White House Correspondents Insider
Behind the scenes of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano at the Garden Brunch
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said the White House press corps “serves a function” and that getting rid of it, as some have suggested, “would be wrong.” Napolitano was at the Pre-Dinner Garden Brunch.
Both People and DC Modern Luxury magazine threw pre-WHCD receptions tonight, the eve of the big dinner itself tomorrow night. At the St. Regis Hotel, just blocks away from the White House, the old world elegance of the venue provided a warm atmosphere for the People bash, which was packed nearly wall-to-wall. Hotel staff in tuxes passed drinks and hors d’oeuvres among the several hundred guests, who included actor Kevin Bacon and musician Ludacris. TV news personalities also filled the room, such as CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, ABC News’ Ann Compton, NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell and Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren. The mood was relaxed and festive.
A couple miles away, on Washington’s famed Embassy Row, DC Modern Luxury magazine hosted a reception in the 
extremely modern digs of the Finnish Embassy. Pale wood and glass and steel abounded as a capacity crowd of mostly younger guests mixed and mingled. Spotted among the faces was CNN’s Ed Henry and Suzanne Malvaux. A DJ played a mix of house music for dancers, whose numbers increased as the evening grew later.
Capt. Richard Phillips of the Alabama Maersk
Captain Richard Phillips and his wife Andrea will attend the White House Correspondents Dinner as guests of Bloomberg. Phillips, who was held hostage by Somali pirates along with his crew just weeks ago, will be among the more prominent guests at this year’s correspondents dinner — definitely one of the big “gets” for 2009.
Many previous presidents have turned to outside comedy pros to help liven up their speech to the White House Correspondents Dinner, but Newsweek is reporting that Barack Obama is relying as usual on his closest aides and staff.
Kate Mulgrew, in town for "Politics on Film" festival.
“Politics on Film,” Washington’s first political film festival, debuts tonight with a downtown rooftop party just as the city gears up for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“We didn’t plan that on purpose,” says Gayle Osterberg, a festival co-founder. “But there certainly is some perfectly delightful synergy there.”
With all the Hollywood stars in town for the dinner, it seems a good fit to have a film festival underway. “We’re excited to have screenings going on all through the big party weekend,” Osterberg adds.
The fest will have its own stars in attendance — Kate Mulgrew (“Star Trek: Voyager”), Aasif Mandvi (“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”) and Peter Riegert (“Animal House,” “The Sopranos”). The three actors star in one of the festival’s featured films, “The Response.”
Festival schedule here.
The original Wonkette Ana Marie Cox, now of the TheDailyBeast and Air America and author of a provocative piece about the White House press corps, talks with ABCNews’ Web anchor and noted author Rick Klein about what to wear for Saturday night’s WHCD and handicaps chances of getting into different after parties.
Alaskan Governor’s Spokeswoman Won’t Confirm
Us magazine reported the former GOP vice presidential nominee will be attending this year’s dinner, but when asked by the Anchorage Daily News to confirm, Palin spokeswoman Meg Stapleton would only say:
“The governor may be on the East Coast this weekend to attend state events and meetings. If she is there, the governor may accept one of the standing invitations for dinner.”
What do you think? Should she attend? Let us know in a comment.
TomKat and two-time Oscar winner Robert DeNiro will be among the famous faces at the dinner, the Washington Post reports. For more, plus some details on the exclusive Vanity Fair-Bloomberg after-party, click here.
Kara DioGuardi, the newest judge on “American Idol,” will be a guest of National Music Publishers’ Assn. president David Israelite for the correspondents’ dinner, WHCInsider has learned.
And Jason Wu, who designed the gown Michelle Obama wore to inaugural balls last January, will be a guest of the Wall Street Journal.
Getting ready for the pre-dinner brunch.
Preparations are underway for all sorts of events related to the WHCD. Check out what Politico has to say about them all here.
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