The Reliable Source: White House Correspondents' Association Dinner

Washington Post columnists Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts were online Monday, May 11, at 1 p.m. ET for a special edition of The Reliable Source to recap the highlights of Saturday's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner (VIDEO), featuring President Obama, entertainer Wanda Sykes, Hollywood stars, Capitol Hill types and members of the administration -- all there for the annual meet 'n' greet of the media elite with all the Washington wags.

Photo Gallery: 2009 White House Correspondents' Dinner

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Amy Argetsinger: Good morning all! Glad to see all your questions. Fun times this weekend. Or, interseting times, anyway. Let's get this thing started.

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Poliwood: "Don't put in I'm smoking"

Thank you, ladies for being journalists. This was the best lead paragraph. So who was holding the notebook?

Amy Argetsinger: That was Roxanne holding the notebook. Would she have cared that Eva was smoking if Eva hadn't asked her not to mention it? Rox says she might have mentioned it in passing but she really didn't think it was a big deal at first.

But hey, says Rox -- now we know how she stays so skinny.

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by the White House: (The opening of your story made me laugh out loud (and then confess to my boss that I was checking your column): Parker had come to Saturday's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner -- our city's biggest media conclave -- somehow expecting all those reporters to ignore the cigarette in her hand. . . because she said so. So adorably Hollywood of her.

Amy Argetsinger: Thank you, thank you, glad you liked it...

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Arlington, Va.: The main problem with Wanda Sykes's presentation is that she followed the president who was far funnier. She became an anti-climax.

Roxanne Roberts: Didn't play that way in the room----she was pretty edgy and got plenty of laughs. A few lines bombed, but so did the president's.

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Tampa, Fla.: Donatella Versace wrote a piece for the Huffington Post where she commented that in previous years, while the president spoke, lots of folks were still talking, typing on BlackBerrys, etc. She said that she was taken with the fact that when Obama stood up to make his remarks, everyone paid attention -- no talking, no texting (at least not as much). Did you notice this too? Also, that this year the crowd was noticeably younger, and that there were way more "A" list celebs.

washihngtonpost.com: White House Correspondents' Dinner: Glamour Is Back (Huffington Post)

Amy Argetsinger: Haven't read Donatella's story, but it sounds on target. Had she been to the dinner before? So hard to keep track of these things....

There was a crazy amount of texting, BlackBerrying this year -- possibly because the technology has gotten better or the wireless access in the basement of the Hilton is magically better -- don't think it's necessarily a decline in manners, because it's always been an insanely rude dinner -- people crowding all the passageways and talking non-stop during the speeches.

But yes, everyone does historically shut up and listen to the president and the guest entertainer -- though the typing doesn't necessarily stop; it's a room full of reporters and these speeches are part of the news.

We've made much of the A-List barrage, which was indeed new. Noticed the younger folks too -- think those might have been pre-reception gatecrashers, though, more than dinner guests. Because those were definitely on the rie this year. Just a theory.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi, this isn't related to the Correspondent's Dinner, but do you know where President Obama went on Friday night? The streets around Central were all blocked off for his motorcade around 9:30.

Amy Argetsinger: I experienced that too, but can't find a quick answer. The Obamas went up to Sidwell Friends that evening, according to pool reports, but were back around 6:00.

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Reliablesource@washpost.com: You're always admonishing us to send tips and sightings to you, but a friend saw a bunch of celebs (Donatella Versace, Felicity Huffman) around town this weekend and tried e-mailing you several times, but the e-mails just kept bouncing back. How can we keep you informed when the technology fails us?

Amy Argetsinger: Are you sure your friend was e-mailing to reliablesource@washpost.com? Some people make the mistake of writing to reliablesource@washingtonpost.com.... Anyway, must have been some unique glitch -- we got a ton of e-mail over the weekend about various star sightings... Sorry for the problem, though.

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Falls Church, Va. : I emailed you about this over the weekend. I swear Barbara Walters wore the same thing to the TIME 100 gala and the WHCA Dinner.

Roxanne Roberts: Good eye! Didn't care for it much----but it may have worked better as a long gown instead of a short dress.

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West Falls Church, Va.: The prez looked like he was wearing a general business suit at the party. Why no bow tie?

