“Do you know what the difference between an accordionist and an entertainer is?” Leonard asked FishbowlDC. “An entertainer can walk and play. Most accordionists have to sit and read the music.”

Leonard is a former breast implant specialist for the FDA. “I helped all kinds of people,” she said. “I helped men, women, transvestites… anybody.”

Also roaming around the zoo was former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.).

The Embassy was hosting a party for FNC The Five‘s Greg Gutfeld who has a book coming out next month. Gutfeld’s book, The Joy of Hate, is dedicated to the late Andrew Breitbart. It’s a commentary on the knee-jerk reaction people have to cry foul at anything and everything. Gutfeld said young and old people as well as “people that are not young or old” should read the book.

Party invitations inexplicably featured an old ’90s TV screenshot of Gutfeld from when he worked for Men’s Health. In the photograph, a buff Gutfeld is in a tank top and has a high-top haircut. “How dare you,” he said when we brought it up.

More Gutfeld and pictures…

continued…

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Jordin Sparks

At Childhelp’s “Capitol CAREaoke” charity event last night, the Fox News crew narrowly beat CNN’s team in most money raised.

FNC’s Shannon Bream, Jennifer Griffin, Jake Serwer, Lanna Britt and Fox Business’ Rich Edson were joined by local Fox reporter Melanie Alnwick to sing “Don’t Stop Believing.”

CNN’s Dana Bash, Lisa Desjardins, Lisa Sylvester, Jill Chappel, Gloria Borger, Peter Morris and Athena Jones performed a sloshy rendition of “Sweet Caroline.”

As Glittarazzi‘s Greg Blakey put it: “Fox did a good ass job.”

ABC 7′s Rebecca Cooper founded the event and told FBDC she started the fundraiser five years ago as an alternative to the usual stuffy black-tie events in Washington. She said they intended for members of Congress to be the performers, but the ones who agreed to sing got cold feet. “So at the last minute I had to recruit all my friends in journalism,” Cooper said. She told us Chris Matthews and his wife Kathleen have been two of the events’ “worst singers.”

Before the karaoke started, R&B singer Jordin Sparks, a celebrity ambassador to Childhelp, posed for pictures and took questions from the media. During the photo op a friend nearby alerted her that she had lipstick on her teeth. STOP THE PRESSES. “Everyone, Photoshop the lipstick off my teeth!” Sparks instructed after clearing it off.

Sen. Jon Kyl

Some attendees participated in a silent auction, which featured two tickets to a Madonna concert and two porcelain miniature lions (valued at $900), among other items.

Fresh FM’s Tommy McFly, Kelly Collis and Jen Richer performed “Love Shack” and thought it would be a good idea to toss frisbees into the audience, which was full of wine glasses and dinner plates. Can you say DUNCE?

The event drew in a total of $310,000 in donations.

Notables

ABC 7′s Kendis Gibson, Natasha Barrett, Kris Van Cleave and Pamela Brown; WRQX’s Aly Jacobs, Brooke Ryan and Chilli Amar; D.C. Councilman Jack Evans; NASCAR’s Paulie Harraka; Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.); LushClick‘s Elizabeth Manressa; Pamela’s Punch‘ Pamela Sorensen; Kate Michael of “K Street Kate”; and former Politico reporter Kiki Ryan, now with “Komen for the Cure.”

Quotable

“$18 million for charity at 10 years old? That’s fuckin’ insane.” — Random attendee remarking on child prodigy and violinist Brianna Kahane who performed at the event and has raised that much money for charity.

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Jamming in the crowd were WSJ’s Neil King with his wife, Shalaigh Murray , who is now communications director for VPOTUS. Also spotted: HuffPost’s Arthur Delaney, WaPo’s Mike DeBonis and Susan G. Komen’s Kiki Ryan with Tim Burger. Quinn Gillespie & Associates was well repped with both John Feehery and Jim Manley in attendance in a marked sign of bipartisanship.

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Politico‘s Karin Tanabe has left CLICK, rumored to take a job elsewhere. Her Facebook page is filled with wishes of “good luck” from colleagues.

