Memo Pad: Meeting the Prez... New at In Style...

MEETING THE PREZ: The White House Correspondents Association’s annual dinner has long been some combination of griping (at the evident coziness between the press and the administration) and gawking (at whichever celebrity the various media organizations have managed to corral). The first such dinner in an Obama presidency, on May 9, seems guaranteed to amp up the demand for the dinner, and though some organizations are still wrangling and declined to divulge their guest lists, others have already confirmed them.

Glamour is bringing along White House Social Secretary Desirée Rogers, who is also a “special guest” at the Capitol File after party with Valerie Jarrett and dinner talent Wanda Sykes. (The first two are on the cover of Capitol File’s summer issue, set for release on the day of the dinner.) Also at Glamour’s table: Narciso Rodriguez, Alicia Keys, Kenneth Cole, Kerry Washington and the Vice President’s daughter, Ashley Biden.

Time Inc., traditionally a major magazine presence at the dinner, will continue this year with a Friday evening cocktail co-hosted by Time and People at Astor Terrace at the St. Regis. Time said it was unready to reveal its guests, but People plans to have Sting and Trudie Styler, Miranda Cosgrove, Brooke Shields and Chris Henchy, Eva Longoria Parker, Kevin Bacon, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jon Hamm and Forest Whitaker. Sister title Fortune is striking a theme of celebrities and their finance-oriented significant others, arguably more on-brand than last year’s guests, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt. At its table this year will be George Lucas and his girlfriend, Melody Hobson, president of Ariel Investments, and Glenn Close and her husband David Shaw, a managing partner at Black Point Group.

Last year, President Bush wondered whether Pamela Anderson and Mitt Romney in the same room wasn’t a sign of the apocalypse. This year, President Obama might note The Atlantic’s table, which will seat both Newt Gingrich and pouty “Gossip Girl” co-star Ed Westwick. (Bonus: Obama has already made jokes about the show.) Rick Schroder will also be there. The Atlantic will also host a Friday night dinner and a pre-dinner cocktail reception at the Hilton, co-hosted by the National Journal Group and ABC.

Newsweek, Bloomberg, and Vanity Fair were unable to comment on their guests by press time, though the latter two have already said they are cohosting an after party this year instead of the separate ones they held in the past. A spokeswoman for The New York Times said the paper would again be skipping the dinner, which it stopped attending in 2007, citing the appearance of excess friendliness with the government.

— Irin Carmon


NEW AT IN STYLE: Ron Prince is the new associate publisher, marketing, at In Style magazine. Most recently, he was a marketing consultant to magazines such as Lucky, Self, Teen Vogue, Rolling Stone and Us Weekly. Formerly, he was an associate publisher at Allure, Travel + Leisure and Food & Wine. He will report to publisher Connie Anne Phillips.

— Amy Wicks