White House Correspondents Insider

Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

Serena Williams Aces Washington, On Court and Off

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Serena Williams played for the Washington Kastles last night, after after spending the afternoon at the White House.

She wowed the crowed, which included: NBC’s Betsy Fischer and Luke Russert, Bloomberg’s Al Hunt and Margaret Carlson, Newshour’s Judy Woodruff, Larry Summers from the White House NEC, and venture capitalist and Kastles’ co-founder Mark Ein (those are the Fenty boys next to Mark).

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And Serena showed everyone what they came to see — some great tennis. Serena won her Singles match 5-2 (against Marie Eve-Pelletier), she and Rennae Stubbs won their Doubles match 5-1, and Serena and Leander Paes ran away with the Mixed Doubles match 5-0.

RTCA Evening Picked up the Pace at MSNBC's Neon After-Party

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By Neil Grace and Catherine Hill

MSNBC threw a memorable Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner after-party that stood apart from parties past.  Held directly across the street from the main event at the Washington Convention Center, MSNBC turned the traditionally staid Historical Society of Washington, D.C. into a brightly-lit fete of themed cocktails, glowing neon necklaces and comfort food.

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As guests walked down the blue carpet entrance, we asked them the question of the night: are you a nerd or a jock? Politico’s Mike Allen said he was “all of the above!” and Patrick Gavin thought he was a hybrid of the two.  NBC’s Andrea Mitchell exclaimed she was a “total jock.” John “I’m a PC” Hodgman discussed the modern cultural divide at length during the dinner.

Inside the party, the scene downstairs included a Starbucks-sponsored coffee bar where guests ate ice cream sundaes and desserts.  From the main bar, guests walked outside to a large outdoor patio, where dance music had the party-goers on their feet for “Don’t Stop Believing.”  Faces and heads glowed in the light of neon necklaces and headbands.

Upstairs, special guest bartender Rachel Maddow was mixing up cocktails at her heavily-branded “Rachel Maddow’s Bar”– complete with MSNBC napkins and “Rachel’s Bar” menus.  Maddow’s signature cocktail was listed as a Hearst: a mix of gin, sweet vermouth and bitters (though she told us she actually served more of her cava drink, “Airmail” which mixed rum, fresh lime juice, honey and the bubbly cava on top).  Afterwards, Maddow relinquished her bar duties to catch up with Ana Marie Cox and John Hodgman.

Later in the night passed treats included mini-pancakes and mini-ham, bacon and cheese croissants.  As the bars began to close, guests went out back. Among the last to leave at 3:00 a.m. were MSNBC Morning Joe’s Willie Geist, Luke Russert and many of the cable network’s junior staffers.

Media heavy-hitters spotted at the party: Steve Capus, Tamron Hall, Norah O’Donnell, Contessa Brewer with Matt Ackland, Joe Scarborough with Mika Brzezinski, David Shuster, Carlos Watson, Chris Matthews, Lynn Sweet, Margaret Carlson, and Eugene Robinson.

Politicos rounded out the guest list, including Obama senior adviser David Axelrod, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Obama economic adviser Larry Summers, as well as Hilary Rosen, Alex Castellanos, Brad Dayspring, and Kevin Madden.

RTCA After-Party Talk: Thumbs Up for Comedian-in-Chief

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Move it to a Friday night (for the first time), bring a celebrity bartender to the after-party, and the night is guaranteed to go long. The Radio-TV Correspondents’ dinner festivities didn’t break until several hours after midnight.

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The MSNBC-thrown after-party, attended by Obama advisers David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, among others, had a different vibe than Fox’s fondly remembered 2004 disco affair: more cocktails and comfort-food. Contessa Brewer’s black dress, with its open back, was one of the more daring of the evening and drew admirers; her lengthy conversation with NBC News president Steve Capus had some guessing. The special drinks that Rachel Maddow was mixing up behind the bar — including her “signature cocktail” the Hearst (gin, sweet vermouth and bitters) — must have been potent: The last of the NBC junior staffers trickled out after 3 a.m.

