The only known photos from the White House’s 2009 “Alice in Wonderland” party
By now you’ve probably heard about the “Alice in Wonderland”-themed Halloween party that Obama threw back in 2009 and which the White House tried to cover up (a charge they’re already furiously denying). Here at PJM Belladonna Rogers and J. Christian Adams have already blogged about it, so there’s no need for me to go into the details any further.
But the question everyone’s asking is: Where are the photos?
Well, unfortunately, it seems that the Obamas successfully banned discouraged photographers from inside the party itself. But all is not lost: There were a few photos taken inside of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton in Alice in Wonderland costumes along with Alice herself and the Obamas. And some other photos were taken of festivities outside the event. I’ve done quite a bit of searching, and this is what I could find, so for all of you out there hungry for pictures, here you go (presented in the highest resolution I could track down for each image):
[Note: THESE ARE REAL PICTURES of Halloween at the White House in 2009.]
Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, an actress playing Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton in costume along with the Obama family at the 2009 White House Halloween party. The original can be found here, and (as far as I can tell) was originally posted to a Johnny Depp fan site (with the wrong date, oddly).
Verum Serum has also dug up some more party pics from the same fan site:
Here’s a blurry one that no one seems to have noticed yet:
Flickr user “Jon Schnitzer” was inside the White House that day and snapped a series of photos — not of the party itself, but of some Halloween preparations. For the completists, here’s one of his snapshots of a decoration for the Alice in Wonderland party:
Pretty amusing – a portrait of Bill Clinton next to what looks like a Tim Burton-designed “Pumpkin King.”
You can see the rest of Jon Schnitzer’s White House Halloween 2009 photos here.
Following a trail that Morgen of Verum Serum got me started on, I’ve uncovered a cache of additional (mostly blurry) snapshots taken inside the party by (apparently) Jonathan Benya, an actor who starred with Johnny Depp in an earlier film and who was at the Halloween event. The full cache can be found at “Imagebam,” a photo storage site, and further insider details are posted at the Russian-language Tim Burton fansite “Burton Land” — English translation here.
Below are a few of the photos — click the Imagebam link above for the full set:
This one is the most interesting, because it shows some of the party-goers and chefs in the background and some of the treats and party favors on the table.
Here’s a commentary from a “Burton Land” contributor who was at the Halloween event, and who explains many details heretofore unknown. Because the account has been auto-translated into Russian and then back out, the verbiage is a bit stilted, but you can get the gist of it:
Hatter tea party held at the White House dining room. Most of the cast of Alice were there. Johnny sat at the head word in a suit Hatter. The program also had a magic show, 3D paintings, Orchestra, tasting drinks, biscuits and a lot of other things. Johnny walked into the room and talked to people. Resident spoke with nearly all members of the cast. Guests are not allowed to take pictures, then, according to Kefir, there was “a ton of press photographers.” On the Zone has brought the girl just because she is “scanned” the Internet in search of photos from the event. At the end of the evening Johnny went out without makeup. The girl said a few words in his “pirate style”. Show sponsored by Johnny Depp and Disney. The guests were mainly represented by the White House staff and their children.
The celebration consisted of three parts. The first part took place in the fresh air. The second one was inside and included Johnny Hatter costume, greeting children and everything else. And the third part – it was restricted party for the elite, where Johnny was already without a suit. A highlight of the party was fun, “dragon breath” (marshmallow dipped in dry ice and then it all fizzles out through a straw) – Johnny was very good at it. Yogurt says that Johnny is very nice and an absolute gentleman. He held the hand of each guest without the slightest strain. I was touched a thing. In the suit Hatter Johnny said his voice. But when he took off his suit, noted Kefir, the emphasis Hatter sometimes still slip…
Here’s another forbidden photo, showing Abraham Lincoln overseeing the party set-up:
One of the Obamas makes an appearance in this photo — yes, that’s “Bo,” Obama’s Portuguese Water Dog being hugged by a cast member on the left:
As the description from the Burton Land commenter above reveals, there were three phases to the event: First, an outdoor party with kids and trick-or-treating (at which all the press photos were taken); then a private party inside the White House with Jonny Depp and all the “Alice in Wonderland” cast members in costume (at which the photos above were all taken); and finally an even more exclusive ultra-private adults-only affair at the end of the evening at which Depp (and the rest of the cast) had changed back into normal clothes. The question then arises: Where are the photos of this super-secret Phase Three?
Fear not! For I have those as well. Yet a different gallery at Imagebam has two photos from the final part of the evening, showing Depp out of costume (and Burton still sporting his eye-patch), posing with a White House staffer (whom I don’t recognize at the moment). Here are photos from the last phase of the Halloween event:
Want more? View the full sets at Imagebam here and here.