Roxanne Roberts: I think he was wearing a tux with normal black tie instead of bow tie. He's the president and gets to wear whatever he feels like. Interesting if he turned up in, say, jeans.

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Florida chick: Um, why was Demi Moore described on your pages as "tinier" than expected? She has been trim and fit for decades, not news or a surprise. But a depressing example of how women in the public eye are often described first vis a vis appearance, often in a judgmental way. Her husband, also a looker, was in contrast described as having more gravitas than "expected." For her, a body size update; for him a summation of his D.C. bona fides. I'm kind of shocked here. Really disappointed...

washihngtonpost.com: Hollywood Moves In On Washington Press Prom Parties (Reliable Source, May 10)

Amy Argetsinger: Hello there. I don't know if you're a regular reader of our columns or chats, but a recurring theme is the discussion of whether celebrities are "taller than expected" or "shorter than expected" when you see them in person. Sometimes we like to mix it up by saying "prettier than expected" or whatever. And don't get me wrong -- we're definitely sexist and judgmental and all that, but we also tend to apply the "----er than expected" more to male celebs than female.

In the case of Demi Moore -- from years of seeing her on the big screen, a lot of us have an image in our minds that she's going to be downright Amazonian; supermodel-sized. So it's surprising to see that she's decidedly not tall. Ashton, meanwhile, was exactly the height you expect him to be -- but came across as more sober, serious, than you expect.

I will also say this about the two of them: Gorgeous, of course. And in person, you are not the least big aware of the age difference. They both look like they're about 37.

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Arlington, Va.: Aside from the president, who was the biggest start there?

Amy Argetsinger: Non-political? Probably Tom Cruise.

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Plainsboro, N.J.: Does the president ever actually go to any of the after-parties? And who writes his jokes? His speechwriters, or do they get professional comedians -- because he was really pretty funny.

Roxanne Roberts: Nope---not that I can remember. The prez and first lady always head straight back to the White House. (I think it's a matter of security as much as inclination.) As for his speech---I don't know about this one, but professionals usually supply a draft that the president and his speechwriters tweak at will. Comedy is tricky, and requires someone who knows what they're doing. That being said, Obama has pretty good timing, which make the jokes even better.

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Washington, D.C.: It's funny how a few years ago, there was a big deal about the age difference between Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher -- but seeing their photo in today's paper, they looked really good together. Does he look older than he is, she look younger, or are we just used to them?

Roxanne Roberts: She looks just fabulous, he's maturing AND we're used to seeing them together.

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New York : This is truly befuddling. Every time they invite a controversial comic -- Imus, Colbert, Sykes -- they get oh-so-shocked that the entertainment is not quite G-rated. So they hire Rich Little, or Gallagher or whoever, and get bored out of their minds.

Are these guys for real? Why is it that everyone else in the world, except for journalists, seems to have no problem handling these simple concepts? Now I know how we wound up with warning labels on those McDonalds coffee containers.

Amy Argetsinger: I don't know, who is the "they" we're talking about here that's so shocked? I was sitting in the room, and I can tell you that the crowd of 3,000 was by and large convulsed with laughter over Wanda Sykes -- or, at least, shuddering with pleasurable cringes over some of her naughtier material. Which is part of the entertainment factor of stand-up comedy. I didn't see a room full of tsk-tskers, not at all. But you know, then there are always people who are going to get irritated over some of the lines, and then that's something that "they" can turn into a lively debate to fill the dead hours on cable news the next day.

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Biggest star?: Probably not wee Tom C., unless you meant box office wise.

Amy Argetsinger: Shorter than you expect!

(Except, you know, you get so used to people telling you that he's shorter than you expect, that eventually you come to "expect" that he's going to be pocket-sized, and then you're startled that he's taller than you expect.)

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Fairfax, Va.: Were there any other Eva Longoria Parker stories? She seems a little crazy or just full of herself?

Roxanne Roberts: I don't think it's either----she's probably used to entertainment reporters complying with her request because they want to maintain good relations down the road. It IS a little crazy to think she could sit there in front of 300 media people and no one would write about it. I guess it's an image thing. Bottom line: If she doesn't want people to know she smokes, she shouldn't smoke in public.

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Fix fan: Your colleague The Fix (Chris Cillizza) was beside himself over Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton (Coach Eric and Principal Tami Taylor of Dillon HS, on "Friday Night Lights"). Your take?