So that just leaves Caitlin McDevitt (pictured at right) holding down the fort. People who have left under Caitlin’s tenure: Kiki Ryan, Amie Parnes, Patrick Gavin, Natasha Lennard, and now Karin. Not the most impressive managerial resume. Before CLICK, McDevitt worked at Slate’s spinoff The Big Money. She also interned at Washingtonpost.com and Newsweek. She graduated from Georgetown.

We attempted to reach Tanabe, but her email address no longer works.

Take a hint, Jim & John?

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Whether he’s getting his entire head eaten by actress Gabby Sidibe at a TIME/PEOPLE party at the St. Regis, or hunting down Washington D.C.’s Clark Rockefeller (the Bahamian Ambassador Nelson Lewis), Matt Dornic has been an unforgettable force at FishbowlDC for the past three years. Sadly, we say goodbye as he moves on to a new adventure at CNN. What some may not know is how adept Matt is at smoothing things over, whether it’s alleviating Ed Henry’s overreaction to me making fun of then-CNN staffers helping him into his blazer or dealing with HuffPost’s resident genius Jason Linkins telling us to die in a fire.  He also knows how to stir the pot – take his recent impromptu moment with Jack Abramoff on a couch at Daily Caller Editor-in-Chief Tucker Carlson’s home when he told the convicted felon that he was dating TWT’s Emily Miller. He explained how rough the past few years have been (Miller served as a witness against ex fiancé Michael Scanlon who was enveloped in the Abramoff scandal.) People often ask, what’s it like in the Fishbowl – do you two get along? We’ve spent many hours brainstorming features – some panned out, some did not. Au De Weigel perfume never made the cut but we spent days crying laughing as we came up with names for perfumes and aftershaves for various journalists around town, describing in excruciating detail what they’d smell like. That isn’t to say we don’t ever disagree — tension escalated during a recent war of words involving the Friday penis picture. In the end we came to a happy, framed conclusion. Dealing with Matt often means the unexpected – he’s sweating at Tammy Haddad’s famous brunch, he’s stuck in an elevator, he’s locked inside QGA, a life size George Bush cutout left leaning outside his door makes him scream like a schoolgirl, and a bird produces a shitstorm on his car. Matt – you will be missed. I speak for many FBDC friends and readers, we wish you well. Enjoy!

The infamous question you created that has tortured many a journalist in this town:  If you were a carbonated beverage, which would you be?

Ginger ale.  I’m generally sweet with a strong ginger spice flavor* (see: Jackie Kucinich).  A classic, natural beverage with European roots.  And I mix well with bourbon.

Who would you rather have dinner with – WaPo’s Ezra Klein, Michaele and Tareq Salahi or Nelson Lewis? Tell us why.

Nelson Lewis, without a doubt…especially if I could persuade Kate Michael and Ebong Eka to join us for a very special edition of the District Dish.  Why?  He’s the rarest and most exquisite creature Washington has ever produced.  It’s not every day you get a chance to dine with a congressman turned Rolling Stone writer turned Bahamian ambassador. That kid has lived.

What swear word do you use most often?

F*ck.  But I plan to tone that down for my new job.

You’re walking down a dark alley and you run into DCRTV Dave. What do you do? What do you say? And do you activate your mace?

I’d be relieved.  Dark alleys are dangerous, you know.  And despite his outward hatred for FishbowlDC I’m fairly certain he’s in love with us. So I’d probably ask to see his lower back, where I’ve heard he has my initials tattooed. And then I’d braid his beard.

When you pig out what do you eat?

Rarebit from Martin’s Tavern in Georgetown.  It’s essentially beer-doused Velveeta with white toast but the fancy name makes it okay.

Now for a really serious moment: What will you miss most and least about writing for FishbowlDC?

Fishbowl has served as my personal Prozac for almost three years.  Sure, there have been side effects but the daily dose of laughter and smiles gained through working with some truly incredible sources, co-editors and friends have made it worth the trouble.  And I’ll miss the hilarious and sometimes nonsensical email exchanges between Betsy and me. The anonymASS tipsters who cowardly use the tips box to trash FBDC’s writers will not be missed.

