White House Correspondents Insider

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

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.

Inside The 2009 Bloomberg | Vanity Fair After Party

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After the tour de force from President Obama, it didn’t seem like the night could be any more magical. But as guests walked up the circular drive for the Bloomberg | Vanity Fair after party at the French Ambassador’s residence, the magic continued. It was the ultimate insiders affair: no red carpet or paparazzi gauntlet, just Owen Wilson lounging near the front door talking quietly to a few Washington admirers.

With Donald Rumsfeld, who lives down the street, stopping by for a drink, it was a night, a location, and a crowd where anything could happen. Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Vanity Fair Editor Graydon Carter, joining party forces this year, welcomed the exclusive guests.

The brave captain of the Maresk Alabama, who offered his life in exchange for his mates, was Bloomberg’s special guest for the weekend. That followed getting the keys to New York City from Mayor Bloomberg the day before. Captain Richard Phillips shrugged off the compliments of celebrities (Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore) and politicos who lined up to shake his hand, but he did pose proudly with another real-life Captain America, Chesley Sullenberger, who safely piloted a US Airways jet onto the Hudson River.

Earlier in the day, Phillips and his wife, Andrea, met with President Obama in the Oval Office, after a private tour of the White House. The unflappable captain told Bloomberg it was an “honor to meet the President. He’s a very amazing man and he’s a very down-to-earth man.” His wife agreed, “It was very overwhelming, surreal to actually, be inside the Oval Office … I was so deeply excited to have met the President like that.”

After being introduced to the Commander-in-chief, Phillips admitted it was hard to get excited about meeting anyone else after being introduced to the Commander-in-Chief.
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