Yesterday, we noted that organizers behind the two American Music Inaugural Balls had cancelled their two events---the Legends Ball and the Urban Ball---at the last minute. Dionne Warwick was supposed to host the Legends Ball while Ludacris was supposed to MC the Urban Ball. The press release noted that the organizers' ball juggling was historic: "It will be the first ever two-ball event in inaugural history." The Washingtonian quoted organizers calling the events "people's balls."

Not sure how they were people's balls. Tickets to the Legend's Ball cost $450 per. Tickets to the Urban Ball cost $350 per. If you felt the need to see both Chaka Khan and the Cheetah Girls, you got a slight deal and could pay $650 for a "combo ticket."

Well the people apparently voted with their wallets and the events were closed due to lack of interest. But organizers did take people's money. And they have horror stories. Take "Summer" who commented on City Desk:

"Dionne Warwick’s Legends ball was cancelled as of late Monday night, and ticket holders were never notified. However, ball organizers, “The Friends of Dionne Warwick” had ticket holder’s email addresses and phone numbers and never bothered to contact anyone. consequently, many did arrive at the Marriot Wardman Park hotel last night only to be informed by Marriot staff that the ball was cancelled. Marriot staff were told by Dionne’s ball organizers to refer ticket holders to their web site for more information. However,as of Tuesday they took down their web site and checked out of the hotel before ticket holders began to arrive! However, they managed to notify all the VIPs who planned to attend. Poor planning, inconsideration, and management on their part and very tacky."

Organizers did in fact take down their website. This is what I got when I tried to get on its site. Apparently, Ms. Warwick has now turned into a inaugural grifter. She owes at least a few people their money back!

The Marriott staff does not appear so happy with Warwick and Co.

Read More "Dionne Warwick Bums People Out" »

Spike Lee in his awesome coat.

Some of us are still feeling the effects of our long walk home from the Mall (my feet are still killing me; I am old). Some of us are still recovering from the Hawaii State Society ball. And some of us just made it into the office.

There was tons to say about the Inauguration (and we are pretty much tired of typing about it). But there's still a few things left to report out. There were winners. And there were losers. Here's a partial list. Feel free to add your own winners and losers in the comments:

Winners

1) Fenty: The mayor raised his profile big time by popping up on the major networks, and organizing a concert in which he coaxed Wyclef into performing.

2) Ben's Chili Bowl: In every tourist's guidebook with or without the ice sculpture. It became a pilgrimage for celebrities like Usher. It didn't hurt that Obama famously visited the joint.

3) Freer Gallery: Post-swearing in, the gallery's prime position turned it into the hottest squatting spot off Independence Ave. There were actual lines to get into the Freer (maybe a first).

4) Ms. Virginia: We stopped her outside Bohemian Caverns on Monday night. She boasted of going to several balls and being quite overwhelmed by all the goodwill. I made the offense of asking her: "What year?" as in what year did you win?

5) Wyclef: I may have hated his performance at the Green Inaugural Ball. But the man was a ubiquitous presence. He hasn't been this in-demand in years.

J Lo is in this picture. We swear.

6) J Lo's bodyguards: According to my sister who had a prime spot for the swearing-in, J Lo didn't just score a seated ticket for herself and her famous husband. She scored tickets for her bodyguards as well. Who cares enough about J Lo that she needs bodyguards? How did she get away with bringing an entourage to the swearing in?

Another picture of Spike Lee and his awesome coat.

7) Spike Lee: The man wore the best winter coat we saw at the swearing in. So he's a winner.

Losers:

1) Parade Bleachers: They were the loneliest seats of the day. The big question: Why were they so empty?

2) Freer Gallery Art: I heard from a friend who escaped inside the Freer Gallery after the swearing in. He said most of the people who were crashing there were just wandering the hallways like zombies. No one was bothering to check out the art! Were people too tired to chin stroke some sweet paintings?

3) The lost children: There were 30 kids who lost their parents during the inauguration yesterday morning. All were returned. But probably not without some anxious moments and some tears!

4) The tunnel dwellers: People got stuck.

5) Anybody who bought tickets to the American Music Ball(s).

*photos of Spike Lee and J Lo by my sister and her boyfriend.

This is huge. American Music Ball(s) have been canceled due to lack of interest. The Post reports:

"The American Music Ball has been cancelled, according to a rep for the Marriott Wardman Park hotel where it was to have been hosted.

However, some of its big-name entertainers will find a home at another struggling inaugural fete -- the Heroes Ball, which suffered a sudden loss of its talent lineup over the weekend. Among the names headed to the Heroes Ball are George Clinton, Ben Vereen and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, according to a rep for the Heroes Ball.

And whither the AMC's biggest names? Dionne Warwick and Ludacris were set to host the dual "Legends" and "Urban" parties. We'll let you know if we find out. . ."

Maybe they should have returned Washington City Paper's phone calls for our Balls preview piece!

