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Archives for September 2015

Volta Insider interviews Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev

September 25, 2015 By WHC Insider

rachelkira

For the second episode of the Volta Insider podcast, Rachel Greenberg interviewed Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev the night before she passed the crown to Miss America 2016 Betty Cantrell.

During the conversation, Kazantsev explains the job of Miss America, talks about ways young adults can develop their leadership skills, and shares the impact her reign has had on her younger brother.

Don’t miss any future episodes of the Volta Insider podcast – subscribe today!

Filed Under: News, Volta Insider

HBO dominates 2015 Emmys

September 22, 2015 By WHC Insider

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chairman and CEO of HBO Richard Plepler, and Kerry Washington attend HBO's Official 2015 Emmy After Party. Credit: FilmMagic/FilmMagic.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chairman and CEO of HBO Richard Plepler, and Kerry Washington attend HBO’s Official 2015 Emmy After Party.
Credit: FilmMagic/FilmMagic.

The clear winner of the 2015 Emmy Awards was HBO with its shows winning more awards than any other network by a wide margin.

Hosted by Andy Samberg, other highlights from the evening included Viola Davis making history as the first African American woman to win an Emmy for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Annalise Keating on ABC’s “How to Get Away with Murder”; Jon Hamm’s first win after eight tries for his role as Don Draper on “Mad Men”; Jeffrey Tambor’s award for best actor and Jill Soloway’s award for writing and directing on the Amazon series “Transparent” which brought awareness about the transgender community to the Emmy stage; Amy Schumer’s win for best variety sketch series for Comedy Central’s “Inside Amy Schumer”; and Jon Stewart’s farewell Emmy win for the “Daily Show.”

Highlights from HBO’s wins in top categories include:

Olive Kitteridge
Outstanding Limited Series
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or A Movie – Richard Jenkins
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series Or A Movie – Frances McDormand
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie – Bill Murray
Outstanding Writing For A Limited Series, Movie Or A Dramatic Special
Outstanding Directing For A Limited Series, Movie Or A Dramatic Special

Game of Thrones
Outstanding Drama Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series – Peter Dinklage
Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

Veep
Outstanding Comedy Series
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series – Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series – Tony Hale
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series

Bessie
Outstanding Television Movie

Read More
CNN: Emmy Awards 2015: The complete winners list
NYTimes: HBO, Longtime Emmy Favorite, Reigns Supreme

Filed Under: Awards, Entertainment, Event Coverage, News, TV

The Emmys have spoken: 4 more years of Veep!

September 21, 2015 By WHC Insider

HBO’s political comedy series, Veep, experienced a big night at the 2015 Emmy Awards.

#Veeples @TheEmmys have spoken four more years! @OfficialJLD @HBO @veep #VEEPSWEEP #Emmys2015 pic.twitter.com/K9q5Ugu5hR

— Tammy Haddad (@haddadmedia) September 21, 2015

The show was the winner of the Outstanding Comedy Series award, but it didn’t stop there as cast members were also recognized for their work.

A big night for @VeepHBO! #Emmys pic.twitter.com/bjL2HHFzgQ

— Television Academy (@TelevisionAcad) September 21, 2015

Julia Louis-Dreyfus won the Emmy for Outstanding Actress In A Comedy Series for her portrayal of President (formerly Vice President) Selina Meyer.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tammy Haddad

Tammy Haddad and Julia Louis-Dreyfus on their way to HBO’s party after The Emmys.

 
Tony Hale was also recognized with a win in the Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series category for his role as Gary Walsh, personal aide to the President.

#Emmy congrats to @MrTonyHale for his supporting actor role on @VeepHBO pic.twitter.com/47xltEGz9n

— HBO PR (@HBOPR) September 21, 2015

Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche were also awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series.

Armando Iannucci celebrates his Emmy wins.

Armando Iannucci celebrates his Emmy wins.


 
 
Simon Blackwell arrives at HBO's after-party with his Emmys in hand.

Simon Blackwell arrives at HBO’s after-party with his Emmys in hand.


 
 
Tony Roche shows off his Emmy awards for Veep

Tony Roche shows off his Emmy awards for Veep


 
 
Producer and director Chris Addison at the HBO after-party.

Producer and director Chris Addison at the HBO after-party.


 
 
Producer Bill Hill with his Veep Emmys

Producer Bill Hill with his Veep Emmys


 
 
Kevin Cecil proudly displays his Emmy at the post awards show celebration.

Kevin Cecil proudly displays his Emmy at the post awards show celebration.


 
 
Tammy Haddad and Jessie Ennis

Tammy Haddad and Jessie Ennis


 
 
Veep's Emmy collection

Veep’s Emmy collection

Read more via nytimes.com: Emmys 2015: Firsts for Viola Davis and Jon Hamm, and a Victory Lap for HBO

Filed Under: Awards, Entertainment, Event Coverage, News, TV

Trail Talk with Senator Amy Klobuchar

September 18, 2015 By WHC Insider

No stranger to life on the campaign trail, two term Democratic Senator from Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar, spoke to Trail Talk during a special gathering of Washington Women Technology Network.

