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WASHINGTON - From the best seats in the house, Barack Obama's inauguration proved to be a mix of serious reflection and fraternity-like ribbing with a dash of celebrity gazing.
A select group of 400, warmed by individual blue blankets, sat on the platform to witness US history close
up. Folding chairs were standard for most; only the principals - such as Obama and former President George W. Bush - sat on cushioned, highback chairs.
Obama family and friends, members of past and soon-to-be administrations, Supreme Court justices, lawmakers and stars of Hollywood and sports were arrayed in rows beyond the podium.
At the inauguration were Beyonce, Samuel Jackson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Angela Bassett and Don King.
Big screens showed Dustin Hoffman and Steven Spielberg among others.
Moments proved poignant, sombre and funny.
There was Muhammad Ali, the boxing legend whose own oratory skills have forever been changed by Parkinson's disease, getting help from a family member who tried to put warm gloves on those famous hands.
There was actor Leonardo DiCaprio, playing paparazzi and taking photographs. Academy-award winning director Steven Spielberg also was camera-ready.
There was California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger comparing notes with former Governor Gray Davis while standing in the aisle in the risers near the main platform. Asked to move, Schwarzenegger jokingly told a young woman, "We're solving a budget crisis."
California is facing a budget deficit that is expected to exceed US$40 ($77) billion over the next year and a half.
The US governors who attended proved to be a frisky lot. Seat in several rows on the left side, just above the main platform, they decided to have some fun when Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, Obama's choice to head the Department of Homeland Security, showed up.
"Hey, Janet," they called out in unison.
Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine explained that Napolitano once headed the National Governor's Association and they wanted to get her attention.
The memorable moment for Kaine was the stretch of Obama's speech when the new president spoke to the world - "so powerful," Kaine said. "The people and the world are paying so much attention."
Scores of senators wore cowboy hats, from Montana's Senator Max Baucus to Pennsylvania's Arlen Specter. Arizona Senator John McCain, the man Obama defeated to win the presidency, skipped the hat but chose distinctive black sun glasses.
Former basketball star Magic Johnson posed for photographs with many of those in attendance, including a governor or two.
- AP, NZ HERALD STAFF