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White House Correspondents' Dinner 2013 Celebrities and Tom Brokaw's Spite?

April 22, 2013 By WHC Insider

2010 WHC GARDEN BRUNCH

The Sunday after the 2012 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Tom Brokaw attacked his former Washington colleagues for frolicking with Hollywood stars like Kim Kardashian. Appearing on Meet The Press and in later interviews he criticized the culture of Washington journalism, but what does he think about the students who benefit from the journalism scholarships presented at the dinner? Let’s hope we hear from him on Morning Joe this week in the countdown to the dinner.

Here is The Wrap’s take:
“As Conan O’Brien readies for a second performance as host of the festivities, oft called the “Nerd Ball,” this year’s guest list includes Harvey Weinstein, Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Nicole Kidman, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Douglas, Paul Rudd and Michael J. Fox.

Once again, this year’s dinner will cement Washington’s annual turn as Tinseltown on the Potomac, the main event in a weekend of social activities that includes not only the dinner itself, but cocktail parties, lunches, brunches and related dinners. The dinner will feature not only a funny speech by a top comedian, but a funny one by the President of the United States. This year the correspondents’ dinner will be televised on both MSNBC and C-SPAN.

In recent years the dinner, which raises money for journalism scholarships, has grown from a one-night event into a weekend that represents the height of the Washington social season and combines the crème of the Washington political set with Hollywood.

Vanity Fair and Bloomberg sponsor one after dinner party, while Atlantic owner David and Katherine Bradley sponsor a Friday night dinner in just a few of the events.

As before the stars will be plentiful this year.

Tina Brown is bringing Weinstein and Kidman on behalf of Newsweek and the Daily Beast. Her other Hollywood-oriented guests include Barry Diller, “The Newsroom’s” Olivia Munn and Joel Kinnaman of “The Killing.”

Time and Fortune are bringing Spielberg and Katzenberg as well as Julia Louis-Dreyfus and husband Brad Hall, and Olympics gymnast Gabby Douglas.

CNN, meanwhile, is hosting Banks, Rudd, Navid Negahban and Justin Bartha as well as University of Louisville guard Kevin Ware, who broke his foot in the March Madness college basketball finals.

Also read: Conan O’Brien Returns As Host of White House Correspondents Dinner

Arianna Huffington’s Huffington Post/AOL guests include Jon Bon Jovi, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Shaquille O’Neal, M.C. Hammer and super angel investor Ron Conway.

ABC News’ guests include “Modern Family” stars Sofia Vergara, Eric Stonestreet, Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen; “Nashville’s” Connie Britton, Hayden Panettiere and Charles Esten; and Shonda Rhimes, Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn of “Scandal.”

At CBS News, the guests include Claire Danes from Showtime’s “Homeland” and Daniel Dae Kim from “Hawaii Five-0.” Ryan Zimmerman of Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals and celebrity chef José Andrés.

NBC News is bringing Michael Douglas (who voices the introduction of NBC’s “Nightly News”), Fox (who will star in an NBC comedy series next year loosely about his life), his wife Tracy Pollan and Matthew Perry, star of the network’s “Go On” series.

USA Today is bringing Courtney Cox, Kristin Chenoweth, Kate Walsh and Josh Gad.

The media outlets inviting Hollywood guests bring them to compliment more traditional Washington and their business guests.

CBS for instance is bringing several congressmen and retired Admiral Mike Mullet, former chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff. NBC’s other guests include members of the Federal Communications Commission, several senators and congressmen and several present and former White House officials.

Even as the event attracts glamor, it regularly attracts two kinds of criticism. Some question whether it replaces the picture of an adversarial and always questioning Fourth Estate with one in which reporters appear too chummy with the public officials they cover. Other critics point to the dinner’s Hollywood element and question whether raising reporters’ celebrity quotient hurts the press’s image with the public.

Last year The Washington Post’s Reliable Source column called the event, “decadent and depraved. It is elitist and shallow, smug and insidery, a three-day orgy of corporate preening and celebrity suck-up so far removed from its earnest D.C. journalism roots as to be completely meaningless.”

The column immediately dismissed its own criticism, suggesting the event was unchangeable, “so make the best of it.”

