O Nerdprom! My Nerdprom! Highlights From WHCD 2010

Somewhere across town, the Bloomberg/Vanity Fair party was afoot. It was there that this photo was taken of GQ Washington Correspondent Ana Marie Cox and top Obama advisor David Axelrod.  Yes, Axelrod is important, but let’s focus for a moment on Cox, who had indelibly made a mark on the WHCD in one crucial way: It was she who dubbed it “NerdProm.” It’s actually a pretty interesting sub-story in the WHCD coverage, and illuminating in how it demonstrates the power of new media – and influencers in new media – to push a meme, and make it stick. Read more here. p.s. Her pretty earrings were a gift from her husband, Chris Lehmann.

With charming “Way Too Early” host and “Morning Joe” co-host Willie Geist. When I saw Willie I had no idea that his tireless producer, Chris Licht, had taken ill earlier in the week. He is thankfully fine. MSNBC, let him sleep in more!

This photo, courtesty of Vanity Fair, was taken at the mythical Bloomberg/VF party. But I feel entitled to post a photo of Judd Apatow and his wife Leslie Mann because they thought I overturned an entire tray of Bailey’s Milkshakes at the New Yorker party the previous night. I did not, but it did provide a rather funny entree into conversation with the lovely Ms. Mann, one of my girl-crushes and the subject of a post on another blog I run, celebrating super-hot awesome thirtysomething women, of which she is so clearly, clearly one. She also invited us to come along to the Funny or Die party after, which was fun. Ok, love letter to Leslie Mann complete. Judd Apatow is cool, too. Though I wish he’d just embrace his Jewish side already.

If you want to learn more about the Bloomberg/VF party, go here for Michael Hogan’s fine write-up. If you wanted to get into the Bloomberg/VF party, well, good luck unless you were on the fancy-schmancy list – or had one of these fancy-schmancy business cards from Todd Purdum with “Please Admit Bearer” on the back. Yes I had one, but skepticism about whether it would work and the promise of a full-on diner with friein the back room of the MSNBC party kept me from giving it a whirl. It’s not dated; I’ll keep it for next year.

Backwards and in high heels: Katie Couric and I take a load off at the end of the night.

>>>>NEXT: EVERYTHING ELSE (Brunches, Pre-Parties, and Awkward Walks of Shame)