Last night People & TIME hosted their White House Correspondents’ Dinner cocktail party at the St. Regis in DC. The event drew a mix of celebs and media.

Several tvnewsers from ABC, CNN, NBC, MSNBC and FNC showed up including: Norah O’Donnell (below, left with Arianna Huffington, Savannah Guthrie (below, right), Ed Schultz, Wolf Blitzer, Dana Bash, Kelly O’Donnell, Chris Wallace, Greta Van Susteren, Betsy Fischer, Kelly O’Donnell, Ann Compton, Michelle Jaconi and Sam Feist.

(Photos: Getty)

Russ Mitchell, anchor of the “CBS Evening News,” Sunday Edition, and correspondent for “CBS News Sunday Morning,” will emcee tonight’s Radio Television Digital News Foundation’s First Amendment Awards Dinner at the Ritz Carlton in Washington, DC. Honorees include ABC’s Martha Raddatz and Ann Compton; from CBS, Byron Pitts and Charlie Kaye; CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Jeanne Meserve, FNC’s Rick Leventhal, and NBC’s Rehema Ellis. The 9/11 Tribute Awards will be presented at the 21st annual black tied dinner put on by the journalism organization.

At the home of NBC’s Norah O’Donnell and chef Geoff Tracy in Washington, DC last night, people celebrated MSNBC’s Willie Geist‘s new book, “American Freak Show,” according to Politico. With a chef at the venue, the food was clearly outstanding. The last time TVNewser saw Geist, he was promoting the book in New York City.

There were a lot of tvnewsers in attendance: NBC anchor David Gregory, journalist Maureen Orth and her son NBC correspondent Luke Russert, NBC correspondent Savannah Guthrie, NBC chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd, CNN senior political analyst Gloria Borger, senior PBS correspondent Gwen Ifill, former MSNBC executive and founder of Haddad Media Tammy Haddad, NBC news analyst Howard Fineman, ABC News’ Ann Compton, NBC Washington bureau chief Mark Whitaker, and MSNBC producer Pam Stevens.

Other notable newsers included, former Newsweek, now NBC News’ Mike Isikoff, The New York Times‘ Maureen Dowd, TIME.com’s Jay Newton-Small, as well as The Washington Post‘s Mary Ann Akers and Jonathan Capehart.

Just after 11 AM this morning, President Obama made remarks about the economy and unemployment.

The four broadcast networks carried it live, with Harry Smith anchoring for CBS, George Stephanopoulos for ABC, Greg Jarrett for Fox and Matt Lauer for NBC:

Not surprisingly, the three cable news channels and the three business networks all carried the press conference as well.

Which TV news reporters got to ask questions?

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Pres. Obama made a rare appearance at the daily press briefing today taking questions from the assembled White House Press Corps, with the first question going to Fox News correspondent Major Garrett. The second went to ABC’s Jake Tapper.

The last press time Pres. Obama had a full scale news conference was in July. Just yesterday, The Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz spoke with members of the press corps who were not happy with the lack of access to Obama. “It’s a source of great frustration here,” said CBS’s Chip Reid.

Developing…

> 1:48pm: After the third question, Obama says he’ll take two more questions… “I just want to be sure I’m getting a balance here,” says the president who then calls on NBC’s Chuck Todd. Todd’s colleagues groan. “He’s too good, his questions are going to be too precise,” says a colleague.

> 1:53pm: ABC News Radio’s Ann Compton got the last question. “Thank you for doing this, it’s been a while,” says Compton.

> 1:59pm: Obama takes one more question related to jobs.

> More: The briefing became a Twitterpalooza. As NBC’s Savannah Guthrie snapped a Twitpic of Garrett asking his question, White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton tries to keep the press corps to focused.

> More, more: No Helen Thomas in the front row. “I guess she’s snowed in,” speculates an insider.

The view from Savannah’s seat, after the jump…

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As the daily press briefing began this afternoon at 2:07pmET, several members of the White House press corps spoke up to press secretary Robert Gibbs about his tardiness.