That’s it for inside the party (if you know of any other photos from the event, please post links in the comments section below), but pool photographers were allowed to snap pictures of the festivities outside. Some media outlets have reprinted pictures of the Obamas handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, but the “out-takes” are pretty amusing. a2zclutter’s photostream on Flickr features several pictures from the evening’s entertainment, including:
A band of musicians dressed as skeletons performing outside the White House on Halloween, 2009. What were they playing – “The Politically Tone Deaf Funeral March”? Or perhaps “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”
Here’s a close-up of the band:
The official caption reads “A skeleton band performs at the North Portico of the White House in Washington on October 31, 2009.”
As the kids arrived, left-wing anti-war protesters awaited them outside the White House gates:
The New York Times included this image in a slideshow about Halloween at the White House in 2009.
Another image from the slide show reveals butterfly dancers inside bubbles on the White House lawn.
Getty Images has more of that skeleton band, for those of you who can’t get enough of the ironic imagery. Some of the same photos (without watermarks) can be found on the band’s Web site:
“A skeleton band performs at the North Portico of the White House in Washington on October 31, 2009,” reads the official caption.
This one is my favorite:
There are plenty of photos on other sites of the trick-or-treating part of the evening (which seems to be not connected to the later Alice in Wonderland party), but if you’re curious nonetheless, the This Week With Barack Obama blog has a pretty extensive photo collection of the Obamas and various White House staffers handing out treats to kids on Halloween 2009.
in your face suckah
You just KNOW Joe Biden was the Dormouse.
Verum Serum has two more pics
http://www.verumserum.com/?p=36474
Thanks for the tip! I have added those (and a link to Verum Serum) now.
You are welcome. VS has done an outstanding job on a number of issues, I think it is the best site for OSW coverage, at least videos. The internet, doing the job the media refuses to do!
ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE!! (Zombie you’ve outdone yourself)
A few thoughts…
1. I wonder if this party was part of the 2009 Obama stimulus plan, passed into law, to keep unemployment below 8%.
2. When this administration is figuratively (or maybe even literally) strung up, they’ll ask ‘Why?’ They’ll be shown these pictures to remind them… and they still won’t have a clue.
3. Creepy how Obama is not dressed up as anything.
4. The most disturbing picture to me is the Lincoln portrait shot. I almost want to puke at the fact that this portrait of our greatest President (remembering what he endured and sacrificed for our nation) served as a backdrape for such a perverted, misplaced, and twisted event.
I could never believed we could have fallen so far.
!!! If you consider for just 10 seconds that this president’s sole purpose is to destroy the United States, nothing he has done is surprising in the least.
THE GOOD NEWS: None of our problems are too big to solve. I am hoping that, as in most systems, the time to degrade is on the same order as the time to repair. We need to defeat Obama in November. The next president needs to understand the magnitide or our position.
God save us.
Obama is cleverly disguised as a competent, pro-American President.
Obama was the Cheshire Cat!
I was thinking the same things you were you just beat me to the keyboard. I sure hope those Gangsters had a good time spending our money. Some people probably couldn’t afford to buy candy to hand out an they do this crap. And, is Depp the Hollywood creep who is so much in love with Chavez??? If that’s so, why is he at the white house enjoying his time at a party WE paid for??? Oh, maybe that’s because they don’t have Halloween parties like this in Veneuzelia.
I’m just sayin’. Once again, I’ll describe this administration as high class welfare recipients. They make me sick!
3. Creepy how Obama is not dressed up as anything.
Bill: He’s already in costume…fantasy make-up as the “president’, which he clearly is enjoying to the maximum benefit possible…sleazy people…..looks like the Wildebeast decided not to go as herself (I wouldn’t either).
Hey Zombie, I wonder how many marxists like Bill Ayers and his terrorist wife have been given the favor of a B&B-overnight in our Lincoln Bedroom?
I wonder how much THAT shindig costs the American taxpayers, besides his constant family vacation trips to Hawaii
Another stellar example of piss poor leadership from this inept, unqualified President. Shame shame shame……….
Were you calling it that way when the same thing (frequent vacations) happened in prior administrations?
Name one President & wife who spent money
& vacations like these two!!!
George and Laura Bush for starters. All those trips to Texas and I’m pretty sure they didn’t leave the secret service in D.C. Also unlikely the drove there. So there’s tax payer money for Air Force One.
So you think President Bush and his family spent more money than the Obama’s on vacation ? You said ALL the trips to Texas? LOL LOL LOL The Bush family went home and stayed at a Ranch owned by the Bushes. Of course they had security, because security is part of being President. I wonder if Laura Bush had her ” Hair People”, “Make-up People”, “Person to Dress her”, “Chef” ETC. ETC. ETC. I don’t think so !
