FishbowlDC took a look at some of the LIVE! offerings to separate the pros from the piglets.

Politico has done a solid job thus far with its video coverage. Each morning at 7:30 a.m. White House Correspondent Mike Allen and Executive Editor Jim VandeHei begin with a look at the day ahead. An hour later Politico partners with the Tampa Bay Times for a “Playbook Breakfast” featuring high-profile guests such as Liz Cheney, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Karl Rove. Live streaming video continues throughout the day with coverage and analysis provided by Politico reporters and other media types. Convention speeches are also streamed in the evening. Finding Politico‘s video coverage is easy. A large graphic link sits at the top of the homepage. Shockingly, this detail escaped many other publications, which essentially put their video streams in holes then covered them in dirt. One upside of viewing Politico‘s live videos is VandeHei try to intimidate his reporters with scare tactics. Wait, isn’t that Politico Pro‘s Tim Grieve‘s job? “You said you’d have two scoops for us,” VandeHei said to Jake Sherman at the start of one segment. “It’s your birthday!” VandeHei said at one point to another reporter. “We’re going to let you work until midnight!” Only minor audio issues in the stream have ensued.

WaPo‘s live coverage, meanwhile, is mediocre at best, if you can manage to stay awake to actually experience it. It’s unclear how to even get to a video landing page. From the front page of WaPo‘s website, readers can either scroll down a little to click a small icon labeled “live” which leads to a regularly updated blog on political news and posts live streaming video when there is one. The stream we caught was a breakfast yesterday hosted by WaPo‘s Dan Balz, Chris Cillizza and Karen Tumulty along with Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio). Content amounted to a camera that largely zoned in on Portman. The breakfast bore the atmosphere of a cafeteria at a retirement home.

HuffPost Live, the new video venture from HuffPost, has also been streaming segments from the convention. Yesterday the publication’s Editor-in-Chief Arianna Huffington streamed into HuffPost‘s studio via webcam from Tampa to discuss the Republican convention. What’s distracting is how anyone joining by webcam has to do so wearing headphones, often the white ones that come with Apple products. Video is easy to find with HuffPost Live because it has its own website. Production is sharp enough for online video but we can’t escape the feeling that our annoying relatives are trying to Skype with us. Furthermore, because many of the guests are everyday people joining from home, so viewers are often treated to random home phones ringing and out-of-sight dogs panting.

CNN may have the best online video stream (understandable, given that it’s produced by an actual TV network). The cast we caught was a convention chat between CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Jim Acosta along with liberal commentator Donna Brazile and former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer. Unfortunately, we have no idea how to navigate back to any video streaming. We were only able to find this particular one because the exact web address was advertised on CNN’s TV channel. But trying to get there from CNN.com is a no go.

Moving on, other than picture quality, which was generally top notch, The Hill‘s live streaming has been terrible. We checked in on several occasions. Once, the camera was fixated on a man tapping on his phone and doing nothing else, with a 30-second clip of music on loop. Another time, the camera was focused on empty bleachers for an unusually extended period of time. And in a third instance, the audio wasn’t in sync with the video. This morning’s stream was a panel discussion featuring conservative author Jonah Goldberg and The Hill‘s A.B. Stoddard, two capable journos who know their way around TV appearances. I’d tell you who the other person on the panel was, but there was almost zero description of the panel underneath the video. The description that was there only contained the name of the event and the time it started. The camera never moved, or zoomed. It simply sat with a wide shot of the panel. On the plus side, the video stream is easy to find. Like Politico, a graphic link at the top of The Hill‘s homepage takes you there.

Tied with The Hill for terrible video streaming is National Journal. Once again, it’s difficult to find when navigating from the front page. Scroll down and a graphic link is to the right with tiny font lettering that says “full coverage.” Even when you get there, the live stream video isn’t at the top, it’s almost halfway down the page. In National Journal‘s case, the picture quality is good but the camera work is poor. It was only a single stationary camera focused on the speaker (and we can’t tell you who it was when we watched because like The Hill, there was no description underneath the video).

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Today FishbowlMatt and I take you inside last night’s book party at the Northwest Washington home of Daily Caller Editor-in-Chief Tucker Carlson and his wife, Susie, for famed ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The book: Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America’s Most Notorious Lobbyist. We’ll give you a play-by-play interpretation of what went down — FishbowlDC style. Some of it’s blind quoting, eavesdropping, and prison jokes, for which we make no apologies. Some of it’s petty and juvenile and involves taking advantage of people who have had a few drinks (a la HuffPost‘s Drunken Specialist Sam Stein), for which we also make no apologies. By the way, actor Kevin Spacey and former Washington Mayor Marian Barry both RSVP’d that they’d attend. Neither showed. Who did? Find out after the jump…

Let’s begin.

