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Celebrating 20 Years: 2012 Garden Brunch

April 27, 2013 By WHC Insider

Special Guests Tweet for a Cause

The 20th Annual Garden Brunch will kick off White House Correspondents Association’s weekend today. So we figured to honor our age–and wish the WHCA a happy 99th birthday–we’d look back at the last three years that lead up to where we are today.

Last year the gathering was once again held at the historic Beall-Washington House in Georgetown, graciously provided by Mark Ein. The brunch provided a bright spot to an otherwise cloudy day made better with the glittering collection of celebrities from Hollywood and Washington.

Lindsay Lohan’s arrival garnered special attention, as well as Elle Macpherson and Kerry Washington of the newly premiered show “Scandal.” Other special guests included Rosario Dawson, Kris Jenner, Johnny Galecki (“The Big Bang Theory”),
Chace Crawford and Matthew Morrison.

There was also a special appearance from Woody Harrelson, fresh off the HBO political drama “Game Change.” See below for video highlights:

Filed Under: 2012 WHCD, 2013 WHCD, Correspondents, DC Tagged With: 2012, Garden Brunch, Lindsay Lohan, Photos, Video, White House Correspondents Association

White House Correspondents' Dinner 2013 Celebrities and Tom Brokaw's Spite?

April 22, 2013 By WHC Insider

2010 WHC GARDEN BRUNCH

The Sunday after the 2012 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Tom Brokaw attacked his former Washington colleagues for frolicking with Hollywood stars like Kim Kardashian. Appearing on Meet The Press and in later interviews he criticized the culture of Washington journalism, but what does he think about the students who benefit from the journalism scholarships presented at the dinner? Let’s hope we hear from him on Morning Joe this week in the countdown to the dinner.

Here is The Wrap’s take:
“As Conan O’Brien readies for a second performance as host of the festivities, oft called the “Nerd Ball,” this year’s guest list includes Harvey Weinstein, Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Nicole Kidman, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Douglas, Paul Rudd and Michael J. Fox.

Once again, this year’s dinner will cement Washington’s annual turn as Tinseltown on the Potomac, the main event in a weekend of social activities that includes not only the dinner itself, but cocktail parties, lunches, brunches and related dinners. The dinner will feature not only a funny speech by a top comedian, but a funny one by the President of the United States. This year the correspondents’ dinner will be televised on both MSNBC and C-SPAN.

In recent years the dinner, which raises money for journalism scholarships, has grown from a one-night event into a weekend that represents the height of the Washington social season and combines the crème of the Washington political set with Hollywood.

Vanity Fair and Bloomberg sponsor one after dinner party, while Atlantic owner David and Katherine Bradley sponsor a Friday night dinner in just a few of the events.

As before the stars will be plentiful this year.

Tina Brown is bringing Weinstein and Kidman on behalf of Newsweek and the Daily Beast. Her other Hollywood-oriented guests include Barry Diller, “The Newsroom’s” Olivia Munn and Joel Kinnaman of “The Killing.”

Time and Fortune are bringing Spielberg and Katzenberg as well as Julia Louis-Dreyfus and husband Brad Hall, and Olympics gymnast Gabby Douglas.

CNN, meanwhile, is hosting Banks, Rudd, Navid Negahban and Justin Bartha as well as University of Louisville guard Kevin Ware, who broke his foot in the March Madness college basketball finals.

Also read: Conan O’Brien Returns As Host of White House Correspondents Dinner

Arianna Huffington’s Huffington Post/AOL guests include Jon Bon Jovi, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Shaquille O’Neal, M.C. Hammer and super angel investor Ron Conway.

ABC News’ guests include “Modern Family” stars Sofia Vergara, Eric Stonestreet, Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen; “Nashville’s” Connie Britton, Hayden Panettiere and Charles Esten; and Shonda Rhimes, Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn of “Scandal.”

At CBS News, the guests include Claire Danes from Showtime’s “Homeland” and Daniel Dae Kim from “Hawaii Five-0.” Ryan Zimmerman of Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals and celebrity chef José Andrés.

