Obama too thin?
PRESIDENT OBAMA is in the news for being a little too skinny. Over the weekend, the president was seen coming out of a gym and appearing "thin as a rail." And an insider said, "He's working non-stop for the country and yes, he does occasionally skip meals."
Hey, and I say, there's nothing to worry about. I am sure that first lady Michelle won't allow her man to become skin and bones while trying to solve world problems.
SOME OF CHICAGO'S movers and shakers were at the Comcast/HBO local premiere of the documentary "For the People: The Election of Barack Obama" on Friday at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. The crowd included Obama adviser David Axelrod; State Rep. Ken Dunkin; Chaz and Roger Ebert; Aldermen Manny Flores, Pat Dowell, Ariel Reboyras and Ray Colon; Ronnie Cho, Pete Giangreco, Angelynne Amores, John Rogers, Marion Brooks, Lisa Madigan, Otis Wilson, Alexi Giannoulias and Penny Pritzker.
THE SCOOP: FORMER PRESIDENT Bill Clinton will be in town Nov. 11 at the House of Blues to launch the local arm of his Millennium Network/Clinton Foundation, which is a foundation established to deal with issues such as HIV/AIDS, economic opportunities and climate change. The VIP reception starts at 8 p.m., and the honorary ambassadors are Jeremy Piven, Dwyane Wade, Richard Dent and Derrek Lee. There will be a special performance by Grammy winner and native Chicagoan Common.
The Millennium was started in 2007 and has more than 5,000 members thus far. For more info: www.clintonfoundation.org.
"THE REAL HOUSEWIVES of Atlanta" very flamboyant reality star Dwight Eubanks will be flying into ChiTown to co-host with Connie Payton-Strotter the "Her Crown and Glory" Fashion extravaganza Nov. 12 at the Mid-America Club. The elegant evening is presented by the Freedom Salon and Krystal Foundation, and will benefit African-American women battling cancer and who have alopecia (loss of hair) because of chemotherapy, at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center/Northwestern University. Dr. Steven Rosen will be one of the speakers, and Soft Sheen-Carson is a major sponsor. For more info: www.krystalfoundation.com.
THE ITALIAN SET: The Italian American Chamber of Commerce dinner/reception is Nov. 17 at the Hotel Sax with Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd) as the guest speaker. . . . The Phoenix Suns' Jerry Colangelo and AON Corp.'s Paul Davies were among the recent inductees into the Casa Italia Italian American Commerce & Industry Hall of Fame.
THE REV. Jesse Jackson speaks before a group of volunteer attorneys at a Chicago Bar Association breakfast Wednesday to help set up a pro bono volunteer legal clinic at Rainbow PUSH. An ad hoc committee of attorneys is working with the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services on this project, which includes attorney Stephan D. Blandin and CVLS director Margaret Benson.
AT THE COOK County Board meeting on Wednesday, a resolution in honor of Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans for becoming the first judge ever from Illinois to receive the William Rehnquist judicial excellence award . . . Congrats to the "Political Update with Paul Lisnek" TV show on CN100 on receiving the Beacon Award by the Association of Cable Communicators.
IT IS BEING reported that Carol Adams, former chief of the Illinois Department of Human Services, will not take the Gov. Quinn-appointed job as head of the trade office in Africa. She will become the new CEO of DuSable Museum starting Monday. ... Canceled Shows at the House of Blues: Queen Latifah for Nov. 29. Also, Mavis Staples & The Blind Boys of Alabama for Dec. 5.
ENJOYING LIFE: I stopped by the trendy RL restaurant and got a chance to say hi to some of Chicago's leading fashionistas, who were having a belated birthday celebration for popular Roni Siegel, one of Chicago's top insurance agents. The ladies having a good time included Sherry Lea Holson, Natasha Isaacs, Eva Jakubowski, Lynda Silverman, Dusty Stemer, Irene Michaels, Kathy O'Malley-Piccone, Mary Lasky, Harriett Ross, Tina Weller and one man-about-town, Bunky Cushing. Roni had to rush home to her ever-loving hubby, Phil Siegel.
ALSO AT RL: BUT At another table, top attorney Bob Clifford dined with Northwestern Memorial Hospital's prominent neurosurgeon Dr. James Chandler. ... And other VIPs in the house were Dr. Linda O'Bannon and Mamie Walton. Afterward, a few of us went to hear R&B vocalist Kenny Patton and the Deep City Band at Stan Wozniak's the Joynt.
THE BIRTHDAY CROWD: Jay Emerich, John Davis, Kathy Posner and belated to Connie Menza, 80. On Wednesday: Mickey Leventhal, Matthew McConaughey and Jo Minow.