On her hat going to the Presidential Library: "I can always stop by and see it." [NPR]

Zellweger continued: "I figured you follow the crowd, right? Everybody's gonna know where they're going… Somebody's gonna eventually lead me to a Jumbotron. Wrong!" Letterman reminded Zellweger that she is, in fact, a celebrity, and therefore entitled to better treatment. "Oh yeah, I love to be the girl that everybody else hates," Zellweger said, sarcastically. "I do. I love it." Clip at left.

Yesterday, a tipster told us Jason Wu, who has been enjoying a publicity bump following Michelle Obama's appearance in one of his gowns at the inauguration, had been effectively outed to some of his extended family by his profile in the Times Sunday Styles section. Writer Eric Wilson's mention of Wu's boyfriend, Gustavo Rangel, was, we heard, the first some of his family members had heard about his sexual orientation.

Whether that's true or not, says Mr. Gabriel, his section did not "out" the designer.

During his reporting, Eric Wilson asked both Wu and his partner, Gustavo Rangel, if it was okay to mention in print that they were a couple. They both consented. (...) [I]t is wrong to leave readers with the implication made by your headline that The New York Times someone [sic] outed Jason Wu. We take this issue seriously here. We did no such thing.

It's also worth noting that Wu spoke about Michelle Obama's style and his experience designing for her to The Advocate for their issue of January 20; the piece was headlined "Michelle Goes Gay." Although Wu was not quoted discussing his sexuality with the magazine, both the text and the sub-headline referred to him as a gay designer.

There are clearly levels of in-ness and out-ness within almost any gay individual's life — especially so for anyone whose family comes from a more conservative culture, but who lives and works far away in the relatively tolerant bubble of New York City. Negotiating these levels of identity must be fraught at the best of times. Wu may even have thought it was 'safe' to speak to The Advocate, since his Taiwanese relatives wouldn't read it. But if he did give the Times positive permission to identify his and Rangel's relationship as a romantic one, then he wasn't outed — even if it's true that the news entailed some difficult family discussions. He outed himself. And good for him, because he has plenty to be proud of right now.

The Spotlight Finds Jason Wu [NY Times]
Michelle Goes Gay [Advocate]

Earlier: Did Jason Wu Inadvertently Out Himself In The New York Times?

[Image via Tricia Romano]

On MSNBC, Chris Matthews, who can go from curmudgeon to emo in 2.4 seconds when he's excited about something, couldn't stop gushing about our new First Couple, discussing their romance with Jezebel Girl Crush, Rachel Maddow:

MATTHEWS: It’s what my wife calls…She has a term for it. I can’t think of what it is now. It’s different than that. But I must say something, James Carville said politics is Hollywood for ugly people. These people, the actors they hired to play them couldn’t be better looking. I can say that of both families today. This is an incredibly glamourous bunch of people we watched in the reviewing stand today. Extraordinarily so. This picture would be hard to beat if Hollywood replicated it…

RACHEL MADDOW: They are modeling a married romance, that is moving…

MATTHEWS: Looks like two people on top of a wedding cake. Look at this stuff…

MADDOW: They are teasing each other. They are tender — beautiful.

MATTHEWS: This is not a political marriage, per se. No comment further…

At first, I laughed, as it seemed like a very Matthews-in-gushy-mode thing to say. But Rachel's comment about "modeling a married romance" really stuck with me, and when I tried to think of another famous couple in recent years that has really presented a believable and natural sense of true love and romance, it was hard to come up with any.

I always feel weird commenting on the President and First Lady in this way: there is a public interest in this presidency that hasn't been there in some time: we have a rock star leader, a celebrity, a glamorous pair whose every fashion choice seems to be documented. There's a disconnect between the President and his wife and the rest of the celebrity couples out there: celebrity couples often give off a sense of desperation, calculation, and it's hard to believe that any of them will last. The Obamas have already been together for 16 years, before the campaigns and the fancy balls and the international celebrity. And unlike Brangelina or some such, where the speculation and the gossip drowns out any sense of reality, one gets the sense that the Obamas truly are in love.

