WASHINGTON (AP) – Two secretaries of state, Tea Leoni and Madeleine Albright, arrived arm in arm as a wide mix of Hollywood and Washington players gathered for the national “Nerd Prom.”
The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner has become a celebrity magnet, this year drawing some big names from television, sports and movies to rub shoulders with members of Congress and to hear the president speak. It has grown to become one of Washington’s biggest events since its smaller origins in 1914 when journalists gathered to push for greater access to the president.
Leoni, who plays the nation’s chief diplomat on TV’s “Madam Secretary,” was part of an entourage Saturday evening with Albright, the first female secretary of state. The two joked that they trade notes on acting. They arrived with CBS’ Bob Schieffer and Leoni’s TV husband, Tim Daly. But Daly claimed Albright as his own.
“She’s my White House Correspondents’ Dinner girlfriend,” he said. “We met here, and we sat together one year, and now she’s officially my date, so I’m a lucky guy.”
The wide array of celebrity guests included actors from other popular political dramas as well, including Kerry Washington and Darby Stanchfield from ABC’s “Scandal.” The mix of politicians, the media and Hollywood celebrities was surreal, Stanchfield said.