U.S. President Obama attends the Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner in Washington.

Obama as Comedian-in-Chief

As for the dinner itself, the reviews are in: President Obama was pretty funny. Then again, it’s hard to know — it could be just another manifestation of that whole being-in-bed-with-the-press phenomenon that he poked fun at in his remarks last night. “Why bother hanging out with celebrities when I can spend time with people who make me one?” Obama said, comparing the RTCA event to the Hollywood celeb-studded White House Correspondents Association dinner in May.

Unlike the WHCD, there was no one line that everyone grabbed on to, but the papers, Twitterers and bloggers found plenty to like, although they appear to be tiring of his frequent jokes about chief of staff Rahm Emanuel’s colorful vocabulary. (Last night’s: “In Egypt, we had the opportunity to tour the pyramids. And by now, I’m sure you’ve all seen the pictures of Rahm on that camel. I admit, I was a little nervous about the whole situation. I said at the time, ‘This is a wild animal known to bite, kick and spit. And who knows what the camel could do.’ “) [Read more…]

Chaka Kahn Officially Kicks Off Washington Summer Season

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Chaka Kahn Performs in D.C.

Chaka Kahn Performs in D.C.

On a Washington day that threatened rain, legendary soul diva Chaka Khan brought sunshine and heat to the opening of the ninth season of Live! On Woodrow Wilson Plaza — Washington’s longest-running, free outdoor concert series. In front of a crowd of 400 loyal fans, Chaka performed her greatest hits for a 90-minute set, including: “Ain’t Nobody,” “Feel For You,” “I’m Every Woman,” “Tell Me Something Good,” and “Sweet Thing.”

Chaka, in a flowing purple dress and backed by a four-piece band and three back-up soul singers, came out to roaring applause from the crowd.  Dancing and grooving to her own songs, she kept the crowd on their feet, despite the heat. “It’s hot out there!” she shouted with her signature wide smile to the crowd. “I’m already brown, so I don’t need a tan!” The audience — including VIPs in a special tent set on risers with cold water — sang along to every song and die-hard fans brought out old records and images of the singer, including one fan with a purse made of laminated record covers.

The Live! On Woodrow Wilson Plaza series runs from June 3 through September 25, staged on the spacious Washington landmark, Woodrow Wilson Plaza at the entrance of the Ronald Reagan International Trade Building. Performances take place from noon until 1:30 p.m. (One exception: D.C. go-go legend Chuck Brown will take to the stage from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.)

Check out more photos from Chaka Kahn’s performance:

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Daily Mail Reports on Trudie and Sting's Eco-Extravagances

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 Sting’s eco-wacko wife charters private jet for flight to Obama dinner (The DM Headline)

Celebrities Arrive At The White House Correspondents Association Dinner In Washington DC. 4 of 6

Trudie flew her personal hairstylist from New York to Washington, DC for this? She could have gotten the same effect by sticking her head out the window of the cab on the way to the White House.
Our Green Hypocrite of the Week award goes to Trudie Styler, wife of rocker Sting.
Instead of flying commercial or taking the Amtrak Shuttle, she chartered a private jet to take her eight person entourage from New York to the White House Correspondents dinner in Washington, DC. Included in the entourage was Antonio Prieto, her personal hairstylist.

‘Yes, I do take planes,” Styler said haughtily. “My life is to travel and my life is also to speak out about the horrors of an environment that is being abused at the hands of oil companies.”

Sting and Trudie claim to be big proponents of saving the rainforests. She’s a co-founder of the Rainforest Foundation. In 2006, he organized a charity concert for the Foundation, but caught flak after donating a paltry 41% of the proceeds to rainforest programs.

But it’s tough to reconcile that concept with the fact that it’s been discovered that Mr & Mrs Sting “have a carbon footprint estimated at 30 times that of the average UK resident.”

