That was how my adventure began last night! But when the Pashmina was finally removed I knew instantly what was in store.

And I have to say, I lobbied for a solid month, exploiting each of the Copians' weaknesses for information. To their credit, not one sliver of information. Damn!

Since hearing the news they were rewritting one of my all time favorite stories for the stage (who doesn't love a smart blonde?), I was determined to get tickets to see Legally Blonde the Musical.

So I was a little confused when none of the girls shared my enthusiasm when I suggested getting tickets. Little did I know, Katie was killing herself trying not to hum our new them song, Omigod, Omigod You Guys!

And yes, it is a simplistic story line, and the 90 % in attendence also asked for Jonas Brothers tickets for Christmas, but the cast was great, a stage change every 5 minutes, and did I mention there were puppies?

Poppin champagne Like We've Won A Championship Game

On the heels of the big pilgrimage back to San Diego, Chez Copa lined up quite a weekend of activities, including a visit from Aly, the yin to my yang! Aly and I have grown up together, having been friends since the ripe ole' age of eight.

READERS NOTE: When the two of us combine forces its like dousing a fire ball in gasoline and launching it. We just feed off of each other and have been described as nothing less of a beautiful disaster.

So it's no surprise that this weekend visit was not one of R & R.The best part is Chez Copa just absorbed her into our thickly woven group, as if she were there from the beginning!

Friday was pretty much a write off - I was kicking a wicked birthday cold so all I could do was fantasize about Coldeeze and my pillow. Fear not, picking up A-dawg from Dulles was a much needed respite from boogies and wheezing. (So attractive I know - but with the boogies comes a super sexy 70 year old smoking Brooklyn Yetta voice. Silver lining folks, silver lining.)

After a quick nap - we were back in action bright and early Saturday morning to honor the second annual east coast chez copa cookie bake-off. It's a one day bake fest where the CCers descend on auntie Jo's kitchen to crank out no less than 10 cookie versions while SCREAMING holiday music, after celebratory mimosas of course.

On the evening itinerary was the traditional Pink Cashmere (collegiate chez copa) Obnoxious Holiday Sweater Party. Although we modified the tradition slightly by taking it to to the bars. We recruited star cruise director for just the task of navigating the sweater goers through U Street-Cardoza.

Let's be honest; Marvin's, Utopia, and Busboys & Poets didn't see the train wreck of Christmas paraphernalia coming (right down to Aly's christmas socks and heels). The general reaction was "I wonder if they are all together, or if there was a themed memo we missed." Fear not after some intense interrogation on the gracious ride back to Virginia it was back for a quick nap.



Sunday should have been the day of recovery but of course that got tossed. After a morning of sin rehashing at church, Aly and I sneaked into the matinee performance of Next To Normal at the Arena Stage. A wildly colorful musical about a bi-polar disillusion mother and her effect on the typical suburban family, its like American Beauty on crack. And the music is phenomenal.

We had just enough time exit stage left and get our glam on.

We had the bartenders ball, aka Zinzi Holiday Party, to attend. It's the one night of the year where the bartenders aren't off limits. Now I have been in DC for going on 7 years and I have NEVER seen so many attractive people. And here they were in one place. Having borrowed Lindsey's dress, aptly named the Cougar Muu-muu, because of my senior citizen status and the flow-ey nature of the garment, Aly teased I was on the prowl. Ha!

Let just say Cougar Muu-muu + unlimited access to top shelf alcohol + great music does not equal good life choices. Remember how I described the JenAly team? Well they were unleashed in full force. Rarrrr.

Then it was into the station for an early morning while Aly got some sleep in time before her birthday celebration. Now Aly's bday was a bit of a sordid affair. She had promised checking in with her west coast chapter at peak intoxication levels. Childish I know, but there's nothing like a good drunk dial.

So while Lindsey was whipping her last law school exam for the semester, cc copa divebombed into the Tommy Mcfly show to watch the master at work. Then it was off to dinner (CCR) and celebratory hooplah at the CCSP. Mission Accomplished.

Still hanging in there but man what a weekend. I hurt.

And how does Mother Nature celebrate the JenAly train wreck? By canceling all flights through Chicago of course. So poor Aly got sent right back into the cesspool sans luggage for one more evening at the CC. Status is still pending as to whether she actually made it to San Diego today. But I leave tomorrow and that airport better be cleared out by then. I'm not sure the FAA could handle a JenAly in captivity.

The Ultimate That's What He Said

Breaking News: Little Elves Break Into Chez Copa, etc!

