White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of one of the most powerful clubs in America.

Washington Filmmakers Sean and Andrea Fine Win at Oscars

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The Oscars had a few D.C. surprises last night ranging from the White House to Best Documentary Short. Michelle Obama came in from a remote shot to announce the Best Picture winner, Ben Affleck‘s snubbed-yet-beloved Argo. Keeping the presidency in spirit, Daniel Day-Lewis took home Best Actor for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. The full list of Oscar winners can be found here, but the other local surprise comes from a prominent Washington famil with a long film tradition. Sean and Andrea Fine won for Inocente taking Best Documentary Short.

Sean is the son of famed documentarians Paul and Holly Fine whose award-winning work was on 60 Minutes, Nightline and 20/20 as well as WJLA-TV. Paul Fine’s father Nate was the Washington Redskins photographer.

2008 White House News Photographers Dinner with Andrea Nix Fine, Sean Fine, Holly and Paul Fine, Bryce Fine

Co-directed by Sean Fine and his wife Andrea Nix Fine, the short follows a young undocumented girl struggling to become an artist in Los Angeles. They sourced funding through Kickstarter, making this the first project from the crowdfunding service to win an Academy Award. Fine truly rocked out his D.C. pride thanks to his RG3 socks. Fine tweeted out the photo at RG3 post-win:

And in case you thought social media wasn’t relevant, there were 8.9 million related Oscar tweets. As for how FLOTUS even became an idea as a presenter, it all goes back to–who else in Hollywood–Harvey Weinstein according to Deadline:

“The idea of getting the First Lady on the show first came from Lily Weinstein, who mentioned it to her big Obama contributor dad Harvey, who suggested it to the Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and Academy president Hawk Koch. The group flew to DC a week and a half ago to put the logistics together with the White House. The Oscar producers told Deadline’s Pete Hammond earlier this week that they “were being like the CIA” about a couple of surprises on the show, keeping things top secret. In towns like Hollywood and DC where people love to talk, they pulled it off. There was no indication on the show’s rundown and most of the people on the Oscars had no idea who the secret guest would be. ‘I knew we could do it and we did it,’ Koch told Deadline tonight about keeping Obama’s name under wraps.”

This came after FLOTUS and POTUS were at the National Governors Association’s Ball, complete with Chris Christie still recovering from his “hugfest.”

Nate Silver vs. The Academy

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Google Talk with Nate Silver

The Academy Awards have been as mysterious as the electoral college, but perhaps no more? Nate Silver, flexing his mighty 2012 election data, announced today that he’d take a third try at figuring out why little gold men go to certain people and not others.

“My track record? Nine correct picks in 12 tries, for a 75 percent success rate. Not bad, but also not good enough to suggest that there is any magic formula for this,” he wrote. Even a 75 percent standing is impressive when many self-proclaimed “oscar gurus” are on par with their politico cousins in D.C. Sure, saying a democrat will take California is just as easy as saying that a Steven Spielberg film could get Best Picture or Daniel Day-Lewis is convincing as Abraham Lincoln.

Silver instead relied on the same formula from the election: taking a variety of data from insider (e.g. The Directors Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild) and outsider (e.g. Chicago Film Critics Association, Golden Globes) sources that’ve chosen their favorites. The data does appear to be skewing heavily for Argo to take Best Picture while Lincoln sweeps up the rest. But it’s the Best Supporting Actress category that will make or break Silver’s future chances at Oscar:

“There is considerably less reason for last-minute campaigning in this category: Anne Hathaway as about as safe a bet to win for “Les Misérables” as Mitt Romney was to win Utah. If Sally Field or Amy Adams wins instead, it will probably be time for me to retire from the Oscar-forecasting business.”

We’ll find out on Sunday whether Nate Silver can ever show his face in Hollywood ever again.

Kid President Announces This Year's White House Easter Egg Roll

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If the Obama administration ever had a clear challenge, it may be overcoming the charm and charisma of Kid President. A part of the Soul Pancake Channel, this time Kid President is bringing word of the 2013 White House Easter Egg Roll to us through a somewhat more official channel:

The lottery to get a ticket for the annual roll, being held on April 1, starts today and closes on Monday, February 25. The theme this year, chosen by First Lady Michelle Obama, is “Be Healthy, Be Active, Be You!”