So the notion that the Obamas are, in fact, modeling a "married romance" doesn't seem too far off the mark. Which is a bit sad if you think about it: in this insanely wedding-obsessed culture we live in, the focus seems to be on the ceremony, and not the marriage itself. We hear all about wedding plans and sappy honeymoons, but rarely do we see an example of a couple who has stood the test of time and still appears to be madly in love with one another, at least not on an extremely public scale.

It's strange to read comments about the Obamas, in that people seem genuinely moved and excited at the prospect of a couple who are still, quite clearly, in love with one another, who still blush when they are dancing, who still smile as if they just met, who still hold hands in public and hold each other's attention, even when the entire world is screaming their names. Perhaps it speaks to a generation such as mine, which was filled with the divorces of many of our parents, that hey! married people can actually make it, that love doesn't necessarily die out or fade away. And while the Obamas certainly never asked to be the symbol of "married romance" perhaps, without even trying, and just by being themselves, they are once again giving off tiny rays of hope.

Matthews: Not A Political Marriage [Columbia Journalism Review]

[Washington, D.C., January 20. Image via Getty]

• Two days after the fact, Vogue's Anna Wintour has come up with two paragraphs on Michelle Obama's inaugural style. She approves. [Vogue.com]

• British model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley stars in an online video for Agent Provocateur where, after receiving the excuses of her oblivious boyfriend on February 14, she goes to the office where he's working late, ties him to his desk chair, and performs a lap dance in her lingerie. Then she punches him in the nose and says, "This'll teach you to forget Valentine's Day." But the Times of London thinks it's too sexy, or something. While it is possibly NSFW, it's shot in a light-hearted, cheery style that achieves the opposite of a sexy mood. [Times of London]
• What is sexy is this video shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin for YSL menswear. It features the actor Michael Pitt — Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Last Days — shot in extreme close-up while an unseen French woman talks about his clothes. It sounds weird, but watching his expression while she says things like "You breathe my transparency" and "I want to lick this animal skin that falls, well-cut, from your rounded shoulder" before describing the drape of a silk crepe lining and, of course, the body beneath, is hot. This one is SFW because all you see is his face. [Dazed Digital]
• Louis Vuitton's menswear show in Paris was inspired by "the traveling wardrobe of an African king" and featured a closer look at some of the sneakers Kanye West has designed for the brand, which are to hit stores this summer. Mr. West sat in the front row and said he was "proud" of his handiwork. (Then he shouted, "Fuck this, I'm better than Marc Jacobs! My shoes cost a million dollars. Pamela Anderson is gonna wear 'em. To jump across canyons and shit. If I don't become creative director, LVMH loses credibility. Nothin' against you, MJ, but hell, man. Please, press people, print, 'Kanye says Fuck that.'") [Guardian]
• Taking a leaf out of Rad Hourani's book of gender, Chloe Sevigny is showing a unisex line at menswear week in Paris. [FabSugar]
• The maker of Aretha Franklin's impressive inauguration day hat, Detroit milliner Luke Song, is going to produce a line of 12 similar hats. They will be various colors and have differently sized bows, and cost $150-$250. Song estimates that nearly 1,000 people have ordered the $179 hat that Franklin's was based on. "I’d be very stupid not to take this opportunity," Song said. "It's like a huge gift." [WSJ]
• Jason Wu, inaugural gown designer extraordinaire, is focused on his upcoming New York show. "I'm doing a significant fur collection, and the message will be all about luxury," says Wu. What? The last thing this kid needs is PETA on his case and a collection of $4,000 coats to sell. [Fashion Week Daily]
• People has another image from Scarlett Johanson's campaign for Dolce & Gabbana makeup. She looks like she's blowing on a candle. However, I like the sound of the goods, which are to be scented with rose: “We wanted to create makeup with a scent," said Gabbana. "Domenico and I remember when we were children and opened our mother’s handbags — the scent of her lipstick trailed out. I observed that when women open makeup, they smell it first.” I like his observance. [People]
• When you become first lady, everyone wants a piece of you. Up to and including the Smithsonian, which is ever-so-politely requesting Michelle Obama give them her clothes from inauguration day. [WSJ]
• The NY Post's Tempo Espresso blog — "We speak Spanish so you don't have to" — has an interview with Isabel Toledo. She says, "For me color and beauty really are in the eye of the beholder — and color should never be a barrier because it's all about tone. The color in question I call lemongrass for its freshness. It has been called sunflower, gold, mustard, sunshine, and some describe it as sparkly but in fact its wool lace. But I love the way the its open to interpretation and the fact that the color defies being named." [NY Post]
• Kristin Davis is the new face of a skincare company that includes salts and minerals from the Dead Sea as ingredients. And she would like very much to tell you how special it is that they are paraben- and sulfate-free and "all natural." Is this venture related to those attractive Israelis who are always trying to sell Dead Sea mud in jars at the mall? [WWD]
• Helena Christensen is going to shoot Façonnable's first runway show, and their next campaign. [WWD]
• Jones Apparel Group is projecting a fourth-quarter loss and $840 million in write-downs. Costs are being cut across the board in the face of flagging retail spending; the quarterly dividend will sink 64% to 5c a share. [WSJ]
• The Oscar nominees are in. Now begins the speculation on what the actresses will wear. Rachel Zoe has a finger in this pie, too. [WWD]
• Possibly the best reaction, bank account permitting, to losing financial backing for one's label is to breezily announce a year-long vacation. Holly Dunlap, founder of Hollywould, writes on her website: "In 2009 you may find us surfing off the beaches of Brazil, skiing in the mountains of Switzerland, sailing near the shores of Italy, and sunning on the sands of Palm Beach, and wherever we are, we’ll be thinking of you." [WWD]