NBC News is bringing Michael Douglas (who voices the introduction of NBC’s “Nightly News”), Fox (who will star in an NBC comedy series next year loosely about his life), his wife Tracy Pollan and Matthew Perry, star of the network’s “Go On” series.

USA Today is bringing Courtney Cox, Kristin Chenoweth, Kate Walsh and Josh Gad.

The media outlets inviting Hollywood guests bring them to compliment more traditional Washington and their business guests.

CBS for instance is bringing several congressmen and retired Admiral Mike Mullet, former chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff. NBC’s other guests include members of the Federal Communications Commission, several senators and congressmen and several present and former White House officials.

Even as the event attracts glamor, it regularly attracts two kinds of criticism. Some question whether it replaces the picture of an adversarial and always questioning Fourth Estate with one in which reporters appear too chummy with the public officials they cover. Other critics point to the dinner’s Hollywood element and question whether raising reporters’ celebrity quotient hurts the press’s image with the public.

Last year The Washington Post’s Reliable Source column called the event, “decadent and depraved. It is elitist and shallow, smug and insidery, a three-day orgy of corporate preening and celebrity suck-up so far removed from its earnest D.C. journalism roots as to be completely meaningless.”

The column immediately dismissed its own criticism, suggesting the event was unchangeable, “so make the best of it.”

Other critics have been less sanguine. Jay Rosen, commenting on a decline in public confidence in the press showcased in a Gallup poll last year, called the dinner “ground zero” of concerns that the press is becoming part of the power structure.

“The glamorization of journalism after Watergate, combined with the influence of celebrity within the news tribe, plus the growing concentration of media ownership in a few large companies that themselves seek influence, [has] made mockery of the journalist as a courageous truthteller standing outside the halls of power,” Rosen wrote, saying all those concerns are on “vivid display” at the correspondents’ dinner.

Brokaw raised his concerns immediately after last year’s dinner. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, he suggested the celebrities’ glamour disserves the media — increasing concerns the public has about “mainstream media” not fulfilling its traditional independent role.

“If there’s ever an event that separates the press from the people that they are supposed to serve, symbolically, it is that one,” said Brokaw. “It is time to rethink it.”

“I think George Clooney is a great guy. I would like to meet Charlize Theron. I don’t think the big press event in Washington should be that kind of glittering event where the whole talk is about Cristal champagne, taking over the Italian embassy, who had the best party, who got to meet the most people.

“That’s another separation between what we’re supposed to be doing and what the people expect us to be doing, and I think the Washington press corps has to look at that. It’s gone beyond what it needs to be,” Brokaw added.

Defenders of the dinner dismiss the criticisms suggesting that Washington reporters oft fierce and skeptical questioning of public officials hardly belies a press that has become part of the power structure. Instead they picture the dinner as a one night truce between the parties in 364 ¾ days of sustained conflict, a truce to raise money for a worthy cause.

Brokaw’s comments got an immediate push back last year from the correspondents’ group president Ed Henry, who noted in a radio interview that the event raised $100,000 for scholarships and that the Italian embassy event Brokaw mentioned was sponsored by Brokaw’s own MSNBC, not the correspondents association.

“I do think that there are challenges … that it sometimes looks too much like a celebrity fest and we have to do things to make sure that that doesn’t overshadow it, but we give a lot of money to needy students who are the next generation of journalists so there is a balance there,” said Henry.

Filed Under: 2012 WHCD, Correspondents, News Tagged With: Barry Diller, Bloomberg, Ed Henry, Harvey Weinstein, House of Cards, Morning Joe, Nicole Kidman, Tina Brown, Tom Brokaw, Vanity Fair, White House Correspondents' Dinner. Kim Kardashian

Rosario Responds to Brokaw and Defends Celebs at WHCD

May 10, 2012 By WHC Insider

On Sunday, NBC’s Tom Brokaw chastized the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Meet the Press by saying:

“…if there’s ever an event that separates the press from the people that they’re supposed to serve symbolically, it is that one.  It is time to rethink it… I don’t think the big press event in Washington should be that kind of glittering event where the whole talk about is Cristal champagne, taking over the Italian Embassy, who had the best party, who got to meet the most people.  That’s another separation between what we’re supposed to be doing and what the people expect us to be doing.  And I think that the Washington Press Corps has to look at that.  And by the way, I’m a charter member of the White House Correspondents Association.  I was there early on and often, and often enjoyed it.  But it’s gone beyond what it needs to be.”

