White House REALLY Rocks

By Stephen M. Silverman

06/18/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Sheryl Crow delivered an uproarious version of "Run Rudolph Run," while Wyclef Jean, clad in a red fur coat, brought down the house with a riotous, rapping version of "Little Drummer Boy." Jon Bon Jovi mimicked Elvis Presley and sang "Blue Christmas." And Val Kilmer just seemed to be enjoying himself. The event on Thursday: the White House Christmas party to honor the spirit of the Special Olympics. Jamie Lee Curtis was there, as were Sean Lennon, B.B. King and Tom Brokaw, among others. But the real star of the party, reports PEOPLE, was the outgoing (meaning soon-to-depart, as well as extroverted) Prez himself. "There's definitely the feeling that something good is coming to an end," Bon Jovi told PEOPLE. "But we've come here for these Special Olympic Athletes and maybe we can learn from them. Just the look in their eyes when they struggle so hard to achieve something that many of us take for granted. They're an inspiration." Petty sang "Christmas All Over Again" and "Little Red Rooster," then echoed the sentiments of the gathering by referring to the just-finished presidential race. "I was with the Vice President last night," he said of Al Gore. "We had a lot of fun, though. We rocked all night after his (concession) speech."