Loved the moment of swearing in.
Hated the hype.
Loved Michelle Obama’s outfit. (Few women can pull off that shade of gold.)
Hated Aretha Franklin’s hat.
Loved the musical performance by Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman (even if it was arranged by John Williams.)
Hated Aretha Franklin’s version of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.”
Loved the benediction by Rev. Joseph Lower.
Hated the invocation by Rick Warren.
Loved Obama’s delivery (though not necessarily the speech) but it ended powerfully.
Hated the poem. Boring and poorly read.
Favorite moment: Watching the helicopter lift up and fly George Bush off and away.
Hmm…I’m pretty much in agreement, except I liked Aretha’s hat.
I’m glad to see you hated the poem. I did too, but I haven’t seen or heard anyone else speak about it.
From Terry Teachout’s blog (http://www.artsjournal.com/aboutlastnight/): The poem, “Praise Song for the Day,” was by Elizabeth Alexander, a professor at Yale, and it was…well, about what you’d expect from a professor at Yale.
He also dissed the John Williams piece (as he should have).
The Daily Show is on past my bedtime so I missed this yesterday–excellent stuff.
Agree on the poem. LOVED Aretha’s hat. Who else could have pulled that off–plus I liked the slight bluesy sound at the end of her song.
Loved seeing the helicopter depart with the Texas cheerleader and his squeeze. WHEW!