White House Correspondents Insider

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

"Other Mom" Jarrett fetes Graham Moore

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For the second time in a week, author Graham Moore graciously thanked his supportive mother, Susan Sher – soon departing the East Wing as the First Lady’s Chief of Staff – while celebrating the publication of his first novel “The Sherlockian,” a new take on the characters of Sherlock Holmes.

Moore was surrounded by friends during the relaxed evening at the home of Hilary Rosen. The party was thrown by his “other mother” Valerie Jarrett who in true mother form told the crowd how Moore had a wild streak growing up. The other “mother” co-hosts were Anita McBride, Tammy Haddad, Rhoda Glickman, Anne Fleming and Anita Dunn.

There to wish the young novelist well and have a few books signed were US Ambassador to Israel Michael Oren and wife Sally, Tom Oliphant, Wolf Blitzer, Sally Quinn, Winston Lord, Lynne Wasserman, John Coale, Mark Leibovich, Jodi Kantor and Mark Ein. Most of the East Wing staff took photos with proud mama and son.

Arianna Huffington's Book Party Tonight

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W:WIE hosts Donna Karan, Sarah Brown, and Arianna Huffington

WHC Insider exclusive coverage of the Arianna Huffington book party to celebrate her new book Third World America: How Our Politicians Are Abandoning The Middle Class and Betraying The American Dream, co-presented by Greta Van Susteren and John Coale; Anita Dunn, Sally Susman, Alex Slater, Franco Nuschese, and Tammy Haddad. MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan will MC the program, which will include special guest Seth Reams, founder of WeveGotTimeToHelp.org.

Don’t wait for the C-SPAN book party coverage when you can watch it live with us tonight starting at 6:30 pm.

Speaking Of Politico Scenesters To Watch

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Tammy Haddad interviewed at the 2010 White House Correspondents Garden Brunch.

Confused as to why everyone around the Beltway aren’t complaining about why it’s almost 100 degrees? Because they’re going over Politico’s 50 Politicos To Watch.

As Bill Nichols explains, “we bring you a snapshot of the politicians, bureaucrats, administration officials, campaign gurus, military brass, fixers and party hounds you need to keep an eye on in the weeks and months ahead.” Among other influential D.C. staples are the restaurants and bars that run the town’s after-hour salons.

Of course, in a point of full disclosure: White House Correspondents Insider’s own co-founder and editor-in-chief Tammy Haddad is one of Politico’s Scenemakers to Watch.

Larry King: "Hanging Up the Nightly Suspenders"

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Larry King announced on Tuesday that he will step away from his CNN chair in the fall after a remarkable 25 years on the air, earning the Guinness Book of World Records title for the longest running show with the same host in the same time slot on the same network.

“It’s time to hang up the nightly suspenders,” he told viewers, confirming what his Twitter followers learned just before showtime. As the host of the first-ever worldwide phone-in TV talk show, the breaking news reached the realm of new media as “Larry King” quickly became a trend in the social web.

While King, 76, will no longer be hosting his nightly program Larry King Live, he has signed a contract with CNN to do specials for the cable network. King hopes the new schedule will allow “more time for my wife and I to get to the kids’ Little League games.”

There will be plenty of time to head down memory lane; it’s estimated King has done about 50,000 interviews. Tammy Haddad, Larry King Live Executive Producer from 1985-1993, told NBC’s Today Show that King’s secret to success was that “people would get so comforable with him they would say things they didn’t plan on saying…he engaged them at such a level.”

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The months ahead are also sure to be full of speculation over who will fill King’s seat. Rumors hint at British talk show host Piers Morgan, but King disclosed on Tuesday’s broadcast that American Idol host Ryan Seacrest would be his choice.

WHC Insider Interview with Jake Tapper

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ABC News’ Jake Tapper has plenty to smile about at Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

Aside from snagging the “it” political guest – Scott Brown, the new Senator from Massachusetts – Tapper will be going home with the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure in the broadcast category.

Tapper spoke with WHC Insider’s Tammy Haddad at the White House about his penchant for Twitter, and keeping his prestigious journalism award out of the reach of his two young children.

WHC Insider Interview with Jake Tapper, ABC News from whcinsider on Vimeo.

Dishing on WHCA Dinner

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WHC Insider’s Tammy Haddad sat down with ABC News’ David Chalian and Rick Klein on the ABCNews.com show “Top Line” to chat about the evolution of the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner into an all-out weekend event – including the annual brunch she co-hosts on Saturday morning.

In a town where politicians and notable folks tend to avoid the press, it’s one of the few times when the invitation bearing, ticket holding, media is suddenly in demand:
“This is the only time they call us and beg…. This is the only time where everyone has to stand in line together.”

WHC Insider Interview With WHCA President Ed Chen

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This weekend Ed Chen will end his reign as the President of the White House Correspondents’ Association. Before he hands the mantle over to Reuters’ Caren Bohan and heads back to Bloomberg, Chen spoke with WHC Insider’s Tammy Haddad at the White House.

The Senior White House Correspondent has honchoed the Press Corps during the transition into a new administration. Recently, Chen and several colleagues sat down with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and White House staffers to discuss grievances from both sides of the table.

“We had a mutual exchange and we worked out a lot of issues, and cleared the air. And I think things will get better, especially from our perspective, with greater press access,” said Chen.

Speaking of sitting down, Chen has offered his seat in the press room for a day to Lloyd Grove whose recent article in The Daily Beast questioned whether social media like Twitter and YouTube would be the end of reporting from the White House as we know it.

Ed Chen at the White House from whcinsider on Vimeo.

WHCA Dinner: Two Days To Go

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Tracey Ullman does research for her Showtime series "State of the Union" at the 2008 Garden Brunch. Here with Hilary Rosen and Ed & Wendy Schultz.

We’re heading into the homestretch, ready to slide into a weekend full of brunches and screenings, and oh yeah, a little thing called the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Oh, my!

The jostling for tickets and guests to bring to the WHCA Dinner has been going on for months. As WHC Insider’s Tammy Haddad told Annie Groer in Politics Daily:

“It’s become a competition about who can get the better ‘get,’ ” said Tammy Haddad, a former producer for Chris Matthews and Larry King and thus no stranger to megawatt wrangling. “Journalists are very competitive and there are very few times they get to go head to head, like at a political convention.” The dinner, she said, gives these multiplatform media rivals a perfect showcase “to bring in someone of interest to draw attention to the work they are doing.”

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