od is swinging to get on base before swinging for a home run. [ crowd cheering ] good is choosing not to overshoot the moon, but to land right on it and do some experiments. ♪ so start your day off good with a coffee that's good cup after cup. maxwell house. ♪ good to the last drop my fellow americans -- >> thank you and good evening. >> i really did not want to be here tonight. >> i'm absolutely delighted to be here. >> pause for laughter. >> washington and hollywood. >> this is no ordinary dinner. >> this dinner's gotten out of hand in recent years. >> this is so much cooler than the correspondence' dinner. >> that was a joke. >> welcome to nerd prom. >> and welcome to the nerd prom indeed. i'm craig melvin coming to you

live from d.c. on the day hollywood meets washington. it's time for the annual correspondents' dinner. it's time for hollywood's a-list celebrities to come here to the nation's capital to hobnob with a political set. it's also time for the president to show off his comedic talents. more on that in just a moment. first, though, just a few hours from now, some of the funniest people in the country will come together with some of the most boring people and some of the most powerful people in the country. chris witherspoon, entertainment editor for thegrio.com, live for us outside the washington hilton, where the event is being held this evening. and he's wearing a tuxedo. he pulled out his best threads. good to see you, my friend. >> nice to see you too, craig. so yeah, i'm here from front of the washington hilton. it really is an exciting scene right now. you know, washington and hollywood is coming together. i was just inside the washington hilton. some of secret service is already securing the location

for the president to arrive and some of hollywood's biggest names. one of them, tony. he stars the president in "scandal." i got to talk to him yesterday and talk about his role. actually, this past season, he re-created a scene from the white correspondents' dinner after just going for the first time last year on "scandal." here's what he had to say about that. >> that was really interesting because it was a bit humbling. i was actually a little nervous. because obama was so great last year. and he's just so gifted doing it. the scene didn't feature so much what i was saying. i was making some jokes and stuff. frankly, his jokes were really good. i thought, how do i live up to that? >> and i never missed an episode of scandal. i have to say, tony goldwyn always embodies president obama's essence. there will be more of my interview later on throughout the hour.

>> all right. chris witherspoon, looking forward to hearing that interview. we'll come back to you in a few minutes. for more, i want to bring in the panel. don baer, former speech writer to president clinton. alicia corels is here from e!. >> i'm dressing for your show. i'm not even invited to the dinner. >> bow ties are the thing. >> and patrick garrett as well, former writer for politico. thanks to all of you for being here. don, let me start with you. again, as i understand it, you'd been to ever one of these since 1987, correct? >> that is right. i apologize up front. it's true. >> and you've written four of the speeches. >> i helped write four of those. >> helped write four speeches for president clinton in the mid-'90s. >> exactly. >> this is one of clinton's funnier moments. this is from 1997. i think you wrote this one. this is when everyone was talking about where chelsea was going to go to college.

take a listen. >> this is a letter of acceptance to chelsea saying that she -- from chelsea saying she will attend -- no, that's privileged. but look, the bad news is our only child is going off to college. the good news is, opens up another bedroom. >> that's a risky punch line, don. >> i know, but you have to remember the context of that one. not what you may be thinking. there was the campaign finance scandal going on. there was all this talk about the lincoln bedroom. that's what he's referring to there. >> how do you write a punch line that a president can really deliver well? >> first of all, it's like writing for television. these are group activities, right. you've got a bunch of nearly funny people who get together and start throwing jokes around and start maybe with the basic script. then of course somebody else's joke comes in and you know you can improve someone else's joke. then you put other things into it. the other thing that's happened over the years is a certain amount of physical humor has

come into play. that speech, i remember "saturday night livsaturda "saturd it on "saturday night live." he was a little nervous. he goes, mr. president, that thing with your hand you do like this, is it like this? the president goes, no, no, i do it like this. >> alicia, a-list celebrities. a-list journalists as well. they all come to washington once a year. what is it about this event that draws really cool people to hang out with some folks who really are not that cool at all? >> there's a few elements. you know, if you are covering the white house, and this is what's really honoring, you need times to just relax, to poke fun at each other. that's what it's about. also, celebrities get excited to meet politicians, and politicians get excited to meet the beautiful people. it's the best of all worlds. now it's become about the

