Wednesday, June 25th, 2008
- HEY GEORGE LUCAS, IS OBAMA A SPACE JEDI?: “I would say that’s reasonably obvious.” HOYVIN-GLAYVIN! [Yeas & Nays]
George Lucas, who created Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark three decades ago and has spent all his time since then trying to ruin them, says his new hero is Barack Obama. In Japan promoting the latest Indiana Jones movie, the Lucasfilm billionaire said he loves Barry so much because “for all of us that have dreams and hope, is a hero.” (?) Lucas says he’s working on a “prequel” about when Obama’s dad was a goat-riding archaeologist on his home planet of Tatooine, where he found a bunch of dumb CGI monsters from space. The computer program Jar Jar Binks will do all the acting. [AFP]
Spotted this week were some damn fine Americans, with a whole lot of shiny metal at home on their mantels. Mia Hamm has her World Cup trophies, Anderson Cooper has his Emmy, Michael Hayden has all that weird military stuff on his shirt, and Jimmy Carter has that thing they call a Nobel. Not everyone can be number one, though, so just enjoy what you can — like Donald Rumsfeld and his juicy steaks, or Antonin Scalia and his fancy car. Feed your need for life envy; there are lots more people richer than you. Check out the sightings, after the jump.
Oh, and intern season is here! It sure is great that just as soon as the laminate dries on their cute little “109th Congress Intern” badges, they’re off and sending us tips. Act like an intern and send in your own via email, with “Wonk’d” or “Sighting” in the subject line, and the name of the fancy pants you spotted. We won’t pay you anything, just like real interns!
Thanks for continuing to keep us well-stocked in the celebrity sightings department — and please keep them coming, by email (with “Wonk’d” somewhere in the subject line).
Most of this week’s items involve celebrities and eating — either dining out at restaurants or shopping for food. After the jump, this week’s crop, including Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, looking hot; Cokie Roberts, shooting our correspondent a dirty look; Sen. Jeff Sessions, slumming it; and George Lucas, talking trash about Dick Cheney.
* Reliable Source: Jenna Bush spotted at Glover Park Starbucks sporting “cute new chin-length do” and “teal houndstooth coat”. . . NPR’s Sylvia Poggioli says “Oh, shit!” on the air. . . Bradley Whitford says his “West Wing” character will “spend the day naked in bed with a woman”. . . Rep. John Dingell is now the second longest-serving House member of all time. [WP]
* Rush & Molloy: Clinton comments on Cheney: “They raise the quail on a farm. It’s hardly a sport. The quail are slow. You have to stomp on the ground to get them to get up and fly. And you can’t not get your limit. If it was that kind of farm, then, whatever the facts are, the Vice President shouldn’t have done that. Because he was going to get his limit.”. . . George Lucas suggests Cheney is secretly controlling Bush. [NYDN]
* Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.): “Part of [Bush's] persona is his alcoholism. I have alcoholics in my family. They’re lucky to have an epiphany, and life begins at that epiphany. I think life began for George W. Bush at age 40.” [NYDN]
* Cheney urged to address the hunting accident “as early as today.” [WP]
* Scott McClellan did not disclose hunter’s heart attack to reporters during White House press briefing; hunter’s death could spark a grand jury investigation, possibly with criminal charges. [WP, NYT, NYT, W$J, USAT]
* Reporters cornered McClellan at the briefing. David Gregory: “Don’t tell us that you’re giving us complete answers when you’re not actually answering the questions.” David Sanger: “This is our briefing; we get to ask the questions.” [WP]
* Tension between the White House and Cheney’s staff is “palpable”; Cheney “plays by rules of his own making.” [NYT, USAT]
* White House successfully suppressing House investigation of NSA eavesdropping. [WP]
* Jack Abramoff’s “reputation for close relationships with the White House and congressional officials enabled him to charge stratospheric fees from his lobbying clients”; lobbyist’s successful work for Malaysia “suggests closer ties than previously acknowledged between the disgraced lobbyist and the highest levels of the Bush White House.” [LAT]
* Sen. Reid (D-Nev.) wrote at least four letters on behalf of tribes that Abramoff represented; staffers were in frequent contact about legislation. [LAT]
* Reliable Source: Paramount Pictures buys the distribution rights for Al Gore’s environmental film. . . New Armani model is Bethesda native: “I’ve sort of branded myself as an intelligent guy. I would make a lot more money if I shut up and pretended to be dumb.”. . . John Hinckley’s girlfriend has been working as an inspector for the D.C. Department of Mental Health. [WP]
* Under the Dome: George Lucas will publicly voice support for Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) today. [The Hill]
* Inside the Beltway: Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas): “The reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. I’m still very much alive.” [WT]
* The Scoop: PETA recommends that Cheney play tennis rather than hunt: “I hope that the man you mistook for a quail is doing well. I also hope that this brush with tragedy will convince you to rethink your recreational activities.” [MSNBC]
• Reliable Source: McAuliffe scores seven-figure book deal. . . Condi’s second cousin, Constance Rice, is quite the leftist activist; tells charity, “She has a Chevron oil tanker named after her. I’m working on getting a Greenpeace trawler.” [WP]
• Inside the Beltway: T-shirts of DeLay’s mug shot go on sale. . . George Lucas donates $1m to proposed Martin Luther King memorial. [WT]