OK, that settles it. This is what it's like to watch the news in North Korea.
Capping a day of unctuous fawning unmatched on television since MSNBC's coverage of the last inauguration, Rachel Maddow swooned upon her sudden realization last night that ... could it be? ... tell me it's so! ... the first couple might actually ... dance yet again! (video clip after page break)
Here it is for those of you fortunate to have missed it the first time. Warning: nausea may ensue --
MADDOW (after Jennifer Hudson finishes overripe rendition of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together"): President Obama and Mrs. Obama dancing at the official inaugural ball tonight, being serenaded by Jennifer Hudson for the second time. She also serenaded them (much like we do every day at MSNBC) at the commander in chief ball. "Let's Stay Together" of course is A) Al Green, so always great, B) a nice metaphor for, thank you for picking me again to be your president for four more years, and also C) a nice reminder of the president's turn at the microphone at a fundraiser, I believe it was last year, singing a little Al Green himself, a nice reminder of that tonight. (operative word here -- nice). But the president and first lady, I do believe (Maddow morphing into Scarlett O'Hara ... I do believe you've been ignoring me, Ashley Wilkes ...) that is the last time that we will see them dancing tonight.
But the night is young (cliche alert) and these inaugural balls are still ongoing. (pause) Oh, is there going to be one more dance?! (jaw drops, mouth agape, unable to contain glee). Oh, right! OK, here's how it goes. There's two official inaugural balls, the commander in chief ball which the president and first lady have already appeared at. And the official inaugural ball (unsullied by all those stiffs in uniform) which you just saw them dance at right here (while I squirmed in delight as if fantasizing about infrastructure, infrastructure). But the official inaugural ball is so enormous at the Washington Convention Center that it takes place on two different floors (one for guests, the other for MSNBC). And as they move into the next room so the other people in the other room can see them, also at that part of the inauguralball there will be another president and first lady dance. So there. This is a weird thing to emcee, who knew? Like, I barely even went to prom.
Maddow more than making up for that now as a full-time cheerleader.
