And, as the wheels of democracy creak with the startup of the festive 2012 voting about stuff season, and we somberly and soberly discuss the Great Issues facing the electorate of this Great Nation, a scandal has riven the body blogospheric, a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party of a scandal.
Literally, I mean. And they are literally a-twitter about it, too.
In a shocking scandal that I am compelled to term “The Hatting Matter” a secret Halloween party was held at the (gasp!) White House. The Intrepid Journalists of The Hollywood Reporter take up the torrid and tempestuous tale:
White House Hid Johnny Depp-Hosted Secret ‘Alice In Wonderland’ Party
11:11 AM PST 1/9/2012 by Erin CarlsonJodi Kantor’s unauthorized book “The Obamas” reveals the actor threw a costume ball for the First Couple, but the affair wasn’t publicized due to the country’s recession.
Barack and Michelle Obama like to party with Johnny Depp — but only in secret.
The Obamas — an upcoming, unauthorized and eagerly anticipated biography from journalist Jodi Kantor — exposes details of the First Couple’s private Halloween celebration in 2009, the New York Post reported. It was a big Alice In Wonderland-themed to-do, hosted at the White House by Depp and Tim Burton, who directed the 2010 film update. The affair was kept hush-hush because of the recession, and the potential backlash that might have resulted had the news gone public.
One high-profile guest included Chewbacca, or someone wearing the Star Wars icon’s original costume, personally messengered by franchise creator George Lucas for he event. Depp dressed as the Mad Hatter.
PHOTOS: Best Presidents in Film and Television
[...]
And so forth. Love that sleazy line about partying with Johnny Depp … IN SECRET. (Nudge, nudge, wink wink.)
This has, naturally, provoked the natural outcry from the usual suspects.
See title for tag.
Courage.
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UPDATE 4:39 AM PST 11 Jan 2012:
Turns out it was a lie. (Not that it stopped Michelle Malkin, Faux Nooz and the other microenceaphalics) Via the Chicago Tribune:
“Obamas” book sparks controversy, White House rebuttal
Tim Kenneally
Reuters 6:49 p.m. CST, January 9, 2012[...]
One particular claim has stirred [White House press secretary Eric] Schultz’s ire: That, on Halloween 2009, the Obamas attempted to cover up a lavish “Alice in Wonderland” bash — complete with Johnny Depp in full costume as the Mad Hatter — for fear the recession-strapped public would be enraged by the extravagance.
“White House officials were so nervous about how a splashy, Hollywood-esque party would look to jobless Americans — or their representatives in Congress, who would soon vote on health care — that the event was not discussed publicly and Burton’s and Depp’s contributions went unacknowledged,” the book claims.
However, in his blog post, Schultz said Kantor’s interpretation of the party was off.
“This was an event for local school children from the Washington DC area and for hundreds of military families, and certainly nothing that the White House was ashamed of,” Schultz wrote.
Addressing Kantor’s suggestion that the White House took steps to keep the party out of the media, Schultz wrote, “We would invite all readers to read that extremely detailed and colorful pool report, or the stories that emerged from the party, and decide for themselves. In addition, the event was previewed in the official White House Daily Guidance and discussed by then-Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on camera from the podium — before he dressed up as Darth Vader at the party of course.“
Kantor defended her book on NBC’s “Today” on Monday, asserting that the White House hasn’t “disputed any of the facts” in the book….
Yeah. Right. Sure.
got busted for having fun! And non-evagelical fun, oh my god !
It’s all a lie. (As if that were ever in doubt.) See update. Good grief.
All decoration for “Christmas” is over-decoration.
As are nearly all clothes. But I wouldn’t want to run around naked any more than I prefer to do without the cultural phenomenon of Christmas.
They may not serve any “practical” purpose, but “Peace on Earth, Goodwill to (hu)Men” is always a good idea. If it takes decorations to do that, so be it.
And, unlike tattoos, decorations may be easily taken down.