White House Correspondents Insider

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

2013 White House Correspondents Brunch Video

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The 2013 White House Correspondents’ Dinner and Annual Brunch are over, but it doesn’t stop you from giving to important organizations that need your support the Miss America Foundation for scholarships and CURE epilepsy for brain research. Retired Army Captain Pat Horan and his wife Patty received the Garden Brunch Heroes Award and WHCA President Ed Henry was presented with an award to salute 99 years of White House Correspondents. The Garden Brunch was a great opportunity for the Washington media to interact with charities, tech pioneers and bold-faced names that attended the dinner.

You can donate to Miss America Foundation and CURE from these links.

Darren Criss Took Over Bloomberg/Vanity Fair Afterparty In True Glee Fashion

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Daily Beast Bipartisan Brunch
Every year after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, folks wait around at their various after-parties for ‘that’ to happen. Sometimes it’s a wardrobe malfunction, other times griping about long lines or how traffic slows to a crawl between the Hilton and Embassy Row. But this year during the Bloomberg/Vanity Fair soiree at the French ambassador’s residence it involved “Glee,” a piano and a collection of A-list musical talent standing nearby.

As the party went on with guests like Barbra Streisand, Katy Perry, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the cast of House of Cards and Morena Baccarin we’re told people noticed a piano off to the side. Soon Glee’s Darren Criss sat down and played an impromtu and acoustic set of whatever happened to tickle his fancy on the ivories. Guests standing around joined him on a few tunes and it established the sort of urban legends that the White House Correspondents Weekend is famous for having.

Rounding Up The Day After White House Correspondents' Dinner: Spielberg's Obama, House of Nerds

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Now that everyone is waking up from their late nights after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and After Parties, we can reflect on the best things from yesterday aside from the Garden Brunch.

Then again, now that Corey Stoll may no longer be allowed inside the Beltway, maybe you should go back to nursing your hangover. The “House of Cards” star, among others including Morena Baccarin from “Homeland,” had some choice words about D.C. folks on the driveway of Beall-Washington yesterday.

The Daily Mail were on hand at the Hilton to get shots of “Downton Abbey” star Michelle Dockery and “The Newsroom”‘s Emily Mortimer. But it was the pre-roll tapes from last night’s dinner that almost overshadowed Conan O’Brien including the cameo from Daniel Day-Lewis in the ‘upcoming’ Steven Spielberg film “Obama:”

The best video of the night may come from the media-studded afair that was “House of Nerds,” a crossover between “House of Cards” and the White House Correspondents Association complete with White House cameos like Valerie Jarrett, Senator John McCain and especially the retweeting power of Buzzfeed’s Ben Smith.

Celebrating 20 Years: 2012 Garden Brunch

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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:

Fox News and their White House Correspondents' Dinner Friends

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Bret & Amy Baier with Susan Axelrod

A day before the festivites, the official line-up of Fox News’ table at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner has been unveiled.

Per Deadline, “X-Men: Days of Future Past” director Bryan Singer and writer/producer Simon Kinberg will attend with Bill O’Reilly, Geraldo Rivera, Bret Baier and “Milk” writer Dustin Lance Black.

Previously announced were Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen (“X-Men”), Tim Daly (“Private Practice”), Kevin McHale and Colton Haynes (“Glee”), Joesph Mazzello (“G.I. Joe: Retaliation”), Ryan Kwanten (“True Blood”) and JC Chasez (“So You Think You Can Dance”).

The dinner takes place tomorrow night at the historic Hilton in Dupont Circle and will be presided over by Conan O’Brien–who, by the way, is already at the gates of the White House.

Barbra Streisand Honored At Lincoln Center Before Correspondents Weekend

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Barbra Streisand ,Broadway star and second daughter to Washington, is on her way back to Washington. But first, she was honored earlier this week by the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 40th annual gala awarding her the Chaplin Award.

On the New York Times‘ Arts Beat, Streisand was honored by a selection of New York, Washington and Hollywood at the annual gala. Introduced by her longtime friend and former President Bill Clinton, Steisand’s ceremony featured performances from Tony Bennett and Liza Minnelli recreating some of the Funny Girl’s greatest hits.

