Today is an especially heartening day for ABC7′s Rebecca Cooper, who is emceeing the Childhelp Day of Hope today at the Capitol. The event brings awareness to child abuse in America and dates back to the President Reagan administration. Cooper’s on the Greater Area Washington Advisory Board for Childhelp. We spoke by phone earlier today to inquire more. “Usually we like to embarrass members of Congress and journalists with Capitol Careaoke,” she said of an annual singing event associated with the cause. Cooper quickly turned serious, reeling off a chilling statistic: “It used to be that four children died every day,” she said. “Now it’s five children die everyday as the result of child abuse.” This year the organization is taking a breather from Capitol Careaoke to take VIP’s to The Village in Culpeper, Va., a bucolic setting where the most seriously abused children go to live and heal. “They have horses,” Cooper explained. “Every kid gets a bike when they arrive. There’s a sign that reads ‘All who enter here shall receive love.’”

1. How did you get involved in this?  I was just back from maternity leave with my first child and Kathleen Matthews was going to emcee their annual luncheon. At the last minute she found out she was going to be jumping out of an airplane with the Blue Angels and asked me to fill in. My son was just a few months old. I was hormonal. I cry easily anyway and I came to this lunch and I was blown away by what they do.

2. How do you think the awareness campaign is faring on this issue? This is just a hidden epidemic people don’t see. We need to do a better job teaching teachers how to respond. Everyone was touched that an 8-year-old boy lost his life in the Boston Marathon  incident and we should be. If you see that kind of support, you can only imagine what people could do if they could focus on the fact that that five children die every day. So we try to talk about it.

3. Thoughts on Chris Brown and Rihanna? People shouldn’t be surprised. They should be surprised if he hadn’t broken the cycle [of abuse]. We’ve got to do more. I think these people are hurt people. She sees someone she wants to rescue. God bless her. Don’t let it happen again, but I can see why [she wants to] because there are so many hurt people out there. There’s a better way to do it than dating them.

4. Tell me about the history of this. The founders are Yvonne Fedderson and Sara O’Meara, who will attend today’s event. “She dated Elvis,” Cooper says of Federson. “They were actresses who played the girlfriends of David and Ricky Nelson on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.” They began going on USO tours for the military in Japan. After the tsunami, orphanages were wiped out. No one wanted the Amerasian children. [These women] were the ones who organized the Vietnam boat lift,” Cooper explains. When Nancy Reagan was first lady of California she called these women and asked them to take on child abuse. “That was 50 years ago,” Cooper said. “They gave up acting. They’ve been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Emotions to run high at this year’s event…

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By Betsy Rothstein and Eddie Scarry

We asked Washington journalists to tell us something they want or something they want to happen in 2013. There’s a few New York-based political scribes sprinkled in here. Here’s what they told us.

CBS Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett: “I want political courage and skill commensurate with that demonstrated by our armed forces and diplomats in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and other places of peril since 9/11.”

The Daily Caller‘s Editor-in-Chief Tucker Carlson: “I’d like to catch more trout. And I plan to.”

The Weekly Standard‘ Matt Labash: “I’m hoping this is the year in which  the internet finally craters. It’s had a good run, but nobody ever shuts it off.  So after all this relentless exposure – after everyone having their say, then saying a lot  more – we now get sick of people in minutes that used to take us years to get sick of otherwise. Which is why I’m pulling for less connectedness, and more solitude. Less digital. More analog. More wondering what people think, instead of knowing, then being disappointed. Less concern about trending topics. More concern with staying unconcerned about what everybody else is concerned about. Also, I think 2013 is going to be the Year of Joey Lawrence. He’s due. And with the internet disappearing, we’re going to need something/someone to fill the void. To teach us how to live again. To show us the old ways.”

WJLA’s Rebecca Cooper: “My wish list for 2013: 1) Jayne Sandman’s body WITHOUT Jayne Sandman’s workout schedule; 2) Pamela Sorensen’s social schedule WITHOUT Pamela Sorensen’s late night hours; 3) Dana Bash and Susanna Quinn’s Super Mom abilities WITHOUT Dana Bash and Susanna Quinn’s early morning wakeup calls; And – the thing I would most like in 2013: 4) to see my friends who cover politics without having to go to New Hampshire or Iowa in winter or Tampa or Charlotte in August to see them.”

