Many wax poetic to welcome president-elect to Madame Tussauds
January 16, 2009 - 10:00 pm
Barack Obama arrived at his destination in a wooden crate, packed in foam, at 9:24 a.m. Thursday.
He was handsless and headless.
He had been stuck in customs at McCarran International Airport since Monday.
Two workers at a loading dock outside The Venetian pried open the crate with a crowbar.
Creak, slam.
Up the headless Obama stood, suited and shoed. His Fiberglas body was placed onto a spike so he would not fall down.
A green plastic bin contained his head and hands, bubble-wrapped. They had been crafted in London over the course of three months by an expert sculptor at an estimated cost of $300,000.
"You grab his head and I'll grab his body," said D.P. Shapiro, one of the workers. With him was Andrea Pavles, the chief (head) painter.
Headless Obama was moved into the confines of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.
Obama lacked cuff links, a watch and a tie, and so Shapiro fastened them on.
He straightened the tie to perfection. He fastened the hands and gently placed the head, which was smiling.
Shapiro positioned the wax president-elect just so, behind a POTUS podium in the Spirit of America room, where facsimiles of astronauts, former presidents and cultural heroes stood.
A curtain was lowered.
The ceremony began.
A church group sang.
Schoolchildren pontificated.
Dignitaries spoke dignified words.
Wax Obama smiled through it all, his red tie perfect, his cuff links just right.
"He looks amazing, doesn't he?" said Shapiro, who now was dressed in a dark suit and dark sunglasses, approximating a Secret Service agent.
Interviews were done. Many photos were taken. Words were spoken about this event's importance, about how similar events were going on in Washington, D.C., New York and elsewhere.
George W. Bush scowled in a shadowy corner, ignored.
Contact reporter Richard Lake at rlake@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307.
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