By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:32:56 +0000

1. I liked Michelle’s inauguration dress, quite a bit, actually. It suited her, plus they lined it with pashmina and a bunch of other stuff so she wouldn’t be cold. I also heard it had to cover bullet-proof clothing. Ditto with President (I love saying that) Obama–his coat was quite warm, apparently because it was lined with bulletproof material.
2. I liked Aretha’s hat. So sue me. And I agree about the fur–although I’m willing to let the Queen of Soul slide a bit on that, given her age.
3. I usually hate Beyonce, but both “At Last”–one of my favorite songs, by the way–and her America the Beautiful at the Obamapalooza were great. It was a nice reminder that the gal can really sing, when she’s not doing all that “ooh ooh ooh” crap.
4. I usually hate John Williams too, same reasons, plus he “borrows” heavily (Holst’s “The Planets,” anyone?) but the piece was gorgeous. By now you know that they played, but only the nearby audience heard them, the rest heard a recording. I wanted to yell at the stupid commentators when they said, well, the Marine Band played! Yes–they play BRASS. Trumpet valves don’t snap in the cold, like strings do (although the valves can freeze shut if you don’t lubricate enough–veteran of enough football games in the band to know this). Yo-Yo Ma (huge crush!) said he thought about playing one of the new carbon-bodied cellos, as they are much hardier in the cold, but they tend to be bright blue and he thought it would be too distracting. I loved how all the musicians agreed that the moment was not supposed to be about them, and planning accordingly–no broken strings, no weird-looking instruments. What a refreshing change from the “look at me!” ethos we’ve been living through since Reagan. I was glad they didn’t have the Strads out, though.
4. Loved Michelle’s dress–it suited her, she looked beautiful, and up close the detailing wasn’t frou frou, it was quite exquisite. I love that it was designed from a Cuban-American couture house by a young Asian-American designer. It will be really fun to watch Michelle, as she really seems to have fun with her wardrobe picks and champions the up and coming.
5. Can I just say, President Obama and Denzel Washington in the same frame? Be still my heart, those are some FINE looking gentlemen. And Obama was gorgeous in white tie. Just gorgeous. As Anne Hathaway said, how fun to have such a gorgeous First Family–not that it matters, but it’s a bonus.
6. I can’t wait to see Malia’s photograph album someday.
7. President Obama! What a relief.

Comments on: Change We Can Believe In

By: Amanda