• Michelle Obama wore Tracy Feith yesterday. She has yet to warn any designer what she's wearing — which is kind of awesomely normal. It must be the best surprise one could get. [WWD]

• There's a slick "behind-the-scenes" video of Madonna's shoot for Louis Vuitton. Marc Jacobs explains his casting choice, and our girl from Detroit says she thinks MJ is "kinda hot" in her weird pan-European accent. [The Life Files]
• Remember when pink-obsessed Russian orange juice oligarch heiress/designer Kira Plastinina’s chain of stores was depressing because it proved the wealthy will get ahead regardless of talent and cutting taxes for billionaires only encourages them to do dumb-shit things like giving 15-year-olds stores to "run"? Well, now it's depressing because the recession is here and suddenly the rich not having more money than they know what to do with is, you know, A Problem. Less than one year (and one Sweet Sixteen party with Chris Brown) after its US launch, the firm is in bankruptcy court, owing over $54 million. Employees were turfed out on the street. Russia! magazine has a timeline. I suggest you use it to occupy your forebrain as you ponder the moral correctness of feeling schadenfreude at the expense of a schoolgirl. [Russia!]
• Michelle Obama might be at NY Fashion Week. She certainly will soon be entertaining overtures from Fern Mallis, the IMG vice-president who runs the event. Mallis wants to propose some charity initiatives that would be a good fit for the new first lady. [NY Mag]
• Imagine what an impact she could have on fashion week during this economy of lowered expectations: Yesterday, in addition to crashing J. Crew's site with her choice of gloves, Michelle Obama made Isabel Toledo and Jason Wu the 70th and 11th most-searched terms on the internet. [NY Times]
• As my mother would say, some people just have no class. "Designers" are already lining up to copy Wu and Toledo's inaugural looks. [NY Daily News]
• Whatever happens, don't expect this fashion week to be like fashion weeks past. As you know, there's a general trend away from the Bryant Park tents and towards cheaper presentations in designers' own spaces, or towards group shows to split costs. Also pretty much nobody is having an afterparty. However, registrations and sponsorships are about the same as last season, and the total number of fashion week events is only down to 197, from 225 one year ago, so...maybe it won't be so bad? [WSJ]
• Giorgio Armani showed the quilted pants that he claimed Dolce & Gabbana ripped off in Milan; now there's a photo for comparison. They look like two pairs of pants that are ugly in the same way. [Guardian]
• Hussein Chalayan has sensible advice for aspiring fashion designers: the most important thing — even and perhaps especially in these days of Lauren Conrad and Project Runway contestants, more memorable for referring to themselves in the third person than any garment they may have sewed — is not to become your own brand. It's to make good clothes. And to learn how to work as part of a team. Hussein Chalayan is wise. [Elle UK]
• Coach's profits fell 14% in the last quarter of 2008, and the company is scaling back its expansion plans as a result. Ali Michael was paid a reported $50,000 to shoot Coach's fall 2009 campaign last week. [WSJ]
• NOOOOOOOO! Filene's Basement is to close almost a third of its stores. Damn you, recession. Don't they understand that now more than ever do we need designer wares at 90% off! I will go and cry into the hem of my latest Filene's find now. [Boston Globe]
• Scott Schuman's The Sartorialist is to become a photography book. [Reuters]