preparties, the brunches, the bow ties. so it's a good time to dress up. >> patrick, the event has evolved considerably from what it was to what it is now. talk to me about that. what we see now versus what we saw 10, 15 years ago. >> hollywood is always -- you know, i've talked to -- celebrities have always been there, but it hasn't changed as much in the past, i would say, 10, 15, 20 years. really, i would say just the past ten years, where you start to get -- i mean, originally celebrities who did play a role in public policy somehow -- shawsean penn, robert redford. these people all do something. then you started seeing lindsay lohan, kim kardashian that really don't play any role. that's where some of the criticism has happened. but i think the fact of the matter is a lot of celebrities just like seeing the president. lord knows the people in d.c. like seeing the celebrities. so i don't see that trend is ever going to change. and you do get a ton of

publicity from having these folks visit your town. >> david, one of the things that strikes me every year, here's a town where nastiness and meanness really rule the day unfortunately oftentimes. this is the one night when it seems as if politics for the most part gets put aside. the president stands there, cracks some jokes. someone else gets up after the president. people are having a good time. there's a great deal of alcohol consumed. by and large, it's about having a good time. >> absolutely. president obama, he was actually, you know, the last couple years that i was there and listened to some of his jokes, he poked fun at himself. he poked fun at bill o'reilly, at mitt romney. but everybody laughed, pretty much. when you talk about the different tables, i recall my first time being there, you saw our table at ""the washington pos post"," we had colin powell, mitch mcconnell, and goldie hahn ran over. i had no idea what they were talking about, but these are the mixes you don't normally see. >> don, who's been the funniest?

>> of course president clinton. >> of course. >> i've been going since ronald reagan was president. >> i've seen some of those clips. it wasn't really that funny. >> well, it was not his style. of course, the style of humor has changed also. we've gone kind of go out more on a limb. i actually have been impressed by how every one of them, not to be too bland, how every one of them has brought something to it. usually everyone walks away going, i like that guy more than i thought i did. >> i get the impression that the president really enjoys this. like, he really likes getting up, showing folks that he's a funny guy too. >> what i've noticed about president obama, he has excellent timing. as we know in comedy, timing is everything. he's really good at delivering this stuff. >> and just to kind of rip on reporters that rip on you 364 days of the year. >> no fun at all. >> no matter what you feel about president obama, he is a great speaker. he has the thing where he takes a moment after his joke, he laughs at himself. you go, oh, if he thinks it's funny, it's funny.

he's got the timing down. >> who's the biggest name coming this year in terms of acting? >> right now it's lupita nyong'o. i hope george clooney comes, newly engages. but it's actually scaled down this year compared to years past. >> i saw her at a brunch this afternoon. she's already making the rounds. >> the 2011 speech, that dinner was of course quite memorable for what would happen after. let's take a listen. this is host seth meyers from 2011. well, that was -- the clip was of president obama at that point joking. this was of course right after he had given the go ahead to kill osama bin laden. what has happened in previous years when the president has been giving that speech behind

the scenes? what do we know? >> well, you just talked about 2011. i covered the white house. they always say the president, no matter what he's doing, whether he's on vacation, he's always the commander in chief. this shows it. that's something where people sort of make light of this event and people criticize this event for being too light hearted and reporters being in there with the president. behind the scenes, obviously the operation of the presidency doesn't stop. that's a clear example. >> well, 1995, this dinner was shortly after -- >> oklahoma city. >> so we decided not to do comedy. the president went in and did a short speech and actually praised the free press and freedom and got off the stage. we just thought that was appropriate. >> i think last year the president took a moment of silence. so there are years where you recognize what's going on in the national culture and globally. >> and i think you have to sort of view this event through the eyes of the american people. every president does. so if it is in the days after a national tragedy and you tune into c-span and see what's essentially a large, drunk

party, that sends the wrong message or could. so presidents are always sensitive to if there's any bad news going around, let's take time out to recognize that. >> when did it become this it was spectacle that it is now? i remember several years ago, the only place you could watch it is c-span. now all the cable nets. this has become a big deal. do we know which year marked the turning point? >> of course, you didn't have all the cable nets until the late '90s. the big breakthrough we were talking about before was 1987, which was my first year here, when are reporter at the time for "the baltimore sun," michael kelly, who died in iraq, bought fawn hall. who remembers fawn hall? fawn hall was assistant at the national security council. fawn hall had played a role in that. it was a big breakthrough to bring someone like this, who was basically part of a scandal. >> and every year since.

