Let's tell a story four words at a time (Part 1)

astonished to hear that

cannibalism was rife in

Lady Gaga’s dressing room;

the Hollywood press corps

was snapping paparazzi pics

of porn legend Ron

Lipshitz and his massive

German Shepherd, Fritzi Maximus.

Unknown to most, Gerald

Ford, who hadn’t died

[unlike Abe Vigoda, who

did just today, alas],

but had instead stumbled

upon the secret formula

for curing scrofula. However,

as Joe Biden realized,

The word was hyphenated, so it counts as one. No?

Obama replied: "I agree,

I am never clear."

I think so. Either word in a hyphenated phrase would be insufficient on its own, so hyphenation renders them the equivalent of a single word, I’d say.

In play:

Entering the Oval Office,