Riddle Me This

WaPo’s “UNreliable Source just keeps getting worse and worse. Just look at this latest piece of celebrity news. There are three stories and not one of them relates to Washington, D.C. We have a story about Will Smith slapping a reporter….  IN THE UKRAINE. We have a story about Lady Gaga pissing off her fans….  IN THAILAND. We have a story about  Sharon Stone fighting her former nanny in court….  IN LOS ANGELES. Couldn’t they at least make an attempt to tie it back to D.C. in SOME way? Most of these stories don’t even take place on this continent. It’s just unapologetically writing Hollywood gossip that has no reason being in section.

The UNreliable Source  is here to give you all the news that you hadn’t even realized that you didn’t care about.

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If you’re a reporter covering the media you may have noticed new pitches flowing in for The Hill from Elizabeth Luke at High10 Media, a New York-based communications agency that also reps The Hollywood Reporter, Norman Lear‘s People for the American Way, NatGeo Network, Time Inc., Adweek, A&E Networks and Simon Cowell. The Hill has notoriously not had a publicist in a good while ever since Tricia Barba left the role in 2011 after about a year. Before Barba, they went years without a publicist. In January 2012 they brought on Megan McCourt as an editorial assistant to handle social media.

Now they’re giving High10 Media a try.

It’s hardly surprising that the publication would secure a New York-based firm considering The Hill‘s hands-on owner, Jimmy Finkelstein, resides in Manhattan. But what is a little confusing is that they’re not actually letting Luke autonomously speak to the media. When I asked her questions about whether she will serve in an actual role of spokeswoman, ironically she never replied, despite saying repeatedly in her emails, “Feel free to contact me with questions.” Editor Hugo Gurdon also did not reply to simple, basic questions we sent yesterday.

So who is actually speaking for The Hill? That would be High10 Media CEO Lisa Dallos, who said Tuesday morning that she would be handling my questions, but had to talk later because she was on an airplane. She explained quickly by email, “We were retained by The Hill to help promote its editorial and business interests — stories, events, special reports, and so forth. We work very closely with the client, in terms of what gets promoted. Elizabeth is part of the HIGH10 team working on the account.” On the subject of Luke, she said, “Elizabeth works with me, I run High10 Media, I oversee all the work with The Hill. I am the one to speak to.”

I told Dallos that Luke not being able to talk seems fishy. She replied, “Funny u think this is fishy. This would be a lot better if I could talk with you when I land.” She added, “It is very straightforward and not complicated. I am the CEO of company and lead work on all our clients Elizabeth as well as other members of the high 10 team work collaboratively to fulfill our clients needs.”

Luke seems qualified to answer questions and Dallos said I could call her or Luke anytime. Before joining High10 Media, Luke spent three years at Nielsen, most recently as a corporate communications analyst. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Communications. While it appears that Luke will not serve as an actual spokeswoman for the publication, Barba’s role also did not involve commenting on the record to reporters.

In a morning phone interview with Dallos, she said she’d be handling all questions related to the editorial and business sides of the publication. “Any of those questions feel free to call me,” she said. “I think the hope to have a coordinated communication effort under the guidance of Hugo and that we would be able to properly disseminate information to media on multiple subjects, whether it’s breaking news, evergreen and on announcements of whatever kind, both on the business side and the editorial side.”

So far, Luke typically sends out one email a day featuring a story they mark as “Breaking News.” Luke’s email intro on most pitches is as follows:

Good morning, I represent The Hill at High10 Media and am sharing this breaking story with you (link and text below) because it aligns with your beat and I thought you and your readers might be interested.  If you decide to cover this story, please link to the article and credit to “The Hill.”  Feel free to contact me with questions.  Thank you!

But maybe don’t take that second to last line too seriously. That’s not exactly true.