5:07 p.m. FishbowlMatt texts and wants to know what I’m wearing. I tell him I’m dressing down, that we’re going to a party where there will be an island of misfits and we can wear whatever we want. I assure him my outfit will not incorporate Stephanie Green golf ball-size multi-strand pearl necklaces.

6:40 p.m. We arrive fashionably early Tucker’s house and are greeted by friendly valets.

6:41 p.m. Publicist Janet Donovan arrives by cab with a giant golden handbag.

6:42 p.m. It’s 66 degrees outside. Roaring fire clearly for ambiance. Not function.

6:45 p.m. Tucker is holding court by the fireplace discussing the Politico story about The Daily Caller‘s “growing pains” published earlier in the day. He has a lot of reactions, one of which involves explaining the importance of “pissing up.” All in all, the story didn’t upset him.

6:55 p.m. We go to the more remote bar off the living room where intern Jordan Bloom is dressed in a white shirt and black bow tie and tending bar. Matt writes, “We meet Jordan Bloom, battered intern.”

7 p.m. Daily Caller reporter Matthew Boyle arrives and chats up Tucker about the Politico story. Boyle refuses to talk to any member of the press on the record.

7:10 p.m. We run into communications exec David Bass in a big fat striped suit. The suit has fat blue and white stripes; Bass isn’t plump. We start snapping his picture. He wants a do over, explaining, “I have the same stupid look on my face in every picture. Let me try not to look stupid.”

7:20 p.m. Oh look. It’s The Weekly Standard/Daily Caller‘s Matt Labash. He quickly admires FishbowlMatt’s gray tweed pants and says I’m not allowed to write anything about anything he says or he’ll break both my legs (the first part of this is true). FBDCMatt describes his trousers as a “tweed flannel hybrid.” Labash is clearly impressed.

7:21 p.m. More guests arrive. FishbowlMatt commentary: “There’s a glitterball coming in right now.”

7:22 p.m. Bathroom door locks but doesn’t latch. Not worth taking a chance. (Capitol File Editor-in-Chief Kate Bennett will later say someone walked in on her while she was in the can. She says she was just washing her hands.)

7: 25 p.m. Politico‘s Patrick Gavin and FishbowlMatt begin an in-depth conversation about no-iron shirts. Matt says he’s a “holy hell sweater.” Gavin says he plans to buy a decent wardrobe in the new year. Tonight he has worn a long-sleeved maroon shirt made of waffle material. It’s from the Gap.

7:30 p.m. I place a half-full wine glass on a stack of Jack Abramoff books for a moment and an undisclosed reporter says, “He was in prison for three years and tried not to get rimmed and look what you’re doing with a wine glass on the Abramoff books.”

7:33 p.m. An undisclosed reporter asks, “Who is that fat guy on the couch? I mean, he’s ‘stop-on-the-street’ fat. Isn’t he?”

7:34 p.m.: NYT‘s Mark Leibovich chats with partygoers. He says the book’s slowly coming along but that he must get back to regular newspaper writing soon. Guests tell him they can’t wait to read his book.

7:35 p.m. The living room speeches begin. Tucker says (in part): “I think Jack is a genuinely nice person. I don’t trust anyone who hasn’t been humiliated in public.” He mentions being on “Dancing With the Stars.”

7:37 p.m. Jack: “I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he tells a packed room of guests. “This is my first book and may be my last if no one reads it.” He explains that his publicist Janet “is working me to the ground. I had 17 interviews today. I don’t have a tail and horns.” He says his wife, Pam, doesn’t read newspapers or watch TV. He also says she kept removing herself from the book until he explained that he had to explain where their children came from. Jack on prison life: “It’s a horrific place.” Jack on the kindness of others: “I’m not sure we deserve it, but I hope we keep meriting your friendship.” He recounts being on FNC’s Sean Hannity‘s program last week. He told Hannity he was going to appear on MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell‘s show. Hannity tried to talk him out of it, telling him it was a waste of time. Jack appeared on O’Donnell’s “Last Word” anyhow and grew frightened as he spotted Michael Moore. He thought to himself, ‘We better hide.’ Soon he hears Moore inquiring, “Where’s Jack?” Moore approached and said, “God bless you. Keep up the great work. It’s fantastic.” Jack’s reaction: “Am I dreaming?” He calls the evening at Carlson’s home “the finest night of our lives in the last eight years. This tops them all.”