How those little birthday elves manage to break into my apartment and office every year is beside me. So called friends, fail to witness the sneaky little efforts. Ah maybe next year we'll catch those little guys. In the meantime I was able to collect some evidence...Linds bust out your NCIS kit!
(Thanks Guys!!!)

Whoa There Santa

Tales From The Fringe

This Saturday the station team took to the mall to help fund raise for our partner Fisher House. It's an incredible organization that builds group homes for the troops and their families next to VA hospitals while they are being treated so families are free to focus on the recovery of their loved one rather than making hotel arrangements. Absolutely amazing, but I digress.

Doing these remotes, we get a wide range of fans who come to show their support for both the organization and the station. But with every bunch we get a few outliers too.
This weekend was no different. My favorite was a woman who got particularly aggressive with me over the non-existent debate over Barack Obama's citizenship.

A particular group of whack-a-doos in Pennsylvania felt compelled to bring this conspiracy theory to the supreme court, who yesterday unanimously decided not to hear the case. Now I don't often engage in these provocations but after about an hour of her in my face wagging her finger, I finally asked her...how would that be possible, where's the proof. She claimed Obamas birth certificate was a fake, so I asked her how she knew? She protested if it were real he would show it to us, so I asked if I could see hers. Not surprisingly she said no.

Apparently I wasn't the only one to encounter such an adamant theorist.

From this mornings Washington Post:

President Alien, and Other Tales From the Fringe
By Dana Milbank
Tuesday, December 9, 2008; A03

A unanimous Supreme Court announced yesterday morning that it would not take up a case making the improbable claim that Barack Obama is a secret foreigner.

A dissenting opinion came out in the afternoon.

"This is the largest hoax perpetrated against the United States in 200 years," Philip Berg declared in a news conference at the National Press Club. His colleagues delivered the further news that "Barack Obama is the most notorious criminal in the history of this planet" and that the president-elect's claim to be a natural-born American has "the potential to propel our nation into a time of great peril," a time of "widespread chaos, disturbances to public tranquillity."

Berg, a Pennsylvania lawyer and the author of another lawsuit alleging that Obama is not native-born, and therefore is not eligible to be president, sought to establish several facts. One: "He knows he was adopted in Indonesia." Two: "He was born in Kenya." Three: "His real name would be Barry Soetoro." Four: "If he didn't go through immigration, believe it or not Barack Obama would be an illegal alien today." And five: "If and when the right court handles this matter, Barack Obama" and everybody around him "should really be tried criminally and many of them should go to jail."

Uh, and what about that birth certificate showing he was born in Honolulu, a fact confirmed by the Hawaii Health Department and validated by independent groups?

"That document is a forgery, it's a fraud, just like Barack Obama is," Berg bellowed. "His birth certificate will indicate he was born in Kenya."

Ladies and gentlemen, the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy is back in business. After eight years in the wilderness, its members are regrouping to combat the Obama menace. For their sake, here's hoping they can come up with better material than they presented at yesterday's news conference.

The presentation was hosted by Bob Schulz, who runs the We the People Foundation and has run ads in the Chicago Tribune claiming that Obama -- "the usurper," as Schulz calls him -- is ineligible to be president.

Schulz allowed that the Supreme Court had just declined to hear a lawsuit on the subject, filed by Leo Donofrio of New Jersey, and that another court had declined to hear Berg's complaint because Berg had no standing. But, he argued, "there has been no responsive response" from the courts. "The implied message is the voters have spoken, the voters have determined Mr. Obama's eligibility. But this is not a democracy!"

Schulz was equipped with other pieces of hysteria, among them: "We have an emerging police state. . . . Our Republic cannot and will not long survive. . . . This nation is headed toward a vortex of a constitutional crisis."

In Schulz's view, Obama must "act honorably and relieve the nation of this escalating constitutional crisis." And if not, Schulz will call his own constitutional convention. "The people must act as the final arbiters of the Constitution," he said.

Hear that, Mr. Chief Justice?

Back here on planet Earth, the Obama birth conspiracy is not quite as dramatic as Schulz and Berg view it. FactCheck.org, for example, examined the original birth certificate and found that "it meets all of the requirements from the State Department for proving U.S. citizenship" and that "Obama was born in the U.S.A. just as he has always said."

Another such group, PolitiFact.com, concluded that "It is possible that Obama conspired his way to the precipice of the world's biggest job, involving a vast network of people and government agencies over decades of lies. Anything's possible. But step back and look at the overwhelming evidence to the contrary and your sense of what's reasonable has to take over."
Then there's the birth announcement in the Honolulu Advertiser on Aug. 13, 1961. "Of course, it's distantly possible that Obama's grandparents may have planted the announcement just in case their grandson needed to prove his U.S. citizenship in order to run for president someday," FactCheck.org judged. "We suggest that those who choose to go down that path should first equip themselves with a high-quality tinfoil hat."

