Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson Lead ‘D.C.-Palooza’
At a party hosted by the powerful Hollywood agency Creative Artists Agency on Friday night, early attendees appeared to be debating how much fun they could have during the weekend of the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this year.
They didn’t play chicken for very long. At the talent agency’s event, which took place at La Grande Boucherie in Washington, by 8 p.m., attendees were struggling to stop their drinks from spilling over a baby grand piano and were getting temporary tattoos on one other’s necks. Don’t miss:- Eric Church’s 2024 Stagecoach Witnessing the performance was incredible. It’s best to Look and See.
The centrepiece of the weekend is a Saturday night banquet at the Washington Hilton Hotel, dubbed “nerd prom.” There, “Saturday Night Live” star Colin Jost intends to subtly make fun of President Biden, who is anticipated to ascend the dais and make some jokes of his own.
April has become a busy month for the D.C. social elite, with a series of receptions and parties in addition to the annual dinner hosted by the entwined political and media classes.
Many journalists and influential people seemed committed to making the most of this year’s schmoozefest, despite conflicts, student protests, and the criminal prosecution of former President Donald J. Trump.
“It’s truly thrilling to be able to set politics aside for a lovely weekend,” senior reporter for “The Daily Show” Desi Lydic remarked. “In addition to our ethics.” Colin Jost
In celebration of Mr Jost, who travelled around with his wife, Scarlett Johansson, the CAA party was thrown. Upon his arrival, Mr. Jost’s employer, Lorne Michaels, the creator of “Saturday Night Live,” marched directly to the food table. Upon being asked what caught his eye, he said, “The vegetables.”
The newscaster Andrea Mitchell, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, and the second gentleman, Doug Emhoff, were among the other visitors. The actors Kyle MacLachlan, Chris Pine, and Rosario Dawson, whose political background includes his part as a fake mayor in “Portlandia,” represented Hollywood. Agents Joe Machota and Rachel Adler led the CAA contingent, along with Bryan Lourd, the company’s CEO.
La Grand Boucherie is a grand two-story restaurant with a gilded ceiling and stained glass trim, housed in a former bank on 14th Street. Mr. Jost and Ms. Johansson are both customers of CAA; they moved about the room together, unlike other married couples who separate to work the room separately during parties. During their manoeuvring around a demi-clad statue, Mr Jost attempted to avoid being asked about his job as this year’s dinner host. Colin Jost
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He remarked, “I’m too nervous right now.”
The president’s granddaughter Naomi Biden, who lives upstairs, claimed that she would be more excited by a celebrity sighting than by her encounter with Ariana Madix from “Vanderpump Rules” during the celebrations in April of last year. Ms. Biden remarked, “I felt like I was the only one who appreciated that you were here.” Colin Jost
Cheese boards, however, could only so much prevent discussions on the problems facing the media sector: newsroom cutbacks, the danger posed by artificial intelligence, and the imprisonment of Wall Street Journal writer Evan Gershkovich in Russia over a year ago. Colin Jost
Senior media writer at Axios Sara Fischer stated, “What do we do about Evan Gershkovich? is the underlying tone of this weekend.” “Every champagne glass conceals an editor who is currently discussing him.”
At the British ambassador’s house on Embassy Row, Politico sponsored a launch celebration on Thursday night, marking the start of the social agenda.
Sir Edward Lutyens, the architect, created the 17,000-square-foot manse in the 1920s. It is a subtly reduced replica of an English country house. A sign with the royal coat of arms warned certain visitors not to drink red wine in the drawing room, which was filled with white-upholstered chairs. Colin Jost
The garden was filled with fragrant peonies in full springtime bloom as Attorney General Merrick B. Garland presided over court there. Goli Sheikholeslami, the CEO of Politico, was having a lengthy chat with David Risher, the CEO of Lyft, at a tower of whoopie pies not far away.
