Cecily Strong, Jonah Ryan, on Menu for White House Correspondents Dinner

You know that scene in Ghostbusters, where Louis is on the wrong side of the glass outside Tavern on the Green helplessly listening to the muted chatter of the diners inside?

That’s exactly what it’s like to watch from home the first two hours of the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on C-SPAN tomorrow night. Once Bradley Cooper, Russell Wilson (and Ciara?… or maybe his grandmother?… or maybe Ciara and his grandmother?), Killer Mike, and your favorite Vine superstars are seated, the live broadcast continues on mute for two hours until President Obama and Saturday Night Live‘s Cecily Strong takes the stage.

What’s it sound like for those celebrities? We’ll let Veep‘s Timothy Simons, aka Jonah Ryan, explain.

Good thing he’s practicing. Last year co-star Anna Chlumsky couldn’t even name a favorite beltway journalist. But if the stars in attendance don’t know what a White House correspondent is, it could be worse. Last year the Washington Post published an article acknowledging reporters had no idea what their dinner was.

So why tune in? The night’s entertainment, Cecily Strong, told The New York Times, “she wanted to say “a couple very pointed things, to make some points that are my own opinions, but still try to go after everybody.”

There are worse ways to earn some free champagne.

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