Your guide to the region's top events, mixed with some commentary about life, media, gossip and politics in Washington, DC.
|
|
Good morning, Washington! Here's what we're reading around the web this AM.
Photo by Flickr user tzk333 Merry eve of Christmas Eve, Washington! If you're still scrambling to put your holidays together, find a gift, pick a restaurant to dine at, or anything else holiday-related, make sure to check out our guide to all things holiday. Plus, we have lots of last-minute gifts for the foodie in your life. If you have to use River Road today, avoid, avoid, avoid—a huge water main break has stranded some drivers , leading to dramatic rescues, and the road is completely flooded. Want to punk speed cameras—at the expense of somebody else? WTOP explains how folks are doing it. Big news from the Post—Jim Brady, executive editor of washingtonpost.com, is stepping down. FishbowlDC has the internal memo. Prince of Petworth has a sneak peek at the new spot from Ben's Chili Bowl. In this chilly weather, DCist has a good reminder about a hypothermia hotline. If you encounter a homeless person trying to brave the cold and sleep outside, you can call 1-800-535-7252 and a van will come pick them up and transport them to a shelter.
|
|
By
Emily Leaman
The Presidential Inaugural Committee today announced the honorary cochairs for the inauguration. Expected picks include former presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter, but a few first-timers cropped up on the list, too.
Among those given the title—and a coveted front-row seat at the swearing-in—is DC mayor Adrian Fenty, who’s been publicly endorsing Obama since July 2007. Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama’s brother, made the list, probably becoming the first basketball coach ever to be given the honor. And Barack Obama’s half-sister, Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng, will also be attending. Here are the other honorary cochairs for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration: • Senator Dick Durbin • Senator Dick Lugar • Senator Claire McCaskill • Representative Tammy Baldwin • Representative Artur Davis • Representative Ray LaHood • Representative Linda Sánchez • General Colin Powell • Hunter and Kathleen Biden, Vice President-elect Joe Biden’s son and daughter-in-law. >>All Washingtonian.com Inauguration 2009 coverage More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Society Photos
|
|
By
Emily Leaman
Photo courtesy of DCist Run, don’t walk, to this Web page—Metro’s Barack Obama commemorative farecards are officially on sale.
There are three options. For $10, you can purchase a rechargeable SmarTrip card with Obama’s face and “January 20, 2009, Inauguration Day” printed on the front; this card has no fare preloaded. Twenty dollars will get you the same plastic SmarTrip card with $10 in Metro fare preloaded. SmarTrip cards can be used on trains and buses.
A one-day paper pass is also available for $10. Printed with a black-and-white image of the President-elect, the pass gives you unlimited subway travel starting at 9:30 AM. You can use the pass any day of the week, including Inauguration Day, but it expires at midnight Sunday through Thursday and at 3 AM Friday and Saturday.
By comparison, a regularly priced SmarTrip card costs $30 and comes with $25 in Metro fare preloaded. A one-day rail pass costs $7.80. >> All Washingtonian.com inauguration coverage More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Society Photos
|
|
By
Kim Eisler
Since 1971, Michael Hausfeld has been one of Washington’s most feared “big case” lawyers. He takes aim at oil and tobacco companies, handgun manufacturers, and especially Swiss banks and American corporations that he believes allowed the Holocaust to occur. Operating out of plush quarters in the old Greyhound bus station on DC’s New York Avenue, Hausfeld had built one of Washington’s premier firms, Cohen Milstein Hausfeld & Toll. Among his partners was Joe Sellers, onetime head of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Sellers has largely made his name from sex-and gender-discrimination suits against Boeing and Wal-Mart. Was a clash of egos not inevitable?
Read More
|
|
By
Emily Leaman
Oprah, can we come to your housewarming party? Pretty please?! Oprah photograph by Russ Einhorn/Splash News Online
The inauguration rumor mills are in full-swing today. The New York Post is reporting that Oprah Winfrey is home hunting in Washington. Why? She "wants to be as close to Barack Obama as possible."
The talk-show queen is said to have inquired about a nine-bedroom, $50 million mansion. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton speculates that it's the Evermay Estate, which we blogged about in September when it went on the market. If Hilton's right, Oprah would be moving into an 1801 federal-style mansion with as many bathrooms as bedrooms—plenty of room for Oprah's bestie Gayle King to stop in for a visit.
Read More
|
|
By
Bekah Grant
Sean Combs, a.k.a. Diddy, a.k.a. Puff Daddy, is launching a men’s cologne in honor of Barack Obama. Named I Am King, the fragrance is part of what Combs says is the redefinition of the successful black male brought about by Obama’s election. To find out what people think of it, we took the fragrance to Obama’s new residence and asked people walking by the White House to smell it.
Read More
|
|
We stopped diners exiting the new bar and restaurant next door to Ben's Chili Bowl to find out how chef Rock Harper's crab cakes compare to the famous half-smoke.
more
Here’s our list of galas, balls, and parties happening around town during inauguration time. We’ll be updating this on a rolling basis as events are confirmed.
more
|