Raptor Strategies’ David Bass:  “Shock and awe.”

FishbowlDC and Current TV’s Full Court Press Co-host Peter Ogburn:  ”Peace, love and harmony finally coming to the nation’s capital. Also, I’d like to see a fistfight between Tim Grieve and David Martosko.”

FishbowlDC and The Blaze‘ Eddie Scarry: “I’d like Politico to be the first news organization to genetically engineer a reporter with a Blackberry for genitals. Makes anonymous sourcing of political operatives that much easier.”

Queen Levine (a.k.a. radio correspondent Mark Levine): “In 2013, I’d like to see mediabistro get just a few basic facts right. Jon Stewart has proven you can be snarky and a journalist. (If you want to just make shit up, that’s fine too, but then you gotta know you’re doing it and be funny. Like the Onion. Good luck in 2013! And let me know if you need help understanding any of the hard words above. Like ‘journalist.’” (We suspect Levine’s snappy answer is in response to the drama queen’s appearance on our year-end list. He never misses a chance to brag about himself. Long live the queen!)

Current TV’s David Shuster: “In 2013, I want the baby Kera and I are having to come out healthy and happy and to possess a little more tact and patience than me — In other words, be like his/her mother.”

The Hill’s Managing Editor Bob Cusack: After about a year in the works, I finished a new screenplay this month (It’s not about politics). I hope to sell it in 2013. I also want to see Barney Frank get on Twitter in the new year.

Tommy Christopher, Mediaite White House Correspondent: “Besides fetch? In 2013 I really want a federal assault weapons ban (including semiautomatic handguns) with Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s NFA grandfather clause, and a federal firearms registry with a psychological fitness test, to happen.”

The Daily Caller‘s Jeff Poor: “Just off the top of my head, I’d like to see…1) Mediaite’s Tommy Christopher go away — go back to selling men’s suits or something 2) Political journalists to stop acting enamored with Robert Griffin, III and Bryce Harper as if they’re life-long Washington, DC sports fans 3) Media Matters’ Eric Boehlert to find Jesus or some other form of organized religion of his choosing and have a little love in his heart 4) Someone to remind me why BuzzFeed Politics exists.”

SiriusXM’s Julie Mason: “In 2013, Gov. Rick Perry needs his own talk show, a la Huckaboom (but sassier). There must be world recognition of the massive journalistic skills of Josh Rogin, Josh Lederman, Andrew Harnik and Meredith Shiner. We should also pause, as a nation, to admire Suzanne Malveaux‘s new, longer hairstyle. Because that shit is awesome. Also, my favorite shows need to quit the nine-month hiatus between seasons. That is really annoying.”

WaPo‘s Jennifer Rubin: “Real entitlement reform. Gumming up the Obamacare works. Republicans champion immigration reform.”

WJLA’s Steve Chenevey: “Can we extend the telecommuting concept to journalism? I’m all for home studios in 2013. Would love to get PR pitches more than a day in advance. And the freedom to critique viewers on their choice of outfit for the day. Not that I would ever do that, but overly opinionated viewers never seem to surprise me.”

See more wishes… Read more

Yesterday we held one of our famed “Whose Shoes” contests for two female media types. The photograph was taken by ABC7′s Rebecca Cooper at a recent district sale. The shoes in question belong to BrandLink’s Barbara Martin (owner of the sandals) and Poshbrood travel blogger Elizabeth Thorp (owner of the tiger print low heels).

Several readers guessed correctly, but some thought the sandals belonged to Washingtonian‘s Kate Bennett.

Now for details on the shoes.

Barbara’s sandals: “Shoes are Pucci.  I think they were $300?  I got them at the Gilt Warehouse Sale.”

Elizabeth’s Tiger print heels: “My shoes are also from GILT can you believe it? Got them online 2 years ago and they are the Kenneth Cole G series pumps (looks like a pump feels like a sneaker kind of thing…)  I believe I got them for $250? Typically they’re around $400 or $500.”