How did you come up with the ingenious phrase, “Sox News?” Any parting words for the glamour gals over in Sox News PR?

“I wish them well.”  They’ll know what I mean.

What is your absolute favorite item of clothing in your closet? We want the fabric, the brand, the store and the price if possible. If it’s a certain kind of underwear we don’t want to know about it.

A pair of brass-studded Fiorentini + Baker motorcycle boots I purchased at Barney’s for an obscene amount of money last year (see attached photo).  I rarely wear them because they make me feel a little “Adam Glambert” but I like the possibilities they represent….plus they keep all my driving loafers in check.

Pick one: Kim, Khloe, or Kourtney?

Despite her Chewbacca-like physique, Khloe is my favorite Kartrashian.  Sense of humor trumps appearance every time.

Have you ever had a tarot card reading?

Yes, the same night Kiki Ryan, Christine Delargy and I ordered a pizza to Martin’s Tavern (the kitchen was closed…).

Favorite item in the TIME/People WHCA Dinner gift bag:

The Bosch Tassimo coffee maker.  I use it every day. But I thought the bizarre baby-teething necklace was a solid addition this year.

On a serious note for a moment, what is your favorite Wendy Gordon photograph?

I studied French in high school and college so I’m a sucker for Wendy’s french maid/baguette photo.  C’est magnifique!

What scares you?

Pleated pants, the dark and pleated pants in the dark.

When and why did you last lose your temper?

The last time (and every time) I was in a cab.

Do you have a me-wall? If so, who’s on it?

No, I don’t really like pictures of “me” so I usually contribute to friends and family members’ me-walls by snapping the photos.

Tell us a secret not many people know about you.

Because I received so many questions after you outed me about Dawson’s, I’ll admit that I used to have acting aspirations.  Throughout college I worked on a number of film and television productions as a day player, extra, and actor – Dawson’s Creek, Summer Catch, Stateside, A Walk to Remember, and Black Knight to name a few.  And I did a national “back to school” ad campaign for American Eagle Outfitters.  It’s funny now but it sure beat slinging lattes at Starbucks. 

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You know you’re one hell of a flack when a flock of journos bust their midday beat to break bread in your honor.  And such is the case of Kelley McCormick,  former partner at Qorvis Communications and Reese Witherspoon lookalike.  McCormick and her new role as Gibraltar Associates COO were toasted yesterday at a swanky lunch hosted by “Meet the Press” EP Betsy Fischer and the one and only Tammy Haddad.

Nearly 40 guests mingled over champagne before sitting down to a three-course wine luncheon of split pea soup with creme fraiche, bacon-garnished crab cake and tasty dessert.  Both Fischer and Haddad shared kind words about their friend before Gibraltar CEO Eric Bovim raised a glass to McCormick, gushing “I can’t imagine doing this without her.”

Attendees of the fancy-pants lunch fete included Politico’s Mike Allen, NBC White House producer Alicia Jennings, WaPo’s Amy Argetsinger, Examiner’s Nikki Schwab, The Hill’s Kate Oczypok, DC’s Karen Sommer Shalett, Janet Donovan, Cap File’s Kate Bennett and Sarah Schaffer, Huffington Post’s Christina Wilkie, Kiki Ryan, Bloomberg’s Ha Chan, Tracy Sefl, Washingtonian’s Sophie Gilbert, Washington Life‘s Michael Clements, Emily Lenzner, Poshbrood’s Elizabeth Thorp, Twitter’s Adam Sharp, WBJ‘s Jen Nycz-Conner and SELF‘s Marc Adleman.  Congrats to Kelley!

L to R: Betsy Fischer, Mike Allen, Kate Bennett, Halle Mayes, Tammy Haddad, Marc Adelman, Kelley McCormick.

*All photos courtesy of Haddad Media.

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She injured her leg in an accident while traveling in Montana.