FishbowlDC reports that the briefing began about 20 minutes after the two minute warning was given and that ABC’s Jake Tapper “had taken charge with two visits to the Lower Press office to complain during the long wait.”

By the time Gibbs arrived, members of the press corps could be heard complaining saying things like, “it irritates everybody here.”

We hear the late briefings are a pattern, and that it was not an issue during the Bush administration.

Gawker has the video…

• Related: Maybe Howard Kurtz will bring it up this Sunday on Reliable Sources with his guests, CBS senior White House correspondent Chip Reid and ABC News’ Ann Compton.

> ABC’s Charlie Gibson anchors World News from London Tuesday-Thursday. Correspondents Jake Tapper, Jim Sciutto, Yunji de Nies will report from the G20 summit as well. ABC News Radio’s Ann Compton will be traveling with Pres. Obama.

> Katie Couric anchors CBS Evening News from London Tuesday-Thursday. Other correspondents will contribute from London for CBS’ “The Global Challenge: Recession to Recovery,” coverage as well.

> Francine Lacqua and Peter Cook anchor from the Summit for Bloomberg TV. Hans Nichols travels with Pres. Obama and Ryan Chicote follows onto the NATO summit.

• Earlier: NBC’s G20 coverage

• FishbowlLA has the video from Rachel Maddow‘s appearance today on “The View.” Which host praised the MSNBC anchor for doing “an exceptional job”? You may be surprised…

• FishbowlDC has been chronicling the Chuck Todd/Robert Gibbs anti-radio backlash today. It ended with a gift for the press secretary from ABC’s Ann Compton.

• AgencySpy writes about the promos CBS has been running for their Monday night prime time line-up, featuring a mock newscast from outlet “LOLNN.” You can check out the video at AgencySpy.

The salute to Brit Hume event at Cafe Milano Thursday night is shaping up to be one of the hottest pre-inaugural parties of the season. The invitation only event is attracting numerous Beltway and TV news bold face names. In addition to a host of Fox Newsies, TVNewser has learned Charlie Gibson, Brian Williams, Bob Schieffer, the late Tim Russert‘s wife Maureen Orth, Gwen Ifill, Ted Koppel, Andrea Mitchell, David Gregory, Sam Donaldson, Claire Shipman and Ann Compton will all be toasting Hume that evening.

Sadly, this TVNewser will not be able to attend, as I am headed to CES tomorrow. But the tip box is open 24/7 if anyone wants to let us know how it went!

Statement from Robin Roberts:

I was so privileged to do what was considered his exit interview from the White House, and Tony was one of the first people to reach out when I was diagnosed with breast cancer almost a year ago. For those of us battling cancer, he was beyond inspirational. We are deeply saddened by his passing but will not forget his valiant fight and the lessons he taught us all. I’m thinking of his wife Jill, his three children and his many close friends and family and they can hold their head high knowing that all of us want to exit this earth and leave it a little bit better than we found it and he certainly did that.

Statement from Martha Raddatz:

Tony Snow approached his daily briefings like a chess player. He was always challenging, always thinking ahead and, with that twinkle in his eye, you knew he was always enjoying it. He made everyone in that briefing room a better reporter. But what was most inspiring about Tony is that he walked into that room ever day with an appreciation for life and family that was truly remarkable. On his darkest days, he never stopped smiling and never stopped hoping.

Statement from Ann Compton (WHCA president):

Tony Snow broke the mold as White House Press Secretary. With no experience as an official spokesman, he was accessible to reporters and fair in debates over how we covered the President especially as we rebuilt the White House press briefing room. On a personal level, Tony never held grudges against journalists with whom he jousted. Tony Snow had no self-consciousness. He came to the podium and briefed on camera as his hair thinned and greyed from cancer treatment. And he did love to debate from the podium.

And this from ABC News president David Westin:

With all that he achieved and with all the wonderful things he was, Tony Snow was first and foremost a man of character. He was a man who could rise above the fray and, even as he stood firm for his beliefs, see the common ground, the irony, and the humor. All of us who knew him loved him. Our hearts go out to his wife and children at this very sad time.