If you do a little research, you’ll find the Bushes usually went to Camp David (35 minutes away). They spent every Christmas there since their secret service detail lived in the DC area – they did this so the secret service members could spend Christmas with their families. They met with foreign dignitaries at the ranch in Crawford, TX – much cheaper since security was already set up. They never had a plane fly their dogs separately. Nor did Laura load up a trip with hangers on. Nor did they take a date night to NY at taxpayers expense. Yes, they have to travel to represent the country, but these kind of lavish events are strickly for their ego.
If you’re going to descend into a Bush took more/less holidays slanging, then you are missing the whole point of the depth of the corruption that now pervades both sides equally. The issue is beyond simple Left vs Right, it is about the total corruption and perversion of the Republic by money and foreign interests.
Another example of defending the indefensible. You come around someday, or die a fool.
“Name one President & wife who spent money
& vacations like these two!!!”
Tell me how much they’ve spent on vacations, and I’ll get back to you.
Kim Jon Ob
What a cover-up!
Scenes have a something of a pre-Revolution Versailles vibe.
What was it Louis XV said?…Apres moi le Deluge.
(After me comes the storm.)
I think the translation would be more like:
“After me comes the flood of biblical proportions.”
Thus, all of humanity dies in such a flood (admittedly preceded by a storm of forty days and forty nights) except for those whom God may choose to repeat Noah’s ark building survival strategy.
LULU you are so right good catch!!!
The present residents of our White House are “sleazy”. Why do they believe they have to HIDE something like this from the American Public? Because it shows them for what they are.
Great looking decorations and costumes – I wonder if the party lived up to them? And we shouldn’t begrudge the President his golf and a few good parties – those are hands-down less costly than most of the ways he could spend his time (arm-twisting legislation through Congress…)
Don’t you mean arm twisting AROUND congress?
Gee, do ya think Garry Trudeau will parody this in Doonesbury? Or will he flick his pinky and say, “There’s nothing funny about that.”
No. Gary Trudeau is too busy portraying the GOP candidates and all their “dirty” baggage in this Sunday’s cartoon strip. Trudeau could have a field day if he chose to portray all of Obamas screw ups in his cartoons.
Why are there watermarks on the Getty photos? They weren’t “borrowed” were they?
You can “borrow” them if they still have the watermarks on them. Getty uploads them with watermarks for that very reason — if a non-subscriber reposts them, they at least function as an advertisement for Getty Images. Getty knows that once any digital image is online, it will get reposted — no way to stop it. So they leave the watermarks on as a sort of virtual billboard. Clever! Subscribers pay big $$ for the non-watermarked versions. The rest of us peons have to settle for doing unwitting viral marketing for Getty. It’s a win-win situation, I guess!
Also, I just found some non-watermarked versions from the skeleton band’s own Web site, so the watermarked ones are now gone anyway, replaced by the “clean” versions.”
Looks like it was a great party.
Look, I don’t really have a problem with this. What I have a problem with is Obama spending like a drunken sailor on everything but the military, and bailing out his “too big to fail” cronies. That’s what we need to be roundly condemning at every opportunity. Stay focused, people.
Everything BUT the military? Surely you jest.
My comment at Politico:
OK, so now we know that the Nashville Tennessean is the media outlet of record for the country — that anything appearing on its pages constitutes significant national coverage. I’ll bear this in mind — gladly relieved of the ponderous burden of parsing the NYT for anything worthwhile…
Somehow it’s not surprising that Obama’s fan site Politico deems another actor’s fan site a go-to place Americans are expected to frequent if they want to know what the President of the United States is up to.
Take that, Kantor!
Did you notice the First Lady’s cougar, I mean leopard outfit?
The first lady was there? All I saw was Chewbacca.
Same thing.
I think you comment is exactly the kind the Obamanauts will use to accuse the right of racism. Michelle Obama is not my cup of tea by a long shot but as First Lady she has been one of the more innocuous First Ladies in recent years.
The Halloween party was over the top but my complaints with the President Obama are the things that REALLY MATTER: dreadful economic leadership, nationalizing health care, Iran getting the bomb, Egypt going to the Muslim brotherhood, selling out our soldiers’ blood to the Taliban and Iran, over-regulation, cutting defense and opening the doors to illegal immigration.
So comments like yours do a disservice to your ideas and give fuel to those who try to paint me with comments like yours.
http://thisweekwithbarackobama.blogspot.com/2009_10_25_archive.html
Here’s more..even one with Gibbs sans mask.
Bubble Dancers….wow.
And a pic of the White House at Night…that night…
I see the opulence and am reminded of the Czars of old Russia.
I agree.
Obama’s campaign slogan should be: “Let Them Eat Cake” and Michele can dress as Marie Antoinette during French Revolution!
The band pictures omit the rusty trombone being played by the WH press corps.
Note that all the skeletons resemble Barack in ‘Skeleton Face’.
