Granddaughter Offers a Twist on Cheney Ambition

By Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts
Sunday, July 8, 2007

We knew the Cheney clan had a predilection for politics, but musical theater? Turns out the veep's 13-year-old granddaughter, Kate Perry, dreams of being a Broadway star and nabbed the title role of "Oliver!" at the Bethesda Summer Music Festival.

"She has a voice, which no one else in the family has," said proud mom Liz Cheney, who sat in the front pew of the Bethesda Presbyterian Church for Friday's performance, along with Kate's dad, Phil Perry, and aunt Mary Cheney.

The eighth-grader has been taking voice and piano lessons for five years with professor Mira Yang, who founded the festival. Kate had a small part in "The Sound of Music" two years ago, sang the national anthem at a tsunami-relief benefit concert, and performed at the Kennedy Center as part of a children's ensemble, but her one-night turn in "Oliver!" was her first starring role. "She's a little nervous, but her instinct is really good," said Yang.

With her light brown hair tucked under a cap and a slight British accent, Kate led the company in the tale of Dickens's plucky orphan/apprentice pickpocket and held her own in her solo, "Where Is Love?" (Among the other ragamuffins onstage: Kate's 9-year-old sister, Elizabeth.) The audience, filled with family and friends, celebrated with punch and cupcakes at the post-performance party in the church basement. The performance was preserved for posterity: Liz Cheney managed to capture everything except the final curtain call on her camcorder.

Longoria and Parker Tie the Knot -- Twice!

Among the possibly record number of couples tying the knot yesterday on the coveted date of 7/7/07, one managed to upstage the others: Eva Longoria, 32, and Tony Parker, 25, who exchanged vows in a 12th-century cathedral in Paris before 250-some VIP guests, with a flock of paparazzi hovering nearby.

The "Desperate Housewives" star and the San Antonio Spurs' NBA Finals MVP kicked off the festivities Friday by first getting hitched in a civil ceremony led by none other than the mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, who hailed French-bred Parker as a model in the fight against racism and praised Longoria's pink Chanel mini-dress (she later changed into white for the city hall ceremony). Then it was on to yesterday's main event at the historic Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, next to the Louvre. Teri Hatcher paused to wave to photographers, while others entering the church ducked behind a screen erected to shield them from the lenses. People magazine reported that other guests included Sheryl Crow, Jessica Alba, Nicollette Sheridan, Felicity Huffman, Mario Lopez and Ryan Seacrest; the magazine also dutifully noted the $350 snakeskin clutches given to bridesmaids, of whom there appeared to be several. The reception was planned for Vaux-le-Vicomte, a 17th-century chateau about 35 miles southeast of Paris, wire services reported.

READERS TELL US

Last week, we asked you to come up with the perfect song to commemorate Lindsay Lohan's21st birthday -- our little movie star/party girl is finally legal!

Barbara Lescas Salter wrote an original ode called "DUI":

The road she took was wrong

Drinking and driving didn't pay

She didn't seem to get it

That's what people say

Barbara Sarshik just went crazy with three different parodies. First, to the tune of "Still the One" by Orleans:

Twenty-one, when I'm on a spree

Twenty-one, I don't need fake ID

I'm still having fun and I'm twenty-one

To the tune of "One" from "A Chorus Line":

One singular citation

Got you in the tabloid news

One big intoxication

Thanks to cocaine and booze

And to the tune of "When You Wish Upon a Star":

When you walk into a bar,

Everyone knows who you are

Fans and paparazzi keep their eyes on you

If you stay in Malibu,

You will get to twenty-two

You can be a superstar whose dreams come true

But another reader was not amused by any of it: "Lindsay Lohan turned 21 with out of control alcoholism and drug addiction problems. What could be funnier?. . . Or how about a funny song about people who make a nice living writing a column based on the premise that the sufferings of celebrities are funny?"

Our paychecks are pocket change for LiLo, but we get your point and promise never again to exploit the troubles of overindulged, underachieving red-carpet habitues -- unless their publicists call us. Cue Don Henley's"Dirty Laundry," and send your tips to reliablesource@washpost.com.