Tammy Haddad interviewed at the 2010 White House Correspondents Garden Brunch.

Confused as to why everyone around the Beltway aren’t complaining about why it’s almost 100 degrees? Because they’re going over Politico’s 50 Politicos To Watch.

As Bill Nichols explains, “we bring you a snapshot of the politicians, bureaucrats, administration officials, campaign gurus, military brass, fixers and party hounds you need to keep an eye on in the weeks and months ahead.” Among other influential D.C. staples are the restaurants and bars that run the town’s after-hour salons.

Of course, in a point of full disclosure: White House Correspondents Insider’s own co-founder and editor-in-chief Tammy Haddad is one of Politico’s Scenemakers to Watch.

John Lichman DC, News Media 50 Politicos To Watch, Politico, Tammy Haddad, White House Correspondents Dinner

Get ready to pack the sunscreen.

The Republican National Committee announced today that the 2012 Republican National Convention will be held in Tampa-St. Petersburg once the site city agreement is fully negotiated and the full RNC votes for approval this August at its Summer Meeting.

“We are honored and privileged to accept the bid from Tampa, Florida to host the Republican National Convention in 2012. The host committee’s hard work and dedication resulted in a tremendous bid that we are confident will produce a successful event. The Tampa area boasts state-of-the-art facilities, exciting and vibrant downtowns, and a clear enthusiasm from the community to host our convention. We look forward to joining our compatriots in the Sunshine State for our convention in 2012,” said RNC Chairman Michael Steele.

POLITICO’s Mike Allen reported earlier today that top Republicans would recommend Tampa as the host city, beating out Phoenix, AZ and Salt Lake City, UT. The convention will be held the week of August 27, 2012.

Check out the full story.

WHC Insider News 2012, GOP, Mike Allen, Politico, Republican National Committee, Republican National Convention, RNC, Tampa

WHC Insider presents the first annual WHC Weekend Insider Awards to highlight the great deeds of the famous and infamous who came to Washington to party, schmooze, and most importantly – be seen – at the events surrounding the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

It’s the biggest weekend in Washington, second only perhaps to Inauguration, which you clever kids know from civics class only comes once every four years (and without as many brunches).

So, here it is, the best of the fetes, as we scour the tables at the Washington Hilton to find someone not represented by Bob Barnett.

BEST OUTREACH BY A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL

Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. No one walks in LA, but apparently Hollywood hottie and “Entourage” star Adrian Grenier was making his way on foot to the Bloomberg/Vanity Fair after party when he was spotted by none other than Rahm Emanuel. The White House Chief of Staff’s brother, Ari Emanuel, was the inspiration for the high-strung, heavyweight agent portrayed by Jeremy Piven on the hit HBO show “Entourage.”

Rahm immediately had his motorcade pull over and Adrian hopped in. Now that’s taking it to the people!

Read more…

WHC Insider Awards Adrian Grenier, Anna Kendrick, Bloomberg, Bob Barnett, Boone Pickens, Bradley Cooper, Candice Crawford, Carol Blue, Carolyn Weyforth, Chace Crawford, Christopher Hitchens, Dan Pfeiffer, Elena Allbritton, Greta Van Susteren, Joe Mazzello, John Coale, Jon Meacham, Jonas Brothers, Katie Couric, Kim Kardashian, Matthew Morrison, Morgan Freeman, Politico, Rahm Emanuel, Robert Allbritton, Rosario Dawson, Sara Olson, Tony Romo, Vanity Fair, WHCA, WHCA Dinner, White House Correspondents Association Dinner

Rounding out an already busy weekend, the Allbritton Brunch on Sunday proved to be the next must-attend event surrounding the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

Held at the Georgetown Mansion of Politico owner and wife, Robert and Elena Allbritton, the posh gathering included stamina-filled notables, such as: WHCA President Ed Chen, Secretary of Health & Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Senator Scott Brown, T. Boone Pickens, actor Ewan McGregor, and the youthful trio, the  Jonas Brothers.

