Celebrities have a ball with new president

Courtney Hazlett The Scoop

WASHINGTON - January 20, first and foremost, marked the transition of presidential power, and based on the performance of the entertainment industry's elite, it marked an official christening of Washington, D.C., as Hollywood east.

Exhibit A: the balls. The glitches of inauguration eve were a distant memory before the Obamas even left the parade route. For starters, despite some hand-wringing, the balls went off on time. In fact, parties that took place early in the night, such as the Impact Film Fund's bash at L2 lounge were bustling with A-listers as soon as the doors opened around 7 p.m.

L2 was the first stop on a busy party circuit for Ben Affleck (he'd later go to Google's bash, among others). Jessica Alba and Cash Warren were there too — no baby in tow though. "It's so cold here and such a hectic couple days," Alba said in reference to Honor's absence. Warren was more than happy to allow his wife to take the spotlight.

The Neighborhood Ball was the Obama's first stop. Denzel Washington opened the pre-inaugural concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Jan. 18 and so it was fitting he introduced the President and First Lady at their first ball.

One of the best moments of that celebration (second to the Obama's first dance, of course) was when Stevie Wonder sang “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” and nearly every other performer at the ball — Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Mariah Carey and Sting, joined in. Lucy Liu, Vanessa Williams, and Jay-Z were also there.

After the Neighborhood Ball, Jay-Z was spotted at the BET Honors Ball. One of the highlights of that celebration was Wyclef Jean's performance. He initiated his own bailout package of sorts when he started tossing money into the crowd — only the bills featured Obama's face.

No ‘Idol’ (so far) for this ‘Idol’

Video   Scoop on Obama parties, fashions Jan. 21: Courtney Hazlett reports on the outpouring of celebrity love at the numerous parties for President Barack Obama as well as the first family's fashion sense. MSNBC

I caught up with former “American Idol” contestant Jordin Sparks there and she said she's excited about her new album, which drops in a few weeks, but admitted to not having watched the new season of “Idol.”

“I've been so busy and I've been meaning to watch it, but I haven't been able to,” she said. “Kara (DioGuardi) is fantastic though — I recorded a demo with her and loved her.”

SAG strike top of minds
The possibility of a Screen Actors Guild strike was on the minds of many of the folks here. SAG's lobbyist was out and about at the parties, and I'll update you on my chat about the possibility of a strike with “Private Practice” star Amy Brenneman, who is on the union's governing board.

One fun observation from the balls
Although The Creative Coalition Ball presented by Pepsi, which technically kicked off on inauguration eve with a dinner sponsored by Capitol File, was a success (despite many Washingtonians being put off by how difficult it was to score a ticket). Inauguration week regulars Anne Hathaway, Spike Lee, and Marisa Tomei were there. So was Star Jones, who appeared to have a new romantic interest (confirmation on this coming soon).

Slideshow   Celebrities salute Obama Oprah, Beyonce, Muhammad Ali and more gather for Barack Obama’s inauguration. more photos

And a final observation — usually when you get a lot of Hollywood types in one place for consecutive nights of celebration, the talk becomes more about “what are you wearing” than anything else. Not so much this week in D.C., where most of the fashion talk (when there was any) centered around the women of the Obama family. That said, I'd be remiss if I didn't give a shout-out to those who helped dress me: The Albright Fashion Library and also Gilles Montezin. Couldn't have hit Washington without you.

Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com.

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