I’m not sure which one is more objectionable: the White House dressed up as a movie set for a Halloween party for the first family, or the White House dressed up as a movie set to promote a pretty boring movie.
I recall that whenever President Reagan worked in the Oval Office, he always wore a jacket and tie, out of respect for the office and the history that had transpired there. Then Clinton came along and sort of, um, changed that view.
And of course there were the Lincoln Bedroom sleepovers.
So now I guess the White House can be rented for movie promotions.
So…they were trying to hide this party, at the same time they were using the party to promote a movie? A “promotion” you hide isn’t a very successful one.
There’s much to criticize the Obamas for and I hope to help usher them back into private life come November, but this strikes me as a tempest in a teapot. Do you really think Tim Burton and Johnny Depp were paid? I’m sure that almost everything (including the original Chewbacca costume) was loaned and/or donated. I doubt that the party cost the taxpayers much at all. And if local kids and military families got to benefit, then great. Hosting parties is part of the deal. The only truly troubling aspect of all this is the MSM’s covering it up since they thought it would look bad.
The frequent lavish vacations, on the other hand…
– of our Republic.
The “end of our republic” is near BUT not quite there yet! IF and Only IF Americans wake up and smell the coffee, there is a chance at Saving our Republic! The media has been lying to us and covering for the Obama’s. Eventually, liars get Busted! The Liberal Media has no credibility. They don’t even try to hide their bias anymore.
If concerned residents get involved with the 2012 elections (volunteer, donations, make phonecalls, WE CAN MAKE A CHANGE AND SAVE THE FUTURE OF THIS GREAT NATION!
You say that like our vote actually counts. Hope is gone. The future is mapped for us. It’s not gonna be pretty. Financial collapse is imminent. War is imminent. Try reading foreign newspapers. They are reporting what is really happening. The United States Government have raped it’s people and left them for dead. It’s OVER!
Supposedly they had a Halloween party earlier for the DC school kids… with the press coverage, to boot.
The question is this: Why didn’t the DC area school kids have the privilege of an Alice-in-Wonderland party, as those “military families” (read: exec-level Pentagon officials and Cabinet members) had here?
This smacks to me of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette here. One party for the elite and one for everyone else. And unlike that jerk at the LA Times, saying this is not “racism”, but the Truth.
So much for “shared sacrifice”, eh?
“It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself” – Eleanor Roosevelt, a much more dignified First Lady than the joke of a current one.
The band apparently was Black Bear Combo.
“On the front lawn the band entertained/ scared children trick-or-treating. Later, BBC tunes thundered through the halls of the White House as the band stormed the party.”
http://blackbearcombo.com/photos6.html
Why didn’t WH just say there was a “private party” as well.
http://columbiachronicle.com/journey-to-the-white-house-chicago-style/
“Playing at the White House is no easy feat, Ghoreishi said. Before even arriving in Washington, D.C., the members had to acquire security clearance. Ghoreishi said even after entering the White House grounds, they had a Secret Service escort wherever they went, even when they wanted to use the restroom or get water.
“During the private party, Tim Burton was there and he wanted a copy of our album,” Ghoreishi said. “We were all scrambling around trying to find an escort to our changing rooms to get [Burton] a copy. We finally found one. Security was tight there. We had to watch where we marched while playing.””
It’s interesting that with all the decoration and mummery outside, plus a feature on the President’s “What I’m Doing Today” webpage, the MSM somehow totally failed to notice this shindig, until it was mentioned in a book two years later.
That’s rather like “failing to notice” a ten-car pileup outside their offices’ front door.
I’m wondering, not for the first time, just what other moderately-bizarre behavior in The One’s WH is considered “not worth mentioning” by the MSM.
Nice work, as always, O Undead One.
cheers
eon
re: ‘what other moderately-bizarre behavior’
I wager that we’re going to be finding out. And at some point, these books will turn nasty.
– missing college transcript in the band of Depp’s hat.
Congratulations, Zombie! This awesome collection of photos is a vivid example of the truth that one picture is worth 1,000 words. I could write until I was blue in the face and never convey the sheer frivolity and fecklessness of this First Couple. As the Halloween costume ball unfolded, unemployment was at 10% and our soldiers were dying in two theaters of war.
I am aware of no previous First Couple more ignorant of appropriate behavior for the President of the United States and spouse. The President’s erroneous belief in his own infallibility has led to a long series of international gaffes, ranging from his rude and clueless return of the bust of Sir Winston Churchill to the British (http://pjmedia.com/blog/snubbed-no-obamas-at-britains-royal-wedding/) to his hugging the Queen of England to his bowing to the Saudi king and the Japanese emperor, as well as to his statement, in Austria, that the national language there is, of course, “Austrian.”
