White House Correspondents Insider

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

Fox News and their White House Correspondents' Dinner Friends

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Bret & Amy Baier with Susan Axelrod

A day before the festivites, the official line-up of Fox News’ table at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner has been unveiled.

Per Deadline, “X-Men: Days of Future Past” director Bryan Singer and writer/producer Simon Kinberg will attend with Bill O’Reilly, Geraldo Rivera, Bret Baier and “Milk” writer Dustin Lance Black.

Previously announced were Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen (“X-Men”), Tim Daly (“Private Practice”), Kevin McHale and Colton Haynes (“Glee”), Joesph Mazzello (“G.I. Joe: Retaliation”), Ryan Kwanten (“True Blood”) and JC Chasez (“So You Think You Can Dance”).

The dinner takes place tomorrow night at the historic Hilton in Dupont Circle and will be presided over by Conan O’Brien–who, by the way, is already at the gates of the White House.

Barbra Streisand Honored At Lincoln Center Before Correspondents Weekend

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Barbra Streisand ,Broadway star and second daughter to Washington, is on her way back to Washington. But first, she was honored earlier this week by the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 40th annual gala awarding her the Chaplin Award.

On the New York Times‘ Arts Beat, Streisand was honored by a selection of New York, Washington and Hollywood at the annual gala. Introduced by her longtime friend and former President Bill Clinton, Steisand’s ceremony featured performances from Tony Bennett and Liza Minnelli recreating some of the Funny Girl’s greatest hits.

Of course, the ceremony was a precursor to the bigger news of the week–that she’ll be headed down to Washington as a guest of Bloomberg during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.The Post quotes itself from 1993 when it reminds us why Steisand is such an iconic figure:

“Now, where is Barbra Streisand?” asked Wolf Blitzer, CNN’s senior White House reporter. “I mean, let’s get our priorities straight.”

Passing by Cabinet secretaries and administration officials, Blitzer beelined for the center of the room, where Streisand was conferring with Gen. Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about homosexuals in the military. “I’ve been a great fan of yours all my life,” offered Blitzer, who then found himself in an intense political discussion with the diva.

And why not? Streisand, elegant in an off-the-shoulder cream gown, pearls and diamonds, has impressive political credentials: Let’s see … she’s played an activist in more than one movie, raised a bunch of money for Bill Clinton and, she remembered, “I sang for President Kennedy 30 years ago” at this very event. “That’s why I was so excited to come as a guest tonight.” Streisand, escorted by producer Richard Baskin, was a guest of Newsweek.

As for what the Chaplin Award means, Lincoln Center explained in a previous statement:

“The Film Society’s Annual Gala began in 1972 and honored Charlie Chaplin – who returned to the US from exile to accept the commendation. Other honorees include many of the film industry’s most notable talents, including Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Michael Douglas, Sidney Poitier, and most recently Catherine Deneuve.”

Celebrating the 20th Annual White House Garden Brunch

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This year marks the 99th Anniversary of the White House Correspondents Association’s Annual Dinner, which means our Annual Garden Brunch is 20 years old! Our brunch goes back to a time when White House Correspondents Weekend meant only a dinner and no time for old friends to meet with new ones before convening at the Washington Hilton.

Originally held at the Palisades home of Haddad Media CEO and veteran Washington TV executive Tammy Haddad, the brunch has since moved to the historic Beall-Washington House in Georgetown. Over the years the brunch has been co-presented and honored such prestigious organizations like CURE epilepsy, The White Ribbon Foundation and this year The Miss America Foundation. Co-hosts include a bi-partisan list of media and political notables including Hilary Rosen, Alex Castellanos, Steve McMahon, Kevin Sheekey, Anita Dunn, Bill Knapp, David Adler, Mark Ein, Franco Nuschese and now Steve and Jean Case. The Brunch provides the first time that many new faces for Correspondents’ Weekend meet their dinner sponsors.

Barbra Streisand attended the first brunch along with Tim Russert, former Bush 41 White House aide Anna Perez and a bunch of reporters. There are too many famous friends who have attended to list here. Take a look at last year’s video below:

The Brunch is an essential kick-off for the day’s festivities, which will continue into the night when Conan O’Brien introduced President Barack Obama at the dinner.

POLITICO Scores With Bradley Cooper at Allbritton White House Correspondents Sunday Brunch

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George Clooney and Barbara Walters

Big News on the White House Correspondents Weekend Soiree front. In a release from Politico this morning, eyes widen and hearts raced with the name Bradley Cooper in the final paragraph. The Georgetown graduate who once worked at Cafe Milano is expected as a guest, so is top White House aide Alyssa Mastromonaco at the Sunday Allbritton brunch. Lucky Lady.