Just one week after Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney announced Paul Ryan as his running mate, ABC7 news reporter Rebecca Cooper landed an interview with the Wisconsin representative. The one-on-one aired Saturday.

Cooper asked Ryan fairly standard questions about the economy, the federal budget and life on the campaign trail. At the end she asked what Ryan, whose father died when he was 16, imagined his dad might have have thought. Ryan said he “almost choked up” the day before when he met with a Catholic priest who told him his father was “smiling down from heaven.” Ryan told Cooper she, too, was going to get him “all choked up.” Cooper went on anyway. “Is there one moment you wish he could see this week?” she asked. “You know, I know he’s up there,” Ryan quickly responded.

And scene.

“I definitely wasn’t trying to make him cry,” Cooper told FBDC. She said she simply noted “this was quite an incredible week” for Ryan and imagined he must have wondered what his father would have thought. Cooper, who admitted it only takes a rerun of Little House on the Prairie to cue her own tears, said she could tell Ryan isn’t someone who cries easily. “I’m a crier. [Speaker] John Boehner’s a crier. Ryan’s definitely not,” she said.

Cooper said despite it being the early stages of Ryan’s candidacy (“They don’t want any Joe Biden moments”), his handlers were very comfortable with the candidate doing an interview with her. She said ABC7 was allotted five minutes to do the interview but the campaign let it go for 12. “They’re totally comfortable with him,” she said.

Kris Van Cleave may be the first person to ever send his responses to our lengthy FBDC Interview off a smartphone. We noticed the “Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4GLTE smartphone” signature on his email and thought 1. Who answers this many questions on a phone?!” 2. Who has a 4GLTE?! He told us he didn’t actually answer all of the questions on his phone, but said his responses “may benefit from a spell check.”

Van Cleave is going on six years as a general assignment reporter for ABC7/WJLA. He has received multiple awards over the span of his journalism career, including a Regional Edward R. Murrow Team Coverage Award for reporting on the the 2009 Metro collision.

Before coming to D.C., Van Cleave was a reporter in San Diego and Colorado Springs. As for his personal life, he kept it brief: “Not married, no kids.” He didn’t always want to work in TV news. “I thought maybe I could be a sports announcer,” he said, “but the desire to eat overwhelmed that.” His family moved to LA before high school and an anchor, Ross Becker, took him under his wing and he remains a close friend and mentor to this day.

Van Cleave said watching the media cover the 1993 Southern California wildfires and the 1994 Northridge earthquake sold him on TV. His dream job: to be a network correspondent. But he says he has a “wonderful situation” at WJLA.

Let’s begin.

If you were a carbonated beverage, which would you be?

Diet Barq’s…plenty of bite, but fewer calories.

How often do you Google yourself?

Hourly. I also spend time each day looking for a unicorn.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever said to an editor/boss (or vice versa)?

“Wow (boss who won’t be named), you’re the same age as my parents!”

Who is your favorite working journalist and why?

Martha Raddatz—she’s one of my news heroes. Her reporting is fearless — she goes to some of the most dangerous places on earth time and again. Her coverage of U.S. troops abroad and here at home has been compelling, heartfelt, and powerful. Plus, she’s gracious and more than willing to help a younger reporter get better.

Do you have a favorite word?

Schweinefleisch! Hard to work into a sentence, but fun to say.

Who would you rather have dinner with – FNC’s Bill O’Reilly, NBC’s Brian Williams or ABC’s Diane Sawyer? Tell us why.

Diane. I haven’t had the opportunity to meet her yet. Brian Williams would be a close second. When I was in college he let me shadow him for part of a day. I’ve always been grateful for that.

The Earth’s human population is dying out and you must save it. You will spend a romantic evening with either CNN’s Candy Crowley or FNC’s Greta Van Susteren (significant others will understand). Who will it be?

How quickly are we dying out?

What swear word do you use most often?

The one that starts with F and its many variations.

You’ve just been told the big news: You get to have your own Sunday morning talk show. Who will be on your roundtable? (Pick four journalists or pundits types.)

Let’s make Sunday morning TV something to see…Bill O’Reilly, Ann Coulter, Bill Maher and Rachel Maddow. Perhaps we could have Pugil Sticks?