No one is born with wisdom, judgment or a detailed knowledge of etiquette, but that’s what books, advisers and, in the Obamas’ case, the White House Office of Protocol is for. Alas, there’s no evidence that the Obamas have any sense of decorum or the most basic common sense. Nor do any of their advisors. This extravagant costume ball, photographs of which Zombie has now brilliantly provided, is but one example their egregious lack of understanding of how their flamboyance looks to the rest of us and how deeply offensive it is during a time of war abroad and economic deprivation at home.
Kudos, Zombie.
Nice job, zombie.
Who’s the tiny person in the red vinyl suit?
Some kind of character actor from the Tim Burton movie, I assume.
_ like a pony is frowned upon in this establishment!
The actor’s name is Gordeep Roy, though he seems to go by Deep Roy now.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0746989/
He played the Oompa Loompas in Burton’s “Willy Wonka” remake, and was Cmdr Scott’s sidekick in JJ Abrams “Star Trek,” among other things.
Deep Roy from Charlie and the Chocolate factory. He played the Oompa-Loompas.
I think he was a border guard in “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” as well…
Just gauche to show how far the American Dream will take someone — even if they don’t really understand it.
Some of the pictures look more like Vegas. Is it normal for the White House?
Thanks Zombie for posting the pics. Truly, this is hilarious in the middle of campaign season.
Apparently some Depp fans theorizing that Disney reps might not have wanted pictures taken of the cast.
http://deppography.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=archives&thread=2148&page=3#296328
Hilarious, fans theorizing that Disney reps controlled the pics being taken in the White House. Maybe…the WH controlled what pics were being taken.
You mean there is more to journalism than just eating each other’s turds?
Well that ruins everything….
Halloween 2010…still a band…but not so much…oompa…loompa. Still giving out treats to military kids which is the cool part. Private party in 2009…not so much.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1325486/White-House-Halloween-Obamas-host-local-children-military-families.html
MOTUS has a few other,ah, entertaining pictures of the party: http://www.michellesmirror.com/2012/01/one-of-these-days-alice-one-of-these.html
I’ve now updated the post with many more photos, for those interested. Refresh the page to see them all.
– would have wept.
Rome had Nero, we’ve got Zero!
This is some sick shit! I can’t imagine anyone remotely normal putting on anything as completely and obnoxiously weird as this “party”.
Johnny Depp? Good Lord!
Charlie
Doesn’t this whole sordid tale remind you of Poe’s ‘Mask of the Red Death’?
So Tim Burton was still working (heart eyepatch) in Phase 3 so did not have to be entered in White House logs. Ha Ha. However, Johnny Depp looks definitely “off the clock”. White House logs need to post “Johnny Depp 10/31/2009, time and place”
Thanks PJMedia for the photos. I thought for sure these would be on CNN or Politico. Guess they were told it was a Bugs Bunny party and they all played Elmer Fudd. “Keep verwe verwe quiet.” When it comes to spending lavishly this president exceeds all presidents.
Makes you wonder what else the compliant old media is covering up, hmmm? His origins maybe? FOX too.
They’ll go down with the ship.
I am trying to remember just how much of big, and secret, deal Christmas was in the Obama Whitehouse? Or Easter?
Hmmmm.
So. Where are the kids? I thought the children of military families were included in the party?
Or perhaps not in -this- party.
Hmmm, this could be made into a video. I’ve already done too many videos on the Obama’s excesses. Some have been successful but in You Tube terms, not really. I thought the outdoor decorations were over-the-top at the time and wondered about the cost before I knew the whole story. Thanks, Zombie.
Wow…the Obama costume is too scarey for words…Don’t let your kids see it before bed!
Nice party. Wonder how much that cost me? Wonder what admonitions He had for us in the couple of weeks before / after this gig?
And the White House says this was no big deal???? Unbelievable! Thanks to our tax dollars for the party WE were not invited to nor even knew about for two freakin years!
A President who claims he fighting for the 99% yet spends extravagantly like a 1%.
That is Socialism is all about. The ruling elite will be extravagant and require the rest of the population to be satisfied with whatever they are given.
Where are all the hundreds of children for whom the party was given?
I know somebody whom I believe worked this event (his contract includes a non-disclosure agreement, and he likes the $$ and repeat business, so he certainly will deny it if asked directly).
As I recall, he implied in other past events at the White House such as this (I think he had something to do with one of the Easter Egg Rolls or the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony) that 1) a great many of the services or “appearance fees” are donated by the performers/crews, especially if it can be for a “good cause” (entertaining troops’ families, for example) and/or they can eventually used “Performed at the White House” in their resume or marketing or tie it into marketing (Kermit the Frog was at the Xmas Lighting this year, just as a new Muppet film was in theaters); and 2) Many, if not most or all, of the expenses for private shindigs such as this are supposedly paid for by or out of the Obama’s campaign funds and/or by private donors.