Berg and Schulz did not have the recommended headgear yesterday, but they had no shortage of accusations. They blamed the "disgrace" of the news media -- even Fox News! -- for covering up the birth scandal. They called Obama an "impostor" and a "poseur."

To further make the case about Obama's Americanness, they then called up Orly Taitz, a product of the former Soviet Union, to deliver the message in thickly accented English that the American news media are "aiding and abetting Mr. Obama in defrauding 300 million American citizens."

So the media should report that Obama is a citizen of Britain, Indonesia and the United States -- a triple national? "Quadruple!" Taitz called out.

The trio then went silent while a fourth participant, a minister, delivered a prayer that justice would be done to the usurper. The pastor then advised his fellow African Americans not to be fooled into thinking "that which has come from the womb of this white woman is now your redeemer."

The news conference by now had gone on for 90 minutes and had covered all the darkest areas of Obama conspiracy, including a call to withstand the race riots that would inevitably accompany Obama's ineligibility. And in the somewhat likelier event that Obama ignores Schulz and Berg? He would, Schulz's ad argues, "be entitled to no allegiance, obedience or support from the people. The armed forces would be under no legal obligation to remain obedient."

All of which would be a terrible shame. After all, Schulz declared, "I really like the guy." He just has a strange way of showing it.

'Tis The Season

And it's officially the non-denominational holiday season.

Sunday night, the ladies of Chez Copa braved piercing 25 degree weather to string the balcony lights, fluff the fake tree, drink the mulled wine, set up the menorah and watch (while silently quoting) Love Actually.

We are also proud to announce this year's inductee into the National St. Hottie Hall of Fame (well, scrapbook): Daniel Craig. Congrats Daniel!

This tradition of tree lighting and canonization has been developed and honed since the early years of Pink Cashmere (2003.) 

Keeping it alive ladies!

Rock Jumpers and Sexy Shorts

Finally finished the West Virginia Video! Amazing to think we did all with a tiny zip car, a non-existent budget, and I was barely off crutches! Yum!

What Do Hillary and Katie Couric Have In Common?

Same Haircut


Watch CBS Videos Online

Dudamel Rocks The House

Carol, my older former adviser and mentor, now big sister, invited me to sieze one of her season tickets to the NSO, insisting I take advantage of the Isreal Philharmonic performance. Not realizing Gustavo Dudamel would be the conductor. If you have not seen him, he is aptly described by Anne Midgette as the "wild child of music." It was incredible watching him blaze through,  2 hours of Brahms and Mendelssohn completely off book, that's right, no sheet music in front of him passionately hair-a-flying!

Gustavo Dudamel, Better Than the Hype
By Anne Midgette
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 20, 2008; C07

Yes, Virginia, there is a Gustavo Dudamel. There has been so much hype around the 27-year-old Venezuelan conductor that you may well have had reason to wonder. But Dudamel is the real thing -- as Virginia, and Washington, got to see when he led the Israel Philharmonic at the Kennedy Center, courtesy of the Washington Performing Arts Society, on Tuesday night.
Dudamel is a wild child of music. The advance billing portrays him as a natural talent brimming over with musical understanding untrammeled by a big ego, and onstage, that's just about what you get. The cushion of springy curls bobbing over the emphatic movements of his arms as he gestures and leaps and exhorts certainly project a state-of-nature exuberance.

But engaging though all this be, the really good news is that he goes beyond it. On Tuesday, for all the rough edges -- and there are rough edges -- he conducted with tremendous emotional specificity. He brought to the music an eye for detail that may have overlooked technical niceties, but could find strikingly nuanced things to do with a single phrase: pausing for a microsecond to give a percussive chord an element of surprise, or unleashing the orchestra's forces only to pull them back again to round out a musical statement with unexpected elegance.

The programming was a little unusual. If you want to show off your young, charismatic conductor, two back-to-back 19th-century German symphonies with similar orchestrations -- Mendelssohn's "Italian" and Brahms's Fourth -- are not necessarily the most obvious choices. Naturally, you want to demonstrate that Dudamel has the chops to deal with demanding music (he does). Presumably, WPAS -- or whoever selected this program from what the orchestra is offering on its current tour -- also wanted to enhance the contrast with Dudamel's second appearance this season, scheduled for April, when he returns with his own Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela. That program will feature Ravel, Stravinsky and some of the Latin American works that have become staples of that orchestra's concerts.

