STORY:
Extravagant White House Party

Guess who is coming to dinner at the White House this New Year

The White House is throwing a huge New Year’s Eve ball and the invitation list is long and quite diverse.

Jack Nicholson will be there, so will Elizabeth Taylor, Muhammad Ali and historian Arthur Schlesinger.

The guests will dress in black-tie and dance the night away with the President and first lady.

The President and his famous friends will enjoy dinner, dancing, fireworks and live entertainment. It’s going to be glitzy and big. There are several guest lists to several different parties…a list that totals more than 3,000 names. A few other names on the lists include Mary Tyler Moore, actor Robert De Niro, poet Rita dove, playwright Neil Simon and opera divas Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle.

Here’s how the festivities for the night are set up. Those in the nation’s capital will be treated to opening ceremonies on Constitution Avenue near the White House. The party will feature the Marine Corps band and the 100-member New Millennium Choir. The choir was created just for this event. The President and first lady will then unveil a time capsule that will be filled with artifacts, ideas and accomplishments from the end of the 20^th century.

A group of 500 invited guests will attend a celebration at the Lincoln Memorial. Actor-rapper Will Smith will serve as the host of that quaint gathering. Outside in the mall a different chosen group will gather. 2,500 diplomats, members of congress and state politicians are invited to celebration the nation’s largest New Year’s Eve ever on the mall.

Before the big countdown to midnight the President will have a small dinner party. Just 350 guests are invited to join our nation’s leader for a quiet dinner inside the White House. Family members are invited to the festivities but they won’t be eating inside with the Clintons. About 100 family members will dine outside in a heated tent in the Rose Garden.

After dinner, the party will step outside to the Lincoln Memorial gala, which will be much like an outdoor concert. Quincy Jones and George Stevens Jr produce it. The entertainment includes Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Kathy Mattea, Bobby McFerrin, Don McLean, Kenny Rogers, Luther Vandross, Tricia yearwood and others.

In the half-hour before midnight a large projection screen set up next to the Lincoln Memorial will show an 18-minute piece produced by Steven Spielberg. It features music, poetry and pictures celebrating the accomplishments of the 20^th century. The president will give a short speech in the final moments of 1999 and at the stroke of midnight there will be a fireworks and light show.

Of course, the party doesn’t end there. The group will head back inside for dancing and partying. No word on just how long the events will go, but breakfast is going to be served.

Source: Associated Press

DATE: 12/17/99

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