Washingtonian Editor-at-Large Carol Joynt hosts her first Q&A Cafe of the new year. Her guest: D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray.
What will she ask him? “Now entering his third year in office, how’s D.C. doing? How’s he doing? How does he run a city and also manage being the focus of a Justice Department investigation? Does he still dance?” she writes.
The interview is slated for… Read more
It has been two weeks since Drybar, a well-known blow dry saloon in Manhattan, opened its doors in Washington. Actually, two salons — one in D.C., another in Bethesda. So we wanted to check in with female journalists, bloggers and publicists around town about their thoughts about it. Will it make their lives easier? Do they even care?
“It’s about damn time!” said Pamela Sorensen of the “Pamela’s Punch” blog. “I’ve been to the one in Studio City because of Pacific Punch a few times and am totally addicted. I met with Alli Webb last year at her Sunset Boulevard location and had a great conversation with her. She’s brilliant, down to earth, a savvy businesswoman and gets the simplicity and convenience of what women want when it comes to an easy style.”
Sorensen, who thinks Drybar is a “no-brainer” says she loves the “bar” theme from the style names, to the services, to the elements within the salon. The yellow, gray and white scheme is fun and cheery and the stylists are excellent.”
Washingtonian‘s Fashion Editor Kate Bennett, something of a blow dry connoisseur, also sings the new salon’s praises. “At the end of the day, women here are busy, but we also like to look good,” she said. “I can’t see any reason not to celebrate a one-stop blowout shop with a $40 price tag for fabulous hair. As someone who gets blowouts 2-3 times a week (yes, I do) I’m sort of waiting for Drybar like a kid waiting to open presents on Christmas morning. There, I said it.”
Her colleague, Washingtonian Editor-at-Large Carol Joynt was lukewarm on the concept, although it looks like she could wind up there every so often… Read more
Something strange is in the air at 19th and L St. NW this afternoon. Washingtonian Editor-at-Large Carol Joynt not only captured a guy dancing in the street from her office window, but not long after, a man dropped and began doing sit-ups.
“Must be Halloween,” she writes. “Next I want to see unicorns.”
It’s worth a watch, especially Mr. Sit-ups.
D.C. Councilman Marion Barry joined a skim 24 people at the Georgetown Ritz this afternoon for a lunch featuring Washingtonian‘s Carol Joynt in her televised Q & A Cafe. Looking dapper in a gray suit, red and pink striped tie and shiny shoes, Barry’s smoothness oozed in his cool demeanor as he answered all of Joynt’s pointed questions and shied away from nothing.
In case you’re wondering, yes, she asked about the drugs, not crack specifically, but his addiction and his infamous line: “the bitch set me up.” She brought up his marriage and his reported slur against Asian shopkeepers. She also inquired about a possible memoir that the 76-year-old pol may have in the works.
“It’s one chapter,” he said about the drug portion of his life. When she pushed him on it, he added, “Maybe two.”
While Barry and Joynt treated each other in what can be described as a polite, detached manner throughout the interview, things often grew heated.
The Drugs
Joynt really pressed him hard on whether anger is at the root of his addiction issues. “Addiction doesn’t have anything to do with anger, not for me,” Barry said, growing annoyed with her presumption. “It has to do with, we all want to feel good.” And with that he let out a big laugh.
Marriage
Asked if he’s married, Barry replied, “Technically, yes. Cora [Masters] and I are separated and anything else about that is personal.” He lives in a duplex. No pets.
The Media
Barry took more than a few jabs at the media. “Newspapers are supposed to report the news, not make the news,” Barry said. “Too many reporters are trying to make the front page.” Asked if Washington media gives him a fair shake, Barry replied, “No, and that’s wrong.” Joynt asked why. “That’s their nature,” he replied. After the interview, we pressed him further on his feelings about the media. He said emphatically, “I’m not down on anybody. The media is down on me.”
Asian Store Owner Slur
In April of this year, Barry apologized on Twitter for calling Asian businesses “dirty.” Asked about the alleged slur, he said, “I was quoted out of context.” Asked to explain himself, he reasoned, “I mixed up two ideas.” She asked if he had any Asians on his staff. No. Latinos? No. He said 90 percent of his staff is African American.
Barry’s thoughts on the election and which reporters showed up for lunch…
This ought to be good.
On Thursday at high noon (de-emphasis on high), Washingtonian‘s Carol Joynt, who hosts Q & A Cafe, will give Ward 8 City Council Member Marion Barry, Jr. a grilling at the Georgetown Ritz.
“At a time when so much uncertainty faces DC politics, we’ll talk to Ward 8 City Council Member Marion Barry, Jr.,” she writes in an email invitation. “Whether you love him or loathe him he is at the heart of DC politics, and he’ll play a vocal part in whatever happens next. He’s thinking about his legacy now and wants to talk about that.”
The Details: Seating begins at noon and the cost is $35. For reservations call 202-912-4110 or email Esmaralda Prifold: Esmaralda.Prifold@ritzcarlton.com.
