Reliable Source

Just as it is when you finally make it past the velvet rope, only to find that there's another, more exclusive VIP room... so it is with the nation's most coveted invitation, a White House state dinner. A few hundred get to attend, but only a handful get to sit with the president and first lady. At Tuesday's dinner for India, some obvious picks for the prime seats -- the prime minister's daughters and a Nobel laureate at Michelle Obama's table -- but also some surprising ones: Hollywood titan David Geffen, and his boyfriend Jeremy Lingvall at President Obama's table.

PRESIDENT'S TABLE
Mrs. Gursharan Kaur, the wife of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass)
Ambassador to India Tim Roemer
Mary Johnston, Roemer's guest (likely a relative of his wife, Sally Johnston Roemer)
Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo
Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Paul Pelosi, her husband
David Geffen, the Hollywood titan
Jeremy Lingvall, Geffen's boyfriend

FIRST LADY'S TABLE
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Amrit Singh, the prime minister's daughter, an ACLU lawyer in New York
Upinder Singh, another daughter, a professor at University of Delhi
Dr. Amartya Sen, Nobel-prize winning economist, now at Harvard
Emma Rothschild, Dr. Sen's wife, economic historian, now at Harvard
Gen. Colin Powell, former Secretary of State
Alma Powell, his wife
Rep. Howard Berman, (D-Calif.)
Janis Berman, his wife

The White House has released the list of expected guests for tonight's state dinner. The highlights: Gayle King! Sanjay Gupta! Steven Spielberg! David Geffen! And the list goes on. Here's who else will sup on the White House veggie garden's spoils while you're picking up your Tuesday night takeout:

The President & First Lady Michelle Obama

Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, India & Ms. Gursharan Kaur

The Honorable (Rep) Gary Ackerman, United States Representative
Mr. Sant Singh Chatwal (Guest)

His Excellency Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Mr. Mukesh D Ambani

Mr. Tim Dutta (Spouse of Ms. Pia Awal)

The Honorable (Mr.) David Axelrod, White House Communications
Mrs. Susan Axelrod

Ms. Preeta Bansal, OMB - General Counsel

The Honorable (Ms.) Melody Barnes, Domestic Policy Council
Mr. Marland E. Buckner

The Honorable (Rep.) Howard Berman, United States Representative (D/California)
Mrs. Jane Berman, Spouse of United States Representative (D/California)

Mr. Om Prakash Bhatt

Mr. Hunter Biden
Mrs. Kathleen Biden

The Honorable (Vice President) Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice President of the United States
Dr. Jill Biden

Mr. Robert O Blake, Jr., Assistant Sec for South and Central Asian Affairs, State Department
Mrs. Sofia Blake

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York, NY
Ms. Diana Taylor

The Honorable (Mr.) John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism, Homeland Security Council
Mrs. Katherine Brennan

The Honorable (Ms.) Lisa Brown, Office of Staff Secretary
Mr. Kevin Cullen

Mr. Donald Browne
Ms. Maria Junqera

The Honorable (Ms.) Carol Browner, Energy and Climate Change
The Honorable (Mr.) Tom Downey

Mr. William Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Department of State
Ms. Lisa Carty

General James E Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Mrs. Sandee Cartwright

The Honorable (Senator) Bob Casey, United States Senator (D/Pennsylvania)
Mrs. Terese Casey, United States Senate Spouse (D/Pennsylvania)

Many, many more, after the jump...

Kevin Huffman

Is D.C. a small town or what? From 4,800 entries, the winner of the America's Next Great Pundit contest run by our paper's editorial page ended up being .... the ex-husband of D.C. schools chief Michelle Rhee.

Kevin Huffman, a Teach for America exec, was selected from 10 finalists by thousands of readers who voted in the contest. His split from Rhee was amicable: When she took the job here in 2007, they were mid-divorce, but he moved from Colorado to help raise their two daughters.

According to the Gotham Schools blog, Rhee's fiance -- Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson -- asked friends to vote for Huffman. "Michelle has been very supportive of my punditing," Huffman told us.

Huffman now gets a three-month contract with The Post. Any conflict? "I don't know why you'd define him" as someone's ex, editorial page editor Fred Hiatt said. "He won this contest by being good at it." Huffman himself largely avoided holding forth on education topics -- because of his own job, he said.

Adam Lambert performs at the American Music Awards on Sunday. (Reuters/Mario Anzuoni)

Good afternoon, dear readers. Tear yourself away from Black Friday logistics and read up on today's new music releases, including debut offerings from reality television darlings Adam Lambert and Susan Boyle.