folks involved in scandals have been coming to the correspondents' dinner. good to see all of you. thanks again. thank you especially for dressing for the occasion. >> you guys didn't tell us the memo, the rest of us. we would have dressed up. >> every time i come on craig's show. a big thanks to all of you. there's a lot, lot more to come on this saturday afternoon. it's the white house correspondents' dinner. there's a party tonight, and then of course there are the parties after the party. we're going to go behind the velvet ropes and get you the inside scoop on the parties after the main event and before the main event. first, though -- >> how about next week? >> well, i'm already booked on the "today" show, but doug will be in touch. >> doug is the character doug stamper from the netflix series "house of cards." he'll join me here for studio. i'll ask him about the intersection of washington and

hollywood. yes, i'll also do that spoiler alert thing and ask him about that too. >> michael steele is in the house tonight. or as he would say, in the heezy. what's up? hey there can i help you? (whispering) sorry. (whispering) hi, uh we need a new family plan. (whispering) how about 10 gigs of data to share and unlimited talk and text. (whispering) oh ten gigs sounds pretty good. (whispering) yeah really good (whispering) yeah and for a family of 4 it's a $160 a month. what! get outta here! (whispering) i'm sorry are we still doing the whisper thing? or? (whispering) o! sorry! yes yes! (whispering) we'll take it. innovative cc cream from nice 'n easy. our advanced treatment helps keep highlights and lowlights shiny and luminous. cc cream, find it

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i'm looking forward to just being in the same room with the president. that's very exciting. >> i pretended to be a fake reporter on the daily show. i think all that combined, i feel at home with the journalists here. >> hollywood has long been fascinated by the nation's seat of power, washington, d.c. from frank capper's 1939 classic "mr. smith goes to washington,"

political power and corruption have been a mainstay of the big and small screen. the latest and one of the most successful incarnation of capitol hill politics on the small screen, the netflix series "house of cards." and let this serve as the official spoiler alert for those of you who have not caught up yet with the latest episodes. michael kelly plays doug stamper, frank underwood's chief of staff. underwood, of course, played by seven spacey. here's a clip from the second season. >> i can go after linda, dig into her past. >> neutralizing her won't neutralize the bigger problem. it's the president after blood. >> then what's his move? >> he can't ask me to resign. he'd have to force me out. >> michael kelly here in the studio. good to see you, sir. >> nice to see you. >> huge fan of the show. so it's great to have you here in person. did you know that show was going to become what it has become when you were taping? be honest. >> no, because we didn't know how -- you know, knowing it was

netfl netflix, new media and how it would be released, we had no idea. knowing the pedigree of people involved, it was like i had a pretty good feeling it would do something. >> second year going to the d dinner tonight, i understand. which politician are you most eager to hang out with? >> i mean, of course i would love to meet the president. i think so highly of him. but i actually have been having a lot of fun with chris matthews. we did a little thing on "the good wife" together a few years ago. every time i see chris, we have a great hang. >> he's quite the character. >> he's awesome. >> what is it about? and we were talking about this a few minutes ago. what is it about the dinner tonight that attracts, you know, guys like you, a-list actors coming to little washington, d.c. to hang out with politicians? >> i think -- it's funny. bo earlier today said -- he's the writer and creator of the show. he said, come on, you get to see the president do stand-up. where else do you get to see that live? for us, i think it's just, like

