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The 2013 Inaugural Speech By The Numbers

January 21, 2013 By WHC Insider

# of applause breaks: 25

# of minutes Obama spoke: 15

# of times Obama invoked this generation and “together:” 7

# of times Obama invoked a journey: 6

# of times Obama said Americans: 4

# of times economy is mentioned: 3

# of angry Boenhers at the Inaugural Luncheon: 1

Filed Under: DC, Inauguration, Washington Events Tagged With: DC, Inauguration, Media, Obama, Speech

Ann Hand Obama Inaugural Pin Revealed

November 23, 2012 By WHC Insider

No self-respecting Washingtonian doesn’t have an Ann Hand pin in their repertoire so it is with great excitement that we reveal her Inaugural pin which also benefits the USO. It is the 4th Inauguration pin she has made, and last year there was a real scramble in the final days to find one.  Please notice Vice President Biden is on it as well. 2016 is on everyone’s mind. Haddad Media’s current favorite Ann Hand item is the flag bracelet.  You can order both now at  http://annhand.homestead.com/new.html

Filed Under: 2012 Election, Causes, Inauguration, The White House, Uncategorized, Wanda Sykes Tagged With: Ann Hand, Inaugural pin, Joe Biden, Obama

President Obama Visits His Irish Ancestors

May 23, 2011 By WHC Insider

It’s hard to top a visit from the Queen of England, but President Obama did just that as he began his European tour in Moneygall, the hometown of his Irish ancestors. An American genealogist discovered Obama’s Irish roots back in 2007, tracing the connection on the president’s maternal side. Moneygall is about 90 miles from the capital city of Dublin.

It’s been almost 50 years since President John F. Kennedy was warmly welcomed to Ireland; he called his 1963 journey to the emerald isle “the best four days of my life.” Obama gave a rousing address to an estimated crowd of 100,000 people at Trinity College, the same location at which President Clinton spoke back in 1995.

For more on the president’s homecoming read the Washington Post’s story here.

Unfortunately, the president will be cutting his trip to Ireland short in order to avoid flying in the ash cloud released by an Icelandic volcano. Looming volcanic ash sounds like a good excuse to throw back a pint of Guinness, although it appears the president didn’t need much arm-twisting when he toasted his “fellow” Irishmen.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Moneygall, Obama, Queen of England, Washington Post

Obama White House Puts an End to Re-enactments

May 13, 2011 By WHC Insider

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.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Harry Truman, Obama, Osama Bin-Laden, White House

Seth Meyers' Newsworthy Week

May 11, 2011 By WHC Insider

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:

Filed Under: Uncategorized, WHCD 2011 Tagged With: Obama, Osama Bin-Laden, Seth Meyers, White House Correspondents Dinner

2009 RADIO AND TELEVISION CORRESPONDENTS DINNER

June 15, 2009 By WHC Insider

Radio and TV Correspondents tell the story of this weeks’ dinner on video.

Wine policy explained in advance via Twitter feed

Not even the Hilton to complain about.


“On June 19, change is coming to Washington press dinners,” the Radio Television Correspondents Association trumpets in a video it posted last month on the dinner’s Facebook fan page and on YouTube.


Instead of a comedian or impressionist, guests at the Convention Center on Friday night will hear music from Sweet Honey in the Rock, the all-female African-American a Capella group that the RTCA dinner organizers tout as “a favorite of the First Lady.” Humor will come from JibJab.com, which says on its blog that it is “beyond thrilled” that its first satire of the Obama Administration will premiere in front of the man himself. (The satirists entertained President George W. Bush with “What We Call the News” at the 2007 dinner, as well.) Onion News Network will have a “special report.”

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

“For our dinner, entertainment is a plural term, not a singular term,” says Heather Dahl, a producer at Feature Story News and the dinner’s chair.

Despite the smaller table buys from some news organizations in this money-crunched year, what will stay the same, she says, is the attendance: Her preliminary estimates are that the crowd will number in the ballpark of recent dinners, around 2,000 attendees.

International news organizations took more tables, Dahl says, and some journalists whose employers refused to pony up for full tables have paid their own way. “I believe this shows that people really want to go out and have a nice evening, so that’s what we’re going to deliver,” she says.

Filed Under: History of Dinner Tagged With: Bush, Dinner, Jib Jab, Obama, RTCA, Sweet Honey and the Rock

Inside The 2009 Bloomberg | Vanity Fair After Party

May 12, 2009 By Tammy Haddad

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.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Washington Events Tagged With: After Party, ashton kutcher, Bloomberg, Captain Richard Phillips, Celebrities, Demi Moore, Obama, Vanity Fair

Favreau, Axelrod and Lovett Write Obama Comedy Hit

May 11, 2009 By Tammy Haddad

The Examiner’s Jeff Dufour got the scoop of the night: Who wrote the President’s comedy routine? Jon Favreau, the president’s chief speechwriter. Favreau told The Examiner it took him two weeks, working with speechwriter Jon Lovett, Obama political adviser David Axelrod, and a team of joke writers, to craft the punch lines. He also said they spent several hours on Friday, working out Obama’s opening sight gag with the teleprompter screens.

U.S. President Barack Obama attends the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington

Filed Under: White House Staff Tagged With: David Axelrod, Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Obama, The Examiner

RNC Chair Gives Obama Speech a Thumbs Up

May 9, 2009 By WHC Insider

Michael Steele, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, told WHCInsider that he thought Obama’s speech was great. Steele said he thought the ribbing was “fine and fair.”

And Wanda’s?
 
“Wanda is Wanda, she comes real and you got to be prepared. But there will be news made later this week, I guarantee you,” said Steele.

Watch Wanda’s routine below.

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Wanda Sykes, Washington Events, WHCD 2009 Guests Tagged With: Michael Steele, Obama, Wanda Sykes

Access: Obama White House v. Bush — No Diff

May 4, 2009 By Tammy Haddad

In Part 2 of our interview with ABC’s Jake Tapper and The Examiner’s Julie Mason, the White House correspondents tell WHCInsider that the Obama administration’s Briefing Room is not much different than when President Bush was in office.

It’s a “different vibe,” said Mason, “but in terms of the access we get and the information, it’s very much the same.” Tapper said the Obama White House is an improvement over the Obama campaign – staffers can’t “dodge” reporters so easily: “[They’re] much more accessible here, because they’re right here as opposed to on the phone.”

Does that mean Ana Marie Cox got it wrong, when she said White House correspondents are not necessary?

“Has Ana Marie Cox ever covered the White House,” asked Mason. “I’m not sure what her credentials are … she was there for the dog story.”

“Having a vigilant press corps in that room is definitely necessary,” Tapper added diplomatically. “I didn’t find her piece particularly persuasive.”

Filed Under: Correspondents, White House Staff Tagged With: Ana Marie Cox, Bush, Jake Tapper, Julie Mason, Obama, White House correspondents

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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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