Jason Yoder Nailed It at the White House for teh Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12.

Good news, everyone!

Pittsburgh CAPA is among six schools chosen as finalists in a national competition to have President Obama speak at commencement. (Trib, Jodi Weigland)

This is all part of Race for the Top so this is POTUS Obama, not just OFA Obama. A big deal. One has to wager the administration is going to award the grand honor to a math and science school, or a perhaps a traditional all-encompassing liberal education school that is very strong in math and science -- if only to send a message reassuring to investors. Still, making it all the way to the sextafinals is crazy cool.

"All the research tells us why art matters and the cognitive skills it fosters," Pearlman said. "We see it here every single day. The ability of students to study for three to four hours what they love more than anything transfers to their academic learning." (ibid)

It's true. If Obama has his (or her) heart set on shining an even greater spotlight on CAPA and the arts, he could deliver a pretty compelling commencement address here. What did we do with that parking chair at 414 Grant St., can we slap a Presidential seal on it? Adaptive re-use!

WATCH A SOMEWHAT GLEE-ISH CAPA BEATLES VIDEO

Why is the Caped Crusader Coming Here?

Lex Luthor hasn't bothered us for a few years. What gives?

"They're still nailing down actual locations, but what they really fell in love with was the diversity of architecture and the gorgeous buildings that we still have in Downtown Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas," [PFO director Dawn Keezer] said. (P-G, Barbara Vancheri)

So you're saying, it's fortunate we haven't made a habit of blowing it all up to construct run of the mill plug-and-play Plexiglas boxes.

[She] said, “Film production means jobs for Pennsylvanians, it’s as simple as that. A single film can mean millions of dollars and many local jobs. A franchise as prestigious as Batman opens our region up to an entirely new audience as filmmakers and studio executives experience southwestern Pennsylvania.” (Pgh Film Office)

Iconic, unique architecture leads to jobs, tax revenue and vibrancy. Let's jot that down on a yellow sticky.

(Above: Threat Level Midnight)