Michelle Obama Wears Alexander McQueen to State Dinner 
 
 First Lady Michelle Obama wore a red petal-print silk organza Alexander McQueen gown for Wednesday's state dinner in Washington, DC. The dinner was held to honor China in the presence of its president, Hu Jintao.The dress was created by Sarah Burton, who succeeded McQueen at his fashion house following the designer's death almost one year ago. Mrs. Obama's choice of red was widely seen as a recognition of the color's connection to the symbolism of happiness and prosperity in Chinese culture.(Or maybe she was just making a joke about Communism, who knows?)The First Lady accented her look with a her hair worn up and back, pendant earrings and a light shawl draped over her elbows.VIP guests at the dinner included former President Bill and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former President Jimmy and his wife Rosalynn Carter, and Chinese-American actor B.D. Wong Click here to see what other famous attendees wore to the event.And find out why Oscar de la Renta disapproves of Michelle's ensemble choice ||||| Chinese President Hu Jintao is visiting America this week to figure out the best places to install giant hydroelectric dams once China conquers us. And tonight is the much-hyped State Dinner. Wanna know who's sitting with the president? 
 
 Here's the head table, via the Washington Post's Reliable Source blog: 
 
 Which person doesn't belong? 
 
 Chinese President Hu Jintao 
 
 Communist Party Central Committee head Ling Jihua 
 
 President Jimmy Carter 
 
 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star B.D. Wong 
 
 If you said Jimmy Carter, correct. He's not even Chinese! 
 
 There are many other interesting guests: Herbie Hancock, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Barbra Streisand, Wendy Deng Murdoch sans Rupert, and Jackie Chan. (You can read the full guest list here.) The New York Times frets over the logistical difficulties of inviting both Hillary and Bill Clinton: Should he be her "plus one," or should they both get official invites? 
 
 Jackie Chan presents a problem, too: Do you also invite Jet Li and just hire extra help to clean up after the inevitable kung fu battle that ensues? And if Chan brings Chris Tucker as his plus one, do you sit them at opposite sides of the room so their dumb race jokes don't ruin the entire evening? ||||| After bringing in prominent guest chefs for their first two state dinners, the Obamas relied on in-house Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford and Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses this time around. They created a "quintissentially American" state dinner menu for Chinese president Hu Jintao at the request of his delegation, Obama Foodorama reported. 
 
 Accordingly, the menu featured American classics like poached maine lobster, dry-aged ribeye steak with onions, stuffed potatoes, apple pie with vanilla ice cream, and an all-American wine selection. 
 
 The full state dinner menu: 
 
 First D'Anjou Pear with Farmstead Goat Cheese 
 
 Fennel, Black Walnuts, and White Balsamic Second 
 
 Poached Maine Lobster 
 
 Orange Glaze Carrots and Black Trumpet Mushrooms Wine: DuMol Chardonnay "Russian River" 2008 (California) Lemon Sorbet Main 
 
 Dry Aged Rib Eye with Buttermilk Crisp Onions 
 
 Double Stuffed Potatoes and Creamed Spinach Wine: Quilceda Creek Cabernet "Columbia Valley" 2005 (Washington State) Dessert 
 
 Old Fashioned Apple Pie 
 
 with Vanilla Ice Cream Wine: Poet's Leap Riesling "Botrytis" 2008 (Washington State)
– Sure, everybody who is somebody got an invite to last night's state dinner, which 225 people attended. But who got seated at the head table with President Obama and guest of honor Hu Jintao? Gawker has the list, which includes: Law and Order star BD Wong Bill and Hillary, along with Jimmy and Roslyn, and John Kerry and Teresa GE's Jeff Immelt and wife Andrea (who's next to President Obama) Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and wife Maggie Communist Party bigwig Ling Jihua Other tidbits: The main course was "Dry Aged Rib Eye with Buttermilk Crisp Onions," and dessert was all-American apple pie and vanilla ice cream. Click for the full menu. Jazz dominated, music-wise, notes NPR, with a lineup featuring Herbie Hancock, trumpeter Chris Botti, and Grammy Award-winning vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater and Dianne Reeves. Michelle wore a red petal-print silk Alexander McQueen gown, reports Stylist, which notes that it was designed by McQueen successor Sarah Burton; and that red signals happiness and prosperity in Chinese culture. Anna Wintour wore Chanel, and Vera Wang wore ... Vera Wang. The toasts were "warm fuzzy" filled, notes the Washington Post: Obama spoke of shared values regarding family and hard work, then got even fuzzier, announcing that: "Under a new agreement, our National Zoo will continue to dazzle children and visitors with the beloved giant pandas." Oddest comment of the night goes to Barbra Streisand who, when asked why she thought she had been invited, quipped: "I worked in a Chinese restaurant."