Other critics have been less sanguine. Jay Rosen, commenting on a decline in public confidence in the press showcased in a Gallup poll last year, called the dinner “ground zero” of concerns that the press is becoming part of the power structure.

“The glamorization of journalism after Watergate, combined with the influence of celebrity within the news tribe, plus the growing concentration of media ownership in a few large companies that themselves seek influence, [has] made mockery of the journalist as a courageous truthteller standing outside the halls of power,” Rosen wrote, saying all those concerns are on “vivid display” at the correspondents’ dinner.

Brokaw raised his concerns immediately after last year’s dinner. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, he suggested the celebrities’ glamour disserves the media — increasing concerns the public has about “mainstream media” not fulfilling its traditional independent role.

“If there’s ever an event that separates the press from the people that they are supposed to serve, symbolically, it is that one,” said Brokaw. “It is time to rethink it.”

“I think George Clooney is a great guy. I would like to meet Charlize Theron. I don’t think the big press event in Washington should be that kind of glittering event where the whole talk is about Cristal champagne, taking over the Italian embassy, who had the best party, who got to meet the most people.

“That’s another separation between what we’re supposed to be doing and what the people expect us to be doing, and I think the Washington press corps has to look at that. It’s gone beyond what it needs to be,” Brokaw added.

Defenders of the dinner dismiss the criticisms suggesting that Washington reporters oft fierce and skeptical questioning of public officials hardly belies a press that has become part of the power structure. Instead they picture the dinner as a one night truce between the parties in 364 ¾ days of sustained conflict, a truce to raise money for a worthy cause.

Brokaw’s comments got an immediate push back last year from the correspondents’ group president Ed Henry, who noted in a radio interview that the event raised $100,000 for scholarships and that the Italian embassy event Brokaw mentioned was sponsored by Brokaw’s own MSNBC, not the correspondents association.

“I do think that there are challenges … that it sometimes looks too much like a celebrity fest and we have to do things to make sure that that doesn’t overshadow it, but we give a lot of money to needy students who are the next generation of journalists so there is a balance there,” said Henry.

Filed Under: 2012 WHCD, Correspondents, News Tagged With: Barry Diller, Bloomberg, Ed Henry, Harvey Weinstein, House of Cards, Morning Joe, Nicole Kidman, Tina Brown, Tom Brokaw, Vanity Fair, White House Correspondents' Dinner. Kim Kardashian

CNN Gets Tapper, ABC Has Their Own Shuffle and No Go on ''Plan B"

December 21, 2012 By WHC Insider


In case you thought it was the end of the world–well, it’s just another Friday for the District.

In pre-Christmas media shuffle CNN announced that Jake Tapper is their new chief Washington correspondent and anchor. Mike Ryan’s Playbook backstory sheds light on what CNN seems to have in mind for the former ABC correspondent: “Tapper’s new show will initially air during one of the hours that CNN programming is in D.C., between 4 and 7 p.m., after which it will likely find a later time slot. The pitch to Tapper by incoming CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker was key to the hire. Before his White House gig, Tapper was a utility player at ABC News, doing stories on Iraq, the culture wars, and plenty of general assignment stories ranging from the Virginia Tech attacks to interviewing Larry David. A show that focused on a broader palette of story subjects, from politics to international affairs to sports to popular culture, has always been his main goal.”

Which means over at ABC, Jonathan Karl has become their new Chief White House Correspondent and Martha Raddatz is bumped to Chief Global Affairs Correspondent, which the release notes will find her as “primary substitute for George Stephanopoulos on This Week and will contribute regularly to the roundtable” along with Karl.

Going to the pundit side, Politico has Purple Stategies’ Rob Collins being vetted for the National Republican Senatorial Commitee.

Would you call the failure to pass Speaker John Boehner’s “Plan B” proposal “embarrassing”? You’re not alone as nearly everyone lead with that description after last night’s rejection of his fiscal cliff spending plan. Here’s a sampling:

Bloomberg: “The flawed approach left Boehner embarrassed and Republicans without a clear alternative to Obama’s proposal to raise $1.2 trillion in taxes on high earners and cut $1.2 trillion in spending.”