It’s not hard at all for me to believe that a performer that approves of, and supports, Obama & Co. would come out on his own dime to perform at an event like this–we’d expect the same from a Republican supporter of Bush or Reagan, no? On the other hand, I know nothing about the legalities of paying for a daughter’s birthday party out of campaign coffers or the funds of well-heeled donors, IF TRUE.
I think the bubble dancers capture the spirit of our era. This display of opulence reminds us once again of the end of the Roman Empire. Our ‘leaders’ in Washington, aka ‘crazytown,’ are living in a bubble. They have disconnected themselves from reality & their countrymen to whom they are supposed to serve.
It’s ironic that Abraham Lincoln is starring down upon this event. What would he think of us for the sacrifices made in that era. Is this the legacy of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton, et al, to end their Republic in decadence, decay and deceipt?
Caligula’s got nothing on this.
They got an Oompa-Loompa to pleasure Bo?
Kids, don’t try this at home.
Vote King Obama OUT in 2012
WE NEED LATE TERM ABORTIONS FOR ALL OF THIS ADMINISTRATION AND ITS EMPLOYEES!
Some interesting costumes — EXCEPT for Barry Soetoro— he is still wearing the same OLD costume dressed as a “make-believe POTUS” BOORRRRING!
Wow, the ‘shroom bill alone must have been amazing.
I’m glad these photos demonstrate that the focus was on the military families, where it should have been.
They went to a Party in DC and I did not even get a FVCKEN “T” Shirt?
Damn, They went to a Party in DC and I didn’t get a FVCKEN “T” Shirt?
WOW!!!! Love what Obammy is doing with our TAX MONEY (while the public is BROKE)!!!
We are nothing but serfs now! Be sure to pick a new POTUS this year!
So where, exactly, are those military families?!?
Man you people are stupid, thats a great pic of ROCO, Depps lookalike stuntman,
hahaha… guess Burton didn’t think they get caught!
Just wondering were there similar parties for 2010 and 2011???????????
Depp has his daughters name LILY ROSE, tatted on his left breast, its huge, It would at least be PARTIALLY visible, up close, No mistaking real Depps handsome face up close. this aint him!!
The Audacity of Hypocrisy: why Obama Other Wondergate Tea Party Matters.
You were a huge part of this story. All I did is some cut and pasting at my link (and a few snarky comments). Great work, thanks. The Audacity of Hypocrisy: why Obama Other Wondergate Tea Party Matters.
It does not bother me that there is a party at the white house. It is what it cost the tax payers to do these things. Normal Americans are worried where they
will get a bag of candy to hand out in their own neighborhoods, and the Obama’s are going way out for themselves. If this was for the military families, then why not use some common sense and have a party at a base or facility where the families live. Tax payers try to save as much as they can to pay taxes but not for these extreme parties! This is getting very old for “we tax payers”. When do we get the extreme parties. I thought they were working for us? Why are we being stolen blind by the governing parties? We are the ones that send our hard earned dollars whether we want to or not. We get told by the IRS- “we will take all you have if you don’t hand over the money” and to see this over the top parites in the White House, well it makes me sick!! And we wonder why others look at us like we are ignorant! Well, ???
Spending what you don’t have is what got us here in this total mess to begin with!!! Good Grief! Get a brain cell! Just one!!!!
This is more like Equitorial Guinea with a smile than the ” House of the People”. Any time a blogger, a journalist shows some unappetizing aspect of the Obamas they are attacked as racists. these images speak for themselves, No additional comments are required.
So much for the hollow weenie PR defense that this was a small gathering for the children of military families. Looks like an impressive group on the driveway making their way inside. I see three chefs, celebrities galore, lines of adults awaiting food or beverage, designer decorations all around the People’s House, and even dancing lawn fairies in bubbles and the obligatory skeleton band. Don’t we all have skeleton bands for our kids just that once per year? Where is Chewbaca, known to be at the affair? Was he mingling while taking the photos? I must remind myself that this is the same family that had zero Christian religious ornaments or decorations put out at Christmas, including the centerpiece “holiday tree” commemorating the statehood of California. Who paid for this, or does the tab just add to the deficit? At least the theme was correct, as the Obama are truly living in a wonderland, surpassing the Kennedys and Camelot by light years…
This does have a kind of pre-French revolution quality to it.
Sheesh – They are at the white house for heaven’s sake. Without the costumes, the people in these photos look as excited as you would expect to see at a birthday party for the principal in the teacher’s lounge.
How much did this cost the American people? I heard it was a million dollar party, but don’t have anything to substantiate the comment. You know barry didn’t fund it.
I have no idea why my name is connected to this article, I didn’t take any of these photos.
If you are indeed Jonathan Benya (and we have no way to verify that), the way your name got associated with the article is the Russian fan site “Burton Land,” which (in a stilted hard-to-understand way) seemed to imply that you came on either that site or a Johnny Depp fan site and posted some of the photos there (which got reposted here).
