“On that first day, we asked Springsteen, Bono and Garth Brooks within a period of 45 minutes and got three `yeses.’ We said, `This is going to be fun.’”

George Stevens Jr., the producer of the Barack Obama inaugural celebration show that will be taking place at the Washington Monument on Sunday. The president-elect and his family are due to attend, with Obama expected to speak. Stevens was blown away by how easy it was to book talent for the event.

Other performers include Stevie Wonder, Renee Fleming, Garth Brooks, Mary J. Blige, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend, Mellencamp, Usher, Shakira, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, Beyonce and Jennifer Nettles. Historical passages will be read by Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington, with other celebrities expected to join them.

HBO will televise the show at 7 p.m. EST.

Now this is smart Presidential parenting.

To calm the flurry of paparazzi looking to get a shot of the Obama girls’ first day of school, President-elect Obama actually took the damn photos himself — as the girls prepared to leave for school — and released them right away. On Flickr.

In fact, there’s an entire Flickr photostream called “Obama-Biden Transition Project” where you can check out snapshots of damn near every step the President-elect takes as he prepares to govern this nation.

A Flickr photo stream.

Things are most certainly changing, you guys.

Jon Favreau, the 27 year-old speechwriter for president-elect Obama and the one with his hand on Hillary’s tit, is pretty brilliant.  So it really makes you wonder what would ever make him think that this was a Kodak moment.  And of course, it showed up on Facebook.  Everything shows up there.  Including scandalous pictures of me from high school wearing fucking acid wash jeans and a tanning bed tan.  Who knew there would be evidence of that shit?  Or that acid wash denim wasn’t a timeless classic?  But back to Hillary getting felt up.  Even though it was only posted for a couple of hours, it’s all over the internet.

I guess Favreau apologized and Clinton’s top aide said in an email “Senator Clinton is pleased to learn of Jon’s obvious interest in the State Department, and is currently reviewing his application.”  Ha ha. 

Funny but can you imagine how embarrassed this speechwriter is going to be when he sees Hillary face to face?  I guess he should just be relieved that he’s still employed.

“I’m thinking that will inspire big thoughts.”

Ten-year-old Malia Obama, explaining to her father her intention to do her homework at the desk in the Lincoln bedroom after the family moves into the White House.

Barack Obama has officially selected Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state.

He also selected Janet Napolitano as his secretary of homeland security. Napolitano’s a comparatively unknown name, but she’s been governor of my home state, Arizona, forever. She’s a Democrat, too, and continues to get re-elected again and again in an predominately Republican state. That’s how good she is at her job. So this is awesome news.

Also on the chick front, Barack selected Susan Rice as United Nations ambassador.

Good choice, Mr. President-elect!

and had to get up to take Tums.  Because I’m basically 97 and have heartburn.  And since I was up, I went online because I have an addictive personality.  There is breaking news…

Barack Obama is nominating Senator Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state on Monday.  It isn’t as great as the dream ticket would have been, but it is still pretty damn exciting.

Why, the Obama girls, of course!

Despite pleas from the community for President-elect Obama to send his girls to one of the (god-awful) Washington D.C. public schools, in hopes that his daughters’ attendance there would help the schools improve, Barack has opted to send Sasha and Malia to the presitigious Sidwell Friends school, a private Quaker school that Chelsea Clinton also attended.

What do you think of Obama’s choice? Should he have sent the girls to a public school?