Who hit the White House Correspondents' Dinner Friday parties

On the eve of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, celebrities, politicians and journalists rubbed elbows at a collection of pre-parties on Friday night. Here’s a snapshot of who was out on the town:

At the Voto Latino event: The rooftop of the Hay-Adams Hotel buzzed with journalists and activists sipping fruity drinks and sampling sliders and crab cakes. The gathering celebrated diversity in the media and was co-sponsored by Maria Teresa Kumar, of Voto Latino, and the Brunswick Group’s David Sutphen. Attendees included senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett, MSNBC’s Karen Finney, the Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart and actor Wilder Valderrama.

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Also spotted in the crowd were saxophonist Ski Johnson, FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, Emily’s List’s Stephanie Schriock, and former Obama “body man” Reggie Love.

At the Time and People party at the St. Regis: Scott Foley (Jake Ballard from “Scandal”), NBC’s David Gregory, and members of the “Veep” cast, including Gary Cole (Kent), Anna Chlumsky (Amy), Matt Walsh (Mike), and Timothy Simons (Jonah) were on hand. Also making a night of it were MSNBC’s Ronan Farrow, Jesse Tyler Ferguson from “Modern Family” and Patrick Duffy of “Dallas” and Savannah Guthrie.

But there’s more: director Steve McQueen, White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer, deputy press secretary Eric Schultz, assistant press secretary Matt Lehrich, FLOTUS communications director Maria Cristina Gonzalez Noguera, and press secretary Joanna Rosholm. And Biden press secretary Kendra Barkoff, who the cast of “Veep” treated as a celebrity. As they should.

The white-carpeted room at the St. Regis was decorated with artificial topiaries and there was a ground-level terrace with two bars, including one with Bloody Mary mix-themed drinks.

The Google/Netflix bash at the Institute of Peace enjoyed a strong media turnout, including Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, NBC’s Peter Alexander and Shane Smith of Vice Media.

Joanna Coles, editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, posed with Farrow, in the lofty atrium. Servers and bartenders sported red suspenders that stood out in the all-white decor. Three dangling white signs spelled out “story” “to” and “screen” in capital letters. An invisible hand sketched massive drawings across one wall that were wiped clean and replaced throughout the evening.

Nancy Pelosi took a picture with the cast from “House of Cards,” including Michael Kelley, Sebastian Arcelus, Sakina Jaffrey, and Michael Gill. Gill, who played the president on “Cards,” said that he takes inspiration from President Barack Obama. “I’ve never seen a president work so hard,” he told POLITICO.

And who else was there? How about cast members from “Scandal,” including Katie Lowes, Guillermo Diaz, Bellamy Young, Dan Bucatinsky. Don’t forget Uzo Aduba of “Orange is the New Black.” And there’s Robin Wright with Molly Parker from HOC. Sage Kotsenburg, Olympic gold medalist snowboarder at Sochi, was on hand, too.

Dom Perignon: In a closed-off dining room and deck at the Fiola Mare restaurant, guests at a party hosted by the bubbly brand and Hollywood entertainment manager Eric Podwall included “X-Men” actor Patrick Stewart, Glee’s Matthew Morrison, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, and the Qatari Ambassador to the U.S., Mohammed Jaham Al-Kuwari. (Yes, he’s a bold-faced name, too.)

Two young British actors were also in attendance: Will Poulter, who starred as one of the kids in the Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis film “We’re The Millers” and Jeremy Irvine, the lead in Steven Spielberg’s 2011 film “War Horse.”

DP Vintage 2004 freely flowed at the party overlooking the Georgetown waterfront, where guests noshed on Mirada oysters from Washington state, tuna tartar and Hamachi sashimi.

Fusion’s White House Correspondents’ Party at Look Restaurant & Lounge featured what was likely the only WHCD party where the dancing was center stage. Guests rocked out to a DJ spinning the likes of Michael Jackson before Fonesca came on and played a great set that included his hit song “Eres Mi Sueño.” Guests were treated to sushi, sliders, sunglasses and a fun photobooth. Spotted there were: MSNBC’s Toure and Karen Finney; former Ambassador Capricia Penavic Marshall, ABC News’ Jim Avila and Maureen Orth, special correspondent for Vanity Fair.

And at the New Yorker’s gathering at the rooftop of the W Hotel, the publication’s marquee dinner guest actress and author Mindy Kaling was spotted, as well as Ferguson, Duffy and various cast members of “Veep,” including Selena Meyer herself Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as was deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes.

Dylan Byers, Edward Isaac Dovere, Jennifer Epstein,Daniel Lippman,Katie Glueck, andNatalie Villacortacontributed to this report.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/white-house-correspondents-dinner-friday-parties-106304.html#ixzz30cb74pUK