This year’s souvenir eggs come in four bold colors – purple, blue, yellow, pink – and include the stamped signatures of the President and First Lady. A commemorative teal “Bo” egg featuring the First Dog’s paw print is included only in the 2013 5-pack Collector’s Egg Set.

The White House also invites all elementary and middle school students to submit poster designs for the 2013 Easter Egg Roll. Designs should reflect this year’s theme, “Be Healthy, Be Active, Be You!” The First Lady will select the winning design, which will be used as part of the White House 2013 Easter Egg Roll program. Submissions are due by March 5 and can be sent here.

We have to admit, even Robert Frost would probably be allowed to think this is cool.

A Look Back At Conan O'Brien and the White House Correspondents Dinner

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We’re hoping the jokes get updated when Conan O’Brien comes back to D.C. in April. The newly announced host for this year’s White House Correspondents Dinner is no stranger to Beltway politics. He first showed up here in 1995 to toast then-President Bill Clinton along with WHC Chairman and former Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau Chief/current columnist Carl Leubsdorf.

“For God’s sake, it’s Saturday night,” O’Brien said in his earlier monologue. “Go outside! Meet a woman! There are things you can do. I want to say though I am–higher ratings tan mine–very honored to be apart of this event tonight. When I got this invitation, I was thrilled to be speaking in the same room as the most powerful man in the country. But then I heard Judge Ito canceled, but you move on!”

You can watch the full video below from C-Span and relive Coco’s old mop top:

Gavin Newsom Toasts 'Citizenville' at the Jefferson [VIDEO]

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Citizenvillie
Join us tonight as California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom stops into the Jefferson Hotel in Washington, D.C. to discuss “Citizenville: How To Take the Town Square Digital and Reinvent Government.” The Current TV host will be introduced by Ellen Tauscher at 7:00 p.m. est and give brief remarks about his newest release.

We’ll be talking with Newsom along with our livestream of the event starting tonight at 6:30 p.m. est and then have a copy of the event afterwards. You can also catch it on C-SPAN-2’s Book TV at a later date.

PAC Away Your Marco Rubio Water Bottle

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The speed at which Internet memes evolve works laterally to how D.C. can interpret them.

Marco Rubio’s meme has officially been bottled. The senator’s dry mouth took over the media after the State of the Union on Tuesday, now it’s coming for you. Since then it’s turned into a reflection of the media’s repetition of a drinking problem and has caused The Daily Caller to become arithmomanic. The Reclaim America PAC has gone one step farther:

The official Marco Rubio water bottle: for a $25 contribution you can “(s)end the liberal detractors a message that not only does Marco Rubio inspire you…he hydrates you too.” The product became available on Wednesday afternoon from Reclaim America, a PAC which Rubio started in 2009 while entertaining a potential 2012 run for office. No telling whether they’ll come out with other swag related to the senator’s recent decisions, such as his opposition to the Violence Against Women Act or the end of minimum wage laws.

Which is unfortunate since you can only get the Rubio water bottle by spending the minimum donation–technically not a wage, but who keeps tracks when it comes to PACs?

Miss America Goes Back To Jersey

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Daily Beast Bipartisan Brunch
After six years, Miss America is returning to her rightful place on the Atlantic City boardwalks.

The Miss America Pagent announced this morning that they’re going back to Jersey and will announce it later today at a live press conference from the historic boardwalks. Annoucned by Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno, news of the deal was broken by the AP.

(photo by Bruce Boyajian)

“For decades, the Miss America organization has awarded scholarships to thousands of young women to help further their goals of higher education and achieve their dreams,” said Acting Governor Guadagno. “New Jersey is proud to once again host the Miss America Pageant here in Atlantic City. We are confident that Atlantic City’s famous boardwalk and variety of restaurants, shops and entertainment venues will showcase the city’s vibrancy and attraction to the participants and many visitors that will attend the Miss America Pageant every year.”

“We are so very proud to bring Miss America back to her birthplace in Atlantic City,” said Sam Haskell, III, the Miss America Organization’s chairman of the board. “We are grateful to Governor Christie and his staff for helping make this possible. Throughout the decades, Miss America has evolved into an organization that enables over 12,000 young women to enter and participate in our scholarship program each and every year. Today, Miss America remains an iconic symbol, and our roots have always stayed connected to Atlantic City. Our proud heritage is rich in history, having been named by USA Today as one of the Top Ten pieces of Americana remaining in our great country today.”