Here is Politico’s rundown.

POLITICO ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR 2013 WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER

Below are details on POLITICO’s coverage and involvement with this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner – beginning Friday with the release of POLITICO’s must-read WHCD guide and culminating on Sunday with the annual Allbritton-POLITICO Garden Brunch.

FRIDAY, APRIL 26:

WHCD GUIDE – Celebrity Politics: The Lines Blur Between Hollywood and D.C.
This annual magazine edition of POLITICO offers influential dinner attendees and readers alike a sneak peek inside Washington’s biggest weekend. The ultimate guide includes an exclusive interview with comedian and dinner headliner Conan O’Brien, an introduction to the WHCA board, profiles of scholarship and award winners, a look behind the scenes of the Washington Hilton and more. Nearly 40,000 copies of the magazine will be distributed around Washington including at more than 100 Starbucks locations. Stories from the magazine will also be available here.

WATCH LIVE: WHCA SCHOLARSHIP LUNCH – The White House Correspondents’ Association will honor its scholarship recipients at a luncheon on Friday at 1 p.m. POLITICO will livestream the luncheon’s panel discussion with the winners. Watch the event at POLITICO.com/live.

‘THE SCRUM’ PODCAST – POLITICO reporters will preview the weekend’s festivities, examine key moments from past dinners and analyze why Hollywood makes the pilgrimage to the nation’s capital each year in ‘The Scrum,’ POLITICO’s weekly podcast. Subscribe to each weekly installment of ‘The Scrum’ on iTunes.

SATURDAY, APRIL 27:

COMPLETE COVERAGE – As the one-stop destination for coverage of the WHCD weekend, POLITICO will have reporters at each of the biggest events, offering intel on everything from pre-dinner parties to late-night celebrations. Coverage will include live blogging, celebrity interviews, on-the-ground videos and must-see photo galleries. Get the latest in one click: POLITICO WHCD Complete Coverage.

WATCH LIVE: DINNER PROGRAM – Tune in to POLITICO to watch this year’s dinner, including red carpet arrivals, the president’s remarks and entertainment headlined by Conan O’Brien. Watch here: POLITICO.com/live.

POLITICO DINNER GUESTS – POLITICO is honored to host more than two dozen leading names in business at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Some guest highlights include: Marty Durbin, incoming CEO, ANGA; Steve Case, co-founder, AOL; Jim Cicconi, Executive Vice President, AT&T; Brian Moynihan, CEO, Bank of America; Don Baer, CEO, Burson-Marsteller; Tita Freeman, Executive Vice President, Business Roundtable; Clyde Tuggle, Senior Vice President, and Matt Echols, Vice President, Coca-Cola; Maria Pica Karp, Vice President and General Manger, Chevron; Lorenzo Simonelli, CEO, GE Transportation; Gary Cohn, COO, and John Rogers, Executive Vice President, Goldman Sachs; David Drummond, Senior Vice President, Google; James Murren, CEO, MGM Resorts; Mark Penn, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft; Wes Bush, CEO, Northrop Grumman; Peggy Johnson, Executive Vice President, Qualcomm; and Eric Spiegel, CEO, Siemens. Additionally, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck will be joining POLITICO.

SUNDAY, APRIL 28:

ALLBRITTON-POLITICO GARDEN BRUNCH – For the fourth consecutive year, POLITICO Publisher Robert Allbritton and his wife, Dr. Elena Allbritton, will open the doors of their Georgetown home for an exclusive, invitation-only brunch. Invited guests include: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), actress Kerry Washington, White House Social Secretary Jeremy Bernard, Hollywood couple Ed Burns and Christy Turlington Burns, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling and Allison Abner, actor Bradley Cooper, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, actor Daniel Day-Lewis, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, CBS President David Rhodes, Jordanian Ambassador Alia Bouran, British Ambassador Peter Westmacott.

Did Greta Start a Trend? The Hill Declares Less Glitz at White House Correspondents Dinner

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Special guests tweet "Let's find a Cure!"

First Greta Van Susteren announces she will not attend the 99th Annual White House Correspondents Dinner and now The Hill reports it will not be as star-driven. Here is Judy Kurtz report: “The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner — considered the glitziest and most buzzworthy event of Washington’s party season — appears to be a bit more low-key this year. Between the guest list absences of some of Hollywood’s brightest stars and a more subdued party scene, many folks working behind the scenes agree this year’s dinner will be decidedly more subdued. One shindig noticeably void from the soiree circuit this year is Funny or Die’s annual First Amendment Party. Last year’s high-caliber bash on the eve of the dinner had partygoers bumping and grinding at the event’s huge downtown space well into the wee hours of the morning.
The Hollywood Reporter, which last year held star-studded affair with Google at the W Hotel, is also ducking out of the Correspondents’ dinner limelight this time around. A publicist tells us “we aren’t doing anything this year.”