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Prior to her stint at Politico, Ryan wrote the Yeas and Nays column with Jeff Dufour at the Examiner.  She began her new job at Susan G Komen this week.  Congrats to Kiki!

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While attendees at another post-WHCD party struggled to gain admittance due to their host’s chronic and unapologetic guest list failures, MSNBC’s guests breezed though check-in and down a sprawling red carpet to the Italian Embassy.  Rather than watching celebrities make their way to an isolated VIP space, MSNBC’s guests rubbed elbows with the likes of Glee’s Jayne Lynch, SNL’s Andy Samberg, Valerie Jarrett, Meghan McCain, Eliot Spitzer, Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), Bristol Palin with aunt Molly McCann and Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL).

Perhaps the weekend’s best event, MSNBC’s soiree drew a huge array of journalists – many from competitive networks.   CNN was represented by Ed Henry and Shirley Hung Henry, Edie Emery, Peter Hamby, Mark Whitaker, Sam Feist, Roland Martin, David Bohrman, and Christa Robinson.  We spotted ABC’s Rick Klein, Jim Sciutto and Polson Kanneth, as well as CBS’s Christine Delargy.  Fox News anchor Bret Baier was there.   And so was Greta Van Susteren who made quite an entrance when she and husband John Coale appeared with Todd and Sarah Palin.  The family Palin was swarmed by cameras and party-goers only moments before Cee Lo Green took the stage to perform a short set including his hit song “F**k You.”  As Palin posed for what seemed like thousands of photos, Todd, Bristol and Molly conversed with the hoards of guests who circled their table in the room’s far corner.

“We’re still getting used to this,” Sarah’s sister Molly admitted to FishbowlDC.  “I find it kind of exciting but I’m not around it all the time,” she added.

As we turned away, we nearly bumped into WaPo‘s Ezra Klein who was doing a drive-by “Mean Girls” impression.  The liberal blogger laughed out loud and rolled his eyes as he passed by Palin-palooza.  Back on the dance floor, another former governor was getting a different kind of attention from one Kiki Ryan.  The fearless reporter’s blonde ambition must have been in overdrive on Saturday because we hear she tried to persuade Eliot Spitzer to shake his groove thing.  He kindly declined:

From @burgerinfo:
@keeekster(@Italian Em):Mr. Spitzer,would you like to dance?
Spitzer: Dancings not really my forte
@keeekster:Thats not what I hear #winning

Besides our favorite celebrity bartender and TV host Rachel Maddow who spent the evening slinging drinks, NBCers like Luke Russert, Kelly O’Donnell, Domenico Montanaro, Phil Griffin, Tanya Hayre, Ed Schultz, Dylan Ratigan, Erika Masonhall, Betsy Fischer, Savannah Guthrie and Contessa Brewer were among the guests gifted Starbucks swag, a slice of pizza and bottle of Fiji as they left the fete in the morning’s wee hours.

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The Perks of Being a Reporter: A small group of lucky reporters were wined and dined at a Civil War lunch on Monday at Charlie Palmer Steak. The meal was the History Channel’s way of honoring the 150th anniversary the Civil War. We’re told the wine was delicious and folks could choose from steak, chicken or sea bass. Lunchgoers recieved haversacks with Civil War swag as gifts instead of the usual gift bag, The History Channel is donating $150,000 to National Park Foundation and Civil War Trust. Media types in attendance: Jimmy Alexander, Mix 107.3 FM (Jack Diamond Morning Show); Tim Ryan, Reuters; Kiki Ryan, MSNBC.com and Seth Arenstein of CableFax.

Daily Caller Reporter Misses Early Morning Staff Meeting: The Daily Caller‘s Jonathan Strong slept right through this morning’s 8:30 a.m. staff meeting. He has a decent excuse — he was up for much of the night working on the congressional report on last week’s budget deal that was released at about 2 a.m. Strong emailed his editors to tell them he wouldn’t be there. They weren’t too hard on him, apparently. Strong has been known, however, to roll in late to the meetings. “I’m late a lot,” he concedes. “I don’t usually miss it outright.” Read his middle of the night story here.

