Washington D.C. could have been mistaken for Hollywood with all the familiar celebrity faces at George W. Bush’s inaugural celebration. Musical acts such as 98 degrees, Jon Secada, Ricky Martin, Wayne Newton, Brooks & Dunn and Destiny’s Child reflected the overall theme of unifying a nation of diversity.A Texas-sized party followed President George W. Bush to Washington D.C. for his inauguration, inspiring people in Washington to don cowboy hats and boots, eat some down-home cooking and dance, dance, dance.”I don’t know how many presidents actually do the box step during the inauguration, but I’m having my researchers check to see whether John Quincy Adams used it,” President Bush said in an interview with abcnews.com. The president proved he has more moves than the box step when he shook his bon-bon with Ricky Martin.The Latin beats that filled the air may have caused some to suspect the multicultural acts reflected a George Bush presidential political stand.”More than any other presidential election there was an attempt to reach the Latino community,” said U.S. Latino Studies Program Professor Jose Amaya.However, David Stuart, assistant professor of music, said the invitation of many Latin acts has more to do with reflecting popular culture than taking any political stand. “I don’t see it as any kind of political statement, although it probably didn’t hurt,” said Stuart, who teaches History of Rock and Roll. “All of the performers are real pop people.” Having a good time and not offending anyone seemed to be the message of the events, Stuart said.”It’s not like anyone invited Eminem, 2 Live Crew or Red Hot Chili Peppers,” he added. Some of the other acts participating in the Black Tie and Boots Ball included Texas natives Jessica Simpson, Lee Ann Womack and a 2,200-pound bull named Casper. The ball, formerly known as the Black Tie Ball, found celebrities and Washington elite eating finger foods with Texas flare. Clint Black provided the entertainment at the ball for a president who had scheduled time between meetings to touch up his box step. Talk show host Larry King emceed the Inaugural’s opening celebration to over 75,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial. Other celebrities scheduled to take part in the inaugural events included Drew Carey, Ben Stein, Muhammed Ali, Nell Carter, Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Spade, Sylvester Stallone, Norm MacDonald, Chuck Norris and Pat Sajak.People have always been festive during the inauguration of a new president, Amaya said.”People can act silly and outlandish at an inauguration,” he explained. “People used to shoot off pistols. It’s gotten rather tame.””People have come to expect this kind of celebration,” said James McCormick, chair of political science, said. The events are traditional and the festivities reflect the peaceful passing of power in our country.