Washington Post’s Right Turn: “House Republicans embarrassed their speaker Thursday night by shutting down his Plan B to protect all but millionaires from a tax hike, come Jan. 1. How close was the GOP to having enough support for Speaker John Boehner’s plan? A senior leadership aide replied glumly, ‘Not close enough.'”

On Morning Joe, David Axelrod said: “But the fact that they couldn’t even pass that was an embarrassment. This is the longest day of the year and certainly true for John Boehner, I’m sure he’s scratching his head right now.”

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Filed Under: Correspondents, DC, Insider Round-Ups, News Tagged With: CNN, David Axelrod, DC, Jake Tapper, John Boehner, Jonathan Karl, Martha Raddatz, Media, Morning Joe, Rob Collins, This Week

R.I.P. Axelrod's Mustache 1972-2012

December 7, 2012 By WHC Insider

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

History was made today on Morning Joe as we all saw David Axelrod‘s mustache for the last time. Well, that’s being overly dramatic since it’ll probably be back in a month, but you know what we’re getting at.

Axelrod promised to put his famed facial hair under the razor if his Slash the’Stache could raise a million dollars–and it did! After presenting New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg with an award at a CURE Epilepsy reception last night, Axelrod showed up to have his public shaving. Surrounded by the MoJoe regulars, his wife Susan and even Willie Geist and Savannah Guthrie beamed in from the set of Today it finally came time to make good on CURE’s promise to slash the ‘stache.

Words can’t describe a stache-less Axelrod. Which is why there’s the now-iconic still of a grinning man who received a million dollars to help fund research for a great cause.

Filed Under: Causes, DC, Entertainment Tagged With: Causes, CURE Epilepsy, David Axelrod, Joe Scarborough, Morning Joe, MSNBC, Susan Axelrod, Video

CURE Epilepsy Announces Slash The 'Stache

November 8, 2012 By WHC Insider

Joe Scarborough and Susan Axelrod

It may be  Movember, but CURE Epilepsy raised the bar for slashing mustaches.

Earlier today on Morning Joe, David Axelrod came calling after last week’s on-air bet when the senior adviser to Obama’s reelection campaign put up his prized flavor saver if the president lost Pennslvania, Michigan or Minnesota.  But Scarborough would have to grow his own ‘stache if the president swept all three and took North Carolina or Florida.

While the votes are still being sorted in Florida, it was looking likely that Scarborough would have a warm upper lip. As he got a few pop culture examples (the Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation, the Borat, the Dali), Axelrod offered to let the MSNBC morning host off the hook by donating to CURE Epilepsy’s new campaign: Slash the ‘Stache. Within seconds, Mika and Joe offered $10,000 for the cause, which you can donate here.

In honor of National Epilepsy Awareness Month, David Axelrod will follow through with the original bet and shave the mustache that he’s had for the last 40 years–but only if donations reach $1 million. Slash the ‘Stache will culminate with CURE’s Boston event on the 28th, where we’ll find out if Joe and Mika get the first attempt at shaving off the greatest mustache in modern politics–and help  Susan Axelrod see her husband sans ‘stache.

See the original announcement from Morning Joe:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Filed Under: 2012 Election, Causes, Correspondents, DC, White House Staff Tagged With: 2012 Election, CURE Epilepsy, David Axelrod, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Morning Joe, Slash the Stache, Susan Axelrod, Video

Mark Halperin Back on Morning Joe

August 3, 2011 By WHC Insider

Mark Halperin (far right) with the Game Change crew: director Jay Roach and writer Danny Strong at the WHCD BLoomberg|Vanity Fair Afterparty

Washington’s “Gang of 600” (500 + web crowd) watched the return of Mark Halperin on MSNBC who coined the phrase “Gang of 500,” to explain the movers and shakers in politics. Halperin was suspended earlier this year for his comments on the President.  MSNBC explained their decision to bring back Halperin after one month at the Television Association Critics summer tour.   Click here for The Washington Post’s coverage by Lisa DeMoraes and watch Halperin’s return in the video below:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Filed Under: News Media Tagged With: Mark Halperin, Morning Joe, MSNBC

Chris Licht puts down his BlackBerry

May 24, 2011 By WHC Insider

Chris Licht, former “Morning Joe” Executive Producer, returned to the familiar MSNBC set to talk about the near-fatal cerebral hemorrhage he suffered more than a year ago after a “particularly challenging morning” at work.