Maybe this guy should change his name from Sting to Scam. Mr & Mrs Scam just seems so much more appropriate.

Source: DailyMail UK via Deceiver.com

BizBash: Behind the Scenes

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Correspondents’ Weekend Coverage: Bloomberg and Vanity Fair’s Exclusive Party, Atlantic Media’s Dinner, McLaughlin’s Brunch, and More

BizBash Goes Behind the Scenes Of White House Correspondents Weekend Events

BizBash Goes Behind the Scenes Of White House Correspondents Weekend Events

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As in years past, parties of every kind and color—from movie screenings to exhibit openings to hangover brunches—surrounded this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Here’s a wrap-up of the weekend’s attractions:

Bloomberg and Vanity Fair’s After-Party
Capitol File may have hosted the weekend’s biggest party, but the most exclusive honors went to Bloomberg LP and Vanity Fair, who hosted an impossible-to-get-into shindig for 250 on Saturday night. Taking over French ambassador Pierre Vimont’s turn-of-the-century home in Kalorama, the party drew big names from politics and Hollywood, among them Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Glenn Close, Eva Longoria, David Axelrod, Desiree Rogers, and the ubiquitous Captains Chesley Sullenberger and Richard Phillips. The party took over the mansion’s interior rooms with bars and buffets, and spilled out into the backyard, where the many trees were uplit in blue, pink, and green.

David Bradley’s Private Dinner
On Friday night, Atlantic Media owner David Bradley and his wife, Katherine Brittain Bradley, hosted an indoor cocktail reception followed by an outdoor seated dinner at their Embassy Row home. Sponsored by Toyota and Robert Mondavi Winery, the annual event was twice as large as last year, thus requiring for the first time a 40- by 40-foot HDO Productions tent, which Frost Lighting technicians draped with white rope lights.
[Read more…]

Lights, Camera: Corcoran – Capitol File WHCD Party Wrap-Up

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by Neil Grace

Niche Medias Jason Binn hosts Capitol Files WHCAD After Party - Inside

Capitol File billed its White House Correspondents Dinner after party as the evening’s “must attend” event, after Bloomberg combined forces with Vanity Fair for a trimmed down, ultra-exclusive, 300-invitation affair at the French Ambassador’s residence. Across town at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Niche Media’s Jason Binn (and Capitol File publisher) threw a larger fete in typical Binn-style aimed squarely at the younger Hollywood-meets-Washington crowd. [Read more…]

Capitol File Expands WHCD Party Lineup With Friday Night Movie Premiere

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So far, the news coming out of the White House Correspondent’s Association Dinner party-circuit has all been bleak: People has traded in its after-party in favor of a joint cocktail party with Time magazine the night before the event, and Bloomberg and Vanity Fair — traditionally two of the big power players on Saturday night — announced that they are merging their parties.

But Niche Media’s Capitol File magazine is about to buck that trend with the announcement of an entire weekend slate of events. In addition to their annual Saturday night after-party on May 9, the magazine is teaming up with the Creative Coalition on Friday night for a screening of the Creative Coalition’s “PoliWood” documentary (directed by Barry Levinson).

Sting and Anne Hathaway are among the stars expected to join the movie’s co-producers (and co-founders of the Creative Coalition) Tim Daly and Robin Bronk.

The next night, the magazine will host an after-party at the Corcoran Gallery of Art with a power guest list that includes President Obama’s Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers. Jarrett and Rogers appear on the cover of Capitol File’s summer issue, which comes out the same day as the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Other guests expected at that after-party include Hathaway and the Dinner’s official emcee, Wanda Sykes. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/21/emcapitol-fileem-expands_n_189656.html

Julia Louis-Dreyfus to Attend White House Correspondents Dinner

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18th Annual Environmental Media Awards

“I’d been invited to go in the past administration but I didn’t want to schlep all the way there for them,” Louis-Dreyfus tells CelebrityGossip.com. “But now I’m going and I cannot wait!” Click here for more.