On a serious note for a moment, if you could have dinner with a person who has died, who would it be?

Either of my grandfathers. I never got meet them.

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By Eddie Scarry and Betsy Rothstein

HBO’s drama Newsroom debuted Sunday night. The series tells the story of an easily agitated cable news anchor played by Jeff Daniels who has a public meltdown at Northwestern University resulting in a mass exodus of his staff. What’s a newsroom without a resident alcoholic, a wonk and a love triangle? Sam Waterston plays the drunken president of ACN who tells Daniels privately that he loved the meltdown. Dev Patel plays a perfect wonk. Who wouldn’t love to have him on their news team? A former love interest played by Emily Mortimer takes over his program as executive producer with plans to shake up the newscast for better or worse. And the love triangle: Daniels’ assistant played by Alison Pill is seeing an arrogant ass of a reporter (Thomas Sadoski) in the newsroom who doesn’t want to get too serious. Will she shack up with the new guy played by John Gallagher (check him out below)? Stay tuned…

Gawker published a favorable review by broadcasting legend Dan Rather. If subsequent episodes are as good as the first, he wrote, “then [Newsroom creator] Aaron Sorkin has a winner.”

ABC News’ Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper was less kind. In TNR, he called the show “sadly disappointing.” Similarly negative reviews were published in the NYT, WaPo and The New Yorker magazine.

We asked around to see what Washington’s media thought about the show. Sadly the viewing community, minus Slate‘s Dave Weigel, wasn’t large. And among those who watched, most abhorred it while a small minority of journalists are on the fence and plan to keep watching.

“Didn’t watch… don’t plan to… why do I want to spend my down time watching a fictionalized account of what I supposedly do for a living?” — NBC’s Chuck Todd

“So badly do I but I don’t get HBO despite trying to get it specifically so I could watch this show. I need someone to rent me a living room with HBO next weekend so I can check it out.” — RCP’s Erin McPike

“Going into the show I was highly skeptical, but you know I was entertained. Was it the west wing? No.  True to life? no (I’ve never seen a bottle of whiskey in my newsroom) but a quality first outing. I think it got the energy of a newsroom right. I’ll watch next week.One knock, but its kind of part of the Sorkin playbook…it got a touch preachy. I do wish the newsroom had a breaking news siren or something. — ABC7′s Kris Van Cleave

“Not sure I feel one way or another about it yet. I did identify with some of the situations, the environment and some of the characters, but I wasn’t fully convinced. Plus, the best part was the on-stage meltdown. It slowed considerably after that. Enjoyable but not addictive – at least not yet.” — CNN’s Matt Dornic

“I got rid of cable when I was watching too many “real” housewives. When I found myself wasting my time watching Kimmie’s wig pulled off on the streets of Atlanta – and my kids glued to Cartoon Network – cable had to go … Leaves me more time to read Fishbowl.” — ABC7′s Rebecca Cooper

“If the point of The Newsroom was to leave West Wing fans feeling a bit embarrassed, Sorkin succeeded. However, I am excited to share this experience with Twitter until the show ends.” — The Heritage Foundation’s Director of Communications Rory Cooper

“Didn’t watch. Think I’ll wait then tackle three or four episodes in one sitting.”– Politico‘s Dylan Byers

“Didn’t watch, though did enjoy Sorkin’s A Few Good Men on (I think) TNT Saturday”– Politico‘s Alex Burns

“I did, largely because 1) the negative reviews/profiles were so succulent and 2) I needed to procrastinate. Maybe Dan Rather is right, and people in print media just don’t understand whether or not this feels REAL. (When I do MSNBC, I’m sort of an in-and-out guest in the newsrooms and studios, so I have not seen a newsroom burst into action to chase down BP statements.) That said… seriously, they broke the BP story wide open because they ran with the new guy’s two sources? Isn’t that how the Paris correspondent gets in trouble in “The Imperfectionists”?”– Slate’s Weigel.