i said, chris matthews. last night i was talking to him about it. i'm just like, wow. >> so you're kind of in awe as well. >> yeah, yeah. >> what has the popularity of the show meant for the public's fascination with politics? >> well, i think we're at a place now where everyone really is into politics. i think in the last ten years, you know, i think that bill clinton really got everyone involved. it just sort of kept going from there. for us, you know, it's just a great, great melting together of them. >> you and frank underwood, you and kevin spacey buddies off camera? >> we're very friendly. we do get together some and hang out. he's a great, great man. >> tonight, which -- first of all, whose table? >> tlantatlantic media. >> so you turned down our invitati

invitation, apparently. >> i don't remember getting that one. >> so you're hanging out with the atlantic media folks. then you'll go to the after parties as well? >> yeah, the vanity fair party is always a blast. >> you should come by our party. >> i would love to. >> we'll get you an invitation. while i have you here, again, for folks who watch the series, i'm going to do it again, here's your spoiler alert. there you go. the fate of your character at the end of season two, doug stamper gets the crap beat out of him. >> yeah. >> there's a question about whether doug stamper returns for season three. come on. give me something. you got to give me something. >> i don't know. i really don't. >> no one believes that. if you're not going to answer the question, just say, i can't answer the question. >> i cannot answer the question. >> so you're just going to lie? >> i really don't. at this point, i do not know exactly what's going to happen. >> has it not been written? >> well, i know that they're writing, but whether that information has been shared with

me or not is a different story. what they're writing has been shared with me -- >> this could be your last correspondents' dinner. >> because they're not bringing me back as a ghost. there's no way. >> that's got to be an awkward position for an actor. >> it is. i'll enjoy myself a lot tonight. this could be it. >> party it up. good to see you. very nice to meet you. >> total pleasure. thank you very much. >> michael kelly from "house of cards." if there's a tough gig in this town tonight, it's the guy who has to follow the guy. the guy who gets up after president obama. tonight, that task will fall to joel mchale. he hosts "the soup" over on e!. prediction on how he'll be received in the room, coming up. [ female announcer ] grow, it's what we do. but when we put something in the ground, feed it, and care for it, don't we grow something more? we grow big celebrations, and personal victories. we grow new beginnings, and better endings. grand gestures, and perfect quiet.

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but my prior experience has taught me how these dinners work. if the president laughs, everyone laughs. and if the fox news table

laughs, a little girl just fell off her bike. >> jabs at the president, jabs at the press. added fun at the expense of the celebrities at the room, and you have the basic recipe for a successful without correspondents' dinner. coming up, we're going to talk to one hollywood star who's headed to the event for his first time. and he has an agenda as well. we'll talk to him in just a few moments. first, let's get a quick look at the other stories making news on a saturday afternoon. for that, we turn it milissa rehberger in new york. >> president obama will make his first trip as president to arkansas on wednesday. he'll inspect the damage from this week's deadly tornadoes. 15 people died in that storm. ukraine officials say today the unrest in parts of that country have become a war. a street battle in eastern ukraine left more than 40 people dead. the government says it will press on with its offensive on pro-russian mill about its. david sterling tells a magazine, quote, i wish i had just paid her off. her is the l.a. clippers'

one-time companion v. stiviano. she tells abc news she doesn't believe sterling is a racist. >> i think the things he says are not what he feels. anyone can say anything in the heat of the moment. and condoleezza rice has backed out of giving this year's commencement speech at rutgers university. students and faculty at the new jersey school had protested the former secretary of state over her role in the iraq war. that is all for now. let's send it back to craig. >> all right, milissa. thank you so much. after a short break, we'll hear more from the president. that is tony goldwyy, plays the president on "house of cards," and how he's staking out the real president. and we are going to get the inside scoop on this weekend's d.c. parties from the washington insider who hosts one of this town's longest-running, most legendary events. stay tuned.

