Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano at the Garden Brunch
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said the White House press corps “serves a function” and that getting rid of it, as some have suggested, “would be wrong.” Napolitano was at the Pre-Dinner Garden Brunch.
Capt. Richard Phillips and his wife Andrea.
Captain Richard Phillips and his wife Andrea met with President Obama in Oval Office today. The president said that “in these hard times (Phillips) inspires us.” They talked basketball, the importance of homework and about the WHCD tonight.
Jeff Zucker, NBC’s chief executive who’s not known for throwing high-profile bashes, will host a VIP reception before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner tonight on an upper floor of the Washington Hilton, above the mostly ground-floor receptions.
Both People and DC Modern Luxury magazine threw pre-WHCD receptions tonight, the eve of the big dinner itself tomorrow night. At the St. Regis Hotel, just blocks away from the White House, the old world elegance of the venue provided a warm atmosphere for the People bash, which was packed nearly wall-to-wall. Hotel staff in tuxes passed drinks and hors d’oeuvres among the several hundred guests, who included actor Kevin Bacon and musician Ludacris. TV news personalities also filled the room, such as CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, ABC News’ Ann Compton, NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell and Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren. The mood was relaxed and festive.
A couple miles away, on Washington’s famed Embassy Row, DC Modern Luxury magazine hosted a reception in the 
extremely modern digs of the Finnish Embassy. Pale wood and glass and steel abounded as a capacity crowd of mostly younger guests mixed and mingled. Spotted among the faces was CNN’s Ed Henry and Suzanne Malvaux. A DJ played a mix of house music for dancers, whose numbers increased as the evening grew later.
Capt. Richard Phillips of the Alabama Maersk
Captain Richard Phillips and his wife Andrea will attend the White House Correspondents Dinner as guests of Bloomberg. Phillips, who was held hostage by Somali pirates along with his crew just weeks ago, will be among the more prominent guests at this year’s correspondents dinner — definitely one of the big “gets” for 2009.
