BY JAY BOBBIN
A changed White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner is in store It’s a good bet that this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner will be unlike any other, in some key ways. For one thing, it will be missing a traditional guest: the President of the United States. Given the generally contentious relationship he’s had with the press during his political career to date, it probably wasn’t a surprise in February when President Donald Trump tweeted (also not a surprise) that he would not attend the Washington, D.C., event known to some as the “Nerd Prom.” No White House staff members are expected, either. That automatically will guarantee a difference when political journalists gather on Saturday, April 29, with C-SPAN providing the coverage of the arrivals and the dinner that it has offered annually since 1993. (Cable news networks such as CNN and Fox News Channel typically dip in and out of the occasion during the evening.) The organization’s Web site (http://www.whca.net) is marked by photos of a beaming and laughing President Barack Obama on the dinner’s dais, plus images of former First Lady Michelle Obama warmly greeting winners of the scholarships presented by the group. Those honors – which the proceeds from the dinner help to fund – still will be presented this year, along with awards to professional reporters, though possibly in a more subdued way. Famed Watergate reporters
BY JAY BOBBIN
Sarah Wayne Callies
OF “PRISON BREAK” ON FOX money. But I think, from a lot of our perspectives, it’s a real honor to have people approach you with that kind of a thing and kind of give you that piece of who they are and want to share that with you. So to return to that, and try and take care of it, I think that’s probably a big motivation on our end (to do the current continuation).
Larry Wilmore
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are slated to speak. “The Daily Show’s” Hasan Minhaj is scheduled to supply the entertainment to be included at the dinner, maintaining the tradition of a comedian who would precede the President, who usually would get into the spirit of the event. Obama went to the extent of having preproduced, humorous videos made, while George W. Bush brought someone to impersonate and allegedly “translate” him (the late comic actor Steve Bridges) one year. Last year, writer-producer and former “Nightly Show” host Larry Wilmore was the featured entertainer. He was preceded by “Saturday Night Live” alumni Cecily Strong (one of the few women to have had the spot) and Seth Meyers, as well as Joel McHale, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Wanda Sykes, Craig Ferguson, Stephen Colbert and (three times) Jay Leno. Invariably, those who got the job knew they’d be in for criticism afterward, either for going too hard or being too soft politically.
What has the comfort level been like in reuniting with so many other original “Prison Break” stars?
What has the ongoing impact of being in “Prison Break” been for you?
I will say that when people stop me to talk about work I’ve been in, two out of three times, it’s probably “Prison Break” ... which is remarkable given that, you know, “The Walking Dead” is still on the air. This is a show that seems to have a longevity in people’s imagination, and when they talk to me about it, it really means something to them. There’s the economics of it all, which are important, and we all work for people who are trying to make
Chelsea Handler of “Chelsea” on Netflix “I watch ‘Homeland,’ I watch ‘The Crown,’ I watch ‘Game of Thrones,’ I watch Bill Maher, I watch ‘Girls.’ Basically everything on HBO (laughs).”
I think that brings a texture and an immediacy to those relationships that I guess some actors can fake. I, apparently, am not good enough to be one of them. There was something about doing these scenes – I mean, my very first scene was with Dom (Dominic Purcell), and there’s just a decade there. And that’s kind of irreplaceable.
Penelope Ann Miller of “New York Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell” on Lifetime “I really loved ‘The Crown.’ I like those sorts of ‘event’ shows, and I love period pieces because I’m a big fan of history. I have to say that I watch ‘Survivor,’ though I’m not supposed to watch reality shows because I’m an actor. And I do watch ‘American Crime’ (the first season of which featured Miller).”
Terry Crews of “Brooklyn NineNine” on Fox “I always watch me ... so it’s always ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’! But other than that, it’s ‘Saturday Night Live.’ I always record it, and some shows are better than others, but it’s required viewing for me because it’s so topical.”
Muskogee Phoenix
One of the challenges at the beginning of a new project is trying to figure out the relationships you have with all the characters, what your history is, so that there’s some authenticity there. There’s a lot of history here. When we started this ... I mean, marriages, children, coming out, politics changing, we’ve moved (on). Everybody’s life, I think, is monumentally different. And in some form, we’ve seen that through together.
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Erin Napier of “Home Town” on HGTV “We like to watch shows 10 years after they go off the air (laughs). ... I think that our favorite, ‘Friday Night Lights’ was a big one. We really loved it. And I’m a sucker for ‘House Hunters.’ If it’s on, I’m watching it. I’m nosy, I’ve got to know what those houses are like inside and how people live all over the world.”
April 23 - 29, 2017