“I am probably the only person in D.C. whose job it is to write about entertainment and did not tune in. I’ll watch it when I get home tonight, but from all of the scathing reviews I have pretty low expectations, which is disappointing because I love a good walk and talk. I have “Sports Night” queued up on Netflix in case I need to cleanse my palette afterward.”– The Daily Caller‘s Taylor Bigler

“I turned off HBO after True Blood, the Newsroom’s plot just seemed too dark and twisted.” — USA Today‘s Jackie Kucinich

“Tedious.” — The Daily Caller‘s TV Reporter Jeff Poor

“No, didn’t watch watch it and won’t watch it.. I work in a newsroom. Why in god’s name would I then go home and watch a show about working in a newsroom? Give me an episode of Game of Thrones!” — NBC’s Andy Gross

“I thought it was mostly fun, albeit pretty melodramatic with the various speeches, especially the ones delivered by the Brit woman. Plenty of news organizations are “popular” without pandering to one audience or another. Thought Jeff Daniels was great as a cynical, beaten-down new sguy who could have been a print or digital person as well as a TV one.” — BusinessWeek‘s Bryan Gruley

“I didn’t watch. I’m lame.” — NYT‘s Mark Leibovich

“Sorry, In ATL this week for a conference. Didn’t see it.” — HuffPost‘s Christina Wilkie

See more responses from Washington journos…

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Tonight Kiehl’s Prez Chris Delgado and the women known as “the Newsbabes” are throwing a party to celebrate the grand opening of Kiehl’s at Tyson’s Corner. The first hundred guests will receive Kiehl’s products. Partygoers can enter to win a $500 gift box. Georgetown Cupcake is among the sponsors, so expect them to be served. The evening benefits The GW Mammovan.

The NewsBabes: Angie Goff, Anita Brikman, Pamela Brown, Rebecca Cooper, Lesli Foster, Andrea Roane, Cynne Simpson and Eun Yang.

Some reporters around town were lucky enough to receive a small but enticing sampling of lotions and potions in the mail (as pictured here).

Jordin Sparks

At Childhelp’s “Capitol CAREaoke” charity event last night, the Fox News crew narrowly beat CNN’s team in most money raised.

FNC’s Shannon Bream, Jennifer Griffin, Jake Serwer, Lanna Britt and Fox Business’ Rich Edson were joined by local Fox reporter Melanie Alnwick to sing “Don’t Stop Believing.”

CNN’s Dana Bash, Lisa Desjardins, Lisa Sylvester, Jill Chappel, Gloria Borger, Peter Morris and Athena Jones performed a sloshy rendition of “Sweet Caroline.”

As Glittarazzi‘s Greg Blakey put it: “Fox did a good ass job.”

ABC 7′s Rebecca Cooper founded the event and told FBDC she started the fundraiser five years ago as an alternative to the usual stuffy black-tie events in Washington. She said they intended for members of Congress to be the performers, but the ones who agreed to sing got cold feet. “So at the last minute I had to recruit all my friends in journalism,” Cooper said. She told us Chris Matthews and his wife Kathleen have been two of the events’ “worst singers.”

Before the karaoke started, R&B singer Jordin Sparks, a celebrity ambassador to Childhelp, posed for pictures and took questions from the media. During the photo op a friend nearby alerted her that she had lipstick on her teeth. STOP THE PRESSES. “Everyone, Photoshop the lipstick off my teeth!” Sparks instructed after clearing it off.

Sen. Jon Kyl

Some attendees participated in a silent auction, which featured two tickets to a Madonna concert and two porcelain miniature lions (valued at $900), among other items.

Fresh FM’s Tommy McFly, Kelly Collis and Jen Richer performed “Love Shack” and thought it would be a good idea to toss frisbees into the audience, which was full of wine glasses and dinner plates. Can you say DUNCE?

The event drew in a total of $310,000 in donations.

Notables

ABC 7′s Kendis Gibson, Natasha Barrett, Kris Van Cleave and Pamela Brown; WRQX’s Aly Jacobs, Brooke Ryan and Chilli Amar; D.C. Councilman Jack Evans; NASCAR’s Paulie Harraka; Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.); LushClick‘s Elizabeth Manressa; Pamela’s Punch‘ Pamela Sorensen; Kate Michael of “K Street Kate”; and former Politico reporter Kiki Ryan, now with “Komen for the Cure.”