A major event these days is almost always sponsored or has some kind of marketing presence, and the embassy party was no exception. A kind waiter with a cigar cutter in hand presented a selection of Diamond Crown Cigars. One visitor was seen smoking in contemplation on a garden bench. Colin Jost
“The Washington social calendar’s high point is now this weekend,” Ms. Sheikholeslami said to the assembly. “What was once known as the ‘nerd prom’ has evolved into something akin to D.C.-palooza.”
However, despite all of the fun and strutting, unavoidable outside circumstances had to interrupt the celebration. Alongside Ms. Sheikholeslami, Dame Karen Pierce, the British ambassador to the US, hosted the event. She mentioned that earlier in the day, she had gone to a memorial service for seven humanitarian workers who had been slain in Gaza while delivering food for World Central Kitchen. Colin Jost
It’s a tough moment in the globe, she remarked.
From the new class of digital news start-ups, some of the most sought-after invites were extended. Former House Speaker John Boehner was one of the guests who took an elevator to the top floor of the opulent Riggs Washington D.C., a hotel in the Penn Quarter where Puck was throwing a party in collaboration with William Morris Endeavor, a talent agency.
The Puck writers Matthew Belloni and Peter Hamby were interviewed by playwright and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin for Mr. Belloni’s podcast, “The Town.” Before the election, Mr. Sorkin shared his opinions about TikTok and artificial intelligence. Colin Jost
“May I have an anxiety check from Aaron Sorkin regarding Joe Biden’s chances of winning reelection?” Mr. Hamby enquired.
“I’m as worried as can be,” Mr. Sorkin responded.
Those who were not feeling talkative enough to engage in convoluted discussions took photographs at Snap, the former Snapchat company, kiosks in the next room while Mr Sorkin gave a monologue concerning Meta’s dissemination of false information during the 2020 election.
Former Hearst Magazines executive Joanna Coles, who was just appointed content chief of The Daily Beast, manoeuvred among podcasters while sipping espresso martinis. Subjects that The Beast is interested in under her direction? “Aspiration, power, money, betrayal, and retaliation,” she said. “And Lauren Sanchez, of course, has captured our attention.” Colin Jost
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The Obama speechwriter-turnedPod-“Pod Save America” presenter Jon Favreau noted nearby that the social scene looked to have rebounded from its Covid-era slump over the weekend. Many people were saying, “We’re out, we’re back, we’re partying,” he said. “It feels like an adult high school reunion.”
The following evening, the social scene shifted to the Kalorama area, where Secret Service personnel kept an eye on a party held for the digital news source Semafor at a private house close to the Obamas’ home. Colin Jost
The residence belongs to Justin Smith, the former CEO of Bloomberg Media, who founded Semafor in 2022 with Ben Smith, the former head editor of BuzzFeed News. Colin Jost
Justin Smith, who was standing in his kitchen, stated that Teddy, his Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, was in the basement and that his teenage son was upstairs playing video games. He regretted that the dog’s name was not more unusual; he made sure not to make the same error with Semafor.
Ben Smith, who worked for The New York Times for around two years as a media journalist, was spotted making jokes with Ben LaBolt, the director of communications for the White House. Jim Bankoff, the CEO of Vox Media, and CNN This Morning anchor Kasie Hunt were among the other guests.
Justin Smith expressed confidence in his own business, but he was anxious about how the media would cover the next presidential election. The quantity of false information, polarization, and bias, he claimed, was “sort of unprecedented.” Colin Jost
“Can everyone somehow rise above a lot of this stuff and look at things objectively, factually, and independently? Can they all just call on their better angels?” he said. Colin Jost
A basketball hoop and a picture background with the Semafor logo were placed in a backyard illuminated by magenta floodlights. With their backs to the pool, visitors enjoyed rum punch while listening to the laid-back music spun by D.J. Lance Reynolds on the terrace. Everyone was a bit hesitant to dance because it looked so simple to slip into the groove.
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