Of course, the two symphonies offer a considerable contrast in mood: the Mendelssohn, sunny and lilting; the Brahms, the pinnacle of his orchestral achievement. Dudamel drew links between them, reflecting Mendelssohn's sunniness in a light touch in the Brahms, and exploring the subtleties of Mendelssohn's orchestral writing rather than being satisfied with merely making it sing.

Dudamel is an instinctive conductor. He did not come to these pieces determined to bend them to an interpretation or make a statement. What came through most was his sense of wonder as he shaped each movement without benefit of a score, not with a strong sense of the pieces' architecture but with a strong sense of their musicality. Each movement of the Mendelssohn was clearly differentiated, from the bouncy opening to the spidery tarantella of the finale. The orchestra rose to meet him, its sound warm yet springy, with a Central European coloring freshened by a feeling of air and light.

It takes a lot of energy to carry a piece like the Brahms Fourth on instinct alone, and Dudamel poured every ounce of himself into the execution of it, even leaping from the podium at one point, like a more athletic Leonard Bernstein. Yet the best things about his Brahms -- which kept Beethoven in sight at every turn -- were the moments of restraint: such as the way he created air around the horn call in the first movement, so it emerged from a place of essential stillness. Or the way he charged full tilt at the end of the first movement and then at the last second suddenly tucked in the very end of the chord, so that instead of the expected explosive finale came a full stop, transmitting the clear message that this was a pause in a piece that was moving on. For once, not a single member of the audience clapped in the wrong place. The climax was reserved for the towering fourth movement in an appropriately wrenching performance.

It was left to the first encore to offer a new musical direction: the intermezzo from Puccini's "Manon Lescaut," full of wonderful schmaltz and with some truly gorgeous playing from the principal cello, violin and viola. Dudamel appears to deal with the hype by trying to spread the praise to his players. He did not even take a solo bow, but stood, instead, among the orchestra to receive what by now has become his expected due of thunderous applause.

We've All Seen These

You've seen these Washingtonians, but with gas prices falling to $2.09 at my local Exxon its harder for me to resist the urge to push the elevator button to L instead of G2 in the morning.

The former means bracing the icy wind, to fight for a seat on the metro, but save the environment and feel better about myself. The latter is straight shot from heated garage to heated garage by way of heated car. I get the radio, road rage, coffee time, and save money. You wrestle with this dilemma while I share a little humor for the am. (ps. I have been guilty indulging in the latter in case you were wondering)

WASHINGTON - In train stations, at bus stops, online, even on our coffee cups, Chevron ads are trying to convince us that the key to ending our energy crisis is individual action. Over pictures of everyday Americans, taglines from Chevron’s “Will You Join Us” ad campaign read:
“I will leave the car at home more.”
“I will take my golf clubs out of the trunk.”
“I will replace 3 light bulbs with CFLs.”
“I will finally get a programmable thermostat.”
“I will consider buying a hybrid.”

All good ideas, certainly, but no matter how many clubs they’re carrying in their golf bags, no matter how many light bulbs they change, no matter how hard they consider that hybrid, the folks at Chevron could probably do a little more.

Here are a few suggestions for Chevron’s ad team:

Troy Asks Devon Answers...the new HIMYM

If you have a few extra seconds during the day, you have to watch a few of these. They really adhere to the Keep It Simple Stupid. But so addicting! I actually work with Troy, and yes we tease him! And if you are a closet fan...please forward!

Now That's Soft Power!

Ah memories - I remember reading Nye my freshman year at GW, and he never gets hold. I love this one!

 

Joseph Nye: The Obama Effect:Impressions from London

via The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com by Joseph Nye on 11/7/08

I gave a speech in London yesterday, and was overwhelmed and delighted by the enthusiasm for the United States as a result of the Obama election. The papers not only devoted their front pages to the election, but multiple pages inside. Many people remarked on "the extra-ordinary capacity of the United States to renew itself." In speaking with a major figure in Gordon Brown's cabinet, he told me that "in one stroke, the election of Obama has changed the American image in the eyes of billions of people." That is soft power!

Monkey Business Meets Media

Not sure what this proves, but back in the days of Desk Assistant Jen, when I landed the first interview with Elise Gazwitz sparking a firestorm of media attention escalating the story to GMA, never once did Armani bite me. (Granted I did my interviews over the phone, but not relevant here.)   

