Queen Elizabeth II invites Obama for tea
Blimey! President Obama has been invited to have tea with Queen Elizabeth II next month -- and the Brit press is hoping their monarch doesn't use sugar!
• • Snub blurb: Brit journalists, who were appalled when Obama gifted Brit Prime Minister Gordon Brown a paltry 25 DVD box set of classic American movies, were further irritated when Obama got an invite to tea with the queen.
(AP)
• • The backlash: Quoth Brit columnist Iain Martin, who claims the Obama White House now seems to have interest in the Brits because of the royal invite: Obama "might not like the Brits, but he can recognize a global superstar. . . . He wants to be associated with her [majesty]. He's shameless."
• • The buckshot: Martin also predicts Obama will go through the "front door of Buckingham Palace faster than a Harley-Davidson roaring along Route 66." Don't bet on it.
Pulitzer Prize/Emmy/Oscar winning playwright Horton Foote, who just died at the age of 92, wrote his award-winning works in ... fountain pen. Imagine.
Dateline: The Food Line -- When first lady Michelle Obama unexpectedly showed up at Miriam's Kitchen to serve the homeless Thursday morning in Washington, D.C., she brought with her a little gift: eight crates of fresh fruit donated by White House employees -- which wound up being served that day.
Word the bald eagle is now off the state's endangered list probably brought a smile to Gov. Quinn's face.
• • Translation: Quinn told Sneed one of his favorite experiences was watching Challenger, a bald eagle, soar over Wrigley Field in a Memorial Day tribute.
Embattled former Gov. Rod Blagojevich may be rushing to meet his October book deadline, but WTTW-Channel 11 reporter Elizabeth Brackett intends to beat him to the bookshelves.
• • A book note: Brackett's book, PAY TO PLAY: How Rod Blagojevich Turned Political Corruption Into a National Sideshow, will be out in May.
• • Brackett tells Sneed: "The book traces how Blagojevich's personal biography and political upbringing led to his spectacular fall. I've done about 30 new interviews for the book in addition to my 30 years of reporting in Chicago. I began the book in late December, took a month's leave from WTTW in January and am turning the final draft in to the publisher Monday."
The Brangelina beat: Actress Angelina Jolie, who's playing a spy in "Salt," being filmed in Washington, D.C., is back to being a blond again.
• • While she's working the silver screen, hubby Brad Pitt was working his silver tongue while being entertained by the president at the White House during a discussion of the reconstruction of New Orleans.
A news note: Congrats to Dr. Harry Lepinske, Dr. Jerry Field, Roland Dix, Henry Winograd, Larry Wechsler, Patricia Mangan, Wayne Toberman, Lee Salberg, Phil Ksycki, Frank Rowder, James Smestad and Roger Hamburg on their recent election as board members of the International Press Club of Chicago, which annually sponsors the Journalism Hall of Fame dinner.
Tit for tat: Former GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who is still eyeing a possible rerun, hits the Chicago Club on March 31 to help raise campaign funds for the former chairman of his Illinois campaign: state Sen. Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac), who is eyeing a bid for a statewide office in 2010 --again.
Sunday's birthdays: Susan Clark, 69; Aidan Quinn, 50; Lynn Redgrave, 66; Lester Holt, 50; Micky Dolenz, 64; Freddie Prinze Jr., 33; James Van Der Beek, 32, and Camryn Manheim, 48. . . . Monday's birthdays: Charles Gibson, 66; Keely Smith, 77; Mickey Gilley, 73, and Emmanuel Lewis, 38.