The entertainment lineup for President Barack Obama’s first state dinner Tuesday was stellar.
The entertainment lineup for President Barack Obama’s first state dinner Tuesday was stellar. Singer-actress Jennifer Hudson and jazz vocalist and composer Kurt Elling, both Grammy Award winners from the Obamas’ hometown of Chicago, were performing. Hudson also won an Academy Award for her role in Dreamgirls. The guest list, which the White House released a few hours before dinner was to begin, was a mix of wonky Washington, Hollywood Alisters, prominent figures from the Indian community in the U.S., and Obama friends, family and campaign donors. Among them were actors Alfre Woodard and Blair Underwood, and Hollywood moguls Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Guests with ties to India included spiritual adviser Deepak Chopra, director M. Night Shyamalan and PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi. Katie Couric of CBS News, Brian Williams of NBC News, Robin Roberts of ABC News and CNN Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta were among the media representatives invited. Oprah Winfrey was not on the list, but her best friend, Gayle King, was among the guests. Also on the list were Obama friends Eric Whitaker and Martin Nesbitt, along with Obama’s half sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, and her husband, Conrad; and Marian Robinson, the first lady’s mother. AP
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