The 2011 WHC Garden Brunch featured two great organizations, CURE Epilepsy and the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood. Our honorary co-chairs Susan Axelrod and Wendi Murdoch led the push for advocacy and results.

2011 White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch from whcinsider on Vimeo.

Thanks to your generous donations, CURE Epilepsy is having a record-breaking year in raising funds to find a cure. Your dollars are making a difference. Recently, a CURE-Funded Project had a major breakthrough. UC Irvine and French researchers identified a central switch responsible for the transformation of healthy brain cells into epileptic ones, opening the way to both treat and prevent temporal lobe epilepsy. Epilepsy affects 1 to 2 percent of the world’s population, and TLE is the most common form of the disorder in adults. Among adult neurologic conditions, only migraine headaches are more prevalent. TLE is resistant to treatment in 30 percent of cases.

“We’re quite excited about this discovery,” UCI neurologist and neuroscientist Dr. Tallie Z. Baram said. “Understanding how previous brain infections, seizures or injuries can interact with the cellular machinery to cause epilepsy is a crucial step toward designing drugs to prevent the process. We don’t want to just treat people with epilepsy. We hope to develop medicines that will prevent epilepsy from occurring – and influence the lives of millions of people around the globe.”

The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood is using the month of July to encourage leaders to recognize the importance of health workers. There is a shortage of more than 3.5 million health workers across the globe and millions of existing health workers lack the support, equipment, and training they need to provide quality care. These nurses, doctors, midwives and community health workers are vital for progress on global health and development and for ensuring the millennium development goals are met.

In September, decision-makers will convene at the United Nations General Assembly to review progress on the Millennium Development Goals. It will be an opportunity for governments to announce substantial and specific commitments to support and invest in health workers. By sharing your voice on these issues, together change can be made.

Here is our photo gallery including David and Susan Axelrod, Rupert and Wendi Murdoch, Sarah and Todd Palin, Matthew Morrison, Jeremy Piven, Bill and Bernie Daley, Tina Tchen, Eric Podwall, Chelsea Handler, T. Boone Pickens and many other notables.

We are proud to support the work of CURE Epilepsy and the White Ribbon Alliance, and encourage you to do the same by clicking on the links below.

WHC Insider 2011 WHC Garden Brunch Bill Daley, Boone Pickens, Chelsea Handler, CURE Epilepsy, David Axelrod, Dr. Tallie Baram, Jeremy Piven, Matthew Morrison, Rupert Murdoch, Sarah Palin, Susan Axelrod, Tina Tchen, UC Irvine, Wendi Murdoch, White Ribbon Alliance

In a recent interview, Fox News President Roger Ailes seemed to shift from his traditionally conservative stance and may have developed a bit of a soft spot for some top Democrats. In an interview with Howard Kurtz, Ailes – the man who put Sarah Palin back on television – even said he’d hire Hillary Clinton: “She looks unhappy at the State Department. She’d get ratings.” See the full story on The Daily Beast here.

WHC Insider Uncategorized Fox News, Hillary Clinton, Howard Kurtz, Roger Ailes, Sarah Palin

Politco’s Patrick Gavin scored an interview with Sarah Palin at this year’s White House Correspondent’s Brunch.

When asked about running into Donald Trump she says “He’s our buddy, we appreciate and respect Donald Trump.”

Watch the video below and see the full Politico Click here.

Ben Smith of Politico also wrote a piece on her visit which you can check out here.

WHC Insider WHCD 2011 Politico, Sarah Palin

From Second City to the Kennedy Center, Tina Fey still leaves them laughing.

The Emmy – Golden Globe – Screen Actors Guild – People’s Choice award-winning writer, producer, actress, and comedienne took home another statue Tuesday night: the 13th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. As only the third woman to receive this award (Whoopi Goldberg and Lily Tomlin round out the trio), Fey is also the youngest (she’s 40, for those keeping track).

She is the creator, star and Executive Producer of NBC’s 30 Rock, now in its fourth season and spent nine years as head writer and cast member on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. But perhaps it is her eerily good impression of Sarah Palin that most folks are familiar with (even doing a little bit during a recent appearance on Late Night with David Letterman).

While accepting the award at a star-studded event at the Kennedy Center, Fey thanked Sarah Palin, the former Alaskan Governor, for her success. Palin wasn’t in the crowd, but spotted in the President’s box were David Axelrod, Stephanie Cutter and Susan Sher.