Donatella Versace's lips? I'm still having nightmares.

washihngtonpost.com: Photo Gallery: 2009 White House Correspondents' Dinner

Amy Argetsinger: I didn't see them! This year was just overwhelming because, for as much hype as you hear about certain stars arriving, you get there and suddenly there are all these people you didn't expect to see at all! i.e., James Franco and Elizabeth Banks, who I gawked at for like two minutes in a totally uncool way simply because I hadn't heard they were coming and was trying to figure out if it was really them. Lovely to look at, too.

Also, the room is so big and so crowded that you can't see everyone.

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Arlington, Va.: Who surprised you by looking the best if the D.C. crowd, and the non-D.C. crowd?

Amy Argetsinger: In the non-DC crowd: Tyra. Just dazzling.

In the D.C. crowd, though she's actually NYC, she sort of counts: Katie Couric. Adorable.

Roxanne Roberts: I will say Eva's dress was just spectacular, which is what made me notice the cigarette.

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Dupont Circle, D.C.: What was the biggest surprise? I asked my nephew this, as he was hanging around star-gazing. He mentioned a couple of people were really shorter than he thought, and that Bill O'Reilly is quite tall.

Amy Argetsinger: You see, Florida? This is what we're all obsessed with. The size of famous people. It's a universal theme everyone can relate to.

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Tacoma, Wash.: Good day!

Do you know if Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert or any of their 'reporters' were at the White House Correspondents dinner?

Amy Argetsinger: I think we would have heard if Stewart or Colbert were there -- Washington folks make a big, big fuss over them -- so I don't think they were. Same for their co-stars -- maybe, but not that I've heard of.

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Tulsa, Okla.: So, how was the dinner. Who had the most buzz? Kara DioGuardo? Or the politicos. Cracked up on the red carpet -- all the D.C. types just blaze right through. Only the celebs stopped. Who do you think had the most star power? Real stars or political stars?

Amy Argetsinger: Oh, right, Kara from American Idol was supposed to be there. Didn't see her. Was she there? I'm wondering if she wasn't. Didn't hear of any sightings, and you'd think you would.

I wonder if I could just walk in on the red carpet, or if there's a clipboard girl who decides whether you're worthy or not.

This year, there were so many Hollywood celebrities that they just became wallpaper. Back in the day when there were a limited number of them, there was more buzz and excitement over them. This sort of felt like the inauguration all over again. You get blase about it after a while.

But I don't know, you tell me -- from the TV and news coverage, who do you think was the biggest hit?

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Bethesda, Md.: I have gone to the dinner in the past, but was told there was no way to get into the Bloomberg party this year, so I should not even bother. Was it that good?

Roxanne Roberts: It was really lovely. They cut back the list and held it at the French ambassador's residence: Gorgeous rooms, not too crowded, and the weather balmy enough to open his back patio, where you could see the trees illuminated. Add to that great bar, sublime finger food, and a DJ who played great background music. People lingered far past their bedtimes: I stayed until 2:30 a.m.

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Alexandria, Va.: I see that Capt. Sully from the landing in the Hudson and Capt. Phillips from the pirate ship made the party. Did anyone invite Autumn Sample, the Hill staffer who jumped into San Francisco Bay and saved the boater?

Amy Argetsinger: Good question! If only we had written our story about her sooner, maybe she could have scored an invitation. Definitely deserves to be there.

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Adams Morgan, Washington, D.C.: Who was Cruise sitting with? I assume he was with his wife from Dawson's Creek? How did they look?

Amy Argetsinger: You know, here's the funny thing.... we know he was sitting with the French ambassador... but we don't know which media organization got to be their host. This is ironic because the whole point of these Hollywood guests is so the media organizations can brag about who they got to sit with them. And yet, at the end of the day, even people like me can't remember who-hosted-whom.

They looked magnificent. You know. Perfectly dressed, perfectly done up, effortlessly charismatic. Looked as though a spotlight was following them around the room even though there wasn't.

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Tampa, Fla.: The one thing I have heard is that celebs, not all but many, are much thinner in person than you would imagine. Considering how thin they look on TV, I can't imagine what they would look like in person.

I have met a couple of celebs in my lifetime, and in each case, their skin always looked almost freakishly smooth, like they had literally been buffed to a shine before they left the house.