The Reliable Source
By Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts
Tuesday, November 4, 2008; C03

Text hereWho Could've Predicted This Monkey Business?
In an explosion of campaign tension, a prominent pundit violently attacked a local reporter, sending her to the hospital two days before Election Day.
The pundit: celebrated capuchin monkey Armani, who bit a WTOP reporter at the news conference where the primate revealed his presidential pick.
Armani is best known for owner Elyse Gazewitz's long -- and successful -- legal battle to return him to her Rockville home after animal control officers, citing wild-animal regulations, seized him. Since then, he has developed a sideline in punditry, albeit with a mixed record. (He predicted Hillary Clinton and Mike Huckabee as the nominees and the Patriots to win the Super Bowl. But he successfully matched a couple for The Post's Date Lab.)
On Sunday, WTOP's Amy Held and a Fox 5 TV crew went to Gazewitz's home to see whom Armani likes in today's election. WTOP News VP Jim Farley told us that as Held reached for her mike, the monkey leapt over and bit her on the pinky, drawing blood.
Back at the office, Held's bosses insisted that she get treated. At Georgetown Hospital, doctors gave her a tetanus shot and put her on antibiotics for a week. Held, who returned to work yesterday, declined to comment. "This is the wackiest workman's comp case I've ever had to fill out forms for," Farley said.
Gazewitz offered a different account, saying Armani, perched on her shoulder, "got threatened" when Held approached with a microphone. "It was just a little nip," she said. "He's never done that before. He just didn't like her for whatever reason."
After carefully studying photos of the candidates, Armani made his pick: Barack Obama. "He's definitely a Democrat," Gazewitz said.

Aggressive Journalism

Yesterday, Senator Barbara Mikulski announced her proposal to carve out about 2 billion from the stimulus package part II for the auto industry essentially giving new car buyers a tax break to stimulate demand again.

Now getting a senator to talk to you on the phone is hard work for a small newsroom, luckily for us she was making this announcement right up the street. No surprise, but I was running late to the press conference.

After dumping the news van (explorer) off on some poor maintenance man across the street we dove in on the scene. Reporters everywhere and the senator dipping into a car all of two feet away from me. Well unlike those fancy cable teevee reporters, we have a handy cam and a short mic leash.....and no shame. I had that mic so close to the poor woman's face, you'd think she was made of chocolate.

You would have thought we were breaking Watergate the way we jumped into the story, meanwhile the lackadaisical press core jotted notes and causally changed tapes. Anywho - it got our mic flag on two local channels this am. Watch and see! Our mic flag now officially has gotten more camera time than Street Talk's Jen Richer! Harrumph!

Will.i.am: It's A New Day

Chez Copa Votes

This important election season, chez copa did what they do best, participated.

Talk About MoveOn.org

Katie - you're prayers have been answered. I, like mr. hanks, predict a small but noticeable baby boom. Watch those uteri
ladies!

E. A. Hanks: Obama Babies: Coming Soon

I want to have an Obama Baby. Let me be clear: I don't want to have Obama's baby, I want to have an Obama Baby. One of the thousands of babies I predict will be born somewhere around August 4th, 2009. Don't believe me?

Please recall how you felt on Tuesday night. If you are so unfortunate as to be anything like me, you were alternatively crying and laughing, hugging total strangers and screaming "OBAMAOBAMAOBAMA" at passing cars and strangers. Also, if I'm being honest, you were also three sheets to the wind (nothing makes me reach for the hooch like worrying over counties in Ohio). When President-Elect Obama spoke, I felt the total validation of two years of hard work, and the release of eight years of pent-up anger and frustration. I felt joyful, hopeful, and downright randy.

Baby Boomers were conceived in the hoopla of the end of the World War II, when ladies and gents just couldn't keep their hands off each other. Planting your "victory garden" took on a whole new meaning.

I wasn't really looking to have a baby. Since my comfort with commitment doesn't extend past the third date, and I am generally as selfish as a baby myself, I had thought that progeny would have wait. Parents have to do things. I can't even get up to answer the phone sometimes.

But, whatever! The past three days I've felt enough love and joy to let all that fall behind. If you think it's only the ladies who want to be Obama Mamas, think again. Last night I saw the Decemberists perform at New York's Terminal Five. Lead singer and total geeky dreamboat Colin Meloy called out to the audience "How many babies were made last night!? There are going to be some Obama Babies! Who knows, you might even have one in you right now!" AND THEN THEY BROUGHT OUT A CARDBOARD CUT-OUT OF PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA.

I was this close to lying on the ground, covering myself with leaves and hoping Meloy just happened to fall in.