This is the link where you are mentioned;
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fburtonland.ru%2Fviewtopic.php%3Fid%3D92%26p%3D2
It says this (in part):
Still not clear. if you can prove that you are Benya, and if know who did take the photos, please post the info here and I will gladly update the post!
The party, the secrecy, the corruption….
And you ask that nobody use profanity in the comments?
I was wondering who paid for this. If it is out of their pocket (which I doubt) then who cares. If we paid for this extravagance then lets find what the cost is and give them the bill for all this on their way out. I thought they had a budget that they could use and after that it comes out of their pocket. That’s what I remeber happened with the Kennedy’s and the Reagans whoopla about them spending so much. At least our country got our monies worth out of the Kennedy’s and Reagans. This bunch is a total rip off. Let’s spred these pictures to the OWS nutjobs and show them where they money is being spent instead of feeding people.
I feel sorry for America, I knew obama and rham emannuel were gay but I didn’t know all these people were twisted as well.
Your tax dollars at work!
If sanity ever rules the day, these photos will be added to the mountains of state’s evidence at Obama’s trial.
I really like the pictures .. Whats done is done ~~
Fundraiser with tax dollars at the white house perhaps?
interesting thought
This goulish themed party does not surprise me at all. Halloween obviously an important holiday to them, and why not. It has been most apparent that they dont really wish to celebrate(and barely acknowledge) any of our Christian Holidays ie. Easter, they prefer not to attend church, Thanksgiving, is minus God in the equasion, Christmas, a Happy Holiday minus Christ. Now Ramadon, didnt they have some sort of function for that holiday? The money spent is an obvious concern; mine is more what they choose to spend the money on to celebrate. And, when I say concerned, I mean that very literally. But, surprised, I am not.
“I THOUGHT THEY ALL LOOKED QUITE BECOMING………YEP, BECOMING MORE” IN YOUR FACE AMERICA” THAN EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No other President and First Lady has acted like they were the King and Queen of the country or has spent so much of the taxpayer money on some much extravagance and wastefulness. Pisses me off. This is an abuse of power and should not be tolerated any longer.
I’m curious…..are there any photos of any other president and first lady treating the White House this way? If there are, it might be a good time to show them. Otherwise, that whole “Let them eat cake” thing comes to mind.
Shouldn’t we all applaud this extravagence? What with the huge deficit of true leadership in this time of need ………… this was probably the least costly item in the entire executive budget !
I am sorry, but I detest Halloween, it has become more a display of evil then when I was a kid. I hated dressing up and pretending to be something I wasn’t. Then it was mild considering we were cowboys, pirates, princesses, football players, baseball players, hobo’s and we wore eye masks. Now the uglier the more evil the better, actually pretty much honoring the devil and his fellow inhabitants of hell. But, now as I think about it that pretty much describes the Obama’s and their Administration to a tee. And, Alice in Wonderland, wasn’t the guy who wrote that stoned on opiates. Geez Louise, again they took a seemingly harmless fairy tale and turned it down right horrid and scary. For our children to watch, wonderful. It appears that the Obama’s intend on getting as much travel and partying as they can out of the tax payer coffers and their stay in the White House. Which is what I predicted they would do. I pray to God that we again can put someone in the White House that holds this country in the highest of esteem and actually acts like decent human beings.
WOW!! Who is surprised these scumbags would do such outlandish things? The REAL QUESTION TO ASK IS who PAID FOR IT?/ The Answer is YOU the TAXPAYER. Also don’t forget Michelle’s extravagant vactions which have cost millions.
Make fun of “W” Bush all you want, all he ever did for relaxation was go to his ranch in Texas.
Obama is a delusional marxist demagogue and has to go. NOW.
So I not only doubt that you dont know what they hell you just called Obama, but you obviously dont know about how money actually works or that parties of this magnitude are paid for by sponsors, in this case; Time Burton, Disney, Universal, ETC. This isnt your house party. This isnt your frat party. This is a professional event moron. Stop blaming everything on one person and blame a group….how about Congress….or the conservative (or if you would prefer, Republican) party
Fine, then what about the “transparency”?
Obama wins the prize for the scariest costume.
Americans want beauty. I have to look beautiful so that the poor Americans will have a star to look at from their slums.
I get so tired listening to one million dollars here, one million dollars there, it’s so petty
I am First Lady by accident. I was not elected by the people but here I am.
I was no Marie Antoinette. I was not born to nobility, but I had a human right to nobility
She’s more Imedla than she is Marie. Her Hollywood enablers might want to take note this gem: It’s the rich you can terrorize. The poor have nothing to lose.
Very disappointing to see Johnny Depp in this situation. I had held hope that he had higher standards and self respect. Oh well…so much for that.