8:30 p.m. (roughly): A guest is ready to leave. He remarks, “I think I’ve done my time here, so to speak.” Reporters in the vicinity laugh.

Find out which reporter with a liberal agenda crashed the party…

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

NBC’s “Meet the Press: 1

Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.)
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.)
Bethany McLean, Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair
Co-author, “All the Devils are Here”
Mark Halperin, Editor-at-Large and Senior Political Analyst, TIME

CBS’s “Face the Nation”: 1

Nancy Cordes, CBS News Congressional Correspondent
John Dickerson, CBS News Political Analyst
Michael Gerson, WaPo Columnist

NBC’s “The Chris Matthews Show”: 2

Dan Rather, HDNet
Howard Fineman, HuffPost
Katty Kay, BBC
Lizzie O’Leary, Bloomberg

FNC’s “Fox News Sunday”: 1

Fox News’ Brit Hume, The Hill’s A.B. Stoddard, The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol and Fox News’ Juan Williams

ABC’s “This Week”: 2

Haley Barbour, Governor of Mississippi, former RNC chairman
Donna Brazile, Democratic Strategist
Matthew Dowd, Political Strategist
George Will, ABC News, WaPo
Peggy Noonan, WSJ

CNN’s “Reliable Sources”: 2

Nia-Malika Henderson, WaPo
Robert Costa, National Review
Bill Press, syndicated radio host, “The Bill Press Show”
Sharon Waxman, TheWrap.com
Erik Wemple, WaPo

WETA’s “Washington Week”: 3

Dan Balz, WaPo
Jeanne Cummings, Bloomberg Business News
Janet Hook, WSJ
Joan Biskupic, USA Today

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

CBS’s Face the Nation: 1

Mark Zandi, Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics
Norah O’Donnell, CBS News Chief White House Correspondent
John Dickerson, CBS News Political Analyst

NBC’s Meet the Press: 1

Donna Shalala, Former Sec. of Health and Human Services
William Bennett, Former Sec. of Education
Tim Shriver, Chairman and CEO, Special Olympics
Tavis Smiley, PBS

Fox New Sunday: 1

Brit Hume – Fox News Senior Political Analyst
A.B. Stoddard –The Hill
Bill Kristol – Weekly Standard & Fox News
Juan Williams – Fox News Political Analyst

ABC’s “This Week”: 3

Mary Matalin, Republican Strategist
Amy Walter, ABC News Political Director
Donna Brazile, Democratic Strategist
George Will, ABC News, WaPo columnist

CNN’s “Reliable Sources”: 2

WaPo‘s Jennifer Rubin, Current TV’s David Shuster, Craig Crawford, former WSJ reporter Ron Suskind, former Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Connie Schultz, wife of Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).

NBC’s Chris Matthews Show: 2

The Daily Beast‘s Andrew Sullivan, NYT‘s Helene Cooper, CNN’s Gloria Borger, and WaPo‘s Michael Gerson.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

As is the case with any good party, people got fairly drunk. A pleasant, fun kind of drunk. Editor-in-chief Tucker Carlson took notice, and also addressed how crowded the Top of the Hill had become. “I’m not try to encourage people to drink, but there’s a lot of alcohol downstairs as well,” he said.

A number of congressmen were in attendance, but we spotted one  freshmen for sure: Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.).

Also at the party: Publisher Neil Patel, executive editor Megan Mulligan, Mary Katharine Ham, reporters Jon Ward, Chris Moody, Jonathan Strong, Jeff Winkler, and Mike Riggs (the “Daily Baller” wasn’t doing anything too crazy though), and online editors Julia McClatchy, Chad Brady, and Pat McMahon (who demanded to be mentioned “or else”); Fox News’ Shannon Bream and her husband Sheldon; ABC News’ Ann Compton, her husband, Dr. Bill Hughes, and her daughter, the Atlantic‘s Annie Hughes; Chris Bodenner, also of the Atlantic; WaPo‘s Katherine Zaleski; Washington City Paper‘s Mike Madden; Chris McGreal of The Guardian; C-SPAN’s Howard Mortman; Dan Hirschhorn of Politico; CNN’s Brianna Keilar; Washington Examiner “Yeas and Nays” columnist Nikki Schwab; Christina Wilkie and A.B. Stoddard of The Hill; Moe Tkacik; Kurt Bardella, spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa and the bain of Daily Beast‘s Howard Kurtz‘s existence; Speaker of the House John Boehner‘s spokesman Michael Steel; Tony Blankley, Executive Vice President at Edelman; and NYP‘s Charlie Hurt.