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Washington Reacts to Olbermann Exit

“It’s better to fire people on Friday. Studies have statistically shown theres less chance of an incident if you do it at the end of the week.” — Politics Daily media writer Matt Lewis in a weekend tweet.

“Just got an email saying @KeithOlbermann and MSNBC are no longer. Good luck Keith.” — MSNBC Congressional Correspondent Luke Russert in a weekend tweet.

“MSNBC sure takes this civility thing seriously — cans Olbermann.” — WaPo’s conservative issues blogger Jennifer Rubin in a weekend tweet.

“I’m having a drink to remember Olby tonight—tequila chased by cider vinegar. It’s the WORST DRINK IN THE WORLD.” — @Plucid in a weekend tweet. She’s a “political transwoman” (whatever that means) living in Alexandria, Va.

“@keitholbermann since ur free, do u want 2 sit next 2 me at State of the Union? [ ] yes [ ] no [ ] maybe?” — The Takeaway‘s Capitol Hill radio correspondent Todd Zwillich in a weekend tweet.

“Olberman’s salary most shocking part of story. 30 mill for 900K viewers? Snooki shld replace him, she’s a bargain for her 9 mill viewers.” — Lobbyist Jack Quinn‘s wife and writer Susanna Quinn in a weekend tweet. (FishbowlDC’s Matt Dornic works for QGA’s Jack Quinn.).

“Bummed about Olbermann news.” — Sen. Chris Coons’s (D-Del.) Comm Director Ian Koski in a weekend tweet.

“By chance I was Olbermann’s last guest last night. He gave no hint of anything except to say as I left the set:”Thanks for everything.” — Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter in a weekend tweet.

“The most interesting thing about the Olbermann story is that TMZ is covering it.” — Politico‘s Patrick Gavin in a weekend tweet.

“Ding, Dong, Olbermann is GONE. The Worst Man in the World leaned so far forward, he fell over his multi-million dollar cliff. #fb” — Human Events Senior Editor Emily Miller in a weekend tweet.

“Bizarre footnote to Olbermann saga: one of the donations he made — which r @ the heart of this drama — was to… Gabrielle Giffords” — HuffPost‘s Sam Stein in a weekend tweet.

Maher says eliminating ‘Worst’ was worst

“Once he started backing off Worst Persons in the World it all went downhill. Stop organizing life around the people who don’t get the joke. Fuck them.” — Showtime’s Bill Maher on “Real Time” Friday night.

Fournier urges hugs

“Daddys, hug your kids today.” — NJ Editor-in-Chief Ron Fournier in a weekend tweet.

Reporter gets emotional over Kardashian episode

“Watching Kardashians and crying! Old episode that talks about the death of their father. So sad.” — WUSA9 Digital Reporter Lindsey Mastis in a weekend tweet.

Erickson blocks left

“I’m just blocking people left and . . . well . . . left tonight.” — CNN Contributor to “John King USA” Erick Erickson in a weekend tweet.

Weingarten angry at Twitter

“I am pissed that Twitter hasn’t found it necessary to Verify My Account.” –WaPo columnist Gene Weingarten in a weekend tweet.

Obama borrows a Politico phrase

“Is it just me or is Obama sounding like a @Politico editor? // Winning the future | Barack Obama For President – 2012″ — The Atlantic’s Garance Franke-Ruta in a weekend tweet. She links to Obama-Biden blog here.

Journo samples artichoke liquor

“Having my first cocktail w Cynar-an italian artichoke based liquor at the Fender Music Lounge.” — Former Politico reporter Kiki Ryan in a weekend tweet. She now freelances for MSNBC.com.

The Critic

“Fox should bring George Will over for their roundtables. Or let Tapper host #ThisWeek again. Either option would get me to watch Will more.” — Sen. Jim DeMint‘s (R-S.C.) Senior Comm Advisor and Speechwriter Amanda Carpenter in a weekend tweet.

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In the end, The Times will double its staff, hiring up to 50 reporters and editors. In addition to Sports and Metro, the paper will relaunch an Arts and Entertainment section, complete with a gossip columnist (calling Kiki Ryan!).  According to US News, “the salaries are going to be better.”

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Politico

For the time being, Ryan is freelancing for Politico. We’ve learned that she has been feeling out other possibilities, including working for her former employer, the Washington Examiner, but that door has closed for all concerned.

Sources told us that while Ryan’s  relationship with Politico management wasn’t acrimonious, it was clear that it wasn’t a perfect fit on both ends. The publication has given her three months to find new employment. The back story is that from the start Ryan (blond on left in black and white dress) and Politico were never a match made in heaven. She has been a constant on the nightlife party coverage scene during her time at the publication and has, like other Click reporters, interviewed a slew of celebs.

We wish Ryan the best in her future pursuits. Back in January she gave us a pretty hilarious behind the scenes account of her time in Vegas hunting the Salahis (or rather, the Salamis as they were renamed on that trip). Read it here.

Politico had no comment. Nor did Ryan.

Photo credit: D.C. blogger and Q & A Cafe Host Carol Joynt.

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L to R: Jessica Gibson, Pamela Sorensen, Heather Guay and friend

Pamela Sorensen, founder and editor of lifestyle blog  ”Pamela’s Punch” raised a glass to her website’s fourth birthday last night at the Sofitel in downtown DC.  Guests such as WJLA’s Rebecca Cooper, Politico’s Kiki Ryan, Heather Guay, Mary Kathryn Covert, Glenn Ballard, HuffPo’s Stephanie Green, Examiner’s Katy Adams and Nikki Schwab, CBS’s Christine Delargy, Jessica Gibson, Victoria Michael and Coventry Burke joined the babelicious blogger for a champagne toast at her Parisian-themed party.  Happy birthday to the Punch!

Kiki Ryan and Rebecca Cooper

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Journos flooded the Landmark E St. Cinema last night for the Washington premiere of “Casino Jack,” the late George Hickenlooper‘s film about power lobbyists Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon who famously defrauded several Indian tribes out of millions of dollars.  Starring Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey who played Abramoff, the film featured well-known Washington journos Andrea Mitchell and Chris Matthews while Washington Post reporter Susan Schmidt and Emily Miller, now of Human Events, were portrayed by actresses Ruth Marshall and Rachelle Lefevre. 

The premiere, presented by Lani Hay of Lanmark Technology and the Creative Coalition, was hosted by NBC’s Chris Matthews who couldn’t help  himself from dinging the GOP during his intro, saying “the Republicans are back in office and they did foster the career of Jack Abramoff.”  He then told the theater, “If you come to Washington without a moral compass, you’re not going to find one here.” 

Following the screening, Spacey and Matthews took questions and comments from an audience that included MSNBC’s Luke Russert and Andrea Mitchell, WaPo‘s Amy Argetsinger, Politics Daily’s Annie Groer, Elizabeth Thorpe, Qorvis’ Kelley McCormick, Tammy Haddad, The Hill’s Christina Wilkie, Politico’s Kiki Ryan, CBS’s Christine Delargy, WaPo‘s Garance Franke-Ruta, Janet Donovan, Examiner‘s Nikki Schwab, Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), Ambassador Elizabeth Bagley and Vicki Kennedy. 

A man who claimed to know the Abramoff family for fifteen years took the Q & A session as an opportunity to commend Spacey for “capturing Jack so perfectly.”  Surprisingly, the actor’s portrayal did not demonize the fallen K Street wonderboy.  He instead presented Abramoff as an almost lovable nerd who found himself too wrapped up in the game – ironic for a lobbyist whose sweet spot was casino gambling, no?

My only beef with the film was the casting and performance of Rachelle Lefevre who played Emily Miller, the Human Events editor and Michael Scanlon’s former fiancee who allegedly alerted the FBI of the fraud after learning that Scanlon was sleeping with another woman.  The character was underdeveloped, disjointed and quite frankly, nothing like Ms. Miller. 

Check out “Casino Jack” when it hits theaters on December 17th.  Spacey’s performance is a must-see.

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