Licht wrote about the experience in the newly released book “What I Learned When I Almost Died: How a Maniac TV Producer Put Down His BlackBerry and Started to Live His Life.”

The hard-charging producer told hosts and friends Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski about the “pop” he heard in his head while riding back to his Washington hotel that April morning. He was just 38 years old.

The married father of two says the experience helped him streamline and get rid of all the clutter, finding time for the things that matter in life. Licht admits that leaving “Morning Joe” for his new gig as VP of Programming at CBS News was part of the experience, learning it was time to take chances.

Check back to WHCInsider this Thursday at 7:00PM where you can watch Jon Meacham‘s interview with Chris Licht LIVE. To read an excerpt from the book click here and watch the “Morning Joe” interview below:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Filed Under: News Media Tagged With: Blackberry, CBS News, Chris Licht, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Morning Joe, MSNBC

Congratulations Chris Licht!

May 19, 2011 By WHC Insider

Morning Joe Executive Producer Chris Licht moves to CBS News as VP of programming, but only after Jon Meacham interviews him at his book party on Wednesday, May 25th at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington, D.C.  You can watch the interview live at WHCInsider.com.  Here is The Hollywood Reporter’s take.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: CBS News, Chris Licht, Jefferson Hotel, Jon Meacham, Morning Joe

Jon Stewart's New Friend: Gordon Brown

December 15, 2010 By WHC Insider

It’s a British invasion of a different sort: Gordon Brown, the Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has taken America by storm while on book tour for “Beyond the Crash: Overcoming the First Crisis of Globalization.” Monday night, Brown exchanged bon mots with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, even sticking around for an extended interview that can be seen exclusively online.

“But in Globalization, you know, we would very much like to sell them our products, and we have quite a few of them,” stated Stewart. “But, the demand in the rest of the world. Globalization – isn’t this the problem that Western countries face in a post-Imperial world? Life was so much easier when we had colonies. We could go in and just suck out every last bit and exploit.”

“Look, Jon, it was easier for us when you were the colony,” joked Brown. “We should never have let you go.”

Then Brown faced the crew over at MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Tuesday morning. Joe Scarborough wrapped up the interview by saying, “This is so important, because, coming from him – not because he’s a former Prime Minister – but Chancellor of the Exchequer for a very long time. This is a book Americans need to read.”

But it all started here in Washington, DC on Saturday night at The Jefferson Hotel with Connie Milstein. See Washington’s famous faces and hear Brown’s remarks on WHC Insider.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Beyond the Crash, Daily Show, Gordon Brown, Joe Scarborough, Jon Stewart, Morning Joe, sarah brown

Axelrod-Milstein Team Up for Epilepsy Research

December 10, 2010 By WHC Insider

Hundreds gathered at the Newseum Wednesday evening to recognize the scientific work of CURE Epilepsy, raise awareness, and to honor 2010 Friend of CURE Awardee, longtime television producer and WHCInsider’s own Tammy Haddad.

Susan Axelrod, Chair and founding member of Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy, was on hand to mark the special occasion. Axelrod and Connie Milstein, CURE supporter and noted philanthropist, co-hosted the event.

Connie Milstein, a CURE board member, announced the Axelrod Milstein Challenge Grant. It is a $500,000 two-year program. CURE Challenge Grants are CURE’s most prestigious, and fuel the much needed research to find the key to the cure of this dreaded disease.

“Susan works tirelessly to find a cure for epilepsy and seizure disorders. Like many families across the world, the Axelrods live with this disease every day, but their work, their strength, and their optimism give hope to so many, as they fight and live for a cure,” said Milstein.

Susan Axelrod described the lack of progress and the difficult research road ahead:  “With so many troops returning from war with traumatic brain injuries and epilepsy, the need is more urgent now.”

Axelrod, along with her husband David, was desperate to find answers when their own daughter Lauren was diagnosed with uncontrollable epilepsy at 7 months old. Twelve years ago, CURE was founded by Axelrod and two other mothers around a kitchen table. Many members of the CURE family were on hand last night and gathered on stage for a group photo and greeted with a round of applause.

The room was a living tribute to CURE and Ms. Haddad, as devoted friends from both sides of the aisle raised a glass to what many have called a “force.” Haddad used her annual White House Correspondents Weekend Brunch to raise awareness for CURE after seeing Susan and Lauren Axelrod on the cover of PARADE magazine, and later on NBC’s The Today Show.

“I chased her down for weeks to get her to host the Correspondents Brunch because I wanted to help. Here was a chance to use a HUGE platform for an important message,” said Haddad. “What did she tell us? No parent, no child, no family — no person should have to suffer and experience the pain of epilepsy.  That is her goal…and since she is unstoppable we know she will reach that goal.”

Cabinet appearances by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, Dr. Howard Koh, NIH’s Story Landis and Dr. Tony Fauci.

The audience roared as a video roast of Haddad began with David Gregory anchoring a “Meet The Press” open lamenting the lack of agreement on anything in Washington except in friendship and respect for Haddad.  Also in the video: ABC’s Jake Tapper from the White House, Greta Van Susteren and John Coale.  Jon Meacham roasted the longtime network and cable news producer by reminding the audience that Christopher Buckley put her in his novel “Thank You for Smoking.”  Haddad’s former MSNBC’s colleagues, the “Morning Joe” team – Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Willie Geist, Mark Halperin and Harold Ford taking turns trying to figure out what award Haddad hadn’t won yet while praising her work for CURE.

The surprise ending was a song written and performed for Haddad by Glee superstars Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch.

Among those there to help celebrate: Rima al Sabah, the Kuwaiti Ambassador’s wife; British Ambassador to the US Nigel and Julia Sheinwald; AFT President Randi Weingarten; Tom Oliphant, Mary Louise Oates and Robert Shrum.

Politicos aplenty including Bloomberg’s Kevin Sheekey, Joel and Lisa Benenson, Jim Margolis, Susan Sher, Stephanie Cutter, Julianna Smoot, Dan Pfieffer, Eric Lesser and Jen Psaki.

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard fresh from a Supreme Court appearance, along with crowd favorite Terry McAuliffe; Tony and Heather Podesta; Podesta Group CEO Kimberly Fritts and hubby, Marion Turner; Holly Page; Bruce Reed and Bonnie LePard.

Media biggies included Wolf Blitzer, Howard Fineman and Amy Nathan, Lynn Sweet, Betsy Fischer (producer of the surprise video), Andrea Mitchell, Gloria Borger, Roger Simon, Annie Groer and Hilary Rosen.

Both republican and democratic political operatives included Bob Stevenson, Jane Oates, Dan Meyers, Erica Elliot, Rich Galen and Tom Synhorst.

Designed by Jacquie Bloom, the Newseum’s Knight Center was aglow in CURE red. Guests enjoyed the pomegranate martini ice luge and the ice cream sundae bar.

CURE is in the middle of their Every Dollar Counts Every seizure Matters campaign.  To donate CLICK on CUREEpilepsy.org.

Filed Under: Washington Tagged With: Andrea Mitchell, Austan Goolsbee, Connie Milstein, CURE Epilepsy, David Axelrod, Dr. Howard Koh, Gloria Borger, Hilary Rosen, Hilda Solis, Jake Tapper, Jane Lynch, Kathleen Sebelius, Kimberly Dozier, Matthew Morrison, Meet the Press, Morning Joe, Story Landis, Susan Axelrod, Susan Sher, Tammy Haddad, Terry McAuliffe, Wolf Blitzer

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About White House Correspondents Insider

Exploring “behind the scenes” of the most powerful city in the world — Washington, D.C. — and those who cover it.

We track the White House Correspondents’ weekend and all the activities around it, from journalists and media companies to the White House and politicos.

Tammy Haddad is Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief of WHC Insider and CEO of Haddad Media.

White House Correspondents Insider is not affiliated with or approved by the White House Correspondents’ Association, which is a registered trademark of the WHCA.

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