If You Have the Bucks, You Can Still Have a Ball

Secretly wish you could go to an inaugural ball? Well, if you've got the $$, you probably can. For all the hype about D.C. gearing up to party like never before, a review of the big-deal galas finds a lot of tickets still available, just days before the dancing starts.

Monday's Hip-Hop Inaugural Ball, with LL Cool J., Young Jeezy and T.I.; the Texas State Society's Black Tie & Boots gala the same night; the New Birth of Citizenship Inauguration Kick-Off, with Jessica Alba, John Legend and Maroon 5 on Sunday; the American Music Inaugural Balls hosted by Dionne Warwick and Ludacris on Tuesday -- all are still advertising tickets, from $250 to $1,000. Many smaller affairs are also still putting out the call for guests.

Blame the economy. Or blame the Obama team for waiting until last week to send invitations to its coveted official balls (i.e., the ones POTUS will attend), slowing demand for the glitzier unofficial affairs.

Or maybe there are just too many galas -- several dozen clustered on the same long weekend -- and not enough guests to go around.

"The question is, who's buying these tickets?" asked a D.C. event planner who didn't want to be identified because, hey, she wants to work again. "This giant gravy train everyone was expecting isn't coming."

Organizers claim not to be concerned about the Darwinian party dynamic. A rep for the American Music balls predicts people will buy multiple tickets, planning to party-hop. Jenifer Sarver, a Black Tie & Boots spokeswoman, said huge demand in '05 prompted a move to a bigger space. They've sold 11,000 tickets, she said, and expect to hit 12,000. "Which, when you consider there isn't a Texan in the White House, is pretty incredible."

Hey, Isn't That . . . ?

Barack Obama last night, ducking into his first dinner party since moving back to Washington, at the Chevy Chase home of . . . conservative columnist George Will! Who, it should be noted, was no fierce supporter of the GOP ticket this time. Other right-leaning dinner partners spotted at the gathering, according to pool reports: Bill Kristol, David Brooks.

The Pick to Make a Homier White House

The White House is getting a few nips and tucks. Yesterday, the Obamas named their official decorator: Michael S. Smith, 44, a Santa Monica, Calif., designer with celebrity clients such as Steven Spielberg and Cindy Crawford, our colleague Jura Koncius reports.

The California native, who likes to mix expensive antiques and art with off-the-rack accessories, was one of three finalists for the job, according to Katie McCormick Lelyveld, spokeswoman for Michelle Obama. Smith was selected "because he had a similar vision of what they were looking for." He's already started working with the family to get the residence up and running -- especially the bedrooms of 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha -- and shopping at "a variety of different outlets, kid-friendly everyday retail stores," said Lelyveld.

Little is known about the Obamas' taste in furnishings and decor; photos of their home in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood show Asian and African art, glass-fronted bookcases and framed family photos. "The family's casual style, their interest in bringing 20th-century American artists to the forefront and utilizing affordable brands and products will serve as our guiding principles as we make the residence feel like their home," Smith said in a statement.

QUOTED

"We're delighted to have you here. . . . Since your father served as an intern on this committee, maybe we can make you an intern for the day, chairman's prerogative."

-- Sen. John Kerry to Chelsea Clinton at her mother's confirmation hearing yesterday, inviting her to see what the room looks like from the dais. Chelsea laughed politely and managed not to snap, "Dude, I'm almost 30, okay?"