Senator Klobuchar spoke frankly about the challenges facing women running for political office, especially when it comes to raising money in what has traditionally been a man’s world. She also shared stories about balancing life in the U.S. Senate with raising a teenage daughter and moving her family to Washington, D.C.

Getting a big laugh from the women in attendance, Senator Klobuchar described how her daughter Abigail coined the term “submarine mom” (vs. “helicopter mom”) to describe her parenting style: “Lurking below the surface and coming up unexpectedly.”

And since the previous evening’s CNN debate featuring Republican presidential hopefuls was the talk of the afternoon, Senator Klobuchar weighed in on the GOP field, Donald Trump, and her own party’s nomination battle between Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders.

Download the Trail Talk Podcast from this event on AudioBoom or iTunes.

Read more about the event via washingtonpost.com: Sen. Amy Klobuchar calls her new memoir ‘the anti-Trump book’

Filed Under: Trail Talk, Washington Insider, WWTN

CNN Helps to Shape a Fiery Second GOP Debate

September 17, 2015 By WHC Insider

The top eleven GOP presidential hopefuls met again Thursday night for a 180 minute long debate performance at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Before the debate even began, CNN helped set a new tone through their decision to alter their criteria for determining which candidates were included in the primary and secondary debates. Former Hewlett-Packard CEO, Carly Fiorina, benefited from this rule change, which made her the only female candidate on the stage and a fresh addition for audiences watching around the country.

Unlike the first debate, where the moderators themselves ended up in headline news, CNN moderators Jake Tapper, Hugh Hewitt and Dana Bash kept the fiery exchanges between the candidates themselves. Many questions were formatted to include criticisms candidates had previously made about each other, which provided ample opportunity for the politicians to bicker and spar.

Some of the evening’s biggest topics included foreign policy, tax hikes and drug policy. Senator Marco Rubio spoke with ease about foreign policy issues, along with Carly Fiorina, who as a Washington “outsider” contrasted herself against Donald Trump, whose blunder earlier this summer some thought showed his lack of foreign policy knowledge.

Donald Trump found himself in the crossfire for much of the first portion of the debate and refused to falter one his one-liner punches and bickering with fellow candidates. After Senator Rand Paul accused him of relying on personal attacks, The Donald responded, “I never attacked him on his look, and believe me, there’s plenty of subject matter right there.” He also told former Governor Jeb Bush he showed “more energy” during the debate, which followed his popular critique of the Florida politician that stole headlines much of the summer.

Despite his common, unpredictably remarks, Trump’s overall performance review is mixed. The Washington Post reports that while Fiorina stood out on the crowded debate, Trump nonetheless remains the center of attention. However, Buzzfeed writes that “Donald Trump did not appear fully in control.”

However, Trump did grab 18 minutes of talk-time during the evening. Bush closely followed with 17 minutes, trailed by Ben Carson and Fiorina with approximately 13 minutes. Scott Walker, who was an expected front-runner, spoke the least amount of time with 8 and a half minutes. Governor John Kasich allotted about 9 minutes for himself, however attempted to separate himself from the bickering pack by stating early on, “If I were sitting at home and watch thing back and forth, I’d be inclined to turn it off.”

CNN’s live stream of the debate attracted a record number of nearly one million viewers and the live television broadcast is expected to bring CNN its largest cable audience ever.

To read more about last night’s debate, read Politico’s six important takeaways and The New York Times’ opinion on the most significant moments.

The next primary debate will belong to the Democrats. Tune in to CNN on Tuesday, October 3rd when candidates will take the stage in Las Vegas.

Filed Under: 2016 election, News

Volta Insider interviews Anita McBride about 9/11 in the White House

September 11, 2015 By WHC Insider

Today, Rachel Greenberg, a 16 year old Junior at St. Andrews Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland launched a podcast called Volta Insider.

She describes it as an opportunity to give adults a glimpse into her world and giving her friends a close up conversation with people in the arts, culture, technology and politics.

Rachel’s first episode features her interview with Anita McBride. We know her as First Lady Laura Bush’s chief of staff, but on 9/11 she was a special assistant for White House Management. She takes Rachel inside the challenges and the fears of the president’s staff while trying to maintain normal White House functions. Of course, nothing was normal after 9/11.

Her new website is located at www.voltainsider.com and you can subscribe to her podcast channel at https://audioboom.com/channel/volta-insider.

Filed Under: News, Volta Insider

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About White House Correspondents Insider

Exploring “behind the scenes” of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

We track the White House Correspondents’ weekend and all the activities around it, from journalists and media companies to the White House and politicos.

Tammy Haddad is Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief of WHC Insider and CEO of Haddad Media.

White House Correspondents Insider is not affiliated with or approved by the White House Correspondents’ Association, which is a registered trademark of the WHCA.

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