May 2, 2010 – At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday, there was gridlock on the red carpet with the number of high-profile Hollywood celebrities in the nation’s capital.  Could this turnout be another impact of  the “Obama effect”? 

Saturday was a star-studded day for folks inside the beltway.  For me, it began at the annual White House Correspondents’ Garden Brunch hosted at the home of veteran news producer Tammy Haddad and Ted Greenberg.  Other sponsors for the event included Hilary Rosen, David Adler, Jim Courtovictch, Alex Castellanos, BET’s Debra Lee, Steve McMahon and Franco Nuschese. 

Talk show host Wendy Willams and Pamela Gentry at the White House Correspendents Brunch Saturday May 1. 2010.

The summer-like temps made it difficult to stay cool throughout the day, but television and film stars somehow managed to keep cool and look fabulous.  I can’t help but mention it appears the number of celebrities invited or seeking to attend this “political” event hit an all-time high.  Several of those I spoke with were attending for the first time and attributed their interest in coming to Washington to getting a chance to see the president.   

Obama’s presidency appears to be a calling card and few invites are turned down by “A-listers.”  Tickets for the dinner are hard to come by and the waiting list appeared to be growing at an alarming rate.  It could just be my perception, but it looked like the number of celebs skyrocketed. 

The president was the dinner’s headliner and delivered a witty and amusing monologue for the more than 2,500 guests at the Washington Hilton Hotel.  Jay Leno delivered an amusing routine as the night’s entertainment and managed to poke fun at the president and Washington politics with ease. 

 I was able to meet and speak with a number of the Hollywood folks at the garden brunch where the crowd of 300 was much smaller and a little easier to navigate.   The charitable event’s honorary chair, Susan Axelrod, wife of Obama adviser David Axelrod, gave brief remarks and thanked everyone for their support.    The event raised money for the fight against epilepsy and the Mother’s Day Every Day Campaign, dedicated to eliminating women dying during child birth.

Pamela Gentry and actor Tracy Morgan at the White House Correspondents Dinner reception.

Others in town for the dinner included: Queen Latifah, Morgan Freeman, Common, Chris Tucker, Gayle King and Gabourey Sidibe.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

March 23, 2009 – During an interview  aired on CBS‘s “60 Minutes,” President Obama defined his economic policy, stated his goals for the war in Afghanistan and talked about his adjustment to life in the White House. 

The president was interviewed Friday at the White House after returning from a two-day trip to California having just finished a whirl-wind of town hall meetings and a guest appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno where he also made headlines. 

The television blitz by the president isn’t near the end.  He’s also planning a prime time press conference on Tuesday night from the White House. 

Obama gave an upbeat prediction on the economy.

   “Well, we’re already starting to see flickers of hope out there,” he told CBS.  The “flicker” appears to be in the area of mortgage refinancing in light of the significantly reduced interest rates. “That promises the possibility at least of the housing market bottoming out and stabilizing,” Obama said.

When asked about all the fallout over the AIG bonuses, Obama said he understood why the American people were angry.  Admitting the AIG bonuses were “pretty egregious,” he warned any political response has to work and be “constitutional.”  Some critics of the recent bill passed by Congress allowing taxing the bonuses of those AIG executives at a very high rate might not work.

 Obama avoided saying if the law was constitutional but said he didn’t want to “hamper us [his administration] from getting the banking system back on track.”

“Now the flip side is that Main Street has to understand, unless we get these banks moving again, then we can’t get this economy to recover. And we don’t want to cut off our nose to spite our face,” Obama said.

Again, Obama has decided to take his case to the American people and is affectively doing so with all the recent television appearances.  But I’m starting to wonder how much longer he can maintain this pace.

As for the war in Afghanistan, the president indicated the United States was redefining its mission from that of his predecessor stating his goal as, “Making sure that AlQaeda cannot attack the U.S. homeland and U.S. interests and our allies. That’s our No. 1 priority.”

As for life in the White House: the president confirmed the First Lady and his daughters Malia and Sasha were adjusting quite well.

By Pamela Gentry, Senior Political Analyst

March 20, 2009 – President Obama became the first sitting president to appear on a late night talk show.  But he handled it well and managed to land a few jokes with host Jay Leno while keeping it real about the current economic crisis facing the nation. 

Leno will surely see a ratings boost if the lines that formed outside the Los Angeles studio are any indication of interest in the commander-in-chief’s appearance.  Some folks camped outside almost 24 hours to get a shot at being in the audience.

While the president didn’t break any news, he did confirm the progress on the “first pooch,” giving a timeline of early April when the family returns from Europe.  “When we get back, the dog will be in place,” Obama said. Admitting to the old adage, he joked, “They say if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.”

During his appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” Obama’s dress was presidential, wearing a red tie and his American flag pin.  He walked out to thunderous applause.

Keeping the interview light and yet serious, Obama addressed the government bailout of AIG. “The immediate bonuses that went to AIG are a problem,” he admitted. “But the larger problem is we’ve got to get back to an attitude where people know enough is enough.”

As for adjusting to the personal side of life in the White House, Obama is having a basketball hoop added, he told Leno.

Obama’s visit to California included a tour of the Edison Electric Vehicle Technical Center in Pomona, Calif., where he spoke to workers. Following the tour he visited the  Miguel Contreras Learning Center in Los Angeles where he held a town hall meeting with local residents. 

California is faced with a 10 percent unemployment rate and budget short falls.  That could be why he was joined by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis.  California was able to  keep the state up and running with stimulus dollars allotted in the American Recovery Act.

The White House scheduled the president’s appearance on the late night talk show as part of a targeted outreach to fill folks in on his economic agenda.  Leno follows the prez’s appearance on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” where he made his NCAA Final Four picks and previews his appearance on  “60 Minutes” Sunday and his prime-time news conference Tuesday.

Did you see the president on the “Tonight Show?