We can't imagine the newly-minted President had a tremendous appetite at the traditional Capital Hill luncheon, served post-inauguration — and we're not even talking about the fact that several senators tragically collapsed mid-meal; the man's got to have been exhausted, and running on adrenaline. But tradition must be honored, even if it's an enormous stress for everyone involved. First of all, putting said luncheon together sounds like a major hassle: beyond the evident stresses of serving a multi-course meal to some of the most powerful people in the country, caterers and servers had to contend with multiple security checkpoints, a makeshift temporary kitchen, and such a congested city that several of the caterers opted to camp out in the capital building so as to be on hand early enough to supervise.
Tables:

were covered with blue damask cloths, the chairs covered with matching blue velvet pillows. On each table were centerpieces of white and lavender hydrangeas and two kinds of red roses, a larger display at the head table. The place plates are copies of the Lincoln china, with the purple border that looked red at the lunch; the silver was gold-plated. Four glasses stood at each plate – two wine, a water glass and a champagne flute.

The menu was also, allegedly, Lincoln-inflected: seafood stew with puff pastry to take off the chill; "platters of perfectly cooked duck and pheasant served on a beautiful bed of carrots, asparagus, wax beans, beets and spinach," pureed sweet potatoes, and "miniature corn muffins, into which a small piece of corn husk had been baked" (and presumably removed by any guest who didn't feel like eating dry leaf.) The dessert was "a cinnamon apple cake with vanilla bean ice cream, sautéed apple cubes and sauce," served, oddly, with Korbel.

As to the kids' menu, served to Malia, Sasha and the numerous grandkids Biden, it was straight-up greatest hits:

Hot dogs
Cheeseburgers
Macaroni and cheese
French fries
Grilled cheese sandwiches
Cheese pizza
Chocolate chip cookies
Apple and orange juices and soft drinks

Not bad! But what of the days to come? White House cookery is a hot button issue right now, as Berkeley slow-food doyenne Alice Waters presses for more emphasis on sustainable foods at 1600. In the process, she's been critical of White House chef Cristeta Comerford, which has angered some of Comerford's friends. While Waters is pushing for a new chef whose focus is sustainability, defenders say the White House is already pretty progressive in this regard: at Waters' urging, the Clinton White House installed a small organic roof garden and quietly began sourcing food from co-ops and local farmers. The trend continued under Bush 2: says one former chef, “To her credit, Mrs. Bush was adamant about organic foods...It goes counter to her perceived personality, but it was never important to her that the information be released.” We're sure the Obamas won't be resistant to anything that promotes healthy eating, especially given their power as role models. But one thing is for sure: If Waters has her way, the sort of kids' menus listed above will be a dim memory.
A Mission to Serve Lunch in the Capitol [NYT]
What’s Cooking at the White House? Who’s Asking? [NYT]

• Good morning! Obama is president, did you hear? The hat Aretha Franklin wore to sing "My Country, Tis Of Thee" was hand-molded and embellished with Swarovski crystals by Detroit milliner Luke Song. [WWD]