Politico talked to actress and activist Rosario Dawson (MIB II, Sin City) who talked about how guests “aren’t just showing up on their own.  They’re being invited and they’re guests.” More importantly, they “are very much civically participatory.”  The WHCD serves as an opportunity for cause-driven celebrities to get in front of influential lawmakers and media personalities which may not occur otherwise.

Dawson herself is a spokeswoman for Amtrak’s National Train Day and co-founded an advocacy group, Voto Latino, which empowers Latinos to get involved politically.  In addition to attending the dinner, Dawson also is a regular attendee of the WHC Garden Brunch and this year jumped on stage with Willie Geist and Elle Macpherson and helped give away Jawbone Jamboxes to CURE Epilepsy and White Ribbon Alliance donors.

Filed Under: 2012 WHCD Tagged With: Politico, Rosario Dawson, Tom Brokaw, WHCD 2012

Jimmy Kimmel Calls White House Correspondents' Dinner "Cannibalism"

May 9, 2012 By Tammy Haddad

Ted Johnson from Variety and their DC web site WilshireandWashington, got the first interview with ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel assessing his performance at the 2012 White House Correspondents Dinner.  Kimmel called the practice of journalists inviting stars like Lindsay Lohan and the Kardashians to the dinner and then making negative comments about them attending “cannibalism.”  He went on to say the room was difficult, like being “20,000 leagues under the sea.”

The assessment of Kimmel from attendees was that his jokes were too many and that he was just reading them.  Kimmel tells Variety that the president and first lady told him he did well.  Read the rest of Ted Johnson’s interview here.

Filed Under: 2012 WHCD Tagged With: Jimmy Kimmel, Variety, WHCD 2012

2nd Annual White House Correspondents’ Awards

May 7, 2012 By Tammy Haddad

WHCInsider.com presents the second annual WHC Weekend Insider Awards to highlight the great deeds of the famous and infamous who came to Washington to party, schmooze, and most importantly – be seen – at the events surrounding the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

It’s the biggest weekend in Washington, second only perhaps to Inauguration, which you clever kids know from civics class only comes once every four years (and without as many brunches).

Best Magician: Woody Harrelson who entertained young and old with his magical card tricks in Mark Ein’s backyard during the WH Correspondents’ Garden Brunch.

Greatest Act of Kindness: Lindsay Lohan delighting 10 year-old David Greenberg by telling him that she has Herbie (a Volkswagen Beetle aka “the Love Bug”) in her garage and he could drive it.

Not Represented by Bob Barnett: To the most successful and famous celebrity who is not on Bob Barnett’s client list, yet.  Elle Macpherson, entrepreneur, supermodel, and host of NBC’s Fashion Star.


Triple Threat: All the Emanuels – Mayor Rahm, Ari and Zeke at the Bloomberg Vanity Fair After Party.

Biggest IMDb Coincidence Award: Lindsay Lohan and Ali Wentworth, who both starred in Herbie the magical Volkswagen Bug movies (Herbie Fully Loaded and Disney’s The Love Bug, respectively), on opposite sides of the lawn at the Garden Brunch.

Best Unplanned Introduction: Comedy hit-maker Judd Apatow told the New York Times that meeting Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google, “It was like meeting the person who created fire.”

WHCA DINNER Alicia Keys, Harvey Weinstein

Most Gracious: Alicia Keys happily posed with admiring fans who told her that her music touched their lives.  She even snapped her own fan photo with Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

Most Popular Human Rights Advocate: Rhodes scholar and WH advisor Ronan Farrow (son of Mia Farrow & Woody Allen). Ronan, don’t leave town!

