Little Barack’s Big Adventure

My college senior year roommate Myra headed to D.C. with some friends to catch the inauguration… and thankfully they brought along Barack the action figure for some company.

Grading Today’s Inauguration Front Pages

Wow, the L.A. Times really strains to make a pun with this two-line headline. I assume they’re having a little fun with the chilly weather in D.C. with the idea of his “cold reality” — but man, that’s quite a stretch. The Times seems to forget that people plan to save this issue as a keepsake — and to that end, a catchy, one-line headline might have made this issue much more valuable. (Short memory? Their election special, with the simple “It’s Obama” hed, sold well and has been quite a little money maker for the paper. Why they didn’t attempt to repeat that, I dunno.) B-.

But as much as the LAT missed an opportunity with today’s paper, the Daily News’ take is even worse. Yeah, it’s neat to see the hundreds of thousands of people on the National Mall. But I can’t even make out if that’s Obama’s back… and it doesn’t matter, because it’s still his back. That little inset picture of Obama above doesn’t provide much of an emotional wollop either. C.

The Long Beach Press-Telegram’s photo montage is kinda nice — I like the “Brady Bunch” set up of Americans looking up at the new first couple. Not sure “hope over fear” is the most compelling headline; that’s good for an election headline, but the inauguration is about looking ahead — not looking back at a campaign that ended two months ago. But my biggest problem with the P-T lies with what it did to its own nameplate here. What a day to butcher your own name! Anyone saving this issue will one day look back at how the “Press-Telegra” covered the inauguration. B.

OK, Oakland Tribune, you got me. First… first what? African-American president? President named “Barack”? President from Hawai’i? First president after the George W. Bush disaster? First president elected in the Great Depression II? B.

The Orange County Register brings us the Era of responzzz… oops, sorry. But really? “Era of responsibility”? Way to sell a couple thousand few newspapers than you could have today, OC Reg! And c’mon, maybe for one day you could have knocked out those skyboxes to give the inauguration piece a bit more heft? C.

OK, the Ventura County Star gets it. They managed to get “hope” in the hed without then pissing all over it with the word “fear.” They also emphasize a key passage in Obama’s speech, have a nice, attractive shot of our new commander-in-chief and even de-emphasize their nameplate for the day. A-.

The Torrance Daily Breeze manages to trump its bigger Daily News cousin today. Nice shot of Obama taking the oath (nice action shot of Michelle watching her husband) and the simple — albeit, generic — “A new era” headline. Still don’t love the “hope over fear” angle — I’d actually go with the “responsibility” line as a subhed — but at least it’s the secondary headline. B.

For comparison’s sake, Best Front Design said Newsday’s cover was the best in the nation:

Hawai’i in the White House, Brah!

AP photo by way of the Honolulu Star Bulletin: President Barack Obama and wife Michelle flash a few shakas as the Punahou marching band march down the Inauguration parade.

Change Starts Today: President Barack Obama

(Flickr pic by Leafhound.)

Here it is — the inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Obama. Will you be watching at home, listening on the drive to work, scarfing down free Krispy Kremes or attending a local event?

MetBlogs L.A. has a rundown of inauguration festivities in L.A.; the biggest one appears to be at L.A. Live downtown.

In case you’ll be catching it at home — or Tivo’ing it for later viewing, here’s the rough schedule (PT), according to KABC/7:

7 a.m.: Obama meets with President Bush at White House
8:30 a.m. : Official inaugural ceremony begins
9 a.m.: Obama is sworn in as president and delivers inaugural address
10 a.m.: President Obama and Vice President Biden attend luncheon at Capitol
10:30 a.m.: President Bush Depart Washington D.C.
11:30 a.m.: Inaugural parade begins

Blogger Preschooler Sez The Darndest Things, One in a series

Blogger Preschooler and I were making pancakes on Sunday morning when “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” came on the air. Stephanopoulos was interviewing President-elect Barack Obama, and Evan noticed.

“That’s Roback Obama,” Evan said. “Who’s that man he’s with?”

“George Stephanopoulos,” I replied.

“George Steph — Steph — Stephanuffagus,” Evan said. “He’s got a funny name!”

Lovin’ it — Obama’s name isn’t odd to him, but “Stephanapoulos” is.

Maria’s Thursday Three: Fonts, Online Shops and an Atwater Boutique

1. Obamabats: Forget about Gotham, Obama’s font of choice for his political campaign. Designer Jeff Domke created this collection of Obama dingbats in honor of the president-elect. Available for download and use free-of-charge. I like free.

2. Frecklewonder: I wish I can fit into this dress, featured in Frecklewonder’s online shop. Seriously, this lady has an eye for fashion and vintage is her game. And the prices? Far too good to be true.

3. Amelia Fitzwater: I kinda want to keep this store to myself, tucked away among beauty salons and gallery spaces along Glendale Blvd. in Atwater Village. The assortment of cards, jewelry, books, accessories and everything else is top notch.

How Obama’s Alma Maters are Playing Up (or Down) His Big News

This cracked me up: I went to the Punahou School website to see if the school’s most famous — and now most powerful — alum was mentioned. I love the nonchalant nature of the news brief… like it’s just another mundane piece of news, along side “Guest Clinician Hits Right Note” and “November Service Opportunities.”

In comparison, here’s how Eagle Rock’s own Occidental, where Obama spent the first two years of college, is playing him up:

Hold on there, Oxy — Columbia (where the prexy-elect spent the second half of his undergrad days) is also claiming Obama as its 1983 alum:

Then there’s the Harvard Law School, which puts the Obama news under its normal “Spotlight on Alumni Pursuits” column. Love it — “Hey, guess what Barack Obama ’91 is up to these days — he’s just hanging out, you know, as the PRESIDENT-ELECT!”

The Scene: Obama’s Get Out the Vote Phone Bank in Hollywood

The scene over the weekend at the Obama campaign’s Get Out the Vote phone bank, at the Sunset-Gower studios in Hollywood.

Primetime — Sorta — For Villaraigosa At the Democratic Convention

A lot has been made of the fact that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa won’t have a major presence at this week’s Democratic Convention. (I suppose his whole separation and dalliance with ex-Telemundo reporter Mirthala Salinas wasn’t the kind of image they wanted to portray in primetime — particularly post-John Edwards.)

Still, da mayor got some primo primetime face time on Tuesday night thanks to his strategic seat — behind President Clinton, who seemed to be having a good time watching Hillary go attack McCain. (“No way, no how, no McCain.” Brilliant.)

Obamania: Casa Bianca Edition

Another reason to hop on the Barack Obama bandwagon: As an undergrad at Occidental College in Eagle Rock, Obama — who went by the more informal “Barry” at school — was a fan of one of Eagle Rock’s culinary treasures, the L.A. Times reports:

Though some express surprise at his current prominence, classmates recall a slim, good-looking teen with a moderate Afro, a taste for Casa Bianca’s Hawaiian-style pizza (pineapple and ham) and a role in protesting college investments in firms doing business in South Africa during the apartheid era.

Obama (above, in his student days, via the LAT) spent two years at Occidental before moving on to Columbia University.

So if you’re keeping score: Obama’s from Hawaii. And he loves Casa Bianca pizza. As someone else from Hawaii with a love for the Casa Bianca pies, so far so good.