Check out Politico’s take.

WHC Insider Washington Events Boone Pickens, Ed Chen, Elena Allbritton, Ewan McGregor, Jonas Brothers, Kathleen Sebelius, Politico, Robert Allbritton, Scott Brown, WHCA, White House Correspondents Association

The Politico CLICK interviewed White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs on what it’s like to be recognized at gas stations, Chuck E. Cheese, and on the street.

“I don’t think you really get the appreciation until you’re walking down the street and you can tell that people are looking at you, and then they look at you again, and sometimes they point,” Gibbs said.

Check out the full interview HERE.

gtruong Press Secretaries Politico, Robert Gibbs

Beltway Boys from Vanity Fair article: Jim VandeHei, John Harris, Robert Allbritton, Mike Allen. Photograph by Gasper Tringale.

Don’t miss Michael Wolff’s great article in Vanity Fair.

On the surface, a paean to Politico: “Four old-media veterans may have solved the future of news with the Politico Web site.”

But arguably a look at Washington’s Fourth Estate and the problems facing general interest newspapers, which are losing readers and revenues at a fast clip. The irony? Politico’s print edition is what has edged their business model out of the red and closer to black.

From the article:

“Politico puts its current traffic at 6.7 million unique visitors per month (down from a high of more than 11 million during the campaign), yet it still can’t support its staff of about 100 on the Internet’s low advertising rates (although, with its agenda-moving audience and its preponderance of advocacy advertisers, it manages to get a higher rate than most sites). But one effect of its Internet traffic and notoriety and the ensuing attention of cable news shows is that the original Allbritton idea for a Capitol Hill paper-one that now largely reprints Internet content-has become, with its special-interest-size circulation of 32,000, a major success. Internet cachet, in other words, has enabled a tabloid-size print version of Politico (also called Politico) to thrive and more than double the company’s revenues-which, just about evenly split between Internet and newspaper, will, it appears, be more than $15 million in 2009-meaning, according to C.E.O. Fred Ryan, that Politico, paying its staffers at nearly the level that The Washington Post pays (starting salaries for reporters at the Post are about $45,000 per year), has hit breakeven.”

lrozett News Media Michael Wolff, Politico, Vanity Fair, Washington Post

While President Obama’s nomination for the Supreme Court is still top of the fold, the hot gossip around town is who will be picked for the D.C. version of Bravo’s hit reality show featuring housewives.  Here is Patrick Gavin’s take from Politico.

And Channel 8′s Rebecca Cooper speculates about who’s in and who’s not.

“Often called a D.C. social doyenne, Tammy Haddad edits the Web site White House Correspondents Insider. “To be really famous, you either have to be in the White House or have a whole lot of money,” she said. “We’ll finally be able to see these checkbooks and see who has some serious coin and who has climbed their way to the top.”"

Check out Rebecca’s take.

lrozett News Media, Washington Events Bravo, Patrick Gavin, Politico, President Obama, Rebecca Cooper, Tammy Haddad

Getting ready for the pre-dinner brunch.

Preparations are underway for all sorts of events related to the WHCD. Check out what Politico has to say about them all here.

BTriplett Washington Events Politico

Sick and Tired

Is Washington ready for Wanda?  That’s the question posed by Politico style reporter Patrick Gavin over the weekend and one that underscores the incredibly sensitive nature of selecting the “official entertainment” for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner each year.

When it was announced earlier this year that Sykes would be the headliner for the 2009 dinner, it seemed a non-controversial choice on the surface.  While traditionally the actress/comedian has not been a politically active force by Hollywood standards, she was vocally opposed to California’s Proposition 8 and it’s fitting symbolism for President Obama’s first major Washington dinner.

But as the event draws nearer, expect the nerves to grow.  There’s a thin line between edgy comedy at these events and that which borders on the offensive — either politically or in terms of taste.

Read more…

vververs Wanda Sykes Politico, Wanda Sykes