People got tired of trying to leave the city:

Cops could have used these:

"Three Million People Trapped On The Mall." This was the headline my travelling companion had given the moment. She was sure it would be the headline of the day. Not Obama's historic presidency. Not Obama's speech. Not Michelle Obama's dress. But the hell that was the mass exodus off the Mall.

If you wanted chaos, cops offering either lousy directives or attitude, and mobs of people pushing in all directions then you had a good time. For everyone else, it just sucked.

If you thought memorizing the inauguration map made you safe---you were wrong. When we arrived at our first idea of an out--the 3rd Street tunnel, cops said it was closed. It may have opened at some point. But not for us and thousands of others. If you bothered to ask the cops for an explanation, the cops weren't interested.

There was one case where I can't blame the cops for giving the cold shoulder. One guy at 3rd and Independence asked: "Where's the parade at?" Some people should have studied up before this morning!

So we decided to head west on Independence. Any spot near a metro was a total standstill. Gridlock. Hell. Whatever you want to call it. The cop to people ratio was like 1 to 5,000. All cops we talked to either didn't know where anything was or could not explain why a street was closed. If you thought the cops would do some kind of traffic control, forget it. Old ladies w/ canes---they were on their own. Etc.

Read More "Leaving the Mall: Hopeless" »

Today's inaugural events are all about volunteerism. It seems like Obama's trips to Sasha Bruce, Coolidge, and elsewhere are going off without a hitch. He's inspirational! For probably all of the Presidential Inaugural Committee's thousands of volunteers, they joined up out of a belief in Obama and the skill in which he ran his campaign. It was afterall built on people just like them.  But campaigns are one thing. Planning for a swearing-in and the parade, that's another story. Confusion has spread among the PIC volunteer ranks.

These are the volunteers who slogged through the long lines and training seminars a few weeks ago at the Convention Center. These true believers sat through some four hours of training. According to my volunteer source, assignments, many assignments for what to do on Inauguration Day were not given out. Instead, that info would be forthcoming in an e-mail or text from their team leader.

This volunteer still doesn't know their assignment. Parade or Inauguration? The volunteer isn't sure. There's been a lot of back-and-forth among the volunteers---some of it hilarious, some of it infuriating. It has become clear that at least one team leader doesn't know the District. Like how to get to places.

Right now volunteers are supposed to meet up at the Washington Monument tomorrow at 5 a.m. The volunteer just isn't sure what would happen at 5 a.m.

The volunteer's prediction: "There's a 20 percent chance I don't get down there at all. No, 10 percent chance. I'd say there's a 25-20 percent chance that the organization takes shape when I get there and I actually hang out and do what they say. I'd say there's a 60 percent chance that I'm just going to feel that I'm of no use...and just peel off and see the inauguration myself. I've tried to be patient. They were supposedly real selective about the people they chose....The upper management of this thing is just...I don't want to be too mean."

Volunteer's best analogy: This may be a well-planned event on paper but it could result in a fumble: "They didn't pass out the playbook to all the team members. This could be a broken play. That's my concern."

The one thing that's boosting up this volunteer: Hope.

Tomorrow, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association will be running Inauguration Day bike valet stations from 7 am to 5 pm.

If you're interested in having the cycling-supporters park and guard your ride while you hang with Obama, one of the two stations will be located north of the National Mall at 16th St. NW between K St. & I St., the other south of the Mall in the Jeffersonian Memorial parking lot. These spots are just outside the inauguration's hard security zone, so after you drop off your two-wheeled loved-one, it's an easy stroll to a "general public entry point," as  WABA's google map, replete with bike-routes you can take to the area, illustrates.

Though they're bound to have quite a few bikes to park, considering the response the organization got from riders hoping to use the service, don't worry, they'll find space for your ride. If the bike racks donated to the group by Dero Racks fill up, WABA will start dragging over surplus crowd control barriers.

Handing over a cycle will be easy.

Read More "How to Use the Inagural Bike Valet" »

The people behind the Aloha Inaugural Ball appear to have been watching a bit too much tube.

How else would they have thought to associate President-elect Barack Obama with one of the biggest frauds in the history of classic Hollywood cinema?

Let's back up and explore. A fellow by the name of R.J. Hampton stood before the masses at the Aloha event and just moments ago belted out a tune that goes to the following effect:

We're off to see Obama....to the tune of the Wizard of Oz.

In recent months, Obama has been compared to a lot of great men, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., not to mention a boatload of mythical and legendary heroes. But if memory serves, the Wizard of Oz was a bumbling, lying, ninnie of a man.

How, then, Mr. Hampton, did you conceive of a parallel between Mr. Obama, whom everyone is presumably feting this weekend, and the man behind the curtain? "We felt like we were going to Oz---this incredible journey," replied Hampton, who also noted that Obama is "like the wizard, only he's the president."

Celeb note: George Clinton is supposedly in attendance and expected to perform.

Reporting by Jason Cherkis, writing by Erik Wemple

My sister got this for me as a birthday present. Purchased last night for like $20. Obama as Neo!

