#WHCD Weekend Wrap Up : Allbritton POLITICO Brunch

Jack Quinn, Rebecca Cooper, Jason Kampf

And so we leave one moment of sanity during these frenzied four days for yet another moment of peace in a sophisticated setting, the next brunch on our Sunday trail, the Allbritton POLITICO private function, which is being held at the Washington, D.C. estate of Robert Allbritton and his wife Dr. Elena Allbritton. We pull up, the line of valets are quick, the list is super tight (super as in duper) and there are no photos allowed within the home.  Security lines the walls, but no matter, while one might want to wander through the rooms and take a look at art and decor, it’s too nice outside to stay within the residence and the grounds are open and inviting.

CNN's Edie Emery, Marc Adelman, POLITICO's Patrick Gavin

Arianna Huffington with Austan Goolsbee former the head of the Council of Economic Advisers

We make our way through the gracious entrance to the long staircase down, which serves as its own red carpet, into the tent that is truly stunning.  The floral arrangements are enough to blow your mind, peonies abound.  Glass tables are filled and constantly being refreshed with exotic flavors from Design Cuisine and The Source by Wolfgang Puck (Executive Chef Scott Drewno is there on site) and there full open bars with overflowing special cocktails, Champagne, hard liquors, wines, beers, and even a table with fresh fruit juices and vegetables waiting to gush from the spouts.  Butler passed hors d’oeuvres and later mini desserts are aplenty, but the people, oh the people.  We must have arrived right in time because there’s a fervor in the group; loud laughing and hugging, so many photographers stopping and asking for poses, it’s like instantaneous sensory overload.  But, it’s bright, gorgeous, and the guests are more than energetic.

We see Jack Quinn, who is a brand new father with his wife Susanna, and our friend Rebecca Cooper of WJLA, who as always, is buzzing around like a social butterfly and seems to know everyone and loves to make introductions, thank you RC, and we sit a spell with AOL founder Jim Kimsey and his artist friend Bill Dunlap.  Here we meet Lyor Cohen, whom Jason spots immediately, and he talks with him.  The tall gent is the North American Chairman and CEO of Recorded Music for Warner Music Group, and he flags down his friend designer Tory Burch, who takes a photo with me and tells me she like my outfit. They are set to leave and say good-bye.  I take a few other shots of friends like photographer Tony Powell, who snatches Kimsey’s shades off to wear himself.  He’s in the market for a new pair.  The hunter becomes the hunted, but Tony seems to like having his picture taken.

Alan Greenspan, David Gregory of Meet the Press and wife Beth Wilkinson

Mr. and Mrs. Bill Lord and Fox News Channel's Ed Henry

Inside the tent, we say hello to Mr. and Mrs. Bill Lord, Lord being the GM for Allbritton Communications’ D.C. properties, and Governor Haley Barbour. The Governor takes a photo with Rebecca and CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and his wife Lynn, who will be out in L.A. to address the members of Artists and Athletes Alliance on the state of the presidential race at the end of May. Mrs. Blitzer is wearing the coolest all zipper black dress.  We say hello again to Arianna Huffington and even get to tell her about Pamela’s Punch and the Pacific Punch (score!) and Mrs. Susan Alexrod talks about Chicago with Jason.  Spotted are Alan Krueger, head of the Council of Economic Advisers, FNC’s Chris Wallace, MSNBC’s Norah O’Donnell, FNC’s Brett Baier and wife Amy, Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, a few actors here and there and more media queens like Tammy Haddad, whose name I spotted on the list of credits for the HBO show “VEEP” which I’m loving, BTW.   You can’t turn your head without splitting your eyeballs on “who’s who”.  So I just continue to take photos and talk to people like Scott Drewno and Sam Kass, who at the White House is helping Mrs. Obama with her “Let’s Move” program and Chef Drewno, who tells me that they are working on a creative menu for vegetarians, even making their own tofu.  I’ll come in for that.

When it’s all said and done and the time has come, the Walrus said, we have lift off and are out of there, but not before we get a shot of the Allbritton’s adorable daughter who is wearing, of all things, sparkling Tom’s shoes.  That was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Hip hop mogul Lyor Cohen and his lady friend designer Tory Burch

Juleanna Glover and Christopher Reiter

Tony Powell in Jim Kimsey's shades

me and designer Tory Burch

Cathy Merrill Williams, Paul Williams and Rebecca Cooper

Governor Haley Barbour, Rebecca Cooper and Lynn and Wolf Blitzer

Chef Scott Drewno and Chef Sam Kass

Robert Allbritton and his wife, Dr. Elena Allbritton and their adorable baby in Tom's Shoes!