“I don’t know if it’s toned down or not,” Hollywood on the Potomac editor Janet Donovan said of the mood in town, “but it feels that way.” Donovan pointed to the lack of Anthony Weiner-sized headlines as a possible reason for the drop-off, saying that “perhaps because Hollywood celebrities are now more frequently in town, and we don’t really have a huge ‘five minutes of fame’ scandal-type this year.”

One veteran party planner, who wanted to remain anonymous so as not to upset clients, tells ITK that the nation’s capital could be suffering from presidential inauguration fatigue: “You know, we just had a major event in Washington. And then to have this, three months later almost to the day, and to do all the wrangling and all the huge productions again, it’s just kind of like — I think people will do it again big next year.” Fox News Channel’s Greta Van Susteren, who has brought head-turning guests such as Lindsay Lohan and Kim Kardashian to prior dinners, says she’s “taking a pass” on attending the fete this year. In a recent blog post, Van Susteren said she made another commitment out of town the weekend of the April 27 dinner. “I am sure everyone will have fun,” Susteren wrote, “it is the one day of the year that the media, politicians, entertainers etc. socialize together — but it can also be a bit exhausting as it is a 2½ day affair.” Donovan says Susteren’s tabloid-worthy guests always made for a colorful weekend, calling the time the “On the Record” host brought Ozzy Osbourne to the swanky dinner “one of the biggest celebrity gawking years.” Others tell ITK that political conventions and inaugural coverage broke the bank for many news organizations around town, allowing for fewer resources for the glam event. While big names such as Nicole Kidman, Jessica Alba and George Lucas are confirmed to attend as guests of various media companies — and there’s still time for more A-listers to be announced as VIP guests — the party planner tells ITK many celebs feel they’ve “done” the whole D.C. thing already: “If you look at the list of celebrities that have been here or attended since [President Obama has] been president, it’s like looking at an Academy Awards event. When they’ve been here once, they think they’ve checked the box.”

What about Kevin Spacey and the House of Cards cast? That’s glitz! Follow all the White House Correspondents Dinner action at WHCinsider.com

SEE YOU AT THE 2013 WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS GARDEN BRUNCH, GRETA!

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Greta’s classic invites include Ozzy Osbourne himself.


Greta Van Susteren stunned the Washington political media establishment by
telling Politico’s Dylan Byers that she will skip the White House
Correspondents Dinner this year but she made the brunch co-hosts very
happy. Van Sustern and her husband John Coale created some of the most
memorable moments since she switched careers from law to television. Her
2001 move (check year) to Fox News Channel was chronicled with the cover
of People and her show, On The Record, have been number 1 for “45 quarters.”

She told Dylan she won’t be attending and explained further at Gretawire. The reason? Supposedly this Washington Post article detailing this year’s guests.

Still, Greta has been a main stay at the WHCA Dinners of past. She’s the prime reason why Kardashians and Lohans show up:

Shawn Champan Holley, John Coale, Greta van Susteren, Kris Jenner and Lindsay Lohan

Greta is so instrumental she can make once-in-a-lifetime-shots like this happen:

Todd Palin, John Coale, Greta van Susteren, David and Susan Axelrod, Sarah Palin, Wendi and Rupert Murdoch

While she’s not attending the dinner this year, you can be sure she’ll be at our brunch on the day of the White House Correspondents Dinner. It’s not the same as the dinner–the brunch is much more loose and laid back when it comes to photos, off-the-record conversation and general fun. Of course, it’s invitation only. Like all the quality stuff in Washington.

This year, for the first time, the brunch is being held to raise awareness for the Miss America scholarship program. They’re devoted to STEM (or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. Mallory Hagen, the 2013 Miss America and Miss New York, has engaged young women in STEM issues. Miss America Board Chairman Sam Haskell announced the STEM initiative before January’s broadcast on ABC:

“The Miss America Organization will work with national and community partners to create an unconventional approach to driving young women’s interest in STEM.

Our efforts coincide with the national momentum to teach STEM curricula outside traditional school settings, targeting female students who are currently underrepresented in STEM professions. Our hope is to help shift girls’ attitudes about STEM and boost the percentage of women employed in STEM-related industries. It’s not just the right thing to do, but is also the smart thing to do for America’s future and our economy.”