Quotable

“$18 million for charity at 10 years old? That’s fuckin’ insane.” — Random attendee remarking on child prodigy and violinist Brianna Kahane who performed at the event and has raised that much money for charity.

The national non-profit organization Childhelp is hosting it’s fifth annual Capitol CAREaoke event tonight. Childhelp puts on the fundraiser, which features media figures performing karaoke to raise money for child abuse prevention and treatment.

Big names include CNN’s Brianna Keilar, FNC’s Shannon Bream (photo at right) and SportsNet’s Michael Jenkins (who tweeted that he’d singing Bel Biv Devoe’s 1990 classic “poison”) are scheduled to perform. ABC7 anchor Rebecca Cooper and Washington Capitals announcer Wes Johnson will emcee the event.

Jordin Sparks is billed as a special guest and will also perform.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) will be awarded as Congressional Champions for Children.

The event starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Ronald Reagan Building.

From L to R: Budding Fashion Reporters Jocelyn Luddy and Reilly Folsom.

WHCA President David Jackson (USA Today) and NYT’s Mark Leibovich

What’s a party with Washington’s media elite without bourbon, beer, wine, Food Truck quality mac ‘n cheese and 11-year-old fashionistas to put guests in the hot seat?

The view from the American Gas Association offered guests a perfect shot of the Capitol. The crowd at last night’s WHCD party thrown by QGA and FD blended White House correspondents like CNN’s Ed Henry, Ebony‘s Kevin Chappell, The Hill‘s Sam Youngman and USA Today‘s David Jackson , USA Radio Network’s Connie Lawn, and Politico’s Julie Mason with Fortune‘s Tory Newmyer, Politico‘s Amie Parnes, RealClearPolitics‘ Erin McPike, Roll Call‘s John Stanton and NYT‘s Carl Hulse. Let’s just get one thing straight: NYT‘s Mark Leibovich has heard all the “bcc” jokes out there. And yours will not be special. Welcome to the first party leading into WHCD weekend.

The food was catered by D.C. food trucks of lore CapMac and Sauca and guests were dying over the mac ‘n cheese. Dessert was Good Humor ice cream bars from a cart complete with an umbrella. One partygoer remarked that the party could have been held on an outside corner. But a party outside wouldn’t have allowed for the two-station open bar, where bartenders made unsolicited repeat drinks for many of the journos. One guest called one of the bartenders “the motherf*cking man.”

Other guests in the crowd: QGA’s Jack Quinn and wife, Susanna, FD’s Jackson Dunn, Stacey Bowlin, Jared Allen and Mary Kathryn Cover, Terry McAuliffe, QGA and FBDC’s Matt Dornic, WaPo‘s Amy Argetsinger, SELF’s Marc Adelman, Pamela Sorensen of Pamela’s Punch, The Hill‘s Christina Wilkie and Emily Goodin, CNN Publicist Edie Emery and Megan Grant and TWT’s Emily Miller.

Miller said WHCD week makes her feel like an awkward teenager. “It brings out the worst 16-year-old in me,” Miller said, explaining that her worries go like this: ‘”Why wasn’t I invited to that party?’ or ‘Was I too fat for this dress?’” She adds, “At least I was invited to the pre-pre-pre-pre-pre party.”

The fashionistas at the party were Jocelyn Luddy (daughter to Jack and Susanna) and her friend, Reilly Folsom, who were testing out their journalistic skills by interviewing female party guests and Adelman. They’re trying out for a fashion blog out of San Fran called StyleBistro.com. They asked their subjects questions about what uniform they’d want for work if they had to have one and what styles they missed and didn’t.

The girls in flowered skirts and white T-shirts weren’t amateurs. They had practiced their questions for days. They cajoled by saying funny things like, “Come on, I want all the deets.” As the pair interviewed USA Today‘s Jackie Kucinich, the whole scene became so focused that photographers like Roll Call‘s Tom Williams began snapping pictures of the interview. Afterwards, Kucinich and Argetsinger (also interviewed by the girls) second-guessed their answers that involved Pappagallo purses and culottes.

Alec Jacob contributed to this report.

More pictures and guests after the jump…

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