So Sad.
You know what soetoro/obama/davis/x, whatever the hell his real name is, and co remind me of? They’re like a bunch of servants, who, when their employers are out of town, go berserk in the big house, invite all their friends over to eat all the food, drink all the booze and leave trash wherever they go. Oh wait, barky et al ARE our servants!!! I’d say we’ve been out of town long enough!
It was a party for children including those of our veterans, posted on the WH’s own website, you simpletons. Do some research instead of accepting everything thrown at you. And stick to the real issues, please!
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/10/28/its-halloween-white-house
“Something spooky is happening at the White House. The grounds are covered in pumpkins, gourds, and cobwebs, and on Saturday, the North Portico will be lit orange for the evening. The President and Mrs. Obama will welcome trick-or-treaters from local schools, and children from military families are invited to attend a special Halloween party inside the White House.”
It might be a good idea to follow your own instructions: “Do some research.”
As detailed above in my post, there were three phases to the evening: First the trick-or-treating that you mentioned. THEN, a second phase with the Alice in Wonderland cast in costume, INSIDE the White House at a lavishly decorated party. THEN, a third phase that was even more exclusive with the actors (or some of the actors) out of custom, along with “grown-up” drinks.
The White House only publicized Phase One, the trick-or-treating, and DID NOT publicize the rest of the evening. The trick-or-treating was the façade.
We simpletons see photographs of a party that existed, and conclude that it existed.
You smart people see photos of a party that existed, and say “STOP LOOKING AT THOSE PICTURES! DO SOME RESEARCH!”
Silly me. I guess I prefer to focus on the real money spent on ongoing war and entitlements instead of this distraction. As if this is the first private event at the WH that wasn’t photographed. Much ado about…not very much.
But mike that was not your argument. you were first mad that Zombie “did not research” this even. when it became clear that he did, you became updest and came out with with the strayman ‘more important things’ argument. Yes there are, and Zombie has done quite a good job covering them. Not every article is pulitzer and this can also be an example of the nonsense spending this admin does. The govt dosent waste money on super big things, they waste it on a buttload of little things that dont draw attention and when we find out laugh at saying ‘we have more important things to worry about like…”. thats why they have gotten away with it so long. aka the ‘death of a thousand small cuts’
This is a disgusting waste of taxpayer money.
What kind of a costume is the Morton Salt girl?
Take a note of the not so anglo-american “skeleton Band” members:
Dersu Burrows: bass drum
Gerald Bailey: trumpet
Ehsan Ghoreishi: accordion, daf
Doug Abram: saxophones
Andrew Zelm: euphonium
Rob Pleshar: tuba
Were these guys in NY city 11sept2001 as well??
or were they working as security at the various 911 airports???
Maybe…
That doesn’t look like Depp, the one dressed as his character, doesn’t look like him at all. Are you sure this isn’t a distraction from the Gitmo prisoner release? All these distractions, the GOP circus, this party, Iran, Michelle O out there controlling the bad press about them for the election, Barbour letting murderers off scott free?? They are spiraling down, Hollywood too, we have had enough!
Did any couple come dressed as Louie XVI and Marie Antoinette?
This was announced on the White House site days before the event. What’s the big deal?
hangin’ is too good for em’!
osama obama is a nwo.zionist.oligarchy.banker.cia.puppet.prez a traitor to all america… and should be immediately removed from office… meanwhile 70,000 homeless vets live on the streets and 700,000 americans with children also with them… makes alot of sense.
Thanks for showing US what the FILTHY FEW are UP-TO.
They are SO F’d.
We HUNT them…
Funny reading the comments. While I agree with most of them, this administration will likely win another term. He has an immense war chest and won’t have to spend any money until after the Republican Primary. He has plenty of ‘blind’ supporters who still blame Bush for everything currently wrong. Those votes won’t be swayed. I’m afraid there aren’t enough swing votes to toss this Occupier of the White House out, especially if there is a spoiler third party candidate to split it further.
I literally just cried. :’(
Nobody caught a photo of the girl with curly hair, on the left in the top photo, getting gang-raped by Obama and friends? That’s disappointing, as it was by far the best part of the evening.
Big Going-Away party soon, Folks!!
SO WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN THAT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BENIFIT?
As a Cacasian-American I am damned offended by the skeleton band in “WHITE FACE” They were upset with we Cacasians-Americans when we do “black-face.” How much more can we Caucasian-Americans take? Is it gonna take one of “THEM” lynching one of us??
“Introduce socialism in countries in the Sahara desert area, and in 3 years they will be shortages of sand.”
I voted for Obama and honestly this really bothers me. I bust my a$$ all year round, we barely get by as it is, and the govt takes my taxes– and I’m okay with that– but not if they are being spent on stuff like this.