We continue to support the research efforts of CUREepilepsy and see their latest research at their site. We’re pleased to announce we will be broadcasting the brunch program live on Saturday April 27th.

DEADLINE.com LEADS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS DINNER STAR LIST

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The competition for stars at the White House Correspondents Dinner is only comparable to the competition to report which stars are attending with what news organization. Here is how the Hollywood site Deadline.com led the pack today. Take Notes….

PREVIOUSLY, TUESDAY PM: Hollywood is again the guest everyone seems to want at their table for this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Returning headliner Conan O’Brien is set to take up the court-jester role that Jimmy Kimmel played last year and news organizations have began to reveal guest lists for the April 27 event. There’s a lot of Tinseltown glitter already set alongside generals and top-tier cabinet secretaries — as well as power players like Harvey Weinstein. We know President Obama and the First Lady will be there, and big Obama donor Jeffrey Katzenberg has been invited by the Wall Street Journal, but no word yet whether he will attend. Here’s who else we know is going from Hollywood so far:

Thomson Reuters: The current head of the Canada’s Central Bank and the next Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney will be sitting at Thomson Reuters table as will new SEC chief Mary Jo White, Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat, Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird and Newtown Conn. First Selectwoman Pat Llodra among others. They will be joined by The Bourne Legacy’s Jeremy Renner, Revenge’s Madeline Stowe, Kathleen Turner, SNL’s Fred Armisen, Steve Zahn of HBO’s Treme and the almost next Lord of Downton Abbey. That’s right, the now departed Matthew Crawley himself Dan Stevens will be there.

USA Today: Courtney Cox, Kate Walsh, Kristin Chenoweth and 1600 Penn’s Josh Gad are at the paper’s table. Although she decided not to run for the U.S. Senate seat from Kentucky, Olympus Has Fallen’s First Lady Ashley Judd will also attend.

ABC/ABC News: Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara, Eric Stonestreet and other cast members will be back this year. Nashville’s Hayden Panettiere and Connie Britton will also be in attendance. And the President of the United States will be at the table — the fictional POTUS Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III, that is, from the DC-based political drama Scandal. Tony Goldwyn will be there with Scandal star Kerry Washington, executive producer Betsy Beers and show creator Shonda Rhimes.

Huffington Post: Jon Bon Jovi will be sitting at this table, joining fellow Jerseyite Gov. Chris Christie, who many think may take a run at the White House in 2016. Scarlett Johansson, who gave a speech with Kerry Washington during last year’s Democratic National Convention, also has a spot.

Newsweek/Daily Beast: He may have missed the inauguration because he was at Sundance, but Weinstein will be here. IAC boss and Newsweek/Daily Beast owner Barry Diller is sitting at his table, as is editor Tina Brown. The Newsroom’s Olivia Munn will be there too. Nicole Kidman is coming, but no word yet if hubby and American Idol judge Keith Urban is attending.

CNN: Elizabeth Banks will be sitting at the cable news network’s table. She’s the only Hollywood type so far, but don’t be surprised if new boss Jeff Zucker tries to stack the seating arrangement with more as well as the likes of Anthony Bourdain from his own network — remember, the man used to run Today.

NBC/NBC News: Matthew Perry plans to break bread with his network brethren.

Bloomberg: If you are going to star in the ultimate DC insider show, then you have to show at the Correspondents Dinner: House Of Cards stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright as well as Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos have spots here.

Time: Last year, Lincoln’s Daniel Day-Lewis came as a guest of the Huffington Post and Steven Spielberg came as a guest of Time. Day-Lewis isn’t coming this year, and it is unclear whether Spielberg will make an encore appearance. But DreamWorks CEO and co-chair Stacey Snider is coming.

Obama Scores With Gridiron Club Dinner

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Obama Waves to Press

Not only was this weekend unseasonably nice compared to the Snowquester,but President Barack Obama attended the 125th Gridiron Club and Foundation Dinner. (Technically the fifth for the combined Club and Foundation, but as if memories go back that far in Washington these days).

Attending for the second time since 2011, President Barack Obama opened up with remarks that brought the Beltway press to be responsible for their pleas about access and Bob Woodward’s recent fear of threats. Or, as scarily brought up by The Reliable Source, “Is it possible he’s beginning to like these dinners?”

“Before I begin, I know some of you have noticed that I’m dressed a little differently from the other gentlemen. Because of sequester, they cut my tails. My joke writers have been placed on furlough,” the president said. That’s what happens when your star speechwriter goes off to Tinseltown. Other politicans that stopped by this year include Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Senator Amy Klobuchar and Senator Al Franken (“How do you start off being one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live and end up being the second-funniest Senator in Minnesota? How the mighty have fallen.”)

