Seeming to put politics aside for a few hours — not one but two GOP governors stopped in to the MSNBC After Party last night at the Italian Embassy in Washington DC: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — often the target of MSNBC’s opinionated hosts — and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (right, meeting NBC News correspondent Luke Russert for the first time). Palin, as we reported yesterday, was the guest of Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren.
As MSNBC host/mixologist Rachel Maddow made a drink for “Glee’s” Jane Lynch, MSNBC boss Phil Griffin, worked the room. It’s his after party afterall. And not missing an opportunity to synergize, Cee lo Green, of NBC’s “The Voice” was the entertainment.
In addition to Van Susteren, we spotted Bret Baier from Fox News chatting with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie. NBC News president Steve Capus and “Today” show EP Jim Bell — who’d both just returned from London covering the Royal Wedding and sharing ratings info on his Blackberry. Looks like “Today” was #1 again on Royal Wedding day. (Final numbers later on TVNewser).
Eliot Spitzer in tow with CNN’s chief communicator Christa Robinson; Roland Martin, David Bohrman, and Sam Feist also of CNN and ABC’s Jim Sciutto.
We chatted up CNBC’s Rick Santelli, in from Chicago, Carl Quintanilla and Hampton Pearson. NBC’s Janet Shamlian, and Kelly O’Donnell and MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan and Contessa Brewer, now almost four months along. Ed Schultz was proud to tell us he’s overtaken Anderson Cooper in the ratings at 10pm, in just his third month on the air. “Big news,” says big Ed.
Meanwhile, over at the Bloomberg/Vanity Fair party, tipsters tell us Jake Tapper, Dave Price, John Dickerson, Chris Isham, Gayle King, and Seth Meyers [who’d poked fun at the thought that the Bloomberg party was a hot ticket], were still in full party mode at 2:15am. “The patio is still packed,” we were emailed. “They started serving breakfast snacks.”