• Sasha and Malia's colorful ensembles were all from J. Crew kid's line Crewcuts. When consumers figured this out yesterday, traffic crashed J. Crew's site. [NY Daily News]
• Michelle Obama's gown of choice for her 10+ inaugural balls last night was by Jason Wu. The 26-year-old designer had thought he was a long shot. Says US magazine of Michelle's one-shouldered cream gown, "She's bringing sexy back." Really. Her husband wore a tux by his favorite suit maker, Hart Schaffner Marx. [US]
• The New Yorker's Judith Thurman, who profiled Isabel and Ruben Toledo last March, spoke to the designer and her husband about the First Lady's choice to wear one of her designs at her husband's swearing-in. Says Ruben, “To be woven into the thread of this historical moment is a major blessing." Making the outfit was a family affair: "Vitelio Toledo, Ruben’s father and the couple’s pattern cutter, was particularly proud to have worked on it. The seamstresses, almost all immigrant women, also took particular pride in participating in a historic moment. Ruben told me that they added a very fine inter-layer of pashmina to help keep Michelle warm on the dais." How touching. Maybe someone can please hire Isabel Toledo again now? [New Yorker]
• Regardless of whether or not that happens, Toledo's sales are sure to see a boost. Barney's Simon Doonan reports scrambling to get her wares into his windows yesterday. "It’s going to be an Isabel Toledo homage," he said, before adding, "I’m sort of annoyed that Michelle Obama has spring merchandise before us!" [WWD]
• Here is a 735-word story about Michelle Obama's eyebrows. [Chicago Tribune]
• And why not let her hairstylist in on the action? [Allure]
• Lois Cassanos has been make-up artist to every president since Nixon. Cassanos claims she never uses anything more than foundation, concealer, and powder on her charges, since the leader of the free world has got to look manly, and reveals there was nothing on George H. W. Bush's lips when he said "read my lips." Good to know! [Allure]
• Can everyone please stop with the tacky Obama tie-ins? It's opportunistic and the thought of wearing something called "Obalma" on my lips makes my toes curl. [BrandFreak]
• Kim Kardashian is thinking of forswearing fur — because when her sister Khloe agreed to do so, PETA put her in her very own naked ad. Could it be that vain entertainment personalities are more interested by the thought of appearing nude and hot on a billboard somewhere than the actual plight of farmed animals worldwide? [E Online]
• PETA nonetheless salutes Payless's decision to produce its first-ever totally non-leather shoe line. In fact the animal rights group gave the company some kind of an award they call a "proggy." [PETA]
• Audrina Patridge vamps it up in her unique Real Girl way in the campaign for her Arden B. jeans line. Jonathan Rhys Meyers and celebspawn Alexandra Richards and Ben Taylor (Carly Simon and James Taylor's son) also scored spots in the deluge of spring denim ads. [NY Mag]
• New York designer Valdemar Iodice has an approach virtually guaranteed to get editors and buyers to make it to his scaled-back Fall/Winter show, even though a showroom presentation is a little less sexy than seeing designs on the catwalk. Upping the stakes for free gifts henceforth, he's offering attendees free dresses. Funny, that's normally how they make sure the models show up. The worm turns, etc. [WSJ]
• Goldman Sachs downgraded Polo Ralph Lauren to a "sell"; shares slid 7% in the remainder of the day's trading. [WSJ]
• Another groan-inducing Kenneth Cole billboard: "In tough times, some land on their feet (others on the Hudson). — Kenneth Cole. Thank you to the pilots, crew, and N.Y.ers for all that you did, and all that you do." How is it that Cole is only able to express even totally respectable notions in the voice of your corny old uncle-to-be-avoided at the annual reunion? [WWD]

One promise that was kept, though, was the promise made at a New York Times Talks panel on Obama's first 100 days: that Thursday morning, the paper would not feature the typical swearing-in photo, and it doesn't! Aren't they cute? Not maybe as cute as the thought of the inauguration party that Sasha and Malia had last night at the White House, but very little probably could be.

In the mean time, there were plenty of disappointed inaugural ticket holders, what with the clusterfuckery of non-coordination that was security yesterday even for people (unlike me) lucky enough to have tickets or press seating. And, of course, no one was more disappointed that Hillary, whose promised confirmation by unanimous consent yesterday was derailed by Texas Senator John Cornyn because apparently it hasn't yet gotten uncool in some Republican circles to hate Bill Clinton. She is supposed to be up for a vote today, though, at which point she'll join her 7 Cabinetry colleagues in confirmation splendor.

As for other promises kept (other than that whole first-black-President thing), Obama ordered a suspension to prosecutions at Gitmo yesterday, Rahm put a stop to all pending regulation until the Administration can conduct a review and Obama reportedly plans to end the Mexico City policy (i.e., the global gag rule) by executive order this week. Oh, and the new White House website makes a couple snide remarks about Bush, which is just fun.