It sucks being late. It took forever to get out of our apartment and head to the concert. We thought: The Boss has to be the closer. We were wrong. We ended up listening to the Boss on NPR in our kitchen nook! By the time we made it to the Mall (Cab to Foggy Bottom then a hectic walk the rest of the way), military dudes were giving everyone the stare down and telling folks the concert was closed. "We're only letting people out," said one.

This meant listening to Obama several blocks away. Or at least listening to an echo of Obama's speech from several blocks away. We could sort of see a jumbotron through some trees. So we learned some lessons for Tuesday. Standing outside the barriers really sucks. There are a lot of people selling Obama bootleg shirts. And there are a lot of people interested in this inauguration.

*photo taken on our long walk home.

Yesterday, we posted the Presidential Inaugural Committee's rules about volunteers speaking with the media. They are not allowed to speak to the press, according to the volunteer courtesy guide. The PIC also has rules for bloggers. Here are the rules:

"PIC 2009 strongly discourages all volunteers from blogging on any topic while they are volunteering with PIC 2009.

Even anonymous blogging can generally be traced back to an individual, and potentially harm PIC 2009," the manual states.

The no-blogging policy may be understandable. Obama's people don't want anyone live blogging from the Mall when they should be directing, managing the crowds. I get it. But what I don't get is the implication that if you blog anonymously, PIC will hire some kind of cyber detective to hunt you down after Jan. 20. Once they find you, what will they do? Arrest you? Scold you? Post a nasty comment on your anonymous blog outing you?

Just in case, PIC 2009 has this rule: "Never imply that you are speaking for President-Elect Obama."

DCist is reporting that Obama did not greet the crowd waiting at Union Station. He simply got off his special train and got into his motorcade. The Post has the play-by-play of the president-elect's tour aboard the "Obama Express."

If you waited in the crowds at Union Station, you have to feel a little hurt, right?

In an article about ways in which people are trying to beat inaugural transportation hassles, the Washington Post mentions the situation at Cap Hill's Capital Segway:

"Calls have flooded Rep Burks's Segway rental store in the District. "People get excited about taking a Segway to the inauguration," he said. A Segway is one of the few private vehicles that will be allowed, like bikes, on city streets and across bridges. "But then they find out they can't get inside the secure zone with it, and they realize it's not such a great option." Segways, like bikes, strollers and other wheeled vehicles, are not allowed near the Mall or parade route."But even if they were, Burks's Segways have all been snapped up by Obama's people."

Capital Segway General Manager Steven Orr says yes, the phone has been ringing a lot and yes, "Obama's people" have reserved the business’s thirty electric chariots."They may or may not need all of them."

Orr assumes inauguration volunteers asked to travel long distances will be mounting the vehicles.

Obama's peeps are scheduled to pick up ten machines today. Won't it be a cold ride? Obviously it's going to be a little colder on a Segway, Orr says, but the vehicle only goes up to 12.5 miles an hour, so there's not a lot of wind.

Photo by PetroleumJelliffe

This afternoon, I was able to skim through the Presidential Inaugural Committee's Volunteer Courtesy Guide. This is the PIC's playbook for its volunteers who will be fanning out across the city this weekend, and of course on Jan. 20. There are tons of rules, helpful suggestions, and ridiculousness. Among the rules, The Volunteer Courtesy Guide, states that volunteers can not chew gum!

And then there's the section called "Volunteers and the Media." Under this section, here are a rules 1, 3, and 4 taken directly from the manual:

"1. Under no circumstances should you speak to the media or otherwise represent PIC (Presidential Inaugural Committee)....
3. In directing media personnel to the appropriate resources, remain polite and considerate regardless of the behavior of the media representatives. Members of the media are frequently working under tight deadlines and can sometimes be demanding. It is critical you remain calm and treat the media with respect and courtesy.
4. Do not criticize event activities, fellow volunteers, or PIC during public events. If you perceive a problem, seek to rectify it. Our purpose is to project a positive image of Washington, DC and the Inauguration."

Hilarious. So remember volunteers, when facing down Washington City Paper's I-Team, please text your team leader for help! And say nothing!

DCist is reporting "insane lines" at Metro Center for those Obama SmarTrip cards. WTF? They don't even look that great. They look like something you'd buy in an Atlantic City gift shop.

Here's WMATA's sales pitch:

"A permanent, rechargeable Limited-Edition farecard to commemorate the Inauguration of Barack Obama. It works just like a regular SmarTrip® Card that can hold up to $300 in value to pay for fares on Metrorail and Metrobus and for parking fees at Metro-operated parking facilities. The card costs $10 and it comes with no value on the card. Value must be added to the card before use. Value can be added at any Metrorail station, at the farebox on any Metrobus and on all regional bus systems. Available for sale only while supplies last."

What's next? Limited-Edition Obama-themed jury-duty notices? Obama-themed parking tickets? Let's just name New York Avenue after Obama and call it a day.