“We now look to the future as we prepare for our most exciting television event ever for Miss America with the support of our network partner, ABC,” said Art McMaster, MAO’s president and CEO. “The return to Atlantic City will allow us to showcase our Miss America events in the place where it all began almost 93 years ago.”

“Miss America is as much a part of Atlantic City as the beach and Boardwalk,” said Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson. “It is great to see this event come back home. It could not have happened without the leadership of Acting Governor Kim Guadagno.”

“I cannot think of a better way to reintroduce the country to Atlantic City,” said John Palmieri, executive director of the Casino Reinvestment and Development Authority. “The return of Miss America to Atlantic City is indicative of the tremendous progress CRDA and its partners are making in revitalizing the city.”

Board action by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) and the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority (ACCVA) is expected later this month to finalize the multi-year agreement that brings Miss America back to Atlantic City. The CRDA, ACCVA, and the Atlantic City Alliance (ACA) all played key roles in forging the agreement that will attract even more tourists from around the world to America’s premiere gaming and vacation destination.

Since taking Office, Governor Christie has taken strategic, comprehensive efforts to ensure New Jersey continues to be a leading destination for sports and entertainment events. The Governor’s actions will result in hundreds of millions of dollars in economic growth benefiting businesses – large and small – throughout New Jersey. Additionally, numerous concerts, tournaments and events are making New Jersey a must-stop venue for sports and entertainment.

Photos from Cafe Milano's Inaugural Bash

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In case you were with us during Inauguration Day, Cafe Milano was still in full swing on Monday after Sunday’s Bipartisan Brunch. Hosted by
Robert Johnson (The RJL Companies), Gina Adams (FedEx) and Milano’s own Franco Nuschese. The Hill mentioned the event in their wrap-up of Inaugural activity. Georgetown Dish was there to hear Franco give a few Inaugural words to the packed room:

“Earlier today, we heard President Obama’s soaring words of inspiration. We now look hopefully for the most strident of the election rhetoric to fade and for all of our leaders of both parties to join in maximizing the greatness and opportunities of our country.”

Check out the slideshow above to see who else was at the Georgetown soiree.

Kevin Spacey on Shakespeare and Bill Clinton for House of Cards

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Netflix CEO Reid Hastings had a big smile on his face as he watched some of Washington’s most influential media grabbing a seat for a first look at two episodes of House of Cards. Howard Fineman, George Stevens,Jr. , Jim Hoagland, and Joanne Horowitz, Spacey’s manager joined Reema alSabah, Bonnie Lepard , Buffie Cafritz and Ambassador Lloyd and Ann Hand for the stylish screening and dinner that followed. T.Rowe Price tech whiz Henry Ellenbogen chatting with Living Social CEO Tim O’Shaughnessy, Reggie Love in Wharton school appropriate glasses, FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, Linda Douglass and John Phillips. Bloomberg View’s chief Frank Wilkinson beamed standing with actress wife Sakina Jaffrey, and David Haddad. At the Step n’ Repeat ABC’s Rick Klein, Janet Donovan, and Media Bistro’s Eddie Scarry asked questions of Oscar nominated writer Beau Willimon, actors Kate Mara, Robin Wright,Sebastian Arcelus,and finally Kevin Spacey. The entire reporter gaggle together into one giant ball of cameras, microphones and iPhones to talk about what inspired Rep. Frank Underwood from Shakespeare to a certain former president that stole Spacey’s Academy Award in 2000.

All thirteen episodes of “House of Cards” on Netflix Instant, so you can see how much of Bill Clinton Spacey can channel past his Richard III.

Interview with Mallory Hagen, Miss America 2013

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Mallory Hagen spoke this morning on Fox News with Gretchen Carlson, but she began her interview reign with WHC Insider’s Tammy Haddad last Saturday. Hagen was named Miss America in Las Vegas and we spoke with the Brooklyn, New York resident who tap-danced and talked about toughening gun laws during the 92nd annual Miss America Pageant on the ABC Network.

She began her college education in her birthplace Auburn but moved to New York four years ago to find herself and restarted college. Mallory previously competed in the Miss America Outstanding Teen program three times and the Miss New York competition twice before calling herself “a bit of a bridesmaid until now.” Her stunning white dress that wowed the studio audience cost $400, less than her prom dress. Mallory’s mother, a dance instructor, told the WHC Insider she knew when she was pregnant with her that one day her daughter would be Miss America.