Lots of love among Daily Caller staffers. Reporter Jeff Winkler goes in for a kiss with online editor Pat McMahon. Spokeswoman Becca Glover seems to enjoy it.

WCP‘s Mike Madden, however, didn’t enjoy it. (We don’t know that he was watching the kiss, but it’s entirely possible.)

Photos courtesy of Wonkette‘s Elizabeth Glover.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Characters from the book who showed up to the festivities included Democratic political strategist and former campaign aide to Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) David “Mudcat” Saunders, Vanity Fair’s Christopher Hitchens and GOP consultant Roger Stone, who famously taught Labash how to properly tie a tie (he claims Labash still needs help). Stone (in photograph above with Labash) explained that he was leaving later to catch a train to Manhattan – his policy is to never stay overnight in D.C. as the town is too awful a place to remain too long. “I hate it,” he said. “People are phony.” (Stone splits his time between New York City and Miami.)

Soon the party turned into a roast.

“Nice house, not waspy enough,” Stone cracked. “I appreciate the enormous role I have played in making Matt Labash.” Stone joked that people always ask of Labash: ‘What’s with all the Hitler memorabilia?’

Saunders, to whom Labash devoted an entire chapter, said the author was much more than a writer but a life confidant whom he still phones for advice. “He knows enough about me to get me arrested,” he said. Initially, Saunders said, he feared a story about him appearing in The Weekly Standard: “I’m a Democrat. The Weekly Standard ain’t a damn Democrat publication.”

The party was the scene of scenes for D.C. journalists. Faces in the crowd included conservative radio personality Laura Ingraham, The Weekly Standard’s Stephen Hayes and Andy Ferguson, Politico’s Anne Schroeder Mullins, Patrick Gavin, Kiki Ryan, Michael Calderone and Pia Catton. Politico’s Jonathan Martin and NBC “Meet the Press” Executive Producer Betsy Fischer arrived simultaneously. The Daily Caller was represented well with opinion editor Moira Bagley, publisher Neil Patel, V.P. of sales Alex Treadway and congressional reporter Gautham Nagesh as well as Sean “Jim Treacher” Medlock on crutches. Others in attendance: The Hill’s A.B. Stoddard, the New York Post’s Charlie Hurt, Reason’s Michael Moynihan, Edelman’s Exec. V.P. Tony Blankley, National Review’s Jonah Goldberg, D.C. media consultant David Bass, former Time scribe Tim Burger and Slate’s Editor David Plotz. The Atlantic’s Josh Green was there and spoke of the story he has been living as of late – that of Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) and the old Navy buddies who told him, among other sordid details, about the ex-congressman’s infamous Massa massage and now compelling “snorkeling”. Green joked, “I feel dirty talking about it.” More seriously, he called Massa the “Andy Dick of Congress.”

Lightening struck when former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry arrived. Late and decked out in a suit and cherry-colored tie, Barry stole the show. And for a good while, it was all guests could do but stare and snap cell phone pictures.

“It took me an hour to find this place,” Barry told the awed crowd, explaining his tardiness. “I wandered here and there and everywhere.”

Initially Labash had no idea that Barry that arrived. “No, no, I don’t publicly speak!” the author was imploring guests, unaware that his most striking character was about to weigh in.

Carlson explained to guests that The Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol was sorry he couldn’t attend – he was in Manhattan hanging out with former N.Y. Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Massa (everyone laughed). Carlson read a note from Kristol that said, in part, “When we hired Labash, we had hoped he’d become a star – we’re still hoping.”

Carlson, who wrote the introduction to Labash’s book, had solemn praise for Labash with a twist. “Matt doesn’t simply write about people,” said Carlson. “He takes them as lifelong friends – almost in a proctological way.” He said when subjects first read the stories Labash has written about them their first response is “horror.”

Then they realize that what Labash has written is true, that the author has maybe captured them more deeply than anyone ever has.