Quotes of the Day
Father’s Day Treats: “Cleaning the pot after making rice krispy treats.” — Mr. Norah O’Donnell (i.e. Chef Geoff, husband to CBS Chief White House Correspondent Norah O’Donnell.)
Painting the town brown
“Hi. You mind if I talk to you for just a minute? I just want to say a few words about diarrhea.” — WaPo feature writer Dan Zak.
Important question to ponder: “When did this whole meme thing start?” — NYT‘s Mark Leibovich.
Herman Who?
“I love how @morningmika forgot @THEHermanCain’s name on @MorningJoe today. #999 #thepizzadude.” — HuffPost‘s Sara Kenigsberg. MSNBC “Morning Joe” Host Mika Brzezinski reamarked, “I can’t even remember 999′s name” and called him a “clown show.”
Congrats on Challenging Your Guest Howie
“Cenk Uygur and Matt Lewis (who I challenged) on the Daily Caller reporter who heckled Obama during immigration speech.” — CNN’s Howard Kurtz. No kidding, Howie! Good job on doing your job.
And in a twist of irony there’s this…“Ironically, Howard Kurtz interrupts @mattklewis to ask Q’s about ‘decorum’ of asking Q’s” — The Daily Caller‘s Matthew Boyle. And another thing goddamn you Howie, “Hey @HowardKurtz – Why’d you axe segment on #FastandFurious, Eric Holder contempt/resignation calls? Rescheduling?”
Speaking of otherworldly…
“Today is 69th birthday of @newtgingrich, famous media critic and lunar realtor.” — pourmecoffee.
Nose Out of Joint
Mediaite WH scribe smooches TV host
“Oh, yeah, a Happy Rookie Father’s Day to you, @chrislhayes. Next week, you’ll have a necktie to wear. #uppers” — Mediaite White House Correspondent Tommy Christopher, who moonlights as the Chairman of the I Love Hazy Foundation. Chris Hayes is an overcaffeinated host on MSNBC. Wait, don’t we already have one of those? (cough, cough, Chris Matthews.)
Female journo spots flasher
“Tonight’s PSA by Nikki – there was definitely a flasher outside @thehamiltondc. ‘Ladies be careful,’ he said before showing his youknowwhat.” — The Washington Examiner‘s Nikki Schwab.
Convo Between Two Journos
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: “This #Nats #Yankees game is very good but could be better. #Natitude.” InTheseTimes Magazine writer Mike Elk: “Fuck u wolf go nats.”
“It’s hard work, but that’s what we’re here to do.” – NBC Washington cameraman Jim Long with accompanying photograph from Los Cabos, Mexico, where President Obama is traveling today.
Convo Between Two Journos II
Politico‘s Ben White: “We just met and this is crazy, but if you play that song again I’ll shoot you in the face for sure.”
Politico‘s Jonathan Allen: “Ben, things that aren’t crazy include giving phone # to someone you just met. Been happening since phones invented #dumblyrics”
Self-Appointed Media Critic
“Truly stupid NYT article on Anna Wintour by Jeremy Peters, makes you want to kill yourself. Why do we bother, if this is what can be written.” — Vanity Fair Contributor Michael Wolff. Read the story here.
Peter Ogburn contributed to this report.
In the three and a half months since MSNBC “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough started his personal blog on Politico, it has been updated a total of 40 times. That’s roughly one post each day for just over a month.
Scarborough’s initial update said he would let readers know “what’s really happening behind the scenes in Congress, the White House and in the media world.” He did that occasionally, for example, when he posted a statement on MSNBC’s decision to terminate its contract with Pat Buchanan after parts of his most recent book were deemed inappropriate “for national dialogue.” Or, in a more lighthearted bloggy approach, he wrote a post that said instead of updating sooner, he chose to watch the movie “Old School” while in Britain. His latest post took note of the dismal global economy, as heavily reported on in Friday’s WSJ.
Then there were other simple cross posts of videos from msnbc.com that Scarborough produces to complement his daily show Morning Joe. Within the last month, updates have 
significantly waned, sometimes with four or more days between posts. A typical Politico blog writer posts around the clock and often on weekends. Of course Scarborough isn’t typical and has a completely other job. But from an appearances perspective, his blog looks like its running out of steam.
Janet Donovan, a D.C.-area publicist who edits the blog Hollywood on the Potomac, tells us she keeps her audience “expecting something” by publishing at least one post on her blog each day. She also said tweeting out posts drives traffic “more than anything else.” Judging from Scarborough’s Twitter timeline, he tweets each post out at least once.
Editor-at-Large of the Washingtonian Carol Joynt said when she doesn’t update her site CarolJoynt.com on a daily basis, she loses readers. “Recently I took a week off,” she told us. “I gave myself a break from the site. Traffic went down.”
We reached out to Politico Editor-in-Chief John Harris to see if there’s any plan to change the direction of Scarborough’s blog, if it’s suffering in readership due to infrequent updates or if it will soon shut down altogether.
An MSNBC spokesperson told us Scarborough actually posted “frequently in May” with 12 posts and noted that Scarborough also writes a regular column for Politico.