>> i always look forward to these dinners where i'm supposed to be funny. intentionally. d this is my son,. i'm a messy person. i don't like cleaning. i love my son, but he never cleans up. always leaves a trail of crumbs behind. you're going to have a problem with getting a wife. uh, yeah, i guess. [ laughs ] this is ridiculous. christopher glenn! [ doorbell rings ] what is that? swiffer sweep & trap. i think i can use this. it picks up everything. i like this. that's a lot of dirt. it's that easy! good job chris! i think a woman will probably come your way. [ both laugh ]

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well, knowing gives you confidence. start building your confident retirement today. i'm going to be making a lot of jokes about many of the people in this room. >> i feel like i'm dreaming. >> this is every comedian's dream. >> this is truly an honor. >> there's a gavel here, and i don't know why. >> it must be so hard to write jokes about a town that already is one. >> plenty of laughs ahead later tonight as the d.c. hilton becomes grand central for the political elite and a select few from tinsel town as well. following the president at tonight's white house correspondents' dinner will be joel mchale. he hosts "the soup" on e! network. also an actor on nbc's comedy "community as we "community" as well. a look at what we might expect from him ahead. first, let's talk about two

things that make us especially intrigued about tonight. "house of cards" and "scandal," two of the biggest shows right now. both have the allure of washington, all the drama, pressure, and suspense, and they'll both play out in real life tonight at the correspondents' dinner. chris witherspoon joins me again from the hilton, site of tonight's main event. as we've mentioned, chris caught up with one of the stars. hey there, chris. >> i got to catch up with tony goldwyn? if you can't get a photo with president obama tonight, get a president with the president from "scandal." it was crazy being with him in d.c. the pandemonium and the fans around him. one thing we talked about him is how he went to the correspondents' dinner last year for the first time but didn't get a chance to meet president obama. now he's kind of stalking him. tonight he said he will get a chance to meet the president for the first time in a private reception. >> i didn't get to meet the president last year. hopefully i will this year.

>> okay. >> darn it. i'm stalking him. the dinner was so much fun last year. you know, truly there are just so many brilliant people that live and work in this community. part of the fun of being here is it seems so crazy, really. this confluence of hollywood and washington and this mutual fascination that we have for each other. you know, for me, i've always been enamored, kind of obsessed with washington, how it works, and being a news junky and political junky, kind of in awe of some of the people that work here because i think they're so brilliant and understand the world in a way that i never will. it's so gratifying to be a part of a show that we love doing so much, as we do "scandal," and the group of people we have together and how passionate we are about it that it resonates with the public in that way is incredible. people chase me down the street

because they love fitz, so they must have a picture with the president. that's just a testament to what shonda rhymes has created and the group of people she's put together to tell these stories. >> and craig, there would be no "scandal" without kerry washington. one person who will be missing tonight who came last year. she's missing with good reason. there's reports out right now she gave birth to a healthy baby girl april 21st. baby's name is isabel. congrats to kerry washington. back to you, craig. >> all right. the grio's chris witherspoon for us outside the hilton. it's been around since the 1920s. it's grown far more popular through the years. its increasing popularity has spawned a number of after parties as well. one of the best attended is the correspondents' brunch held the day of the dinner. long-time tv news producer tammy

haddad hosts the event. good to see you. >> good to see you. >> your brunch has exploded. like, you had 500 people there this year. >> we did. but it's a different kind of thing. you know, people think these are sponsored events and, you know, all kinds of people are giving away swag and running around. basically, it's a group of friends in politics, media people, political people who come together. you don't really have that many opportunities. so everyone's in town. we get together. then we invite our friends from the west coast who happen to be in. people like me, who have lived in both cities, who works with a lot of people, you know, how many times do you get tech ceos, the stars of all these shows together, the executives of media companies. how do you get all this done at the same time? get them in a room together. it's a lot of fun. >> we were just showing some of the pictures from your brunch that just wrapped up literally a few moments ago. we appreciate you running over here. who was there this morning? >> well, lupita was there. you don't need to say her last

name. a crowd formed. we always try to dedicate the brunch to a charity or group that's an entrepreneurship -- an entrepreneurial kind of event or gatori gathering that shows people we have all this power, what can we do with it? what we did this year is we're talking about dog tag bakery, which is for disabled veterans and spouses. what's happier than a bakery? and the veterans are also learning how to be entrepreneurs through georgetown university. so we bring the celebrities. we bring a lot of the political people. today it was penny pritzker, secretary of commerce. they come in. we've got media people. we have the cast of the show i work on. everyone was asking to see julia lewis dreyfus' tattoo. i don't know what that was about. >> last year, "downtown abbey" was the series everyone was

