President and Mrs. Clinton joined the stars – B.B. King, Chris Isaak, Jewel, 98 Degrees, Christina Aguilera, Brendan Fraser – for the closing holiday carol “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” at the annual “Christmas in Washington” TV taping, Sunday. One could not help but notice that during the verse “God and sinner reconcile,” Mrs. Clinton gave her husband a poignant glance – proving the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. It also gives credence to the buzz that the holiday song around The White House these days is “Frosty”…”the Snowman.” Some may have noticed the President sweating while on the “Christmas in Washington” stage. It wasn’t guilt (as far as we know), and it wasn’t the lights (he should be used to those by now) – it was the flu. The Commander-in-Chief has been attacked by a feverish “bug” causing him to skip the annual White House holiday party for members of the media. But Mrs. Clinton was eager to court the pressies that she missed last year due to an ailing back. Nothing like a Senate campaign to bring out the spirited Holiday meet and greet!
The entire Clinton family plans to spend Christmas at The White House. Chelsea will be home from Stanford University. But they will break tradition, and celebrate the millennium with friends and supporters at The White House as well, rather than ring in the New Year at the annual Renaissance Weekend at Hilton Head, S.C.
As the lines between news and entertainment continue to blur, there’s lots of buzz around town about whether or not Rosie O’Donnell was out of line in using her TV show to attack New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for arresting the homeless. Many GOPs feel this is an abuse of her celebrity saying that the not-so-politically correct Rosie should give Giuliani equal time since she’s in essence doing a soft money issue ad for Hillary Clinton’s Senate campaign. Should Rosie register as a PAC? Or does this fall under the heading of free speech? Why not let her viewers and advertisers decide? After all, in the TV biz, ratings are effective term limits and will in the end determine if Rosie will continue as the once and future “Queen of Nice.”
Should the First Lady win a New York Senate seat next year, her husband may land another high power job that will enable him to join her in the Washington commute. President Clinton’s name is being mentioned as a successor to Jack Valenti as the next MPAA president, when and if Valenti steps down. That means he’d be the movie industry’s top lobbyist in DC. Not only a glamourous position, but along with it goes prestige and big bucks.