Radio-TV Dinner, Part III: The Real Party

The post-parties at the Radio-TV Correspondents Association have traditionally been relatively tame but in recent years, they have developed into the highlight of the evening. Our cousin, TVNewser, who somehow managed to blog his reviews at 3 a.m. when he returned home, aptly dubbed the post-parties a “free-for-all.”

A few years back–observers differ on whether it was two, three, or four years back–Fox went all out and seriously upped the party ante. Ever since, CNN and Fox have battled it out for the best, most lavish, and extravagant party, and as far as most attendees are concerned the battle should continue for many years to come.

This year, Fox won. Hands down.

CNN converted a ballroom into a dark velvet lounge, dubbed “Stage 25″ with fancy signage and branded pillows on the couches, with a pumping beat, extensive bar, and a dance floor where waiters circulated endless trays of champagne.

The also ran post-party, hosted by NBC Universal was the tamest (perhaps for being sans music), with trays of shrimp, scallops, and salmon, although the centerpiece of the laid-back event, a three-tiered liquid chocolate fondue fountain, earned points for creativity.

Fox, though, perhaps following Lewis Black’s lead, went the high school prom route: a dark room with club lights and a smoke machine, along with numerous open bars and a spread of food including mini-burgers cooked on a George Foreman grill. As the exclusive-seeming guest list at the Fox party broke down, more and more folks migrated into the increasingly crowded room and the grinding dance floor, where inebriated journalists flailed to the best dance songs of the ’80s and ’90s. As many CNN folks warily snuck in, we joked that they could at least justify it as attempting to drink up Fox’s news budget.

Piles of beads on the Fox tables wound their way around necks, lending the scene a surreal appearance of a black tie Mardi Gras (albeit with free booze and less flashing). Over in one corner Geraldo held court, posing for pictures and at one point chatting with the dapper Reliable Source Rich Leiby. As the hours passed, the bow ties came loose, the beads piled up, the liquor flowed, and as the older guests called it a night for spouses or children or exhaustion, the room gradually transformed into a nightclub that could rival any Adams Morgan hang-out on a Saturday night.

We finally called it a night around 2 a.m., but the party was still raging in the Hilton basement. All around, not bad for a Washington weeknight.

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