talking about. one of the shows stars michelle docker. take a listen to what she said. >> people seem to enjoy a party in washington. i wasn't expecting quite the party. yeah, seems like a really fun place to be. >> i really get the sense -- and even from michael kelly a few moments ago, i get the sense your friends from the left coast, they are just as wide eyed about seeing some of these politicians as the politicians are about seeing them. >> that's true. what's changed, i think, is the internet and msnbc who cover the event more. you used to have to care about politics, have a story to pitch or a cause or you wouldn't come. now everyone knows what's happening in politics. so why wouldn't they want to be there with the person that's making it all happen? so we had michelle there last year. we had some actors from "homeland." i think it's interesting there's so many shows about washington

now. and i think -- >> popular shows. >> very popular shows. but i think it's because finally our friends in los angeles know that we have a lot of conflict here, right. what makes a good show? what do you do on msnbc? >> a good character, conflict, power, money, greed. >> drama. drama is always good. >> yes. >> and i think they finally see that. so we have people like chuck lori came last year. michael mann was at my party. you see a lot of exchanges of information taking place. >> what's been -- in the 25, 20 years you've been having this party, what's been the one coupling where you've looked out and been like, what are they talking about? what do they have in common? >> i'll tell you what it was. the jonas brothers, the year they were hottest, with t. boone pickens, the oil man. i said, that's what this weekend is all about. you know what? if you're a successful person, isn't it great to meet another successful person and to see how they got there and what they're

doing? it's a fun time. >> these are more of the photos from your brunch this year. we continue to show these. there have been some folks who have criticized this gathering. >> really? >> oh, you know this. >> anyone you know? >> oh, sure. >> anyone i used to work with? >> exactly. we're going to play the clip now. this is one of our fearless leaders. this is nbc's tom brokaw after the 2012 dinner talking about the correspondents' dinner on "meet the press." take a look, take a listen. >> i was out on the road when the white house correspondents' dinner popped up again. i looked at the c-span coverage and read all the accounts of it. and if there's ever an event that separates the press from the people that they're supposed to serve symbolically, it's that one. it is time to rethink it. >> is it time to rethink it? how does the mingling of journalists and celebrity, how does that effect credibility? >> well, i think there's one tiny piece of that i'd like to pull out. i think tom is talking about white house correspondents and people who are covering the

white house. reporters writing, shooting, whatever it is. and you're mingling with other people. indeed, that was the entire purpose of the dinner if you read the history of white house correspondents' association. so we get to know them. but i think the piece tom is missing is no one is hurt when you're in a room with the president of the united states and the top 20 most powerful people in government and they're talking to the other people who cover, people who are interested. why is it bad to engage? what i think tom was talking about, a very thin line of coverage. but i think everyone benefits from it. you know what i think you should do next on the show, if you don't mind, tv producer? >> you're such a producer. >> i'll look right in the camera. here's what you need to do. you need to make the list of all the deals that were made during this weekend, right. who doesn't want to be in the room with the president? let them stand up now. may i just say, i had five calls on the way over here. you know phil griffin, can you get me into the msnbc after party? >> i barely got in myself.

>> okay. >> good to see you. >> good to see you. congratulations. >> host of the legendary white house correspondents' garden brunch. coming up, it's the parties after the party. >> so if you're in the know, where should you be after the gala event? and who does everyone want to get a selfie with this year? two hollywood insiders have the d.c. scoop on that next. >> i keep hearing how everyone is excited to go to the bloomberg party. you know how i know i'm not in new york? in new york, no one is excited to go to a bloomberg party. [ female announcer ] crest presents:

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life of their own. the ballroom lights go out. there's some members there of the nbc and msnbc family at our after party. there you see last year's msnbc after party where our own rachel maddow actually helped with the b barte bartending. she's quite the bartender there. it's now those events that make so much of the biggest headlines. after parties are mandatory for anybody who's anybody in washington. this year they promise to be bigger and better than ever. joining me again, e! correspondent alicia corals. and at the hilton, chris witherspoon of thegrio.com, who is wearing that tuxedo. looking good, brother. >> he looks very handsome. >> thank you, i appreciate that. >> let's talk about these after parties. they've taken on a life of their own. >> absolutely. it's like the academy awards.