In illness watch, Ted Kennedy is reportedly recovering from his seizure yesterday which his staff says doctors think was brought on by fatigue. Health and Human Service Secretary nominee Tom Daschle was not in DC yesterday because he's taking care of a brother with brain cancer.

The best news, however, is that Barack is a fellow wine drinker. Reuters says

The White House has no official wine cellar but wines are chosen by a small team for specific events, based on their affinity with the menu as well as politically correct pairing depending on the guests in attendance.

I'd be more than happy to be part of this "small team," so, um, hey, Desirée Rogers? Give me a call. Unlike my language my palate is pretty refined.

The Good:

Was Michelle Obama's Jason Wu (which I've already heard called "bridal" and "toga-like") the gown of our dreams? Maybe not, but she looked stunning. Here, at the Western Ball.


How gorgeously festive is Jill Biden at the Commander in Chief's Ball?


Kerry Washington - at the Creative Coalition Ball at the Harman Center- heats things up a few degrees!


Love, love, love how much fun Marisa Tomei - at CC - is having with this!


Speaking of retro! Beyonce was Etta James-glam at the Neighborhood Ball!


Anne Hathaway (at Creative Coalition)does classic glam like a pro.


Amy Brenneman (at the Inaugural Purple Ball at the Fairmont Hotel) is a brave woman in 30's-style silk!


Heather Graham's CC gown is subdued, but undeniably elegant.


Alfre Woodard (at the Harman) is absolutely pristine.


I love the boldness of Susan Sarandon (at CC) doing menswear!


At Creative Coalition: Kim Raver rocks the ethereal trend to good affect!


The Bad:
Danielle Bisutti's Purple Ball gown is like "Poison" perfume in dress form. If that's what you're going for...!


Rachael Leigh Cook's CC gown has about ten too many tiers.


Another ruffly choice: Ashley Judd's PB pick reminds me of the toilet paper gowns I used to make my dolls!


Loving Shani Rigsbee's squash-like color choice for the PB, but why so tight?


I like plenty about Kate Walsh's CC dress...but what's with the belt notches?!


[Images via Getty]

[Washington, D.C., January 20. Image via Getty]

• After rehearsal for the pre-inauguration concert, police reportedly told Beyonce and Jay-Z the streets surrounding their theater were closed, but Beyonce informed them that divas don't walk four blocks in the cold to their car.

