Wonk'd: Paparazzette
It's so great to know that you tipsters are gaining in skill and guile when it comes to spotting celebs. Case and point: this photo ofE.J. Dionne, blathering on about Bush's approval rating in between slurps of Vietnamese satay pumpkin fusion soup.
Update: Several of you have identified Dionne's lunchtime companion in this photo as former Clinton advisor William Galston, now at the Brookings Institution.
Regular Wonk'd starsGeorge Stephanopoulos,Stephen Colbert, andJenna Bushalso make their appearances, as doesLaura Bush. Of course, as in life there are always winners and losers in the game of Wonk'd. The loser of the week isJohn Kerry, who couldn't win a presidential election, and now can't even fix a traffic ticket. It's good thing then that we've got Wonkette-poll-dominating Stormie Janzen-- and tons more, after the jump.
This is the seat of power for the, uh, whole planet, and there are celebrities lurking everywhere. If you spot one, tell us by email , with "Wonk'd" or "Sighting" in the subject line (along with the name of the bold face you spotted). Spot and send, spot and send -- many thanks!
* A couple of colleagues and I were just lunching at Raku in Dupont circle and famed WaPo columnistE.J. Dionne, Jr.sat down at the table beside us... He and his three lunch-mates were talking politics, but we had a hard time hearing specifics. I caught something about "losing the support of moderates" - I think he was referring to Bush. [He ordered] a glass of red wine and a big bowl of soup; both sort of random items to be enjoying while lunching in the sun. Then, while we were walking back to the office and discussing how we were going to send the pic to Wonkette, ex-CongressmanCharlie Stenholm(D-TX) walked by. He was one of the ones who was defeated because of DeLay's shady redistricting tactics. He looks like a mix between Clint Eastwood and Dick Van Dyke.
*Laura Bushis currently [5/18, 1 PM] having lunch (with champagne next to the table) at 100 King (restaurant) at the intersection of King St. and South Union in Old Town Alexandria. She has a short limo, and 3 cars of secret service sitting around outside waiting. A group of school kids is standing in front of the restaurant and haven't realized she is there.
* Just [5/17] had a majorStormie Janzensighting at Capital Grille. There are a number of hotties at the bar tonight, so she was tough to spot, but it is def her.
* Boyfriend and I walked into Politics and Prose last night asHowell Raineswas wrapping up a talk for "The One That Got Away." (I assure you we had not come to hear him.) Boyfriend resisted my attempts to egg him on to get a copy of "Burning Down My Master's House" and have him sign that. We adjourned to the bar at Buck's Fishing & Camping and a few minutes later in walked Raines. Had a gaggle of about six similarly aged companions with him and they politely waited their turn for a table behind the rest of us. So I'm guessing between the Blair fish references, the book title, and his decision to dine at Buck's "FISHING and CAMPING," that he's just owning it at this point.
* A couple weeks ago, I sawJohn Kerryriding shotgun in a compact SUV on K Street in Georgetown. The best of part is that the driver of the vehicle he was in had been pulled over and was getting a ticket!
* I was jogging down 34th St. in Georgetown yesterday (5/12) and had to wait to cross M St. At the corner, right in front of Cheesesteak Factory, blocking traffic and drawing honks from everyone behind, was a huge black Bentley. There was another jogger, a rather gawky fellow with odd rainbow-colored shorts, stuck in the middle of the street jogging in place while waiting for the walk sign. When the folks in the Bentley saw him, they started pointing at him from the open windows and laughing at him while urging others to do the same. I looked into the passenger side window and saw former NBA MVPAllen Iverson. I guess when you don't make the playoffs you have a lot of time drive around and act like a dick.
*Stephen Colbertseen [5/12] walking outside Longworth HOB squinting in the sun w/o sunglasses.
* Saw Democratic Campaign GuruDonna Brazileat Sizzling Express on 6th and Pennsylvania Ave., SE [5/12]. She was talking about where she gets her acupuncture.
* SawJenna Bushcarrying her yoga mat leaving the Washington Sports Club in Georgetown [5/15].
* I sawJudith Light(yes, of Who's the Boss) at the Willard Hotel (Sunday, 5/14). She's very regal looking. Tall, thin, elegantly dressed. She seemed very nice and friendly. We almost collided with each other. She must be in town doing a play or something?
* My friends and I sawChip Arndt(half of the winning team of Amazing Race 4) on his way into Whole Foods on P Street late last night [5/11]. When I recognized him, my friend yelled out his name and he stopped and came over to us. We ended up chatting for a bit. He said he was in town to speak at the US Chamber of Commerce 2006 Small Business Summit and was just heading into Whole Foods to get some dinner. I felt bad because by the time we finished talking Whole Foods had closed so he couldn't get any food.
* Just [5/12] sawGeorge Stephanopouloswalking on K and 18th...he was A LOT shorter than I pictured and the make-up was caked! Was on his cell phone. A guy went up to talk to him (couldn't hear what he said) but George just smiled and waved and kept walking and talking...no one else seemed to recognize him though.
* I sawGeorge Stephanopoulosplaying with his daughters sans Alexandra at the rich kid park in Georgetown (have your seen those tornado slides!) on Sunday [5/7] afternoon.
* SawLinda Croppat the McPherson Square Corner Bakery [5/17]. She waited in line for a bit, thought the wait was too long (I guess) and left. Or maybe she left because I stage whispered that it was her to my friend, who none too slickly looked at her to doublecheck. She seems less big in person than she looks on tv. Not that she's tiny in any way - I'm just saying tv definitely adds a few pounds on her.
*Mo Roccaof The Daily Show, Today Show, and NPR's Wait Wait Don't tell me, was walking down P street late Saturday night [5/13] for an evening on the town.
* Saw Rep. (and Sen. wanna-be)Harold Ford(D-TN) speed-greeting through the Capital Grille Wednesday [5/17] evening.
* I saw visiting comedianMichael Showalterdining late night with DC artistLaurel Hauslerat the Diner on 18th on Sunday.
* This is probably stretching the "famous for DC" (or perhaps I need to stop spending all of my time reading blogs), but I sawJohn Aravosisof Americablog fame out at the Duplex Diner at 18th & U last night [5/11]. He was having dinner with youngish bald man. I didn't want to be "that guy," so I didn't walk up to see what he was eating or to say hello.