Our ongoing series examining the tweets of Washington journos is about to take a wild turn. Last year, Yesha Callahan was looking for a relationship on Craigslist and Rep. Chris Lee (R-NY) replied in the creepiest way possible: flexing his shirtless arms while showing his face. The whole scandal ended Lee’s political career. Callahan continues to blog and tweet at lightning speed on JUST about everything under the sun. It’s a blistering Twitter feed that pulls no punches on ANY topic. So, let’s take a look to see What Yesha is Tweeting today.

Yesha’s first few tweets of the day seem to focus on semen. If that bothers you, then read no further, because we are about to submerge ourselves in baby batter. Yesha tweets, “I swear women need to stop swallowing all willy nilly & for recreation…got men out here expecting it from other women like it’s a given.”

Wait. Where the hell are all the women who are “swallowing all willy nilly”??? Is that REALLY a rampant problem? Yesha continues, “My best guy friend from hs….apparently told me that it’s expected from anyone he dates.” It’s EXPECTED???  We hate to go all Penthouse Forum here, but if you find someone who loves sack sauce THAT much, you may have just found marriage material.

Callahan isn’t done shooting her load quite yet. She tweets, “I posted the article abt the semen cupcake on fb…here’s Carla’s sister ‘where can I get one of those?’ Grosd.” A semen cupcake? We must have missed that recipe on the latest episode of Paul Wharton’s TV show.

Editor’s note: Stay tuned for more episodes of “What’s Yesha Tweeting?” In the meantime, Peter is gargling with Purel.

Today is Politico Mike Allen‘s second day off since August 2009. Once again Politico has oddly gone off the reservation of its Arlington headquarters to find his replacement.

Yesterday it was ABC’s Jonathan Karl. Today’s “Guest Playbooker” is TIME‘s Michael Crowley. Crowley takes the opportunity to feature TIME‘s cover story by his boss, Richard Stengel. He writes, “Excerpts (and not just because he’s the boss!”) Yeah, riiight.

Allen does typically feature TIME‘s cover. Still, something doesn’t smell right here. Graphs devoted to TIME including highlighting a story by Mark Halerpin: 10.

UPDATE: Crowley wrote into FishbowlDC with a note of explanation: “Mike Allen typically gives generous space to spotlight TIME on Thursdays, when our new issues are out. (He devoted six graphs to our issue on April 12.) I told him in advance that I planned to tout this week’s issue, and he agreed that a Stengel cover story is extra-interesting. It was an honor to sit in for him, not least because people take their Playbook so seriously!”

Why did ABC News’ Robin Roberts score the big interview with President Obama about gay marriage? Lots of folks, from the NYT‘s Brian Stelter to Politico‘s Dylan Byers, have weighed in with their analysis.

But Politico Deputy Breaking News Editor Ryan Kearney went there, suggesting that Roberts is, in fact, gay herself.

“The question no one’s asking: Will Robin Roberts clarify her stance on gay marriage?” tweeted Kearney.

It’s one thing to speculate privately that Roberts is gay — as Gawker reports through anonymous sourcing at the network, it’s long been assumed by many — but to do so publicly both exhibits a.) a bit of chutzpah b.) a bit of inappropriateness and c.) begs perhaps the most important question: Are Kearney’s bosses at Politico okay with an editor throwing out such sensational charges with no sourcing whatsoever?

We reached out to VandeHarris for comment.

Anyone watching Fox News’s Neil Cavuto Wednesday afternoon was in for a real treat of exposed breasts. Free of charge. The star of the soft porn film, er show, was The Daily Caller‘s Michelle Fields, who decided to go on national TV with a large portion of her breasts jiggling out of her shirt.

This isn’t the first time Cavuto’s program and others have been criticized for having on scantily clad female guests. Media Matters wrote about the rash of sexism emanating from the network’s programming in January 2011. They pounded that point home again in March 2009. And as far back as 2007 Conservative Radio Commentator Laura Ingraham voiced strong complaints to FNC’s Bill O’Reilly. To which O’Reilly said, “I don’t have anything to do with Cavuto. He’s a demented guy.” Ingraham complained of the male newscasters playing loops and loops of racy images of females. “I don’t know if there’s a rampant midlife crisis going on on this network among the male anchors, but I can tell you that my female listeners are saying … what is the purpose?”