But I didn't. At the end of the night, I went home to Brooklyn (the land of babies) and found myself stuck behind three hipster moms and their uber-strollers. They looked exhausted, and each and everyone of those babies was screaming at the top of their lungs.

Bring on the Obama Babies! But, uh.. maybe skip me.

(Check back in after four years though.)

Winners And Losers!

Arianna Huffington: The Winners and Losers of Campaign '08
via The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com by Arianna Huffington on 11/6/08

WINNERS:

The Davids - Axelrod and Plouffe: they spearheaded a near flawless campaign.

Katie Couric: her multi-part interview with Sarah Palin was the turning point in how the country saw Palin -- and by extension John McCain. And she did it in a way that left no room for accusations of being unfair or playing "Gotcha!"

Colin Powell, Scott McClellan, Ken Adelman, Chris Buckley, Kenneth Duberstein, et al: crossing party lines to endorse the eventual winner can't hurt the rep.

Saturday Night Live: went from "Is that still on?" to Must See TV (or, at least, Must See on YouTubeTV)

Tina Fey: her take on Palin was pitch perfect; a comedy mugging for the ages. And with Palin's obvious weight loss during the campaign, she ended up looking more and more like her 30 Rock doppelganger.

Sarah Palin: lost an election but there has to be a reality show in her future.

Michelle Obama: smarts, grace, style, charm, and a serious "good mommy" vibe -- she's got the whole package.

The View: went from gal chat to political headline maker.

MSNBC: Keith, Rachel, Chris... they sent a collective tingle went up the leg of progressive viewers everywhere.

The Internet: click here.


LOSERS:

Joe Lieberman: failed to deliver Democrats, independents, or Jews. And on the way to losing his committee chairmanships.

Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Dick Morris, and hate-mongers everywhere: the stink didn't stick to Obama but it stuck to them.

Bill Clinton: it's gonna take a lot of work to repair the rep.

John McCain: see Bill Clinton.

Liddy Dole: see Clinton and McCain. Her "Godless" ad will be taught in What Not to Do poli sci classes for a century.

George W. Bush: the repudiation of his presidency was overwhelming and across-the-board.

The Republican Party: the emptiness of its philosophic underpinnings was exposed for all to see.

Joe the Plumber: the clock just hit 15 minutes, and the wakeup call will not be pleasant. Joe the Plumber, meet Clara Peller ("Where's the beef?!").

Karl Rove Buys Shit Cookies

810 Boys On The Assent!

Jukebox the Ghost - New Music - More Music Videos

Just Sayin

Get Your Asses In Line!

Today I voted....

P-diddy told me to stand in line dammit and like a good American I was in line at a quarter to six - what did you do today?

Les MisBaracks!

Free Burrito Day

Don't forget ya'll:

The question is should I dress up like a burrito tomorrow in order to get a freebie at Chipotle? I believe the answer is “yes” and you should as well! Call ahead to make sure you’re location is participating, but most restaurants will give you a free burrito if you show up after 5 or 6pm wrapped in tin foil. Technically you can dress up as a burrito, taco, bowl or salad and I’m seriously doubting that your costume has to be all that elaborate. I’ll probably just cover my face in tin foil, poke a few eye holes, and then enjoy my tasty freebie for dinner.

Sigma Kappas Storm The Mall

The Wheels on The Bus Say "Peace Out God"

This is hilarious. From the Washington Post:

LONDON, Oct. 21 -- British atheists announced Tuesday a high-profile advertising campaign to put posters on London buses that say: "There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."

By Tuesday night, as many as 3,400 donors had given about $80,000 on a Web site set up to take contributions to fund the ads. The money arrived along with messages that ranged from witty to nasty, summed up by one from a donor who gave 25 pounds ($42): "Hoorah for the non-believers!"

"We wanted it to be a positive message," said Hanne Stinson, chief executive of the British Humanist Association, which plans to advertise on buses starting in January. "It's about telling people that it's okay if you don't believe in God. If it raises a smile, too, good."

While the vast majority of Britons identify themselves as Christians, only a small percentage attend services regularly. Atheism is far more popular, and socially and politically accepted, in Britain than in the United States.

Many people who do not believe in God call themselves humanists or secularists. The British Parliament has an active and growing group of legislators who describe themselves as humanists.

One of the world's most outspoken and provocative advocates of atheism, Oxford UniversityRichard Dawkins, best-selling author of "The God Delusion," is a member of the humanist association and pledged to personally match donations up to 5,500 pounds (about $9,300), Stinson said.

"This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think -- and thinking is anathema to religion," Dawkins is quoted as saying on the Web site.