Roxanne Roberts: Thin, yes, but the thing that really strikes you is how tiny they are---shorter, and sizes 0 and 2. They're skinny, but rarely too skinny. Then there's the Big Head Syndrome---Donatella Versace, for example, has an enormous head on a teensy little body. And yes, she's had an enormous amount of work done.

As for the skin: Facials and Botox. Face it, half their job is looking good on camera.

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Obama Speech: Who writes his jokes? This is the third one that has been sly, witty and side splittingly hilarious -- first the 2005 Rahm Emanuel roast in Chicago, then the Alfred E. Smith dinner last fall in New York, and now this. I can't believe he has time to write his own jokes, or maybe he does. What do you think?

Amy Argetsinger: Nah, it's the speechwriting staff who writes this stuff -- though of course, the magic of a good speechwriting staff is that they are enough attuned to the POTUS that they can write jokes that sound natural coming out of his mouth. One of the WH speechwriters told me that it was mostly an inside job, though another implied that some outside comedy writers might have been consulted. Anyway, good stuff. Kind of mean and edgy, which is entertaining.

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Who's Taller: Tom Cruise or Robert Reich ?

Roxanne Roberts: Cruise. He's a good 4-5 inches taller, and tops out a 5'6" tops---regardless what he claims. Reich is teensy.

BTW: I heard glowing reports from friends who said Cruise was completely gracious to everyone who came up for photos and autographs. So good for him.

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Washington, D.C.: Didn't seem like there were any of the scandalous types there: Donna Rice, Gennifer Flowers etc. Is scandal no longer fashionable?

Amy Argetsinger: Seems not to be, huh? That's where the whole celebrity thing came from -- a couple of journalists inviting the zeitgeisty scandal figures. Fawn Hawn was the first in the mid-80s, then Donna Rice, then Marla Maples... And then in the Clinton years it suddenly became a handful of Hollywood folks, and then an explosion of random Hollywood folks.... Actually, I really thought that someone would have brought Miss California -- a couple years ago, that would have been the racy thing to do. But I guess now there are so many Hollywood folks who want to come...

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Katie Couric?: That's kind of a cheap answer -- as she is pretty glamorous already. I suppose the question was aimed more at what administration official or non-glamour reporters looked great?

Amy Argetsinger: It's not a cheap answer, it's just lazy...

Okay, Desiree Rogers looked stupendous -- but you kind of expect that too. Wouldn't say what designer she was wearing. Tim Geithner -- cuter than you expect!... a lot of non-glamour reporters looked stupendous, but you don't know their names, and if I start naming some and not others, I'll get in trouble...

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Washington, D.C.: I looked all over but I couldn't find him: any idea where Andy Dick was sitting last night?

Roxanne Roberts: Was he there? Never saw him.

Amy Argetsinger: Ha ha.

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True Love?: Is there hope for the daughter of Quincy Jones and the Obama speechwriter with the same name as the guy from Swingers?

Amy Argetsinger: At the after-after party, they looked like a perfectly normal couple at a perfectly normal party where either something's going to happen or it's not. But like I said -- they're on the same level of fame now, and that's pretty important for a relationship.

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Washington, D.C.: Why on earth was Mike Feldman's party covered?

Amy Argetsinger: Sometimes you go to a party just wanting to have a drink and talk to people -- and then something sort of interesting happens (Jon Favreau and Rashida Jones), and then it's like, hell, guess I'm on the clock after all.

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D.C.: Was there any drama at all? No Sheryl Crow arguing with Karl Rove-types of things? Or really anything surprising -- aside from how people looked?

Roxanne Roberts: The Karl-Sheryl smamkdown was a rare gift from the gossip gods. This year was a lovefest, which is harder to write about. So we're reduced to reporting the saucy one-liners (OMG!!!) and how people looked. And really, would you rather know what Eva thinks about immigration policy or whose dress she was wearing? (Ports.)

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Washington, D.C.: I was amazed at the coverage of the donation from the Correspondents Dinner. I mean really, $23,000 donation from a $540,000 event. That is 4.25 percent of the take. I'm going to a fundraiser tomorrow night, about 150 people, mostly GS11-14 government types and staff from law firms, the goal is to raise $20-25,000. It seems that the coverage was designed to take some of the focus off of the issues of the press chilling with the politicos. I'm not knocking the donation, but having the press report on the press's donation seems fraught with peril.