Reaction to Michelle’s appearance was widespread. Readers and viewers from Washington and New York bombarded us over email about the inappropriateness of the video reporter’s attire during her performance on Cavuto. We’re shocked our computers survived it.

We sought comment from The Daily Caller, asking if management supported their reporter exposing a large chunk of her breasts on national TV.

Apparently the Fox News producer handling her never bothered to mention that her breasts had swallowed her attire. Fields is often plucked over male guests who may have more knowledge on a topic. We can only imagine they want her for her brain and not her breasts. In recent weeks this has been a growing sore spot for guests who get bumped and then see her in their spot. In fact, Fox News, as it is wont to do when women appear on their programs, dropped the banner for maximum viewing pleasure. Dropping the banner when a guest is wearing something revealing is apparently one of Fox’s favorite tactics. Who could have guessed that?

I checked in with a few members of Michelle’s fan club, FBDC’s Piranhamous and Senior Michelle Fields Rack Correspondent Peter Ogburn for their thoughts on the matter.

Piranhamous remarked, “I can’t believe anyone would go on news program dressed like this! Now could you please send me a hi-rez copy of this screen capture so I can have a poster made of it for my bathroom? Thanks.”

Ogburn was beside himself. “Women who use sexuality on Fox is nothing new.  But NO ONE shows off their rack like that. Fucking titty city.” But he wasn’t done. “For all the people who talked shit and said that she wasn’t showing cleavage in the videos we reported on before, they can shove their heads up their asses. Who shows THAT much cleavage on cable news?  Seriously.  Who?? Being sexual is one thing. Showing that much of your tits on TV is just over the top.  It doesn’t matter if she makes the most valid points on Earth, she has zero credibility.”

Some of the commentary and emails we received well into the night:

• “Michelle Fields was on Fox News this afternoon around 4:50 wearing an absolutely unbelievably egregiously revealing shirt (and talking about Occupy Wall Street? Who even knows.)”

• “As one who has thought you’ve been too touch on Michelle Fields….her Cavuto appearance right now is about one thing, her chest.” — Senior Capitol Hill aide.

• “I don’t know how a bill becomes a law, but look at my breasts!”

• “I didn’t have the sound on and might be better off for that.”

• “I had it muted.  Boobs everywhere.”

• “Floppy Funbags!”

• “I can’t imagine many viewers are consciously listening, which is supposed to be the goal of contributing.”

Read the headlines we left on the cutting room floor….

Read more

U.S. News & World Reports‘ Susan Milligan offers her acerbic take on what’s really wrong with the White House Correspondents’ Dinner as the Washington press corps. prostrates itself to Hollywood celebs. Unlike some dinner critics, Milligan (a snooty Gridiron member and longtime Washington reporter) doesn’t see a problem with Washington’s coziness with Hollywood, she just doesn’t like the Lindsay Lohans and multitudinous Kardashians of the world.

In her story, Milligan describes what the dinner used to be like — and what it’s like now.

“With each passing year, the dinner is starting to look more like an after party at the Oscars. And what’s worse, the reporters hosting the event end up in supporting roles as groupies, degrading both themselves and the profession. … Kim Kardashian, really? … What was Lindsay Lohan doing at the dinner? Convicted former Reps. Jim Traficant and Duke Cunningham aren’t invited. So why have some actress at the dinner who has been forced to wear an electronic monitoring device around her ankle?”

Unlike many, she says it’s not that there is too much coziness in Washington. She insists there’s not enough. Huh? Read on.

On a side note: The New York Daily News is reporting today that Kim Kardashian is really a Democrat. Despite all that Fox News on in the household she leans left. “I’m a Democrat,” she told NYDN proudly.  Funniest part of the story is when she refers to Rick Santorum as “Rick Santoro.”

