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Heard on the Hill: Shirtless Sunday for Two White House Staffers

White House speechwriter Jon Favreau and spokesman Tommy Vietor were all over the Internets on Monday, but not for anything about the president.

Shirtless photos of the pair playing a rowdy round of flip-cup hit the Web.

Gossip blog FamousDC posted a photo Monday morning of the duo partying with a group of young folks at the Old Glory American Bar-B-Que in Georgetown on Sunday, leading the blog to ponder: “Who says working at the White House is all work and no play?”

HOH chatted with an Old Glory patron Monday morning to get further details, and he says the group was already, um, in a festive mood around 4 p.m. when he arrived. Eventually, they decided to play an impromptu game of flip-cup (not beer pong, as FamousDC reported) and the guys took their shirts off.

Hey, it was really hot this weekend.

“It was a little rowdy,” our spy says. “They just got progressively more wasted.”

Bar staff had to tell the group to quiet down several times, our spy says. They eventually left around 7 p.m. — right after they ordered a round of beers, which they didn’t appear to pay for, our spy says. But the Old Glory staff didn’t seem to mind.

“The wait staff was just happy that they got out of there,” our spy says.

A spokeswoman for Old Glory declined to comment. The White House didn’t respond to our request for comment by press time.

Ashley Judd’s a Model Speaker

Actress Ashley Judd is starting to fit in with our town of policy wonks: Harvard degree? Check. Appearance at a panel discussion on a think-y topic? Check. The “De-Lovely” star and newly minted Ivy League grad appeared at the “Women Deliver” conference Monday to examine the issue of women around the globe who die in childbirth.

Judd, looking a little more glam than your typical conference speaker in a floral sundress, shared the dais at the Washington Convention Center with experts including former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet. Judd shared a story of a woman she met during a trip to the Congo who had been a child prostitute to support her siblings. The organization that Judd works with, Population Services International, helped the woman find a new life as a hairdresser. “There are many points and many ways to affect the cycle of poverty and exploitation,” Judd said.

Judd isn’t the only celebrity to hit the conference. Other presenters slated to appear
included philanthropist Melinda Gates and director/model Christy Turlington Burns.

Hello, Is It Me You’re Looking For?

R&B star Lionel Richie is probably used to getting A-list treatment, but even he can’t get around the Secret Service.

Richie took to the stage at the star-studded Ford’s Theatre annual gala Sunday night, and HOH eyed the star as he arrived at the venue at 7 p.m., just as the show was about to begin.

Normally, showing up at the last minute wouldn’t be a problem for such a big celebrity — but unfortunately for Richie, that was exactly the time that President Barack Obama arrived in his motorcade.

That meant Richie had to wait in a black Mercedes-Benz sedan at 10th and F streets Northwest until the president and first lady Michelle Obama arrived at the theater and were safely ushered inside. Richie only was summoned in after the Secret Service gave the OK.

For his part, Richie didn’t seem to mind. After getting out of the car, he waved and smiled to the star-struck crowd gathered near the theater and chatted up some of the Secret Service agents on duty.

Richie performed alongside stars including Kelly Clarkson, Renée Fleming, George Lopez and Dick Van Dyke. The show, “America Celebrates July 4th at Ford’s Theatre,” will air July 2 on ABC.

Roll Call Wedding Bells

Congrats are in order to Roll Call Copy Chief Matt Savener, who married his love (and former roommate) Merrit Hickman on Saturday at the Letelier Theater in Georgetown. HOH hears guests dined on Thanksgiving turkey sliders, Chinese noodles and mini-cheesecakes, and sipped beer from a keg of Old Dominion Lager. An HOH spy says the bride danced for hours, while “the groom was still standing after taking a lot of celebratory shots, including a couple of shots with his mom.”

Now that’s our kind of party!

For their honeymoon, the couple will head to the Outer Banks this weekend and are planning a longer international trip, HOH hears.

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