White House Correspondents Insider
Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.
Former presidential candidate and NBC star Fred Thompson commented on former presidential hopeful and NBC star Donald Trump’s aborted bid for the GOP nomination saying it may have been a brilliant business decision. Trump got tons of publicity because of the move, he says, and stands to potentially receive an even bigger contract from NBC for the next season of his hit show The Apprentice. He also says that the financial disclosure that comes along with being a public figure may have been a significant deterrent for Trump. Read Ted Johnson’s full story from Variety.
When President Obama announced the death of Osama Bin-Laden, it was not only a historic moment in the fight against terror, it also was the last presidential address ever to be reenacted for the press. This practice has been commonplace for elected officials since the advent of public media and dates back to Harry Truman, who would repeat his radio addresses to the press. Check out the Associated Press’s full story here.
Seth Meyers is on the comedic roll of a lifetime. He played the White House Correspondents dinner like a veteran, poking fun at Washington biggies including President Obama himself.
Hours after this performance, the news about Bin-Laden’s death was released, which gave Meyers great material for his Saturday Night Live skit Weekend Update. Check out the clip below:
The American Bar Association has been sponsoring the Homeland Security Law Institute for the past five years. John Pistole, TSA Administrator and former asst FBI Counterterrorism Director, will give the final keynote address of the conference.
After tenure as the first General Counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, Joe Whitley, now of Greenberg Trauig, was approached by the American Bar Association (ABA) about developing a conference for homeland security law practitioners. The first Institute was held in 2005 and has been an annual event for the past six years. Each year the Institute has grown in attendance. Last year there were over 350 attendees. Of the attendees, approximately 40% were government lawyers (i.e., Federal, State and Local), 30% were from private corporations and 30% were in private practice. Previous speakers at the Institute have included Secretary Tom Ridge, Secretary Michael Chertoff, Attorney General John Ashcroft, Governor Frank Keating, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, Deputy Secretary David Martin, and other senior officials from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and the Department of Defense.
This year’s Institute will mark the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. The program will consist of a number of interesting and timely panels and breakout sessions that will focus on areas of concern, to include: Cybersecurity, Homeland Security Law Compliance, SAFETY Act issues, Transportation Security, Regulatory Developments, Immigration Issues, State & Local Government Preparedness and Responsibilities, Homeland Defense, Critical Infrastructure, International Issues spotlighting FCPA & Arms Export Control, Energy Security spotlighting on Utilities and the Smart Grid, Homeland Security Funding Opportunities, Law Enforcement for 2011, Natural Disasters, Communications regarding the Public Safety Spectrum, Financial Security, Private Sector and Security, Developments in Chemical and Hazardous Materials Security (CFATS) and the Role of Courts in Terrorism. Alejandro Mayorkas will be giving the opening keynote address with Admiral Thad Allen as the closing keynote speaker on the first day and Stewart Baker will be giving the opening keynote address on the second.
Whitley promises that this year will be the “best ever” and for additional information and to register online, please visit the website HERE.
Piers Morgan with Sarah Brown (wife of former UK PM Gordon Brown) and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of the World Bank
WHC Insider’s Tammy Haddad for the Huffington Post:
Dear Piers,
Don’t listen to the critics. If Larry King had given a thought to the naysayers back in 1985, he would have returned to radio after the first week. When we launched the show 25 years ago, no one liked the idea of an hour-long interview program.
Ted Turner figured out the advantage of television for long-form interviews. I remember the night Ted was our guest on the Larry King Radio Show, broadcast from the bowels of Mutual Radio headquarters in Crystal City, Virginia.
It was such a thrill to finally score the bigger-than-life media mogul and winner of America’s Cup. At the time, Larry King was an established radio host, but Turner saw the primetime potential.
The producers’ biggest fear switching to TV? How to go from three-hour interviews (one hour interview, two hours questions from listeners) to just one. Imagine that concept now? Good interviews don’t happen by accident, but are a complicated dance between interviewer and subject. The best interviews are ones where the audience doesn’t see the individual dance steps, but a sweeping verbal theater. You are the lead, the director and choreographer. You get people talking from their head and their heart.
People don’t just want to hear what their favorite stars have to say; they want to watch them squirm, fidget, freeze… and yes, sometimes cry. In your first week, you have shown your star guests to be real and relatable, abrupt and self satisfied, and sometimes fragile. I learned something about each one.
Ignore the critics who are stuck on the fact that you’re taping the interviews. The additional research, the ability to pluck out the most interesting bits, to weave together the complete package, is invaluable. You’re right to put your viewer’s interests first.
And for those that think the interviews should be shorter: Ross Perot didn’t announce he was running for president on Larry King Live until about 35 minutes into the show — and he changed an election.
Piers, thanks for crossing “the pond” to get some really big stars and headline newsmakers back on TV with all their foibles and follies. We are watching, tweeting and laughing along with you and the critics.
Tammy Haddad is President of Haddad Media and was one of the creators and executive producer of Larry King Live, and MSNBC’s former Washington VP.
The brunch is here and the pictures are in. Hundreds of journalists, pols, and celebrities have shown up to have a great time and support CURE and Mother’s Day Every Day.
We’ll be uploading pictures as they come in; take a look.
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For the past 18 years, the WHCD Garden Party has been where friends gather before one of the biggest nights in Washington. Each year the stories are unique and the guest list represent the best representation of the news and events of the moment. Last year’s garden brunch was held just a few months after the arrival of the new administration. The economic crisis was in full bloom and both the media and official Washington were all trying to figure out how adjust to the new realities. Hollywood was fascinated with the new political stars and the new political stars were still adjusting to being celebrities. Here is a look back.
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By Betsy Rothstein on Apr 21, 2010 04:19 PM
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner could potentially get really uncomfortable next weekend at the MSNBC tables, particularly if hosts Keith Olbermann and Donny Deutsch are in the mix of guests and stars.
Olbermann showed up to WHCA’s dinner last year — will he come again this year? Media insiders want to know: Will Griffin split the pair up, or will Olbermann refuse to sit with Deutsch if he attends? And who decides the seating chart? “Is Olbermann controlling the strings?” a media rep asked.
This week we’re compiling an Awkward Seating Chart for media folks around town. If you have input on potentially uncomfortable pairings, tell us about it. E-mail us at fishbowldc@mediabistro.com.
Deutsch is off the air this week, at least in part, we’re hearing, because Olbermann was furious about Deutsch floating a photograph of him while speaking of the Tea Partiers and “America the Angry.” President Phil Griffin was also reportedly angry and said as much to Deutsch and his producer, Gresham Striegel, who’s also off for the rest of the week.
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