Some of the choicer cuts with a Favreau–although we can’t imagine he didn’t have at least one pass at this–less Obama:

On Woodward:
“Now I know that some folks think we responded to Woodward too aggressively. But hey, when has — can anybody tell me when an administration has ever regretted picking a fight with Bob Woodward? What’s the worst that could happen?”

On White House Correspondents Dinner Chairman Ed Henry:
“While we’re on this subject, I want to acknowledge Ed Henry, who is here — who is the fearless leader of the Washington press corps now. And at Ed’s request, tonight I will take one question from the press. Jay, do we have a question? Surprisingly, it’s a question from Ed Henry. ‘Mr. President, will you be taking any questions tonight?’ I’m happy to answer that. No, Ed, I will not.”

Proof That Favreau Must’ve Written Something:
“But all these changes to my team are tough to handle, I’ve got to admit. After nine years, I finally said goodbye to my chief speechwriter, Jon Favreau. I watched him grow up. He’s almost like a son to me, he’s been with me so long. And I said to him when he first informed me of his decision, I said, ‘Favs, you can’t leave.’ And he answered with three simple words — ‘yes, I can.’ Fortunately, he did not take the prompter on his way out. That would have been a problem.”

And just to show the President is well aware of his Internet status, he ended his speech on a nerd note:
“So I want to thank everybody for not just a wonderful evening — and, Chuck [Lewis], I want to thank you for your outstanding presidency — but I also just want to thank you for the work that you do each and every day. And in the words of one of my favorite Star Trek characters — Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise — ‘May the force be with you.'”

The First Super #Seriously White House Correspondents Dinner Request of 2013

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Forget the upcoming sequester/spendopocalypse. 2013 is officially the year it’s ok to ask out potential dates to Nerd Prom.

Daily Inteligencer caught the first awkward advances through Twitter earlier this morning. Buzzfeed was standing on the other side of the Internet, fiddling with their cat-laden Trapper folder filled with notes about 15 things from 15 years ago, rumors about Bobby Jindal and a list of 42 people you won’t believe exist copied on every page of their Trapper Keeper. And then he came in.

A legendary figure on the sports team. A titan of self-promotion and popularity, able to disappear and reappear without a second thought. Jose Canseco showed up on the Internet. So Buzzfeed–rather their press director–asked the jock out. And in true Buzzfeed fashion it worked (except when it didn’t but it probably did). While Canseco did say he has “always wanted to go to that dinner” he also “bet I could track dick lugar down there. set it up!”

Canseco went further when Buzzfeed political reporter Andrew Kaczynski stressed the former baseball star should show. “wouldnt [sic] miss it buddy. while there point out some super committee members so I can kick their ass for this damn sequester,”Canseco tweeted.

Shockingly this marks the first public semi-confirmation for an organization’s guest list to this year’s Correspondents Dinner. While Conan O’Brien was announced yesterday via White House Correspondents Chairman Ed Henry’s Twitter to take another crack at hosting, this marks the first time a media organization reached out so publicly to a potential guest. Even more interesting: does this mean Buzzfeed has a table at this year’s dinner, or just the usual set of tickets a group can purchase? If so, it seems like the cancelation of Reuters TV freed up a ton of space after all.

Conan O'Brien Returns as Host of White House Correspondents Dinner

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Late night comes back to the White House Correspondents Dinner with Conan O’Brien. The TBS host that once called NBC home is coming to D.C. to preside over the 2013 WHC Dinner on April 27th according to–of all places–Ed Henry‘s Twitter.

The 2013 Chairman went on the social media platform rather than the origination’s own website, which still hasn’t been updated. Henry followed up on his Twitter, citing that O’Brien “was terrific at ’95 correspondents dinner w/[sic]Clinton[.]”

This will mark the second time that the self-described “Basic Cable” host will stand at the Hinckley Hilton dais. Unfortunately, he still has two more times to go until he ties the current record holder for most performances (Jay Leno). Over on O’Brien’s official site, Henry gave a more formal remark:

“Conan is one of televisions most innovative and influential talents and I am absolutely thrilled that he has agreed to be this year’s featured act,” said Henry. “As social media has changed all aspects of the media business, Conan has embraced this shifting landscape to become a creative force both online as well as in the traditional television model. We are grateful that Conan will be also be using that creativity to bring more attention to the WHCA’s commitment to helping needy journalism students.”