It’s that time of year again. Fans camp out outside the Four Seasons, fully loaded
Lincoln Navigator drivers earn enough overtime to get them through the rest of 2013,
and even the most jaded Washingtonians geek out at the sight of Jay-Z in a mink-fur
hat. Yes, friends—it’s inauguration 2013.
While this year’s event isn’t anywhere close to the scale of President Obama’s historic
2009 inauguration, fear not—it’s highly likely our fair city will be hit by a good
number of celebrities. To assist you all in your best stalking efforts, we’ve attempted
to narrow down who they might be; we’ll update as more guest lists are confirmed. [Ed. note: The Washingtonian is hosting its own inaugural ball, though celebrity attendance is unconfirmed.]
Definitely Coming
Beyoncé Knowles, James Taylor, and Kelly Clarkson have been confirmed as performers at the inauguration ceremony outside the Capitol (Knowles is singing the national anthem).
The Creative Coalition Ball on January 21 has confirmed that a number of celebrities
will be attending, including but not limited to: Kirsten Dunst, Ashley Greene, Matt
Bomer, Chelsea Handler, Johnny Galecki, Eric Stonestreet, Connie Britton, Paula Abdul,
Giancarlo Esposito (Gus Fring lives!), Melissa Leo, John Leguizamo, Marlon Wayans,
Taraji P. Henson, Omar Epps, Evan Handler, David Arquette, and Creative Coalition
president Tim Daly. And the Goo Goo Dolls will perform just in case the presence of
Paula Abdul isn’t enough of a throwback.
Russell Simmons has announced that he’s hosting a Hip-Hop Inaugural Ball on January
20. We don’t have details on the guest list yet, but it’ll almost certainly be a good
bet for spotting music stars. Lala Anthony and Terrence J are also hosting.
Ke$ha will headline the Musicians on Call inaugural charity benefit on January 21.
The Kennedy Center hosts “In Performance at the Kennedy Center,” honoring Latino culture and featuring Eva Longoria, George Lopez, Chita Rivera, Mario Lopez, Robert Rodriguez, Melanie Griffith, Rita Moreno, and more.
For those of you who prefer a more erudite crowd, the Peace Ball is also returning
in 2013, with confirmed attendees Alice Walker, Ralph Nader, Danny Glover, Barbara
Ehrenreich, Katrina vanden Heuvel, Van Jones, and more. Musical guests include Moby
and Sweet Honey in the Rock.
Probably Coming
It’s fair to assume that a number of President Obama’s biggest bundlers and donors
will be in attendance. That means people like Harvey Weinstein, Anna Wintour, Eva
Longoria, Tyler Perry, Wendell Pierce, George Clooney, Sarah Jessica Parker, and possibly
Beyoncé and Jay-Z. (Update: Beyoncé will be singing the national anthem at the inauguration ceremony, and presumably her husband will be there to watch. Longoria will host an event at the Kennedy Center.)
Rumored to be Coming
The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Katy Perry.
Attended Last Time, May Return
Where to begin? Mariah Carey, Dustin Hoffman, Denzel Washington, Steven Spielberg,
Magic Johnson, Oprah Winfrey, Muhammad Ali, Sean Combs, Arnold Schwarzenegger, John
Cusack, and many, many more.
Which celebrity would you most like to run into at inauguration 2013? Let us know
in the comments.