Amy Argetsinger: I wrote, I think, a sentence about it. In a larger story. Sorry.

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Smoking Story: I don't care much if Eva puffs away but if someone caught her and the prez sneaking off for a quick smoke, now that would be a nice story.

Roxanne Roberts: He's patching it these days--or so he claims. Anyway, he's smart enough not to puff away when there are cameras around. Same for Laura Bush.

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Los Angeles, Calif.: Were James Franco and Elizabeth Banks together? That would be so cool if they were. I love them both.

Amy Argetsinger: No. They were just chatting to each other at the dinner. They know a lot of people in common like, I don't know, Seth Rogen.

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BTW: I heard glowing reports from friends who said Cruise was completely gracious to everyone who came up for photos and autographs. : even the guy who had Cruise take a picture of him and Katie Holmes?

Amy Argetsinger: Bill McQuillen, a reporter for Bloomberg, walked up to TomKat, asked for a photo -- and then handed the camera to Tom. Which surprised Cruise, but he handled it with great aplomb. Took a good photo, too. McQuillen, if you're wondering, looked okay, and is about as tall as you expect.

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Tampa, Fla.: What I also found interesting was some of the comments that celebs made about being totally star-struck meeting the president. He seems to be not only whip-smart, but totally charismatic, and to have some "been there, done that" celeb reduced to jelly upon being introduced to him -- how sweetly funny.

Roxanne Roberts: The guy's got it going. Heard a funny story that Sting really, really wanted a picture with the president and positioned himself to be in Obama's path to get the shot. First time he's ever done anything like that---usually his fans are doing it.

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Anonymous: Hey Ladies:

We know what Barack and Michelle Obama were wearing, but what about you -- where were your dresses from? What types of shoes? Looking FABULOUS?!

Amy Argetsinger: Rox was in black Carmen Marc Valvo, deep-cut halter neck and four-inch black stilettos. Got on sale. Looked stupendous. Had to deal with men coming up to her all night saying, "I love you on 'Wait, Wait.'"

My dress was from, uh, Bloomingdale's? On sale about a year ago? Link to follow.

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washihngtonpost.com: Photo: Amy Argetsinger

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Washington, D.C.: I was at the dinner Saturday night, was fascinated watching Don Rumsfeld laugh at all Obama's jokes at the expense of President Bush. I suppose that sort of thing happens a lot?

Amy Argetsinger: Did you actually eyeball him laughing? Good! Yes, that's kind of what the whole dinner is all about -- all these people you think of as stone-cold adversaries yukking it up over dinner. It's either super creepy or super charming, you decide.

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Riverdale, Md.: Smoking followup -- I guess I assumed most Hollywood celebs, models, etc., smoke, especially the women who stay ultra thin. Why would one object to having smoking reported on?

Maybe we really need to know which ones don't smoke.

And D.C. big shots -- smokers, non-smokers, or a mix? (FWIW, coming from a science-medicine field, it's a little shocking to find out a colleague smokes.)

Roxanne Roberts: I'm guessing it about their public image. All those positive stories about their dieting and beauty secrets---not to mention endorsements----lose a little zing if reporters note they smoke.

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Speakers?: Who speaks at the WHCA dinner besides the president and the comedian hired for the evening? I'm thinking it would be very, very hard to follow those two? Or maybe they were the final orators?

Amy Argetsinger: The president of the WHCA -- this year, AP's Jennifer Loven -- made some remarks. Also, Brian Williams got up to present the journalism awards.

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Smokers: Laura Bush is a smoker? Really? Why all the smokers closeted? I'm heading outside now to smoke in the rain and me and my people would feel better about ourselves if these people were not so shameful about it.

Roxanne Roberts: Don't know if she's stopped, but she was a longtime smoker---even (reportedly) during her time as first lady. But there was never a photo and only muted rumors because she was never caught in public.

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Washington, D.C.: Man, some people woke up on the wrong side of the bed. It's gossip about the WHCD people! That's why we're all here -- to find out who looks shorter when they are smoking while flirting with someone unexpected.

Thanks, Amy and Roxanne, for doing an extra chat this week.

Roxanne Roberts: We aim to please.

