If there were an East Coast version of the Academy Awards, it would look something like Washington’s annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, which took place Saturday evening at the Washington Hilton.
Even though the dinner, with its 3,000 guests, is the main event, it was just part of a busy weekend of parties and festivities, in which big-name celebrities, athletes and personalities rub shoulders with big-for-the-Beltway types (if only to remind us Washingtonians what real celebrity looks like). Indeed, it may be the only time you can see Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in the same room as actor Terence Howard. Or onetime American Idol contestant Ace Young standing next to … Henry Kissinger? Isaiah Washington from “Grey’s Anatomy” and Michael Chertoff? Alex Trebek and Clarence Thomas? Did some sort of cosmic tilt just occur?
The entire weekend had the feeling of a high school prom, with everyone chatting about which parties were going to be the coolest, who got invited to what event, who was supposed to make an appearance and where, how I can score a ticket to the after parties, is George Clooney really going to show up and, of course, “Honey: The blue dress or the red one?”
But despite the event’s tendency to turn Washington into Sweet Valley High, the nation’s capital ate up the opportunity to put down its policy books and party it up, happy to — finally — play Cinderella at the Big Dance.
Friday night
Event: People magazine cocktail party
Location: Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown
Fresh off the release of its popular “100 Most Beautiful People” issue, People magazine kicked off the weekend with an A-list private event. Rapper Ludacris was the biggest name in the room, but new White House spokesman Tony Snow yukked it up with Clinton Press Secretary Joe Lockhart, no doubt asking for a few pointers.
Saturday, 6 p.m.
Event: Various pre-parties
Location: Washington Hilton
Before the dinner, attendees walked the red carpet at the entrance of the Hilton and made their way to the various pre-partieshosted by such media outlets as Atlantic Media Inc., Time magazine and CNN. The crowd quickly moved away from parties in the hotel’s garden terrace to the Newsweek party as soon as word got out that the weekend’s biggest celebrity — Clooney — was in the house. Despite being engulfed on all sides by a 20-person-deep mob, Clooney was both cordial and gracious to guests, never showing impatience with the fact that, well, he couldn’t move. While the girls made a bee-line for Clooney, the guys tracked down two of the best-looking ladies in the room: Kim Alexis and Morgan Fairchild.
Saturday, 8 p.m.
Event: The Annual Dinner of the White House Correspondents’ Association
Location: Washington Hilton
President Bush and Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert both took turns at stand-up during the dinner. While Colbert kept to the usual fake newsman schtick that has made his “Colbert Report” so popular, Bush brought out his own doppelganger, comedian Steve Bridges, whose impersonation of Bush was so spot-on that many in the back of the ballroom had difficulty figuring out who was who.
(And yes, throughout the dinner, Clooney was — still — completely surrounded by adoring fans.)
Saturday, 11 p.m.
Event: The Bloomberg After-Party
Location: The Macedonian Embassy
Tickets to the Bloomberg After-Party were among the toughest to get, and the party didn’t disappoint. The A-list crowd provided those lucky enough to be in the jam-packed room with yet another opportunity to see someone like Ann Coulter occupying the same space as New York Giants running back Tiki Barber. As guests admired the jungle-like décor of the place — replete with fog walls, water fountains and bathroom doors so covered in ivy you felt like Tarzan just getting to the place — they sipped on such exotic drinks as theYbor Guava Cocktail and the Apple Pear Martini.
Saturday, 11 p.m.
Event: The Reuters After-Party
Location: kstreet lounge
Although the buzz in the week leading up to the big weekend was that this year’s Reuters after-party might actually give Bloomberg a run for its money, the party itself didn’t live up to the hype. Despite Reuters actually shuttling people from the Hilton to their party (in a move that looked more desperate than accommodating), the bash itself was without the big names or big crowds.
Saturday, 11 p.m.
Event: The Capitol File After-Party
Location: Cafe Milano
If you ever wanted to see what it’s like to hang out with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on a Saturday night, this was your chance. This smaller after-party didn’t rope in many big names, but the intimate atmosphere allowed partiers to top off their evening with a nice way to enjoy drinks and share stories about who met who tonight and what so-and-so said.
Sunday, 11 a.m.
Event: The McLaughlin Brunch
Location: Hay-Adams Rooftop Patio
This annual brunch, put on by John McLaughlin, of “The McLaughlin Group,” and his wife, Cristina, was a relaxing conclusion to the weekend’s festivities. If the Bloomberg after-party was meant for the hot set, the McLaughlin brunch was designed for the established. Attendees — all exhausted from a weekend of nonstop socializing — put on their preppiest clothes for this garden party and schmoozed with Tommy Lasorda, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, James Denton from “Desperate Housewives,” and actor Joe Pantoliano.
With the weekend over, Washington returns to life as usual, but we still have in possession of dirty tuxedos, hangovers and great pictures to hold us over until Hollywood graces us with their presence next year.
Patrick W. Gavin is the Examiner’s associate editorial page editor.
