The final countdown to an inauguration for the ages
Hello, everybody. The eyes of the entire world right now are focused on Washington, D.C., where tomorrow morning, a new America and new world will be born as Barack Hussein Obama raises his right hand and takes the Oath of Office to officially be christened as the 44th President of the United States.
And over the weekend, the festivities have been underway, kicking off with a star-studded concert at the Lincoln Memorial broadcast on HBO that featured the likes of Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen (who has another big afterwards, I'll explain later), Oscar winners Jamie Foxx, Tom Hanks, and Forrest Whitaker, Shakira, and others. Ben Affleck (who is now the proud father of a second baby girl he and Jennifer Garner gave birth to recently), Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Rosario Dawson, Hayden Panettiere, Jessica Alba, Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah, and of course, Oprah Winfrey have also descended to the Nation's Capital to not only witness history in the making, but to also have even livelier parties than last week's Golden Globes!
But not everybody will make the red-eye flight to Washington...unless if they're flying US Airways! The Sundance Film Festival is going on in Utah, while some of the big names are premiering their films in Europe; among them, Tom Cruise ("Valkyrie"), Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet ("Revolutionary Road"), and Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway ("Bride Wars"). Of course, they will be watching the inauguration on TV.
Meanwhile, security all over Washington is at its tighest ever, and police estimates say that upwards of over 3 to even 4 million people from all over the world are there. And unlike George W. Bush's inaugurations in 2001 and 2005, there will be tolerance and civility, especially when Obama and his family make their traditional walk down Pennsylvania Avenue.
One of the attendees who'll be at tomorrow's inauguration is Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger, the heroic US Airways pilot who landed his plane to safety down the Hudson River last week without a single life lost.
Anyway, this will be a 56th Presidential Inauguration that'll be remembered for generations to come, all with a hefty price tag: Over $150 million! Now that is disputed, but it'll still be the most expensive ever at around $50 million. That's a sharp contrast to the two $40 million inaugurations for Bush, $33 million for Bill Clinton's first in 1993, and $30 million for the senior George Bush. We're not sure how much Ronald Reagan's were, but I think the government footed the bills.
We have come a long way from Martin Luther King's dream, and tomorrow afternoon, that dream will become a reality as the old regime under George W. Bush will be out and a new regime under Barack H. Obama will begin. And like I said when I commented on the election, I wished my grandmother Mildred lived a few months longer to witness what will sure be every historic moment of the inauguration.
Now as I stated a few paragraphs ago, Springsteen's next big gig will be halftime during Super Bowl XLIII...and speaking of which, it's on as only the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers remain for sole possession of the Vince Lombardi Trophy on February 1 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa!
"The Boss" is not alone; Journey will kick things off with their pre-game performance while in her first public appearance since the tragic family murders last fall, Jennifer Hudson will do the national anthem. And of course, there are the million dollar commercials, especially from the old standbys Anheuser-Busch and Pepsi.
Since the Steelers prevented the Seahawks' chances at a Super Bowl title three years ago, I'm now leaning towards the Cardinals to pull it off, and for good reason: I grew up living in the Phoenix area in the early '80s, back when I...oh, who the hell cares how I looked!
Till tomorrow and my inaugration recap, so long and stay strong!
And over the weekend, the festivities have been underway, kicking off with a star-studded concert at the Lincoln Memorial broadcast on HBO that featured the likes of Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen (who has another big afterwards, I'll explain later), Oscar winners Jamie Foxx, Tom Hanks, and Forrest Whitaker, Shakira, and others. Ben Affleck (who is now the proud father of a second baby girl he and Jennifer Garner gave birth to recently), Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Rosario Dawson, Hayden Panettiere, Jessica Alba, Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah, and of course, Oprah Winfrey have also descended to the Nation's Capital to not only witness history in the making, but to also have even livelier parties than last week's Golden Globes!
But not everybody will make the red-eye flight to Washington...unless if they're flying US Airways! The Sundance Film Festival is going on in Utah, while some of the big names are premiering their films in Europe; among them, Tom Cruise ("Valkyrie"), Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet ("Revolutionary Road"), and Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway ("Bride Wars"). Of course, they will be watching the inauguration on TV.
Meanwhile, security all over Washington is at its tighest ever, and police estimates say that upwards of over 3 to even 4 million people from all over the world are there. And unlike George W. Bush's inaugurations in 2001 and 2005, there will be tolerance and civility, especially when Obama and his family make their traditional walk down Pennsylvania Avenue.
One of the attendees who'll be at tomorrow's inauguration is Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger, the heroic US Airways pilot who landed his plane to safety down the Hudson River last week without a single life lost.
Anyway, this will be a 56th Presidential Inauguration that'll be remembered for generations to come, all with a hefty price tag: Over $150 million! Now that is disputed, but it'll still be the most expensive ever at around $50 million. That's a sharp contrast to the two $40 million inaugurations for Bush, $33 million for Bill Clinton's first in 1993, and $30 million for the senior George Bush. We're not sure how much Ronald Reagan's were, but I think the government footed the bills.
We have come a long way from Martin Luther King's dream, and tomorrow afternoon, that dream will become a reality as the old regime under George W. Bush will be out and a new regime under Barack H. Obama will begin. And like I said when I commented on the election, I wished my grandmother Mildred lived a few months longer to witness what will sure be every historic moment of the inauguration.
Now as I stated a few paragraphs ago, Springsteen's next big gig will be halftime during Super Bowl XLIII...and speaking of which, it's on as only the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers remain for sole possession of the Vince Lombardi Trophy on February 1 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa!
"The Boss" is not alone; Journey will kick things off with their pre-game performance while in her first public appearance since the tragic family murders last fall, Jennifer Hudson will do the national anthem. And of course, there are the million dollar commercials, especially from the old standbys Anheuser-Busch and Pepsi.
Since the Steelers prevented the Seahawks' chances at a Super Bowl title three years ago, I'm now leaning towards the Cardinals to pull it off, and for good reason: I grew up living in the Phoenix area in the early '80s, back when I...oh, who the hell cares how I looked!
Till tomorrow and my inaugration recap, so long and stay strong!