The Church of England issued a statement Tuesday defending the humanists' right to express their views but disagreeing with their message. "Christian belief is not about worrying or not enjoying life," it said. "Quite the opposite: our faith liberates us to put this life into a proper perspective. Seven in ten people in this country describe themselves as Christian and know the joy that faith can bring."

In an interview, Stinson said the initial goal was to raise 5,500 pounds, enough to put advertising on the sides of 30 of London's extra-long "bendy buses" for four weeks. But the Web site was swamped with donors.

One person pledged 10 pounds and left the comment, "Spread the word, and consign this superstitious nonsense to the dustbin of history! America, are you listening?"

Another donated 5 pounds and said, "Marvelous. Sorry it's just a fiver -- I'm between jobs at the moment."

Stinson said she was surprised by the outpouring: "It says something about the very loud voice that religion has in our society. People want something to balance that off." The campaign's unexpected success could mean it will be expanded to include posters inside buses or in the London subway.

A spokesman for Transport for London, which operates city buses, said buses have carried ads for religious groups, but never ads promoting atheism. He said the humanists had not yet formally submitted an ad request.

The ads are "not intended as an attack" on anyone's faith, Stinson said. In her view, they do not encourage people to become atheists, but rather are meant to offer support to "people who already do not believe in God."

The idea for an atheist ad campaign first surfaced in June, as a suggestion by television comedy writer and journalist Ariane Sherine in a column in the online version of the Guardian newspaper. Sherine noted that ads running on the London buses at the time directed people to a Web site that declared that those who do not believe in God will spend "all eternity in torment in hell."

The humanist association agreed to take on the project. The bus ads are designed to tell atheists that they will not burn forever in the "lake of fire" described on the religious Web site, Stinson said. "It's about reassurance."

Barney Suits Up - ish

Feel Good Engine

This failing economy is great for my gas tank. Today I filled up....the entire tank! (splurge I know)

About two weeks ago, this would have put me out close to $60. That's dinner at Proof, with wine! This morning it only cost me $37.89 (listen to how conditioned I've become.) It is now cheaper for me to drive lucy to work, then to metro.

Sure, fine lets talk about the reprocussions. If this keeps up, this completely undermines the huge metro funding we just recived (thank you Rep. Jim Moran.) as well as the insentive for alternative fuels. But for one day, just one day, I feel like Queen of the Road again!

What the Fuck Is Buff?

Have you ever laughed so hard your face hurt? Well take that glorious pain and hold it for two hours. That was what a packed Smith Center Arena endured last weekend while Robin Williams took the stage during Colonials’ weekend.

“I know what Blue is, but what the fuck is buff? The color of Washington’s teeth?” he asked throwing the crowd into giggle fits.

The comedian said GW was a receptive audience.

"I'm having a lot of fun playing with my material for this crowd," Williams said in an interview with The Hatchet. "I'm learning more about the school. There's more to it than buff and the hippo."

While preparing for his weekend routine, he must have snuck into the Gelman Starbucks as he described the cliché scenario in perfect detail. “Five girls are sitting around the table feverishly jamming away at their crackberries in silence. Then one looks up at the other and giggles ‘I know’ before returning to her text.”

Acknowledging the parents, “who were checking up to see what their $52,000 is going towards,” he went on to steal the campus’ Foggy Bottom location as a “gentle way to describe the current status of the economy.

Skipping through topics from Palin to porn, Williams hit the mark and held it while we in the audience held our gut and grasped for air between punch-lines.

Noting the difference between Palin and Cheney, “when Palin shoots you, you stay down.”

But a deeper purpose was not lost on the “future interns of America,” as he encouraged the audience to vote on November 4th.

Becoming Jane

Talk about a motivational video. Stick six girls in front of a tivo and next thing you know they’re starting a Jane Austin Book Club.

Well that’s what’s happened to the ladies of Chez Copa. Following the order of the film, we will be kicking off the first discussion with Emma. Plus its not a bad way to get us all together for wine and cheese! Stay tuned!

On The Move

Well we did it! Angela finally caved and signed the lease on her new palacial apartment in Crystal City. And one weekend and 6 trips later, the new Virginian resident is almost completely moved in! Sidebar – you really learn a lot about your friends as you pack up their belongings! The move of course was then toasted by Chez Copa at our very own McClarins (Crystal City Sports Pub)

Playing Dress Up

Not to give too much detail away…Linds has completed her mission and decided on a bridesmaid dress for her sister’s big day. No, this is not it, but this was day one of the search.

