Masonhall is representing some of NBC News’s biggest franchises including “Meet the Press” and “Nightly News.” “Meet the Press” Moderator David Gregory invited the crowd of reporters and NBC executives to raise their glasses in a toast Mendenhall.

NBC News President Steve Capus, NBC News press team leader Lauren Kapp and the new Washington Bureau Chief Antoine Sanfuentes, chatted with reporters about the latest Washington buzz on a potential government shutdown, the 2012 GOP field and of course, the upcoming book from Mark Leibovich already causing an uproar on the Hill and in journalism circles.

A state visit from team Politico led by Mike Allen, Jonathan Martin, Manu Raju, and Keach Hagey.

Reporting favorites Emily Goodin, Jackie Kucinich (on her way to USA Today) Jeff Zeleny and Paul Kane enjoyed crab cakes, spring rolls and “Meet the Press” cupcakes made by Marla Romash of “Marla’s Magic.”

2010 WHC Garden Brunch: Story Landis, Susan Axelrod, David Axelrod

While at the 2010 White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch, guests were asked to share the best advice from their mother in honor of Mothers Day Every Day and CURE Epilepsy.

Some of the answers from the media, business, and political elite who stepped across the lawn at the 18th annual brunch are posted below – and be sure to WATCH the video of the tribute to two important causes which affects the lives and health of families all across the globe: maternal mortality and epilepsy.

Susan Axelrod, Founder & Chair of CURE Epilepsy spoke from the heart about the disease and the desperate need to support research and find a cure. Axelrod, the honorary co-chair of the brunch, was joined on stage by “Glee” star Matthew Morrison, People’s cover boy Chace Crawford, and HBO’s “The Pacific” star Joe Mazzello, as well as the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato, who showed their support for CURE Epilepsy and MDED by signing a giant Mother’s Day card.

CHERYL HINES: My mom taught me to have fun in life. That’s what it’s about!

RUPERT MURDOCH: My mother told me to look after my sisters!

DANA DELANEY: Tell the truth – it’s easier to remember

STEVE WEBER: Swallow your spit

SUSAN SHER, First Lady’s Chief of Staff: 1. Always wear lipstick 2.
It’s just as easy to fall in love with a rich man as a poor man. (I followed neither.)

WOLF BLITZER: Do the best you can!

ARIANNA HUFFINGTON: Be fearless!

NICK JONAS: Treat women with respect!

JOE JONAS: Coins are not edible!

DEMI LOVATO: Pack clean underwear!

JOE MAZZELLO, HBO’s “The Pacific”: Make it real

DAVID GREGORY: Always wear socks!

KIM KARDASHIAN: My favorite thing my mother taught me is…. To be myself

CHEVY CHASE: Make sure you shake few hands. You can get hurt.

JAYNI CHASE: Wear comfortable shoes.

PATRICIA ARQUETTE: Get quiet and ask God to let you feel who you are …your true self.

BRET BAIER: Always open a door and pull out a chair for a lady!

ANDREA MITCHELL: Watch out when you cross the street

2010 WHC Garden Brunch for MDED and CURE Epilepsy from whcinsider on Vimeo.

White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod made a guest appearance in a special birthday video and noted Fischer is one of only a few people who still work for their first employer. Fischer’s media colleagues roasted and toasted themselves and Fischer, on the video and in the room, including: Greta Van Susteren and John Coale, Savannah Guthrie and Chuck Todd, Wolf Blitzer and Bret Baier, Mike Allen and Bob Schieffer, and 10,000 Women’s Dina Powell.

The biggest laugh came when Bloomberg’s Kevin Sheekey appeared in the video talking to someone off camera, asking help for advice on how to run for president.  The camera widened to reveal Al Sharpton suggesting Sheekey “call Betsy Fischer like I did or, more importantly, like Obama did.”

Obama notables Susan Sher and Dan Pfieffer, Sarah Feinberg, Stephanie Cutter, and Dag Vega all enjoyed Classic Catering’s jambalaya and Walter Issacson gave a thumbs up to the Louisiana food.

Fischer broke up the crowd when she called newly 40 Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham, “grandpa,” and David Gregory her “Irish twin.” Mike Feldman earned the accolade, Fischer’s “cool older brother with cute friends,” and Nicole Nason her “best friend.” Partygoer Hilary Rosen was the “cool cousin” and Carrie Stephenson, the “great sister-in-law.”

Media star sitings included Andrea Mitchell and Alan Greenspan, Jim and Autumn VandeHei, the Washington Post’s Dan Balz, Jonathan Capehart, and Ceci Connolly, as well as Evan Thomas, Ron Brownstein, Al Hunt and Judy Woodruff.

Clintonites Terry McAulliffe, Dee Dee Myers, and Steve McMahon rubbed shoulders with Republicans Ed Gillespie, Alex Castellanos, Matt Rhoades, Danny Diaz, Rob Collins and Barbara Comstock.

The dance floor remained packed all night and Winston Lord was later named hottest dancer.  Also spotted at the party: Ann Hand and Ambassador Lloyd Hand, Washington’s newest star and Miami import, Adrienne Arsht, Ambassador Capricia Marshall, Biz Bash David Adler, Kelly McCormick, Pam Stevens, Ann and Geoff Morrell, and Anita McBride.

The party was hosted by MTP anchor David Gregory and Beth Wilkinson, Newsweek’s Jon Meacham, Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren and John Coale, Nicole and David Nason, Brunswick Group’s Hilary Rosen, Glover Park’s Mike Feldman, CNN’s Carrie Stevenson, and Haddad Media’s Tammy Haddad and Ted Greenberg.