what party are you getting into? if you're not on the ticket, you feel like a loser. the big ones are the msnbc and vanity fair parties. >> one of the things that seems to be happening this year, tech. tech taking over. google, tumblr, aol,facebook all having big parties. how do these companies, organizations, how do they recruit guests? >> it's very easy for them to recruit guests to come to the parties because now social media and all the tech things play a role in how celebrities get information out there. so it's easy. they contact their publicist. google had an event last night, and everybody was there. >> google, i would imagine, has quite the budget. >> yes, they do. >> nicki, this isn't beverly hills. it's not hollywood. it's a different scene. it's a different crowd here in washington, d.c. what makes a good d.c. after party? >> you know, it's funny because it's actually really quiet here in los angeles this weekend. i think everybody's in washington. i think the key is really, it's

the celebrities meeting politics. i mean, celebrities love a good schmooze. any time they get to meet somebody outside of their industry, whether it's an athlete or politician, it's exciting. i think the excitement has only grown over the last couple years. i'm looking forward to seeing the selfies that are going to happen on twitter over the weekend. because that's become so popular this year. >> chris, over where you are, joel mchale hosting the dinner tonight. we know joel mchale from "community." what else do we know about him? what can we expect from joel mchale tonight? >> i think that joel mchale is young enough to relate to millennials and this new generation of folks that might be watching. he's also distinguished and knows how to related his humor to obama. i think we'll see obama cracking up tonight. he's fun. he knows how to let humor make fun of himself. i have no doubt in this guy's abilities. >> there is, of course, a fair amount of room for failure at these things. we've seen a few hosts fall

flat. stephen colbert, in fact, that performance in 2006 fell flat, you might say. take a look. take a listen. >> i stand by this man. i stand by this man because he stands for things. not only for things, he stands on things. things like aircraft carriers and rubble and recently flooded city squares. and that sends a strong message that no matter what happens to america, she will always rebound with the most powerfully staged photo ops in the world. >> nicki, he of course talking about president george w. bush. what's the worst mistake nikki, that one could make as the entertainment tonight? >> i think you have to be careful. i think recently, you know, president obama actually has been the person who has sort of poked fun at other politicians and not just at himself. as a host, you've got to push

the envelope, but you can't go too far. or else, as you just saw, the room gets really quiet, and it's really, really awkward. >> all right. alicia, msnbc party, notwithstandi notwithstanding, comcast party notwithstanding, anyone who's anyone in washington, they're going to be at which party tonight? >> vanity fair. hands down vanity fair, if you can get it in. it's the golden ticket. >> you'll be there. >> it's my job, craig. >> who's the entertainment? >> we don't know yet. >> that's the big secret. >> i don't know if they put it out yet. we'll find out. last night i went to a party at the stk, the creative coalition. they had been campaigning all day for free arts in school. there was also a party at the hill for the hill at the canadian embassy. i could have kept going and going and going. >> they've got quite the view. >> it was a beautiful view. >> really quickly here, chris, we've talked a lot about "scandal" this hour. one of the women who directed a recent episode, debbie allen. i know you talked to her earlier this week. i want to play some of that. >> if you spend time in

washington, hollywood is lightweight compared to washington. you're dealing with some of the most powerful people in the world, some of the most famous people in the world. and there's a lot of secrets going on. there's a lot of undercover stuff going on. a lot of sneaking around rooms going on. there's a lot of stuff going on in washington. because it's just so much pressure there has to be some way for them to vent. >> chris, is it true that hollywood is the light version of washington? is that true? >> you know, i was at some parties last night. it's kind of crazy. politicians, they're button-up, but they want to have fun too. i think hollywood and politics coming together tonight, it's a beautiful thick. i think it's natural, it's organic. a lot of folks, there are so many similarities. i got to see lupita nyong'o last night. he was at "people" magazine's party. it was crazy to see how many politics were there as well and recognizing her achievements in hollywood. >> alicia, nikki, chris, a big thanks to all of you on a saturday afternoon. i do appreciate you.

