Entertainment Movies Celebs at White House Correspondents' Dinner Can't Name a Single White House Correspondent The new film Nerd Prom dives into the annual Washington D.C. event By Sandra Sobieraj Westfall Sandra Sobieraj Westfall Sandra Sobieraj Westfall is the White House and National Political Correspondent for PEOPLE. She also writes for and occasionally senior edits the magazine's Crime section and the brand's Let's Talk About It mental health series. Westfall joined PEOPLE in 2003 as Washington Bureau Chief and specializes in bringing readers inside the personal experience of political life. She twice won the White House Correspondents' Association Merriman-Smith Award for excellence in presidential reporting under deadline pressure (for her inside-the-room election night exclusives on the "snippy" phone call between Al Gore and George W. Bush in 2000; and the hear-a-pin-drop silent moment in 2008 when Barack Obama, holding his mother-in-law's hand, took in the news that he would be America's first Black president). Prior to joining PEOPLE, Westfall was a White House Correspondent for The Associated Press after beginning her career in Congress, where she wrote legislation on women's health, mental health, and domestic violence. A native of Rochester, New York, she received her Bachelor's degree in politics (with a certificate in Latin American studies) from Princeton University, and a Master's degree in journalism from Stanford University. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 1, 2020 10:19 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Getty It’s prom season for Washington D.C. VIPs. Saturday is the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and celebrities who only play political powerhouses on TV – like Scandal’s Kerry Washington and Madame Secretary’s Téa Leoni – are descending on the nation’s capital to rub elbows with the real thing. And even if most people can’t get a ticket to the four days of star-studded festivities, a new film, Nerd Prom, provides a back-stage pass to the event. One of filmmaker Patrick Gavin’s more amusing discoveries is that few, if any, celebrities swarming the dinner – which raises scholarship funds for student journalists and supports the White House Correspondents’ Association in maintaining press access to the president – can actually name a White House correspondent. When asked to identify their favorites, Gary Cole hems and haws, Matthew Morrison laughs uncomfortably and Patrick Duffy stalls. “That’s interesting (pause) I don’t know,” says the Dallas star before offering up that he met CNN’s Dana Bash the night before. “I thought she was taller,” Duffy says. But, nope, Bash covers Congress, not the White House. Even Washington Beltway insiders can’t seem to keep the who’s-who straight amid all the partying. Nerd Prom also goes inside the creation of the guest list for Capitol File magazine’s annual Correspondents’ Dinner afterparty and shows their party planners tossing around names. “You know who we have to invite? Savannah Guthrie and Whoosie-Who, her new husband,” says one magazine executive. Lest Michael Feldman, the said “Whoosie Who,” feels too badly, a later mention of inviting a prominent actor (no spoilers: you’ll have to watch the movie to find out who) elicited this response: “Oh, God. Is he still alive?” Check in with PEOPLE for the inside scoop on this weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner carnival It’s Official: Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross Are Our Dream Presidential Ticket