Presidential Reading

It may have been a muddy mess, but the 8th Annual National Book Festival went without a hitch this year, unless you count the raging blisters I procured care of the driving mocks I stupidly decided to break in! Note to self – muggy weather and leather do not mix. Wear Socks!

So aside from the wardrobe malfunction, I was set to start my book tour with none other than the hostesses of the event themselves, Laura and Jenna Bush. Their new children's book, Read All About It, was the kick off reading.

Following in her mother’s footstep as a teacher, Jenna co-authored this tale about a former student of Laura’s. Tyrone is your typical ADHD second grader who refuses to focus in class. Rather than dope the kid up with Ritalin, the main characters transcend the disability and capture his youthful enthusiasm for recess and channel it into reading…..a likely story. Author's note: FICTION.

Jenna said about working with her mother on the book, "if you're wondering if working with your parent, they still boss you around, the answer is yes."

An interesting side note, the illustrator was able to sneak a few shout outs to the current president by converting his birthday into the elementary school’s gym number. Throw that one out at your next cocktail party!

While the mother daughter team read aloud to the eager tots, I couldn’t take my eyes off the first daughter’s huge rock! I’m sure if every teacher married comfortably, we would have a much stronger education system. In the meantime, let’s give them a raise!

After the meet and greet, I had to return home, to attend to my developing wounds.

Freedom Day

Guest Blogger Tommy McFly

“It was an AMAZING event with The South African Embassy. We gathered together to celebrate South Africa's Freedom Day. FREEDOM DAY celebrates . . well Freedom and commemorates the first democratic post-apartheid elections held in 94. The party really got started when an authentic South African Band (I wish I knew their name) took the stage.”

Between the wine and the Amarula (south African liqueur) the crowd sure did its dance on.

Tapas That!

On the top of our foodie list for chez copa has been the tapas king Zaytinya in Gallery Place. So when Linds sister Tiff came down for dress fittings, we jumped at the excuse to make a reservation.

I won’t bury the lead on this one – it was superb. Tapas and buffets are very similar to each other for me, perfect for the A.D.D. taster, only unlike a buffet, I don’t feel like Violet “blueberry” Beauregard.

But not all Tapas are created equal. Having just visited Bodega in Georgetown , which was mediocre at best, I was hoping Zaytinya would earn its rating on the Washingtonians Best of List. And just to be clear, Zaytinia serves mezze, or Mediterranean tapas.

We were not disappointed. Just being three of us, we tried to limit the selections. Tried but failed. Twelve dishes were paired with, “the wine that will change your life,” as suggested by Jeff our waiter. I can’t recall the exact name of the Greek red, but for all intents and purposes it may as well have been named Zeus for how powerful it was.

All in all – this is a definite revisit, for both happy hour and a mezze-fest!

I Don't Wanna Grow Up, Because If I Did....

Every year the Kennedy Center opens its doors to the public Millennium stage style. Every theater fills its stage with free programming for all ages, from opera to orchestra.

This year the station had a booth, but I managed to sneak away for a few performances. Snagging a co-workers daughter, I disguised my curiosity with my babysitting duties…what, I’ve never played a tuba before, and I wanted to try too!

Then we ducked into the NSO performance, geared toward elementary school students, playing tunes the crowd was familiar with. What a great way to introduce families to music and theater!

Powerful Portraiture

What timing for a show like the Corcoran’s exhibition of Richard Avedon’s Portraits of Power. As the country sits poised watching the presidential face off for the white house, this collection brings together not just the names and faces of the Washington political scene but players from all layers of the century’s power struggles.

 

Acclaimed as one of the America’s pre-eminent editorial portraitist and fashion photographer’s, we literally walk through the past 50 years of history starting with a pixilated grey shot of a glaze eyed Oppenheimer, perfectly appropriate for the genius behind the splitting of particles.

Though most shots are black and white on white background shot with an 8 x 10 lens, there are a few color images, like that of Barack Obama from the 2004 Democratic convention. At that point, still just the junior senator from Illinois, we are drawn particularly close to him. (Camera technique used to pull his head closer in focus than his body)

While former Sec. of State Kessinger was being photographed, he asked Avedon to “be kind,” clearly referring to the power the photographer had over his image. Interesting that it came from one of the most powerful men in the country.

Toward the middle of the exhibit stood a huge picture titled, Napalm victim #2. Completely disfigured and obviously blind, she stands next to an 11x14 head shot of a decorated Vietnam war hero shamelessly cheesing just four days after her portrait was taken.

With the power of his images not simply resting in the titles of his sitters, its no wonder one of his greatest followers is Annie Leibowitz.