Photos by Neshan Naltchayan

Guests included actors Val Kilmer, Christian Slater, Matthew Modine and Dana Delaney; Capt. Richard Phillips of the Alabama Maersk and his wife Andrea; Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; former Clinton administration official Donna Shalala; David Gregory, Andrea Mitchell and Ann Curry of NBC News, and many others.

The party ran from Noon until 3:00 p.m., when guests started leaving to prepare for tonight’s big event.

Val Kilmer

Shelby Coffey and Ann Curry

Comedian Drew Carey was the featured entertainment (after the president, of course), and the requisite celebrities were on hand as well – Harrison Ford, Christie Brinkley, etc. But it was heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne (invited by Fox News host Greta Van Susteren) everyone was clamoring to see. His MTV reality show “The Osbournes” had become a cultural phenomenon and the muttering poster boy of rock ‘n roll excess was more famous than he had ever been in his head-banging heyday. Even the president couldn’t resist the pull of America’s sudden and most unlikely celebrity. “The thing about Ozzy is he’s made a lot of big hit recordings,” Bush said as he gave the singer a shout-out during his remarks. “’Party With Animals,’ ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,’ ‘Face in Hell,’ ‘Black Skies’ and ‘Bloodbath in Paradise’ … Ozzy, mom loves your stuff.” Osbourne responded by standing on his chair, arms raised and shouting as the audience howled and applauded.

The sight of this conservative president and the Prince of Darkness sharing this moment really tells all you need to know about what this dinner has become in recent decades. It somehow manages to capture the zeitgeist just right at times. Here are some of the other highlights from recent years:

Clinton’s Farewell

Bill Clinton’s eight years in office has been described in many different ways but boring is certainly not one of them. While his presidency was dominated by big dramas like Whitewater, the health care debacle and the Monica Lewinsky scandal and subsequent impeachment trial, Clinton came to his final White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2000 seemingly determined to prove that he hadn’t lost his sense of humore through it all. Indeed, his last year in office ended up as one of his best (who can forget the theatrical “solo” walk at the Democratic convention?) – and he set the tone for it at the dinner.

The use of pre-produced videos were nothing new in Clinton’s days but his team had always used them more effectively than most, starting with the “Man From Hope” bio produced for his 1992 campaign. Clinton rolled out the device once more at the 2000 dinner, with great effect. Casting the president as a down-and-out lame duck who has been deserted by nearly everyone in the White House, including his Senate-bound wife, the video showed Clinton aimlessly roaming the halls of the executive mansion, giving press briefings to a sleeping Helen Thomas and pruning shrubs. Still, the president found joy – and success – by the end of the video: discovering eBay, launching golf shots at political oppenents’ cars and finding a way to cheat the vending machines for some free ice cream. In other words, a perfect metaphor for his presidency.

Stephen’s Scolding

If Clinton’s final appearance was a celebratory one, the 2006 event led to widespread cringing. President Bush, whose popularity had dropped precipitously since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, tried to set the tone by poking some fun at himself alongside impersonator Steve Bridges (who served as Bush’s “internal voice”). The dueling W’s got most of the press coverage coming out of the night but what had everyone in Washington buzzing in the days afterward was Stephen Colbert’s stinging indictment of both the president and the press. Appearing in character (a faux Bill O’Reilly), Colbert was a big “get” for the dinner as one of the rising stars in political humor. Following in the footsteps of Jay Leno and Jon Stewart, it was the newcomer’s turn to wow Washington. And wow them he did. Colbert started out by likening himself to the president, alluding to the perception that both made decisions from their “gut,” not beholden to the “reality” based “factinista.” “I believe in this president,” he said.

“Now, I know there are some polls out there saying that this man has a 32 percent approval rating. But guys like us, we don’t pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in ‘reality.’ And reality has a well-known liberal bias.” Colbert then turned his sights on the press which, as an entity, had recently come under withering criticism for its coverage of the buildup to war in Iraq – most notably when it came to administration claims of weapons of mass destruction. Colbert explained the “rules” of covering the president: “The president makes decisions. He’s the decider.

The press secretary announces those decisions and you people of the press type those decisions down. Make, announce, type. Just put them through a spell-check and go home. Get to know your family again. Make love to your wife. Write that novel you’ve got kicking around in your head. You know, the one about the intrepid Washington reporter with the courage to stand up to the administration? You know – fiction.”

Colbert touched a nerve and the next year, the dinner featured ancient comedian Rich Little as the performer. Laura’s Turn It’s not always easy for a president to just cruise through the gauntlet of spring dinners. In addition to the main event in May, there’s also the Gridiron and the Radio and Television Correspondents dinners that, while not required, are often attended by the chief executive. Sure, they have plenty of writers to prepare the material but, let’s face it, they still have to perform. In 2005, President Bush took the year off from the spotlight and handed it over to the first lady, who simply “killed” in show business terms.

When the the president stood up and began rattling off some tired, old jokes, Laura Bush approached the stage and took over. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she announced, “I’ve been attending these dinners for years, and just quietly sitting there. Well, I’ve got a few things I want to say for a change.” The first lady commenced a round of jokes that were at times just as cutting as most professional comedians. “I am married to the President of the United States,” she complained, “and here is our typical evening. Nine o’clock, Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep, and I am watching Desperate Housewives. With Lynne Cheney. Ladies and gentleman, I am a desperate housewife. I mean if those women on that show think they’re desperate they ought to be with George.” Needless, to say, the first lady was a big hit.

Non-WH Correspondent Moments

Because the dinner season all tends to run together, a few memorable events have taken place at events other than the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Most of these took place at the Radio and Television Correspondents’ Dinner (which is open to press coverage), not at the Gridiron Dinner (supposedly closed). Here are some examples from the RTC Dinner: