White House Correspondents Insider

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

VEEP Season 2 Premiere Party Photos

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Veep Season 2 screening

The second season of HBO’s Veep premiered yesterday as Julia Louis-Dreyfus took up the Second-in-Command role of Selina Meyer for her next term. As the victional V.P. battles the results of a mid-term election, the actual star came to Washington last week for a special screening at the MPAA.

While we had a minor SNL cast-of-1985 reunion between Louis-Dreyfus and Senator Al Franken, MPAA Chairman Chris Dodd welcomes the HBO star to the real District (Veep films up in Maryland sharing space with Netflix’s House of Cards).

Below we have photos from the reception from last week’s premiere, along with some notable appearances from Washington regulars and the occasional former Senator-turned-Chairman Chris Dodd.

Biden Meets The Veep

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At last, Washington can breathe easy since Vice President Joe Biden finally met Vice President Selina Meyer.

Or, to put it this way, Biden and his fictional counterpart (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) broke bread today after HBO premiered the first two episodes of VEEP season two last night at the MPAA. Per the AP report on the matter:

“The White House says after the former ‘Seinfeld’ star won an Emmy award for her performance in the first season of “Veep,” Biden called her to offer his congratulations.”

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Which is true, as she remarked on The Tonight Show about how Biden called her to remark on the performance she gives as V.P. Meyer:

The first two episodes of the second season played out among some notable D.C. entertainment folks like MPAA President Chris Dodd and Louis-Dreyfus’ former SNL co-hort Senator Al Franken. While spoilers are useless in a town like Washington, supposedly when V.P. Meyer heads to a pig roast it will be funnier than a sequester. And as for today, V.P. met Veep in the latest installment of Being Biden.
Veep Season 2 premieres this Sunday on HBO.

Wendi Murdoch’s Lao Tong

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Wendi Deng Murdoch lifted the veil on her homeland, China, in her first feature film, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Today in the Huffington Post she teaches us more Chinese and the power of women with “lao tong” that translates “friends for life.” Read her full piece here.

Senator Chris Dodd hosted Ms. Murdoch at a special screening of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and celebrated 10 years of “how the practice of Chinese-American co-productions has led to a vibrant productive partnership between two countries’ film industries.” Chinese Ambassador Zhang Yesui, Senator and Mrs. Jim Sasser, Ambassador from Singapore, Chan Heng Chee, and Washington media mavens Ed Henry, Roxanne Roberts and Hilary Rosen.

Check out Ralph Alswang’s photos from the MPAA screening below:

The Kerrey Stays Out Of The Picture

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Like the ending for any Inglourious Basterd, Bob Kerrey’s bid for Motion Picture Association of America Chairman is up in celluloid smoke. The former senator and president of New School rejected the MPAA’s offer as the organization’s head lobbyist.

The Wrap reached Kerrey for comment, We couldn’t reach agreement and I called to suggest we break off talks. They agreed…[t]he decision was mutual.  I like them a lot and wish them well.”

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