 

We’re not sure how to distinguish beauty from beast in this dark and grainy photograph that HBO’s Bill Maher tweeted out over the weekend. We just hope they have pants on? Whatever the case, Maher has this on again, off again maybe soon-to-be on again media whore of a congressman on his program more times than we understand.

“Former – and future! – congressman @AlanGrayson who came to my stand-up show in Fla last night,” wrote Maher on Twitter.

Unsolicited piece of advice: Maher, why don’t you have a mostly male staff to do things like, ahem, take better pictures?

Richard Kind. Heard of him?

Well, he’s not that kind. In fact, he behaved like kind of a d–k at a private dinner last night at Washington’s Ritz hotel to honor women in media like CBS’s Norah O’Donnell and MSNBC’s Alex Wagner. The event was also hosted by Elle Magazine, Lani Hay, president of Lanmark Technology and the Creative Coalition.

Early on, Kind, 55, though schlubby and pasty, seemed ordinary and sociable. He looked like someone you’ve seen on TV but can’t quite place him, which is how it is with the myriad of D-listers cropping up for this weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday night. Turns out he was on Spin City. He played the character of Paul Thomas Lassiter. He also had a reoccurring role on Scrubs, playing an annoying hypochondriac named Mr. Harvey Corman. George Clooney, another actor who will attend the WHCD this weekend, was the best man at his wedding in 1999.

As the evening progressed, Kind’s unkind personality emerged. He began spouting off against Utah and Mormons, not caring that there was a woman from Utah (and a Mormon) in his midst. A partygoer tried to gently nudge him to pipe down. “What am I supposed to do, not speak my mind?” he asked.

Well, yeah, for starters, that’s a fantastic idea. But then he moved his dickishness to the next level by pinching a woman’s derriere. He then looked at her and laughed. The woman didn’t see it coming. She asked another partygoer, “Who is that old guy?”

Said a different partygoer, “He wishes he was D-list. He’s like L-list. Loser.”

Apart from Kind, the evening was lovely and the other males in the Creative Coalition entourage behaved like complete gentleman. Tim Daly, an actor on Private Practice and longtime member of the Creative Coalition, is a known commodity during WHCD weekend. He sat and chatted with female guests. He didn’t pinch their asses. In fact, the women at our table couldn’t stop marveling over how nice and normal he is.

Kind may want to take some social cues.

 

 

On May 10 ABC’s Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper will speak at Har Zion Temple in Penn Valley, Pa. at a “Patrons Event” where congregants can sign up to contribute at varying price points. For example, $2500 gets you four preferred seats in the reserved section, reception and your name prominently displayed whereas $1000 lands you two preferred seats in the reserved section, reception and your name prominently displayed and $360 gets you two seats in the reserved section, reception and your name prominently displayed . Seats are $36 in advance and $45 at the door.

All sounds kosher, right?

Well, not entirely. The temple, which practices Conservative Judaism, is using Tapper and ABC in its advertising to raise cash. Though Tapper has never made a secret of his religion — in his Twitter bio, he tells visitors that “dissecting my tweets with Talmudic meticulousness will result in wrong conclusions” — this sounds like straight up whoring of a news network to us. Well-known TV correspondents generally speak at universities and college graduations. A network raising money for a temple? Not so commonplace. Can you imagine a national news network raising funds for a megachurch?

“Jake has a personal connection with the synagogue in his hometown of Philadelphia and its scholarship fund,” ABC spokeswoman Michelle Levi told us in an email. “This is not in conflict with his daily duties and he is donating all personal proceeds to charity.  Speaking engagements are evaluated on a case by case basis and this one was approved in advance by ABC News.” Update: We wondered what ABC meant by “scholarship fund.” Apparently this means “The Levitties Fund is associated with the religious school and they do adult education.”

In the meantime, have a look.