Best Partier: George Clooney, who not only talked to everyone who approached him during all the festivities, but lasted until after 4:00 AM at the Bloomberg/ Vanity Fair After Party.

George Clooney Award: for the guy having the best time: Creative Artists Agency Executive Michael Kives because not only does he know everyone, he was also rolling with the beautiful and entertaining Kates – Sports Illustrated cover girl Kate Upton and silver screen star, Kate Hudson.

Biggest Sports Mash-Up: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo talking XXXs and OOOs with Giants fan actor Daniel Radcliffe.

Favorite new WHCD Posse: Techies – Dick Costolo and Jack Dorsey from Twitter, Chamath Palihapitiya of Social +Capital Partnership, Hosain Rahman of Jawbone, Dennis Crowley of Foursquare, Mark Pincus of Zynga, Ali Pincus of One Kings Lane, and Brad Keywell, co-founder of Groupon.

Toughest job: Willie Geist having to work closely with Elle Macpherson and Rosario Dawson presenting super-hot Jamboxes to CURE Epilepsy & The White Ribbon Alliance donors.

Most Excited To Have Back In Town: Savannah Guthrie – is there anyone more respected or liked than this TODAY show co-host?

Best Repeat outfit: Politico’s Patrick Gavin who didn’t disappoint fans of his pink Argyle pants.

Best Liked Siblings: Georgetown Cupcakes’ Katherine Kallinis & Sophie LaMontagne for donating 1,800 delicious mini-cupcakes in support of CURE and the White Ribbon Alliance. Their generosity is endless and inspiring – have you heard of Operation Cupcake? They airlift cupcakes to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan every year!


Most Missed: Christopher Hitchens

Filed Under: 2012 WHCD Tagged With: DIck Costolo, Elle Macpherson, George Clooney, Lindsay Lohan, White House Correspondents Dinner

More from the 2012 WHC Garden Brunch: Pics, Press & Perez

May 2, 2012 By WHC Insider

Here are more fabulous pics of the 2012 Garden Brunch guests and events.  It was such a magical day and the outpouring of support for CURE Epilepsy and The White Ribbon Alliance has been fantastic!

In addition, the press coverage has gone bi-coastal, with stories from Perez Hilton, The Hollywood Reporter, E! Online, Politico, The Huffington Post, The Hill and The Washington Post!

Filed Under: 2012 WHCD Tagged With: CURE Epilepsy, Perez Hilton, Politico, White Ribbon Alliance

Bloomberg & Vanity Fair Do It Again!

April 30, 2012 By WHC Insider

The most exclusive party of the White House Correspondents’ Weekend is the Bloomberg/Vanity Fair After Party.  Back at the French Ambassador’s residence again this year, guests walked by the front lawn covered in tiny multi-colored lights.  New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was seen talking with Hollywood A-listers including George Clooney, Reese Witherspoon, Charlize Theron, Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan, Kyle MacLachlan and his wife producer Desiree Gruber, Goldie Hawn, and Kate Hudson.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre and his beautiful wife Sophie welcomed partygoers and bold faced names dominated the rooms. Media toppers included Barbara Walters and David Gregory, Obama notables were David and Susan Axelrod (talking to Ivanka Trump), White House staffers Jay Carney and Alyssa Mastromonaco and Obama Campaign Communications Director Stephanie Cutter. The republican were represented by Ben Ginsberg and Meghan McCain to name a few. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel seemed happy to be back in DC for an evening.

Judd Apatow and his wife actress Leslie Mann, looked shocked to meet Eric Schmidt, the Executive Chairman of Google.

It was another big night for Uggie the dog from “The Artist” who missed the actual WH Correspondents’ Dinner, but was getting lots of love at the Bloomberg/Vanity Fair gala. Goldie Hawn snuggled up with the pup in one of the best moments of the late night gathering.

Guests relaxed, some even kicking off their shoes after a long night of formal speeches and dinner, as the party went on until the early hours of Sunday.  A crowd formed around Ronan Farrow, the son of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow and his friend Obama joke writer, now Hollywood writer, Jon Lovett.

Daniel Radcliffe and Dane DeHaan were chatting with Graydon Carter, Chris Matthews, Salman Rushdie, Kate Upton and Reggie Love.

In the wee hours of the morning Clooney was still talking to friends Kate Hudson, Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann while some politicos just looked on. One media executive was overheard saying at 3am, “I have a rule, I don’t leave if George Clooney is still there.”  That executive left at 3:45am and George Clooney was still there.

Filed Under: 2012 WHCD Tagged With: Barbara Walters, George Clooney, Goldie Hawn, Jay Carney, Kate Hudson, Michael Bloomberg, Rahm Emanuel, Reese Witherspoon, Uggie

VIDEO: 19th Annual WHC Garden Brunch

April 30, 2012 By WHC Insider

The WHC Garden Brunch celebrates it’s 19th year and honored Susan Axelrod and Steve & Jean Case.  Watch Elle Macpherson, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Governor Haley Barbour, Kerry Washington, Danny Strong, Rosario Dawson, Hilary Rosen, Willie Geist, Alex Castellanos, Brad Keywell, Meghan McCain, Ed Henry, Danielle Panabaker, and David Axelrod talk about CURE Epilepsy and The White Ribbon Alliance.

Filed Under: 2012 WHCD, Causes Tagged With: CURE Epilepsy, WHC Garden Brunch, White Ribbon Alliance

Tech Leaders + White House Correspondents’ Weekend

April 30, 2012 By WHC Insider

The New York Times’ media mogul and columnist, David Carr, chronicled the arrival of tech leaders at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, quoting one of today’s greatest film producer/directors, Judd Apatow, who likened meeting Google’s Eric was like meeting the man who invented fire.

Garden Brunch guests were gawking at the All-Star Tech lineup including Hosain Rahman, CEO of Jawbone (and a CURE Epilepsy supporter who donated Jamboxes that were given away to top donors), Dick Costolo, Twitter CEO, Brad Keywell, co-founder of Groupon, Chamath Palihapitiya and Brigette Lau, of Social+Capital Partnership, Mark Pincus, CEO of Zynga and his wife Ali, co-founder of One Kings Lane, Dennis Crowley, co-founder of Foursquare and Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post.

Brunch co-host Hilary Rosen said it best before an award was presented to Steve and Jean Case of the Case Foundation, which is a partner in Startup America, that “this audience is filled with people who are on the cutting edge of innovation, policy, philanthropy and charity.”

Read the rest of David Carr’s take on the Brunch, the dinner, and the Bloomberg Vanity Fair After Party here.

Filed Under: 2012 WHCD Tagged With: David Carr, Judd Aptatow, Tech, WHC Brunch, White House Correspondents’ Weekend

White House Correspondents’ Dinner Surprise: Daniel Radcliffe

April 29, 2012 By WHC Insider

Daniel Radcliffe and Bloomberg's Peter Cook

Mega star Daniel Radcliffe was Bloomberg’s guest at the correspondents’ dinner.  He talked with Obama’s former top aide Reggie Love, Steve Ricchetti and Evan Ryan, from the Vice President’s office and Bloomberg LP CEO Dan Doctoroff at their pre-reception.  Radcliffe fans screamed with joy as he arrived with his co-star Dane DeHaan from the production, “Kill Your Darlings.”

Other Bloomberg guests were Kevin Spacey, Alicia Keys, Elle Macpherson, Kerry Washington, Sports Illustrated cover girl Kate Upton, actress/singer Malin Ackerman, plus Kyle McLachlan and Desiree Gruber.

Tech CEOS were well represented at Bloomberg tables, including Hosain Rahman from Jawbone, Chamath Palihapitiya, formerly of Facebook, and Brad Keywell, co-founder of Groupon.

Filed Under: 2012 WHCD Tagged With: Bloomberg, Daniel Radcliffe, Peter Cook, President Obama

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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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