Tom Brokaw says there’s good reason why most Americans feel the national media is out of touch, most recently exemplified by the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner. Brokaw, a charter member of the organization, was part of the “Meet the Press” roundtable yesterday. He says, “It is time to rethink” the celebrity-studded nature of the event.

“If there’s ever an event that separates the press from the people that they’re supposed to serve, symbolically, it’s that one.”

Without mentioning the network by name, Brokaw called out MSNBC which had its after-party at the Italian Embassy.

“I think George Clooney is a great guy. I’d like to meet Charlize Theron. But I don’t think the big press event in Washington should be that kind of glittering event where all the talk is about Cristal champagne, taking over the Italian Embassy, who had the best party, and who met the most people. That’s another separation between what we’re supposed to be doing and what the people expect us to be doing.”

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Mika Brzezinski was this close to the parents of Paris Hilton last night — the same Paris Hilton who was in the news so often three years ago that Brzezinski took a stand and ripped the script, literally, refusing to read another story about the overexposed star.

Well, last night Brzezinski, along with Rick and Kathy Hilton, were among the honored guests as politics met Hollywood for an event honoring the prime minister of Malaysia Dato Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor who was presented the International Peace and Harmony award for her humanitarian work. (By the way, Mika nailed the names of both the prime minster and his wife).

The event at the St. Regis hotel in Manhattan was hosted by Jamie Foxx with special guests ranging from actors Robert De Niro, Charlize Theron and Emmy Rossum to former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger, former FBI director Louis Freeh and former DHS official, now CNN analyst Fran Townsend. (TVNewser rode up in the kitchen elevator with Townsend and Freeh — it had to be one of the safest in New York at that moment.)

Eagleburger apologized for not wearing a bow tie to the black tie event. “I thought I packed it, but when I looked in my bag it wasn’t there,” said Eagleburger, who served under Presidents Nixon, Carter, Reagan and GHW Bush. “Then I remembered yesterday was tax day and I know who took it!” he said to a laugh from the crowd.

Performances from Leona Lewis, the Harlem Boys Choir and a rendition of “We Are the World” led by Foxx and sung by De Niro, Theron and others capped off the night.

As for Brzezinski and the Hiltons — we don’t know if they had a chance to talk things over.

(Photo: MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski, with the parents of Paris Hilton in the rear, at an event sponsored by the BCIU – the Business Council for International Understanding).