and you can visit msnbc.com/whcd, that sounds for white house correspondents' dinner, to check out more video, more photos o of the parties and speeches from years past. we'll be right back. up next, he plays a plays a d.c insider of the highest degree on television, but he's never been to nerd prom. tonight that changes. but only after he speaks to us. we have his ticket. hey there can i help you? (whispering) sorry. (whispering) hi, uh we need a new family plan. (whispering) how about 10 gigs of data to share and unlimited talk and text. (whispering) oh ten gigs sounds pretty good. (whispering) yeah really good (whispering) yeah and for a family of 4 it's a $160 a month. what! get outta here! (whispering) i'm sorry are we still doing the whisper thing? or? (whispering) o! sorry! yes yes! (whispering) we'll take it.

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shared a mutual admiration, but one show made d.c. hotter than ever and that is abc's "scandal." the show follows olivia pope as she rescues d.c.'s political e elites from scandals of their own doing and juggles her own scandalous relationship with president fitzgerald grant. inside the white house, james

novak and chief of staff cyrus bean, who are married and often work against each other, for those of you not caught up on season three, let this serve as a spoiler alert. >> i used you. you were right to lie to me. >> i was so angry. >> you were right to be. >> you broke our family. >> "scandal"'s james novak is here. good to see you. i have given my spoiler alert so don't tweet nasty things at me. you just got back from the garden brunch that we were just talking about. you run into who? >> i was with bellemy young who plays the first lady. she introduces me to the british

ambassador and his wife. and an ambassador wife, oh, my god, it's such a pleasure to meet you and your relationship with cyrus. too bad i got murdered. and i just said it because it happened awhile ago, several weeks ago and she was horrified. because i think they are binge watching. a lot of people are watching in bulk. you can't talk about anything. >> now you can't travel to britain. >> correct. >> this is your first dinner. who do you hope to run into? >> oh, my god, the obamas. let's start there. and also some of the correspondents like andrea mitchell. >> we can arrange that. this is her set. >> i'm such a geeky fan of a lot of the news desks. so it's been very fun going to the parties and running into "veep" cast and other d.c. show casts. >> you're not just an actor. you recently wrote a book as

well. "does this baby make me look straight." do you plan to talk about rights. >> i was at a panel this morning where politics and myself and jeff perry were able to talk about where we are now and to what degree visibility and open about who we are. cynthia nixon was there as well. it's part of the step in keeping the conversation going. we have a long way to go before marriage equality is something that's a reality in all 50 states where there's no discrimination in the workplace. this has been a great opportunity to hob knob with people you love, but also an opportunity to keep the dialogue going. i was at the million pebbles march on the white house a little while ago for the rights of pit bulls.

this is an opportunity for people to talk about what's important to them as well as hob knob. >> thank you for stopping by. i'll introduce you to andrea mitchell. i'm a huge fan as well. that's it. that's going to do it for now. i will be back tonight at 9:00. i'm going to put on my tux. we'll have special live coverage of the white house correspondents' dinner. first, it is time for "disrupt" with karen finney, who is also live here in the nation's capital only on msnbc. be a sound sleeper, or...l you a mouth breather? well, put on a breathe right strip and instantly open your nose up to 38% more than allergy medicines alone. so you can breathe and sleep. shut your mouth and sleep right. breathe right.

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we could save you a boatload! ♪ foghorn sounds loudly ♪ what's seattle's favorite noise? the puget sound! ♪ foghorn sounds loudly ♪ all right, never mind doesn't matter. this is a classic. what does an alien seamstress sew with? a space needle! ♪ foghorn sounds loudly continuously ♪ oh come off it captain! geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. thanks for disrupting your afternoon. i'm karen finney. the gop has lost their minds, again. now they are focusing on fake scandals instead of increasing the minimum wage. and donald sterling speaks. >> let me start with the good news. >> it's been a great day for the president of the united states. >> the jobs numbers are in and they are really good. >> the obama economy, it's