Bloomberg News has jumped on the celebrity bandwagon. The media outlet has invited an “A” list of celebrities to an exclusive late night bash at the Russian Trade Federation following the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, April 29. That’s the dinner where news organizations compete to produce big name guests, who are supposed to be news sources. Planning to attend: Oscar winners Hilary Swank and Kevin Spacey, actor John Cusack, Titanic director James Cameron, models Christie Brinkley and Heidi Klum, Patty Hearst, and from NBC-TV’s “West Wing,” Martin Sheen and Rob Lowe. But first, they’ll watch late night talker Jay Leno and President Clinton roast one another and the nations top pressies and they’ll view a comedy video starring White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart, who has a nightmare that he’s wandering through the set of “The West Wing” in search of President Clinton. Instead he finds, who else, but Josiah Bartlet, the character played by Martin Sheen. Sheen, familiar with the ways of Washington, leaked the gag video on Jay Leno the other night.
Pat Buchanan isn’t the only “Pat” running on a Reform party ticket. Rocker Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens hopes to succeed New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg. The 42-year-old pop singer will likely face former Democratic Governor Jim Florio in November.
Elian Gonzalez’ family isn’t the only one divided. It seems since the “fishermen” cousins rescued young Elian five months ago, Donato Dalrymple and his cousin, Sam Ciancio, are no longer speaking. That’s because of differences of opinion about which family should have custody of the young boy. Donato has aligned himself with the Florida relatives while Sam has bonded with Elian’s dad, Juan Miguel Gonzalez. Meanwhile, as the Elian custody saga drags on, father and son could be in the U.S. for a year or more until all legal appeals are exhausted. If and when they return to Cuba, they’ll live in a government building with a swimming pool in the Havana suburbs. That’s a far cry from his home in Cardenas — a renovated garage without modern plumbing — that this columnist visited last month. But it won’t be so very rosy. He’ll live with seven or eight of his classmates (their parents will remain in Cardenas) and a teacher and psychologist who will teach them the communist edict as dictated by the socialist constitution of Cuba.
Former U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick says she was shocked by “excessive use of force” by our government in Waco, Ruby Ridge, and most recently the pre-dawn raid in Miami, where Elian was hidden in the upstairs bedroom closet. By the way, there were 151 Federal officers involved in the raid. That’s more than used to raid Mafia families.
The Republicans have turned to “political correctness” when they turned down an offer from Bill Maher’s “Politically Incorrect” to broadcast in Philadelphia during their gathering next summer. GOPs won’t pay for the honor, so Maher and entourage will use the local ABC affiliate studios.