Of course, the ceremony was a precursor to the bigger news of the week–that she’ll be headed down to Washington as a guest of Bloomberg during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.The Post quotes itself from 1993 when it reminds us why Steisand is such an iconic figure:

“Now, where is Barbra Streisand?” asked Wolf Blitzer, CNN’s senior White House reporter. “I mean, let’s get our priorities straight.”

Passing by Cabinet secretaries and administration officials, Blitzer beelined for the center of the room, where Streisand was conferring with Gen. Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about homosexuals in the military. “I’ve been a great fan of yours all my life,” offered Blitzer, who then found himself in an intense political discussion with the diva.

And why not? Streisand, elegant in an off-the-shoulder cream gown, pearls and diamonds, has impressive political credentials: Let’s see … she’s played an activist in more than one movie, raised a bunch of money for Bill Clinton and, she remembered, “I sang for President Kennedy 30 years ago” at this very event. “That’s why I was so excited to come as a guest tonight.” Streisand, escorted by producer Richard Baskin, was a guest of Newsweek.

As for what the Chaplin Award means, Lincoln Center explained in a previous statement:

“The Film Society’s Annual Gala began in 1972 and honored Charlie Chaplin – who returned to the US from exile to accept the commendation. Other honorees include many of the film industry’s most notable talents, including Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Michael Douglas, Sidney Poitier, and most recently Catherine Deneuve.”

Celebrating the 20th Annual White House Garden Brunch

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This year marks the 99th Anniversary of the White House Correspondents Association’s Annual Dinner, which means our Annual Garden Brunch is 20 years old! Our brunch goes back to a time when White House Correspondents Weekend meant only a dinner and no time for old friends to meet with new ones before convening at the Washington Hilton.

Originally held at the Palisades home of Haddad Media CEO and veteran Washington TV executive Tammy Haddad, the brunch has since moved to the historic Beall-Washington House in Georgetown. Over the years the brunch has been co-presented and honored such prestigious organizations like CURE epilepsy, The White Ribbon Foundation and this year The Miss America Foundation. Co-hosts include a bi-partisan list of media and political notables including Hilary Rosen, Alex Castellanos, Steve McMahon, Kevin Sheekey, Anita Dunn, Bill Knapp, David Adler, Mark Ein, Franco Nuschese and now Steve and Jean Case. The Brunch provides the first time that many new faces for Correspondents’ Weekend meet their dinner sponsors.

Barbra Streisand attended the first brunch along with Tim Russert, former Bush 41 White House aide Anna Perez and a bunch of reporters. There are too many famous friends who have attended to list here. Take a look at last year’s video below:

The Brunch is an essential kick-off for the day’s festivities, which will continue into the night when Conan O’Brien introduced President Barack Obama at the dinner.

PR Firm asks Politico's Mike Allen "Are You Media?"

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Politico's Mike Allen recording the program
edit: Yes, in the original we said “Mike Ryan.” It’s because we were reading HuffPost Entertainment.

This seems to be too crazy even for the week leading up to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday. Politico reports that the actual White House Correspondents’ Association overnighted a trademark lawsuit to GBK Productions (which Politico provides here). The source of the lawsuit? A gifting suite that GBK is co-partnering with The Creative Coalition that’s called “GBK & The Creative Coalition White House Correspondence [sic] Weekend Gift Lounge.”

This goes against the trademark of the WHCA and gives visiting celebs the false impression that their dinner hosts would be providing free swag from “the St. Regis Bora Bora, Made by Survivors handmade jewelry, Lovelinks by Aagaard jewelry, EyeWalker Elements Aromatic Botanical Alchemy (a.k.a.., perfume) , Jorg Gray watches ‘and more'” according to today’s Playbook.

To further dig a knife into the wound, when Mike Allen tried to inquire further he was met with the age-old response given to online journos since 2004: “Are you media?” And given the always charming response from another GBK representative: “If you’d like to RSVP, follow the instructions on the email. Any other questions, we have no comment.”

It seems silly that a gifting firm wouldn’t look into possible legal issues if they name themselves after the weekend festivities they’re attending. Even sillier is asking whether or not a company like Politico are press. Maybe Tom Brokaw wasn’t wrong when he took the encroaching celebrity aspect of the dinner to task? Or maybe it’s far too late as our annual fete for journalists–now the worst ranked job of 2013–comes calling.

