McCartney gets Gershwin Prize

I’VE JUST SEEN A FACE: Paul McCartney brought rock & roll to the East Room of the White House last night as he collected the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, RollingStone.com reports. Joined by a diverse group of musicians from Elvis Costello to the Jonas Brothers, the mood was mostly playful and the assembled musical guests performed stirring versions of songs from the Beatle's decades-spanning career. "Getting this prize would just be good enough, but getting it from this President …," McCartney said. Later, he noted, "After the last eight years, it's great to have a President who knows what a library is." Obama praised the timelessness and the universal appeal of McCartney's music—and also geeked out with some Beatles statistics: 200 of McCartney's songs have charted, Obama said, and they've stayed there for "a cumulative total of 32 years." (6/3a)