Fey’s husband, producer/composer Jeff Richmond was by her side while co-stars, colleagues and friends were on hand to pay tribute to Fey including former Mark Twain winners Steve Martin and Lorne Michaels; Date Night co-star Steve Carell; former Weekend Update co-anchor and now host of his own show, Jimmy Fallon; Mad Men and 30 Rock guest star Jon Hamm; Baby Mama co-star Amy Poehler; 30 Rock co-stars Jane Krakowski and Tracy Morgan; and the indefatigable Betty White.

Alec Baldwin who plays Fey’s “mentor” on 30 Rock appeared in a video as Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain. He wasn’t the only one people couldn’t stop talking about: people were commenting on the remarkable resemblance between Steve Martin and David Rubenstein, President of the Kennedy Center. Also spotted at the gala were National Symphony Orchestra Board Member Connie Milstein and guests Austan and Robin Goolsbee.

The event raised $1.3 million in ticket sales which will go to the Center, the largest total in the prize’s history. PBS will air the program on November 14, 2010.

WHC Insider Washington Events Alec Baldwin, Amy Poehler, Betty White, David Axelrod, Jane Krakowski, Jimmy Fallon, Jon Hamm, Kennedy Center, Lorne Michaels, Mark Twain, Sarah Palin, Stephanie Cutter, Steve Carell, Steve Martin, Susan Sher, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan

It’s still more than two months away, but the White House Correspondents Dinner scramble for the best guests has already started to heat up. The Washington rumor mill is whispering that that ABC News has grabbed a top prize: Senatorial newbie Scott Brown. Check out FishbowlDC’s “Who Will Take McDreamy McBrown to Prom?”

Who else will show up on May 1st? Other top gets would be Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, anyone from the cast of Fox’s hit TV show “Glee,” and of course Sarah Palin. Todd Palin was Greta Van Susteren’s guest last year, seen here at the annual White House Correspondents brunch.

Greta Van Susteren with Todd Palin at the 2009 WHCInsider Garden Brunch

gtruong News Media, WHCD 2010 Guests Bob McDonnell, Greta Van Susteren, Sarah Palin, Scott Brown, Todd Palin

First Dude Todd Palin

WHCInsider has confirmed that Todd Palin, a.k.a. the First Dude, is coming as Greta Van Susteren’s guest for the White House Correspondents dinner. He will be attending in his wife Sarah Palin’s stead.

It is another big score for Fox News’ Van Susteren, who brought the showstopping Ozzie Osbourne to a previous WHCD. Even President Bush got in on the Ozzie action that night by mentioning him in his dinner address. Click on dinner history for video of that speech.

BTriplett Uncategorized Sarah Palin, Todd Palin

Alaskan Governor’s Spokeswoman Won’t Confirm

Us magazine reported the former GOP vice presidential nominee will be attending this year’s dinner, but when asked by the Anchorage Daily News to confirm, Palin spokeswoman Meg Stapleton would only say:

“The governor may be on the East Coast this weekend to attend state events and meetings. If she is there, the governor may accept one of the standing invitations for dinner.”

What do you think? Should she attend? Let us know in a comment.

BTriplett WHCD 2009 Guests, Washington Events Anchorage Daily News, Sarah Palin, Us magazine

Us magazine reports “Gossip Girl” star Chace Crawford will be at Fox News Channel’s table for the White House Correspondents Dinner. Other Fox News guests include Sarah and Todd Palin, actor Matthew Modine, and anchors Greta Van Sustern, Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, Bret Baier and Chris Wallace.

gtruong WHCD 2009 Guests Bill O'Reilly, Bret Baier, Chace Crawford, Chris Wallace, Fox News, Glenn Beck, Greta Van Sustern, Matthew Modine, Sarah Palin, Todd Palin, White House Correspondents Dinner

Democrats, Celebs, Media-types In; Republicans, Lobbyists, “Little People” Out

Who will be in and who will be left out of this year’s dinner? A few general categories to keep an eye on. For Obamites stuck in Chicago for two years, this will be the first night that many of them mix and mingle with the press at a big event. Read more…

BTriplett Washington Events Bobby Jindal, Bon Jovi, Democrats, Obamites, Republicans, Sarah Palin, Sully Sullenberger