POLITICO Scores With Bradley Cooper at Allbritton White House Correspondents Sunday Brunch

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George Clooney and Barbara Walters

Big News on the White House Correspondents Weekend Soiree front. In a release from Politico this morning, eyes widen and hearts raced with the name Bradley Cooper in the final paragraph. The Georgetown graduate who once worked at Cafe Milano is expected as a guest, so is top White House aide Alyssa Mastromonaco at the Sunday Allbritton brunch. Lucky Lady.

Here is Politico’s rundown.

POLITICO ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR 2013 WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER

Below are details on POLITICO’s coverage and involvement with this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner – beginning Friday with the release of POLITICO’s must-read WHCD guide and culminating on Sunday with the annual Allbritton-POLITICO Garden Brunch.

FRIDAY, APRIL 26:

WHCD GUIDE – Celebrity Politics: The Lines Blur Between Hollywood and D.C.
This annual magazine edition of POLITICO offers influential dinner attendees and readers alike a sneak peek inside Washington’s biggest weekend. The ultimate guide includes an exclusive interview with comedian and dinner headliner Conan O’Brien, an introduction to the WHCA board, profiles of scholarship and award winners, a look behind the scenes of the Washington Hilton and more. Nearly 40,000 copies of the magazine will be distributed around Washington including at more than 100 Starbucks locations. Stories from the magazine will also be available here.

WATCH LIVE: WHCA SCHOLARSHIP LUNCH – The White House Correspondents’ Association will honor its scholarship recipients at a luncheon on Friday at 1 p.m. POLITICO will livestream the luncheon’s panel discussion with the winners. Watch the event at POLITICO.com/live.

‘THE SCRUM’ PODCAST – POLITICO reporters will preview the weekend’s festivities, examine key moments from past dinners and analyze why Hollywood makes the pilgrimage to the nation’s capital each year in ‘The Scrum,’ POLITICO’s weekly podcast. Subscribe to each weekly installment of ‘The Scrum’ on iTunes.

SATURDAY, APRIL 27:

COMPLETE COVERAGE – As the one-stop destination for coverage of the WHCD weekend, POLITICO will have reporters at each of the biggest events, offering intel on everything from pre-dinner parties to late-night celebrations. Coverage will include live blogging, celebrity interviews, on-the-ground videos and must-see photo galleries. Get the latest in one click: POLITICO WHCD Complete Coverage.

WATCH LIVE: DINNER PROGRAM – Tune in to POLITICO to watch this year’s dinner, including red carpet arrivals, the president’s remarks and entertainment headlined by Conan O’Brien. Watch here: POLITICO.com/live.

POLITICO DINNER GUESTS – POLITICO is honored to host more than two dozen leading names in business at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Some guest highlights include: Marty Durbin, incoming CEO, ANGA; Steve Case, co-founder, AOL; Jim Cicconi, Executive Vice President, AT&T; Brian Moynihan, CEO, Bank of America; Don Baer, CEO, Burson-Marsteller; Tita Freeman, Executive Vice President, Business Roundtable; Clyde Tuggle, Senior Vice President, and Matt Echols, Vice President, Coca-Cola; Maria Pica Karp, Vice President and General Manger, Chevron; Lorenzo Simonelli, CEO, GE Transportation; Gary Cohn, COO, and John Rogers, Executive Vice President, Goldman Sachs; David Drummond, Senior Vice President, Google; James Murren, CEO, MGM Resorts; Mark Penn, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft; Wes Bush, CEO, Northrop Grumman; Peggy Johnson, Executive Vice President, Qualcomm; and Eric Spiegel, CEO, Siemens. Additionally, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck will be joining POLITICO.

SUNDAY, APRIL 28:

ALLBRITTON-POLITICO GARDEN BRUNCH – For the fourth consecutive year, POLITICO Publisher Robert Allbritton and his wife, Dr. Elena Allbritton, will open the doors of their Georgetown home for an exclusive, invitation-only brunch. Invited guests include: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), actress Kerry Washington, White House Social Secretary Jeremy Bernard, Hollywood couple Ed Burns and Christy Turlington Burns, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling and Allison Abner, actor Bradley Cooper, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, actor Daniel Day-Lewis, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, CBS President David Rhodes, Jordanian Ambassador Alia Bouran, British Ambassador Peter Westmacott.