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College Park, Md.: So how does all that Hollywood plastic surgery look up close? From the pictures, it appears that Botox is a must-have for all the celebs (Eva, I'm thinking about you...)

I'm especially interested in how Demi Moore and her rumored whole-body tightening looks. She looks fantastic in pictures. She and I are the same age and hair color, but unfortunately, that's where the resemblance ends.

Amy Argetsinger: Something I read once about Demi Moore is that her hair is so beautiful and shiny because she has never ever dyed it, not once.

I know what you mean about the Hollywood plastic surgery -- some of it is jarring in person, but I think this weekend we saw the people who can afford to have The Very Best. It all looked terrifyingly good. For the most part. There is some plastic surgery that looked bad, but that is plastic surgery that you already know from photos looks bad. I will say that I am a little disappointed that Christian Slater, who had Jack Nicholson's forehead as a 20-year-old, has now chosen to have Nicole Kidman's forehead -- but that's his choice, and in general, he was getting compliment on his looks.

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Rushbo: Would Wanda Sykes have said those things about him if he had been in the room? (I'm guessing he's physicaly way bigger than she is.)

Amy Argetsinger: I bet she would have. She seems fearless.

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Houston, Tex.: Just wanted to say -- gorgeous dress, Amy. Everyone looks great dressed up -- I have a picture of my dad, going to the 1970 (?) dinner -- he looks dashing, just like James Bond

Amy Argetsinger: Wish you could post that!

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Washington, D.C.: I really wish somebody had thought to invite Carrie Prejean to the WHCD. That would have really given us something to talk about, rather than Wanda Sykes' bad jokes.

Amy Argetsinger: She would have been a big hit, actually. Kind of like Pam Anderson last year.

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Washington, D.C.: Is that Jonathan Rhys Meyers in the picture with Donatella? I'm going to cry if I missed him being in town!

Roxanne Roberts: Oh, he was there and yes, that's him in the foreground. He was very charming to all the ladies. Spent plenty of time talking to the lovely Ms. Longoria Parker, BTW.

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Fairfax County, Va.: Reading and watching stories about the event in regular media, it honestly seemed like about 95 percent Obama and 5 percent Wanda Sykes. In past years I remember more about the comedian, but I suspect the news media was more interested to hear the new president's comic stylings this time around. Agreed he was the star turn this time?

Amy Argetsinger: For our deadlines, the show ran late -- there was barely time to get the president's jokes into Sunday's paper, let alone much of Wanda's. Also, there's the factor that the president telling jokes is always more newsworthy than a professional comedian telling jokes. He did a good job -- a couple of clunkers, but mostly good material, cleverly delivered.

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Elizabeth Banks: is married to her college sweetheart. James has no chance..

Amy Argetsinger: He's tinier than you expect. And lovely.

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Obama Speech: Well, he clearly has the same good people working for him on this thing as he did in 2005. That Emanuel Roast had me crying.

Roxanne Roberts: Well, he's the president. I expect good writers.

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washihngtonpost.com: Photo Gallery: 2009 White House Correspondents' Dinner

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Washington, D.C.: In an age where the NYT threatens to shut down the Boston Globe because it's losing money, newspapers cut their staff by 1/3, and your own newspaper offers its 4th buyout in what, five, years, how exactly can the media afford to thrown this huge party?

Amy Argetsinger: I wonder that. I find it astonishing, actually, that they maintain the numbers they do at this dinner and still have a waitlist. But for every news organization that has dropped out/cut the number of seats, there are more waiting to get in.

I did notice some belt-tightening -- very little food at the pre-parties, no giftbags. And no free slippers at the end of the Bloomberg party.

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Eye Street, D.C.: How does the Post figure out who to invite? Do you have a big meeting and thrash it out, or does Ms. Weymouth get some recommendations and make the call or what? And I'm still a print subscriber, can I go next year?

Amy Argetsinger: I don't know how they figure it out. Priority goes to the reporters who actually cover the White House, of course -- that's what this dinner is supposed to be about. And then the reporters who cover the guests that we take, whether it's a governor (we had Martin O'Malley at our table) or some assistant Cabinet secretary. (The Post doesn't do the celeb thing.) And then it's the reporters, like us, who have to cover the event.

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D.C.: I would have never been able to pick out the captain of the boat who was held by pirates. You know offhand what he looks like? Was he mobbed?

