Party

WASHINGTON - -Cate Blanchett and Liv Ullmann conducted an impromptu lesson over the weekend in the duties, delights, and hierarchies of star power - with the help of the Australian Embassy. Blanchett is starring in, and Ullmann is directing, the production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" running through Nov. 21 at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This staging by the Sydney Theatre Company comes to Washington through the efforts of Dennis Richardson, Australia's ambassador to the U.S., before heading off to the Big Apple.

As I look over the results of last Tuesday's general election, like one looks over the aftermath of a tornado or earthquake, I feel disappointed and disillusioned. I feel that the election really hasn't made things any better, but probably will worsen the climate of rancor and divisiveness here in the county.It seems that people have let their emotions run away with them, and have "thrown the baby out with the bathwater." I'm afraid they really didn't look at the issues and just said, "Let's throw them out and it will make everything better.

Three men, including a security guard, were stabbed early Sunday morning during a party at an Elks Lodge in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County police reported. Officers, who arrived at the lodge in the 2500 block of Solomons Island Road around 1:07 a.m., discovered the three victims, who were taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where they were in stable condition Sunday morning, police said. The lodge is rented out for parties and other events. Online videos show the banquet hall, which seats 350, packed for previous events.

BEFORE Bill Clinton was elected in 1992, conventional wisdom held that the Democrats faced a crisis. After 12 years of GOP White House rule and defeat in five of the previous six presidential elections, the party had seemingly ceased to become competitive at the presidential level.Peter Brown's 1991 book, "Minority Party: Why Democrats Face Defeat in 1992 and Beyond," was one of several arguing the thesis. White working-class and suburban middle-class voters, according to the conventional wisdom, were abandoning the party in droves because of its excessively liberal positions on crime, welfare, foreign policy and "values" issues.

Soon-to-be tour buddies and new BFFs Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj blessed the Internet last Friday with a remix of Spears' robotic single, "Till the World Ends. " As usual, Minaj's opening verse is pure thievery: vocal tics (it's a wonder how Minaj's blown-out-animation schtick still has these kinds of legs) and thinly veiled diss lines at Lil Kim make the Young Money artist a zany, welcome addition. Where as Britney can sound so processed on tape, Minaj's larger-than-life performance matches the in-the-red party production.

After suffering double-digit drubbings in the last two elections that left House and Senate Republicans in the minority and Democrat Barack Obama in the White House, the GOP is desperate for new leadership and fresh ideas. The election last week of former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele as the first African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee signaled party loyalists' desire for a different tone and direction. But unless Mr. Steele, a frequent political commentator on television talk shows, can persuade Republican lawmakers in Congress to break with the disastrous policies of former president George W. Bush, it's hard to see how he alone can rebuild the party's ranks and help win back the power Republicans recently wielded in Washington.

Ed Reed had plenty of Christmas spirit this year, judging by a video of him singing “Silent Night” that was posted this month. The clip was reportedly made Dec. 2, during a karaoke party just hours after the Ravens were defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers, 23-20. The video shows the Ravens safety and likely NFL Hall-of-Famer dressed in a three-piece suit and showing off a sometimes-shaky falsetto. Among the pack of fellow singers is tackle Bryant McKinnie, providing backup, moral support and a giant, striped cardigan.  Clearly, both the Ravens players and everyone else in the bar, identified as Supano's Steakhouse downtown (“Supano's knows how to throw a party,” one poster comments unnecessarily)

Considering all the political woes that have besieged Barack Obama in the third year of his presidency - including the disappointment in him many liberal Democrats have loudly expressed - you might expect he'd have a challenge by now for the renomination of his party. Yet none is in sight. Other presidents under internal criticism have not been so fortunate. The senior George Bush in 1992 had to contend with a primary fight from Patrick Buchanan. Jimmy Carter in 1980 had to cope with the same from Ted Kennedy.

Republican National Chairman Michael S. Steele's recent comments regarding President Barack Obama's ownership of the war in Afghanistan were made notable by his own party's overwhelmingly negative reaction to them. Certainly this was not the first time Mr. Steele stuck his foot in his mouth. Google his name and the word "gaffe," and there are 121,000 hits. That's a big number — not Joe Biden big, but large by party chairman standards. What Maryland's former lieutenant governor did was what members of his party have been doing since Mr. Obama was elected.

Question: I bought a number of potted primroses to use as table centerpieces. On two, the flowers have already turned brown. How can I keep the others happy until party time? Answer: Keep them cool. Primroses in flower do best at 50-55 degrees F. Anything over 60 is going to hurt your flower display, so until the day of the party place them in a cool room. Provide bright light and water the soil to keep it moist though do not allow the plants to sit in water.