NOBODY CAN TOUCH THE QUEEN

Comedy isn't always pretty. But it should be funny, and Eddie Izzard is hilarious. He's an Emmy Award-winning actor, a stand-up comic, and a tough transvestite who can take care of himself. In the spirit of the G20 summit, meet the Queen.

(Warning: this contains language as it is spoken everywhere by actual people. If you are easily offended by the common vernacular skip this clip and get back to "Everybody Loves Raymond." For the rest of you, have a great weekend.)

AT LAST

Barack and Michelle Obama have the first dance at the Inaugural Neighborhood Ball. They enjoy a much-deserved moment of celebration as Beyonce sings the classic "At Last." I love this clip. Call me a sap, I don't care.

President Obama may have danced all night, but he was up early the next morning at his new job. Here he signs executive orders directing the CIA to shut down its network of secret prisons and ordering the closing of the Guantánamo detention camp. At last!

GET READY FOR THE INAUGURATION

If you're like me, you're checking your mailbox every day for an invitation to the inauguration. This inauguration will be historic. I've been shopping for the right clothes. Believe it or not, I don't own a suit, but I have some nice jackets and ties, and I can probably pull something together. I'd hate to find myself doing jello shooters with Barack and Michelle and suddenly realize I'm dressed like an extra from "Rent." Actually, they probably wouldn't mind. They seem cool. Not like the last bunch. I just hope my invitation arrives in in time.

The President and First Lady: Those ballroom dance lessons came in handy.

Looking sharp: JFK and Jackie arrive at the Kennedy inauguration, 1960

Here's the Spin Magazine guide to inauguration concerts--from Springsteen to Jay-Z--HERE

LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!

President-elect Barack Obama introduced the new national security team Monday, and then took a much-needed break. Dude has been busy, yo. The order of the day? Shake it, shake it, shake it like a Polaroid picture. Hey ya!

No big surprises at Monday's press conference, but Obama officially announced that former campaign rival Hillary Clinton will be the new secretary of state. Not that it matters, but bellowing gas bag Rush Limbaugh called the selection "brilliant."

But who cares what he says?

Obama also announced that Bush's Pentagon chief Robert Gates will stay on as defense secretary for continuity sake--we're fighting two wars, after all. In related news, Obama is ousting top Bush Pentagon officials, including many of Gates's top deputies. More from the Washington Post, HERE.

Other picks: Marine Gen. James Jones as White House national security adviser, former Justice Department official Eric Holder as attorney general, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as secretary of homeland security, and Susan Rice as UN Ambassador.


Meanwhile, in another part of town, outgoing President George W. Bush told ABC News' Charlie Gibson "I was unprepared for war," and "I'm sorry" for the economic crisis.

Bush expressed remorse that the financial crisis has cost jobs and harmed retirement accounts. "I'm sorry it's happening, of course," he said. "Obviously I don't like the idea of people losing jobs, or being worried about their 401(k)s."

Bush pointed to incorrect intelligence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction as "the biggest regret of all the presidency."

"I wish the intelligence had been different, I guess." When pressed by Gibson, Bush was clear. "That is a do-over that I can't do."

This ABC interview raises many questions, the most salient being: "Can Barack Obama start early?"


The ABC News interview with outgoing president, George W. Bush, 12/01/08

MICHELLE OBAMA ON THE VIEW

While Cindy McCain was busy getting her batteries changed, Michelle Obama showed up on "The View" to chat with the ladies. After weathering Republican attacks that were both personal and just plain weird -- I loved the one where conservatives were sure her "fist-bump" to husband Barrack was some secret terrorist handshake -- Michelle came to hang out. It must have reassured nervous voters, though I doubt it helped with mouth-breathers who seem to dislike both women and blacks. Still, it was a positive move. It turns out she's smart (another strike against her in Stepford World) and not a bomb-throwing Nee-grow that might appear in nightmares in America's Heartland. And for those who need to know, yes, she is quite capable of handling a vapid daytime television show with good grace and charm.