More party pictures after the jump…

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Last night was a big night for holiday parties – the Brunswick Group held court at L2, Scene Bisnow celebrated at Public Bar but the evening’s big ticket event was hosted by Quinn, Gillespie & Associates on the roof of the new W Hotel.

Complete with ice sculptures, a snow machine, a snow globe bar, DJ Chris Burns and a jazz quartet, the party drew big names from the political and media worlds, including Rep. Steny Hoyer and Fox News’ Brit Hume.

Clinton White House counsel and QGA Chairman Jack Quinn welcomed to his scenic bash, a glam bipartisan guest list — Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) and Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) mingled with former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) and former Sen. John Warner (R-VA). And hostess with the most-ess Susanna Quinn dazzled in a gold cocktail dress.

Media noteables: Fox News’ Bret Baier and Amy Baier, CNN’s Ed Henry, NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, Libby Leist and Betsy Fischer, Tammy Haddad, Politico in full-force- Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Kim Kingsley, Jonathan Martin, Anne Schroeder Mullins, Patrick Gavin and Kiki Ryan, John McCaslin, Google’s Craig Walker, Peter Cherukuri, ABC’s Emily Lenzner, Polson Kanneth and Courtney Cohen, WaPo‘s Amy Argetsinger, Roll Call‘s Jackie Kucinich, The Hill‘s A.B. Stoddard, Jared Allen and Christina Wilkie, CongressDaily‘s Erin McPike, Chris Brown, Mix 107.3′s Tommy McFly, Politics Daily’s Emily Miller, Yeas and Nays’ Tara Palmeri, Elizabeth Thorp, Jayne Sandman, UrbanDaddy’s Jeff Dufour, Tim Burger, Kimball Stroud and Todd Flournoy.

Quinn does an interview with WashingtonPost.com.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Juleanna Glover opened the doors of her Kalorama home Saturday night to some of DC’s most powerful women in media to benefit the Rebecca Project for Human Rights. This is a group founded by executive director Malika Saada-Saar and Autumn VandeHei to advocate for women who have survived addiction, incarceration and poverty.

Women who have benefited from the Rebecca Project, the “Mother Leaders” attended the party, sharing their stories with special hosts Carol Browner, Tammy Haddad, Betsy Fischer (who had to leave early for a “Meet the Press” pretape with Secretary Hillary Clinton), Norah O’Donnell, Amy Holmes, Robin Sproul, Sally Quinn and Jessica Yellin.

It was most certainly a ladies night… CNN’s Dana Bash and Edie Emery, WaPo‘s Liz Spayd and Ceci Connolly, Politico‘s Nia-Malika Henderson and Kiki Ryan, Politics Daily‘s Emily Miller, msnbc.com’s Carrie Dann, Congress Daily‘s Erin McPike, Time‘s Jay Newton Small, The Hill‘s A.B. Stoddard, Washington Life‘s Janet Donovan, Christina Sevilla, Miss DC 2008 Kate Marie Grinold and Katie McCormick Lelyveld from First Lady Michelle Obama’s office attended. And the Glover sisters- TWT‘s Liz Glover, Becca Glover and Kristin Glover.

These ladies were joined by Politico‘s Jim VandeHei, host Autumn’s husband, O’Donnell’s husband Chef Geoff Tracy, NYT‘s Mark Liebovich, WaPo‘s Perry Bacon, Richard Wolffe, Winston Lord, Mix 107.3′s Tommy McFly, Lee Brenner, Mark Paustenbach, Pepper Watkins, Marc Adelman, Michael Feldman and White House economic advisor Austan Goolsbee. Also Susanna Quinn and Jack Quinn, and Shanti Stanton and Matt Stanton.

In remarks at the party, Saada-Saar thanked VandeHei and the women involved, “Our organization stands on the shoulders of many people.” “We come together to honor the work of these women, to honor the work of mothers and to really recognize what happens when we as women and mothers come together across the divides of race, class, education, lived experience and honor ourselves,” she said.

The event was sponsored by Goldman Sachs’s 10,000 Women, and Brown-Forman generously donated the party’s wine and martinis. Attendees could donate online or by pledge cards.

For more on these women’s stories, check out Emily’s Post on Politics Daily, and for video of Saar’s remarks, check out Politico Click.

Photos by Emily Miller.

NPR’s Michel Martin, Autumn VandeHei and Amy Holmes.

CNN’s Dana Bash and Jessica Yellin.

More photos after the jump…

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.