Allison Stewart says Lambert's effort, "For Your Entertainment," is "a whirligig of pianos and strings," in which he "doesn't always succeed: The riotous electro-meets-hair-metal track 'Music Again,' written by former Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins, resembles a Darkness song after a run-in with a BeDazzler."

But it's better than Boyle's "I Dreamed A Dream":

The album is schmaltzy and overdone, the musical equivalent of a Thomas Kinkade painting, though this isn't Boyle's fault. She wisely resists any impulse toward musical scenery chewing, bringing a welcome sense of understatement to would-be pathos-fests like "Cry Me a River." A slowed-down version of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" is close to perfection, as is her unlikely cover of Patty Griffin's ode to MLK, "Up to the Mountain."

Ultimately, Stewart says, "Boyle lacks the savvy of Lambert, who likely emerged from the womb with a 10-point plan for world domination and a can of hairspray." We challenge you to conjure up better imagery sometime today.

Elsewhere in today's Style section: Jennifer Hudson will perform at tonight's state dinner for the Prime Minister of India. Tom Shales wonders if Larry David has run out of ideas. Chris Richards reviews the new Shakira album. And Monica Hesse profiles writer Jeffrey Zaslow.

Tips? Sightings? E-mail us: reliablesource@washpost.com. And follow us on Twitter: @ReliableSource.

The evolution of Jack Evans's bobblehead. At left is the first version; center is the second; final is at right. (Roxanne Roberts/The Washington Post)

The new must-have accessory for D.C. Council members: bobbleheads.

For the past month, Ward 2 councilman Jack Evans has been handing out a seven-inch version of himself: dark suit, striped tie, one hand casually tucked in his pocket -- and his grinning head happily bobbing up and down. "We got the right tie," he said of his little doppelganger. "I thought I had more yellow blond hair, but it looks more mustard. But it's not bad. And they got the wrinkles down right."

Jack Evans poses in his office with his bobblehead likeness. (Roxanne Roberts/The Washington Post)

The idea came to him about six months ago. Evans had a little campaign money left over, and everyone cool seemed to have a bobblehead. He found a company that manufactures the custom souvenirs, sent in photos and got a prototype that just didn't quite work.

"It had me with a red tie, which I generally don't wear, and I looked exactly like Dick Gephardt," he told us. "So we said we didn't like that." A second model was closer, but not quite what he was looking for -- this time, too Dick Cavett. Third time was the charm.

The minimum order was 100 bobbleheads (about $2,000) and Evans is autographing each one and numbering them, like a fine-art print. "There's been enormous demand," he said with a grin. He's given out about 40 so far: His three kids (who just turned 13 last week) each got one, as did his staff and supporters, Caps owner Ted Leonsis and Washington Nationals President Stan Kasten. (Spoiler alert: Mayor Adrian Fenty and Council members will each receive one for Christmas.)

And no reorders. "This is it!" Evans promised. "Limited run. If you don't get one, you're out of luck!"

Semonti Stephens in her wedding lehenga. (Studio 306)

Almost no one gets to wear their wedding dress twice -- except Semonti Stephens, deputy press secretary to Michelle Obama. Stephens, whose parents emigrated from Calcutta to the United States in the late '60s, will wear a traditional lehenga to Tuesday's state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh -- the same three-piece gown she wore for her May 24 wedding. Lucky, huh? "I'm considered junior staff here," Stephens told us. "It's a honor to be included in such a historical event."

Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray (Will Ragozzino/Getty Images; AP Photo/Evan Agostini)

"There are no bad feelings between us, nor have there ever been. ... I hope you have a Yum-o Thanksgiving."

-- Martha Stewart on her show Monday, ending the greatest beef since Biggie vs. Tupac by apologizing to fellow food diva Rachael Ray for (1) talking down to her about pie-baking, (2) teasing about her non-vite to Diddy's birthday and (3) dissing her as a mere "entertainer" on "Nightline."

50 Cent (Reuters/Danny Moloshok)

• 50 Cent settled a lawsuit with Taco Bell over a goofy promo campaign that had the fast-food chain sending letters to news outlets asking the rapper to change his name to "79 Cent" or "99 Cent" in honor of their cheap burritos, reports Bloomberg. Fiddy was seeking $1 million for alleged misuse of his trademark on persona; no word on what he got in the confidential settlement.

• Alexandra Kerry will not face criminal charges from her arrest in Hollywood last week for investigation of DUI. A rep for L.A. prosecutors told reporters they found "insufficient evidence" in the police report on Sen. John Kerry's daughter, 36. The senator's office last week said the filmmaker was pulled over for an expired registration and later tested below the legal blood-alcohol limit.

• No more 1 a.m. wake-up calls: After 30 years of presenting the news on NPR's "Morning Edition," Carl Kasell, 75, will call it quits at year's end. He'll keep deploying that resonant voice, though, as scorekeeper of the weekly "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me."

Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger arrives at a Jan. 24 celebration in his honor with his wife, Lorrie. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

"The hero sex really helps a 20-year-old marriage."

-- Lorrie Sullenberger, wife of Hudson River superstar pilot Chesley Sullenberger, when asked whether his insta-celebrity helped or hurt their relationship, in an NBC "People of the Year" special to air Thursday. "Rock-star sex," Sully added.

State dinner flashback: This Nov. 4, 1971, photo shows President and Mrs. Richard M. Nixon, at left, and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India standing with performers from the New York City Ballet in the East Room of the White House. (AP Photo)

Good afternoon, everyone. Roughly 30 hours left before Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh joins President Barack Obama at the first state dinner of his presidency.

And, of course, everything at a state dinner is freighted with underlying significance. Will the food include vegetables from the White House's garden? What will First Lady Michelle Obama wear? And what will it all mean?

Robin Givhan has another question: How will the Obamas -- who trumpet the common man (and woman) -- put their mark on state dinners, typically elite, exclusive affairs? Remember back in February, when White House Social Secretary Desirée Rogers suggested holding a sweepstakes, so average Americans could win a seat at a state dinner? Givhan asks: "Did we miss the Twitter alert on some secret lotto?"

Tomorrow night's dinner will be held in a tent on the White House lawn:

As for the White House, a spokesperson says the tent is a matter of practicality. It allows the Obamas to accommodate more people. And more people is a good thing because that is a reflection of the administration's desire to make the White House feel more accessible.

Four hundred people down. Only 304,059,324 more Americans to go.

Elsewhere in today's Style section: Howard Kurtz profiles Emily Miller, whose story is so only-in-Washington-esque that we don't have room to begin to explain it here. Tom Shales on ABC's newest reality show, "Find My Family." And the very latest Michael Jackson news! His white glove sells at auction for $350,000; he's still breaking records at awards shows, five months after his death.

Tips? Sightings? E-mail us: reliablesource@washpost.com. And follow us on Twitter: @ReliableSource.

A sculpture in front of the ruins of Peggy Cooper Cafritz's art-filled D.C. home after a disastrous July 2009 fire.(Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

This is the kind of year Peggy Cooper Cafritz is having:
Four months after a fire burned her art-filled mansion to the ground, she just endured another blaze -- this time in the Georgetown apartment where she relocated after losing her home. A clothes dryer burst into sparks and flames, charring the laundry room and filling her new place with thick smoke.

"It was ..." she told us, searching for the right word "... discombobulating."

Cafritz in 2000. (Mark Finkenstaedt for The Washington Post)

Cafritz, 62, moved into the Water Street condo in September; the latest fire broke out two weeks ago. This time, the flames were contained -- but smoke invaded every cranny, and all her clothing had to be cleaned to remove the acrid smell.

The longtime civic activist spoke to us last week, her first extensive public comments since losing her home. "I'm putting one foot in front of the other," she said.

In late July, while the former D.C. school board president was visiting friends on Martha's Vineyard, a two-alarm blaze gutted her sprawling home on Chain Bridge Road -- and destroyed one of the country's major collections of modern African American and African art, just as it was being showcased in the August issue of O magazine. (Some reports valued the collection at $15 million; Cafritz declined to comment on the amount.)

A report from investigators last month determined the fire was accidental, likely sparked by oily rags left in a trash bag on her porch. Firefighters reported that their attempts to battle the blaze were hindered by inadequate water pressure from nearby hydrants, which has led to a larger review of city water supply issues.

In September, Cafritz's insurance company moved her into the luxury waterfront condo where she could begin the process of reconstructing her life. She now has to inventory and submit claims for everything she lost -- "you have to list every sock, even lint," she said -- and is "overwhelmed with everything I have to do. It's intense."

Her biggest decision: whether to rebuild on her original Chain Bridge lot -- "I'm definitely thinking about that" -- or start fresh in a new location.

Then there's the more complicated question of replacing and rebuilding her famed art collection, amassed over 20 years. "It's a very slow process," she said. "I don't think there was anything in the fire that is salvageable." A few pieces were pulled from her basement, but Cafritz said they were "severely damaged. I don't think they could be restored."

Artists represented in her home have already offered to help. Photographer Hank Willis Thomas, who creates works exploring African American identity, has agreed to reprint his work for Cafritz at cost. Others will likely follow, when possible.

But, she said, "it's doubtful I'll be able to rebuild my collection as it was." Cafritz bought works from now-famous artists when they were relative unknowns; now similar pieces are selling for 10 times what she paid.

"I will continue to collect," she said. "I'll just have to start looking for new, younger artists."