◼ White House imposes secrecy rules on first lady's lavish, celebrity-filled birthday party - Byron York/Washington Examiner @ByronYork
There was a party in the East Room of the White House Saturday night, an affair attended by a reported 500 people, a lavish celebration with celebrities galore, appearances by some of the world's most popular performers, lots of dancing and powerful government officials, including, of course, the most powerful official of all, the President of the United States. And the White House wants to make sure you know as little as possible about it....
So far, the crackdown appears to have been a success. Although a few attendees have tweeted that they had a great time, or that they danced until their feet could take no more, the Web has not been filled with photos of the first lady's extravagant celebration. Perhaps some will appear; maybe the White House will even release an official photo. But it's unlikely the public will see much.
Why the secrecy, especially for an event involving so many well-known people? Maybe the Obamas just wanted a little privacy for an important occasion in the first lady's life, although having 500 guests, including some of the most famous people on the planet, is perhaps not the best way to achieve that goal.
◼ A-listers fete First Lady at secret b-day bash - New York Post Page Six
Spies said that more than 300 guests — including Paul McCartney, Jennifer Hudson, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg — were required to check their phones before entering the bash so there could be no photos or tweeting....
“This was the party of the year in DC,” explained a guest. “The first family had a mix of friends, politicians, athletes, entertainers and business execs.”