• After a showdown between Beyonce and the police, the Secret Service stepped in and let their driver cross the barriers to come pick them up. [Perez Hilton]
• Victoria Beckham is on the cover of Russian Vogue, biting her thumb at you. [Perez Hilton]
• During last night's Huffington Post Ball, Ben Affleck went off on Newsweek's coverage of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Keynesian economics, and the challenges Obama faces. Could his next role be a CNN political commentator? [Politico]
• Unsatisfying gossip: The legal fight over a video that shows Heath Ledger doing drugs two years before his death is over, but we don't know the outcome. An attorney for the anonymous People magazine freelancer who also appears in the tape and sued to have it destroyed simply said, "The matter has been resolved." [AP.
• As you may have heard, Patti LuPone stopped singing mid-song during a performance of Gypsy because an audience member was taking pictures. What would she have done if she knew another audience member recorded the whole incident on audio? [The Village Voice]
• Sad news: Marcia Cross's husband, stockbroker Tom Mahoney, has cancer. He is in treatment and her rep says he's responding well. [People]
• Dakota Culkin, sister of Macaulay, was "more than likely impaired due to alcohol" when she was fatally hit by a car crossing the street last month, according to the L.A. County coroner. [Perez Hilton]
• The L.A. County coroner's office has also confirmed that the Paula Abdul fan who was found dead outside Paula's home committed suicide by overdosing on prescription drugs. [AP]
• Kelly Rutherford has filed papers for a hearing in her divorce trial tomorrow, saying her husband is ominous and violent, and came at her once during a fight. Her husband wants to prevent her from taking their son to New York when she returns to film Gossip Girl [TMZ]
• In photos from Mariah Carey's new film Push she sports a more natural, realistic look. In fact, she looks more natural than she does in real life. [Perez Hilton]
• Were you aware that in Australia Eric Bana is known as a comedic actor? The "Australian Will Ferrell" will give comedy a try in the US in the upcoming Judd Apatow/Adam Sandler movie Funny People. [E!]
• William Balfour, the man accused killing three of Jennifer Hudson's family members, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and home invasion. [Yahoo]
• Shia LaBeouf has had his license suspended for at least a year because he "refused chemical tests" after the car accident that left him with an injured hand. [Perez Hilton]
• New couple: Fred Armisen (a.k.a. SNL's Barack Obama) is dating Elizabeth Moss (a.k.a. Mad Men's Peggy Olson). [NY Magazine]
• John Travolta and Kelly Preston's lawyers say two people attempted to extort money from the couple while they were in the Bahamas. Police are investigating, but there are no further details on the case, or whether it is related to Jett's death. [UPI]
• A TV biopic about Sophia Loren is in the works, and Loren will appear as her own mother. [Variety]
• While in D.C. Oprah is staying at the Four Seasons as the first guest in the newly-renovated Presidential Suite, which could cost $142,000 per night. Sure, that's a lot, but if you're one of the richest women in the world, why not live it up? [Media Bistro]
• Lily Allen says that she was so depressed after a miscarriage last year that she checked herself into a "nuthouse" or psychiatric center for three weeks. "Maybe if I had stayed pregnant and had the baby then things would have worked out between me and Ed [Simons, her ex-boyfriend]. I don't know. You could drive yourself insane thinking about it," she says. [People]
• "I just hope I can stay famous enough for a little bit so someone rich will marry me. [laughs] That’s all I really care about these days. You should worry if you’re a boy in a band, but not if you’re a girl." —Lily Allen, in response to the question, "Do you think you’ll have to invent a future for yourself?" [Interview]
• "If I were to be really honest, there is a homophobic voice that rises up inside me," says Jim Carrey, who is playing a gay character in the new film I Love You, Phillip Morris. "It goes 'that's kind of scary'. First of all, what will people think? And second of all, will I like kissing Ewan? How will that affect me and Jenny [McCarthy, his girlfriend]? [The Mirror]

[Washington, D.C., January 20. Image via Getty]

WASHINGTON - JANUARY 20: Spectators sit in trash and debris along the National Mall after the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States of America January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. Obama became the first African-American to be sworn in as president in the history of the United States. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

[Washington, D.C., January 20. Image via Getty]

WASHINGTON, D.C. - JANUARY 20: A woman watches during the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America on the National Mall January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. Obama becomes the first African-American to be elected to the office of President in the history of the United States. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

So the Great Long March of Tears is still going on. I should make a lewd joke here about how crowded the Foggy Bottom Metro stop is but I'm too cold and tired. But yeah, wow. Also I kept walking and went to Georgetown for lunch like a proper lady (where I was just served a pot pie larger than my head. YES WE CAN eat the hell out of this). In case no one has said this yet: the scene on the Mall was beautiful. Everyone was lovely and loving. And when Barack Obama became president, a huge crowd of white seagulls that'd been begging for scraps at the Washington Monument was suddenly scared aloft by the immense scream that rose from the crowd, wheeling away like doves but less TACKY. Gorgeous. Anyway the reason I was writing was because of the attached example of DC's awesomeness: Metro advertisements for military contractors! Talk about a niche market, baby!

[London, England; January 20. Image via Getty]

A woman shows an American flag to her daughter at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham, London, as people gather to watch a live broadcast of the inauguration of President Barack Obama, on January 20, 2009. Hundreds of thousands of people streamed into Washington Tuesday to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama as the first black US president, in a moment of national unity after years of political tumult. AFP PHOTO/Leon Neal (Photo credit should read Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images)

Walker, who also gave a reading yesterday in honor of the inauguration, said:

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. Not to mention your brave and precious grandmother.* And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: it is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is only what so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, but this is because it is not clear to them yet that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.

Whether or not success is an "inside job," we can all agree that nobody wants to see Sasha and Malia sad. [Newsweek]