Roxanne Roberts: There's a picture of him on the Reliable Source blog with Demi Moore. He's cute, younger than you expect (salt-and-pepper hair and beard), wearing glasses.

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Atlanta, Ga.: I heard Todd Palin was there? Was he laughing at Wanda Sykes jokes? And why was he there and not Sarah?

Amy Argetsinger: Sarah Palin was invited by Fox, and it looked like she was maybe going to come, but then some kind of important state business kept her at home. So she sent Todd instead -- and I'm glad you mentioned him, because he was really one of the rock stars of the night. LOT of buzz about him, lot of people wanting to meet him. I didn't see much of him at the dinner (big crowded room, etc.) -- but he was the superstar at the pre-dinner brunch I went to. And can I say? Surprisingly, the handsomest guy in the room.

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Washington, D.C.: I crashed the Bloomberg party way back in Bill Clinton's last year in office (2000, I guess?), with the help of an invited friend. I'm surprised that security isn't tighter now.

Amy Argetsinger: Oh my god, really? I crashed it that year too! Went in under the name of a Bloomberg receptionist who didn't want to go. (That was back when all the Bloomberg staffers got invitations to the company party -- not anymore!)... That was a really fun party.

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no free slippers at the end of the Bloomberg party: I'm glad I wasn't invited then. I have standards after all.

Amy Argetsinger: I really needed to lose my shoes at that point too.

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Alexandria, Va.: What was the best joke of the night?

Amy Argetsinger: Having a hard time with this one -- I should have thrown this out to you, the chatters, to tell us what you think.

Some of the best gags don't really translate into print, like the president saying "Michael Steele's in the house -- or as he'd say, in the heezy.... Wuzz-up!" I mean, that you had to hear. (And you can probably find web video.)

The Wanda Sykes line about how the first lady was "over there pattin' the queen on the back like she just slid into home plate" -- that's an okay line that is made hilarious by the setting: the fact that she's actually saying that to Michelle Obama.

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Are you sure your friend was e-mailing to reliablesource@washpost.com? Some people make the mistake of writing to reliablesource@washingtonpost.com: She said that she sent it erroneously the first time, and then re-sent it to reliablesource@washpost.com, and it bounced back. It finally went through after several tries to the right address. Maybe you should get a gmail address. We're all going to be working for Google soon, anyway. Might as well get a head start...

Amy Argetsinger: Yeah, well, for now, I don't want my official work e-mails to be coming in or going out with pharmaceutical ads attached to them...

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Had to deal with men coming up to her all night saying, "I love you on 'Wait, Wait.'" : Yikes! What a great pickup line! Any of them cute? Recognizable? Celebs? George?

Roxanne Roberts: All of them adorable, with impeccable taste.

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Not a Correspondents Dinner Q: What about the other big D.C. social gathering this weekend? Any gossip from America's Polo Cup? It was a muddy mess and seemed really poorly run.

Amy Argetsinger: Oh, lord, so many happenings that got lost in the shuffle. I think the Washington Ballet gala was this weekend? And I stopped off Friday at a lovely gala on the Mall -- right there in a tent with views of the Capitol and the Washington Monument -- to benefit the Trust for the National Mall. Really gorgeous setting. They called it "Ball on the Mall," of course, which is kind of hilarious. Oh, and Randy Jackson was here at Union Station to celebrate -- what the heck was it, National Train Week or something? And then there was the opening of "Star Trek"....

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Rockville, Md.: I actually liked Obama's Rahm Emmanuel Mother's Day joke, that he's not used to saying day after uttering mother ...

Roxanne Roberts: That got a huge laugh, but Rahm's swearing jokes are going to be tapped out soon.

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Speakers: If you had your way to plan next year's dinner -- who would be your ideal speaker/comedian?

Roxanne Roberts: Jeesh---that's a really tough call. You need someone topical and funny....

Tell you what, chatters: Think about it and let us know your pick at reliablesource@washpost.com. We'll be here Wednesday at 1 p.m. for our regular chat. Thanks for joining us for this special edition!

Amy Argetsinger: What Roxanne meant to say is that we'll be here Wednesday at NOON for our regular chat. At least I will. She sometimes runs late, as you may have heard...

Anyway, thanks for joining! Talk to you soon.

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