We couldn’t resist watching the latest in “DaveTV”, the online TV show that DCRTV’s Dave Hughes produces from his rape dungeon home office. It’s a case study in an unstable maniac who thinks that anyone gives a rat’s ass what he has to say about the media, or anything else for that matter. His knowledge is thin. He’s notorious for blatantly swiping content from any and every Washington media outlet (except for Washingtonian‘s Carol Joynt since he’s her acting ass kisser publicist). His laugh will give you nightmares. His beard looks like someone ran over a squirrel and stapled it to his face. But, there was something oddly familiar about that look. Then, it struck us! Hughes is The Lorax from the Dr. Seuss books and film.
From L to R: Ali showing off an Ali in Wonderland cookie; Elizabeth Thorp, Sissy and Ali.
Last night was a magical evening at the Four Seasons for Ali Wentworth, who was there to have her new book, Ali in Wonderland: And Other Tall Tales, feted by the likes of dignitaries, socialites, the hotel, Elle Magazine Editor-in-Chief Robbie Myers and Hunter and Kathy Biden, the son and daughter-in-law of the Vice President of the United States.
The setting was only fitting as Ali’s family always had an affection for the Four Seasons and she mentioned it in her book.
Among the party highlights: A gigantic table full of chocolate shavings and pieces. All kinds, all shapes and sizes. Hors d’ oeurves of all varieties — scallops on a bed of papaya salad on miniature silver spoons that were not all that easy to eat, tiny toasts dotted with goat cheese, mushroom bruschetta, and then ricotta cheese and apricot, and beef, lamb and vegetable kabobs. A table stacked gloriously high with Ali in Wonderland frosted shortbread cookies. Oh, and glass after glass of pink champagne.
“I didn’t want to particularly enlighten people,” Wentworth told me about her book before the crowd spilled in. “I just want to make people laugh.”
Asked how she feels about her husband, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, returning to “This Week,” she replied, “I’m really happy. I know it’s a huge workload, but it makes him happy. It’s his 
wheelhouse.” Asked to compare Washington, where she grew up, and NYC, she said, “I like each city for completely different reasons. Life is easier here. But in New York, you can get a fantastic steak frites at 3 in the morning.”
Though she recently appeared on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” she says she tries to avoid saying anything too politically stinging. That said, she likes to go on TV and mix it up with people. As for swearing on air, she says, “If you’re a comedian you can swear, if you’re a politician, certainly you have to be careful.”
Wentworth’s older sister, Sissy, was there. As was USA Today‘s Ann Oldenberg, Washingtonian‘s Carol Joynt, a photographer from Capitol File, Poshbrood’s Elizabeth Thorp, BrandLink publicist Barbara Martin, lobbyist and socialite Juleanna Glover and more. Rumors were abound that V.P. Joe Biden was on his way. But in the end, it was his son and daughter-in-law who arrived.
“People often ask who’s older and it gets to her,” said Sissy, a jewelry designer. As for the book, she says, “I think it’s hysterical. Very funny. All true with some embellishments.” She said she read it on a plane from Houston to Tucson and overheard two women going on about it. Fortunately all good things.
Sissy says Ali was always the funny one: “Always clamoring for attention. Constant entertainment. She’s doing what she always did in our living room growing up.” She says Ali’s humor got her out of trouble, not in it. “I always admired that quality,” she said. “She was the funny risk taker.”
Just in from Paris, Elle‘s Myers was jet-lagged but pleased to be able to co-host the party for Ali. They have a personal friendship, but Robbie is loathe to overstate it. “We’re friendly,” she said, explaining that Ali in Wonderland won the magazine’s Reader’s Prize for February.
Contrary to Ali and Sissy, Robbie (pictured above left) thinks there’s more to Ali’s book than just humor. “It’s not just funny, there’s a lot there,” she said. “It’s highly entertaining. She had a very interesting [upbringing] and it’s an interesting window into a life women dream about and aspire to.”
Want to be the Web Editor at Washingtonian these days? Fine. But it’s a risky career move. In the last 24 months, they’ve had three — most recently Kyle Gustafson, who lasted about five and a half months, before that Sommer Mathis, who fled to The Atlantic after just four months and Alyssa Rosenberg, who is now at Think Progress. Gustafson recently told TBD, “They’re all wonderful people and I wish them well,” he says. “It wasn’t working out for either party.”
We reached out to Editor Garrett Graff on the matter. Surely the Editor of the magazine might be able to shed some light? Oh, but not so fast. He apparently doesn’t comment on matters pertaining to the magazine. This is the second issue that Graff has refused to comment on this week — the first was why a sentence involving where Rob Lowe‘s son, Matthew, resided while in Washington (psst… with a lobbyist) was mysteriously stricken from Carol Joynt‘s Capital Comment blog this week.
But Reason Mag’s Associate Editor Mike Riggs had an interesting take on what’s happening there. It involves Meth and foil.
Washingtonian goes through web editors like a meth head goes through rolls of tinfoil: is.gd/ta0G5a
— Mike Riggs (@MikeRiggs) January 31, 2012
If your pub cycles three really smart editors through the same post in two years, your pub has problems.
— Mike Riggs (@MikeRiggs) January 31, 2012
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