National Press Foundation dinner draws some unwanted guests

Where’s Tom DeLay when you need him?

The skills of the former House majority leader and pest-control expert would have been welcome Thursday night at the Hilton Washington, when a number of mice spent most of the evening terrorizing a few tables in the massive ballroom during the National Press Foundation dinner.

According to several eyewitness accounts, the tiny vermin were scurrying around the feet of those seated on the far right-hand side of the ballroom. Among those tables in the, ahem, infested area: those purchased by Boeing, AIG, Edelman Public Relations, Comcast, TASER International and yes, The Examiner.

A TASER spokesperson who was seated at table 114 confirmed on Friday that rodents were indeed in the vicinity, “yet there are some differences in opinion on whether they were mice, shrews or moles.”

“We could have easily protected the dinner guests from the invaders if only TASER devices were legal in the District of Columbia,” said the spokesperson. “Instead, we were powerless against their furry fury.”

At another nearby table, an attendee who said she saw a mouse wrote us: “Granted, it was a small one. I will say, though, on a positive note, the salmon surpassed my expectations.”

As a final bit of delicious coincidence, when The New Yorker’s David Remnick accepted his award for Editor of the Year, he referenced something that the Washington Post’s legendary sports columnist, the late Shirley Povich, told him at a boxing match in Las Vegas.

“Don’t worry, young man,” Remnick recalled Povich saying. “Editors are merely mice training to be rats.”

Lisa Cole, a Hilton spokeswoman, said, “It’s the first we’ve heard of this situation, but obviously we’re very concerned about such a report. Our food and beverage director is getting on it immediately and he’s going to be doing an investigation.”

The ballroom, of course, is set to host two more major media dinners this spring — the Radio and TV Correspondents Dinner in March and the White House Correspondents Dinner in April. President Bush is scheduled to speak at both, so here’s hoping the hotel takes care of things before the Secret Service has to get involved.

Judge Judy to pick next president?

Every four years, the American people get to determine who will occupy the White House for the next four years. But someone else wants to judge the 2008 candidates: Judge Judy herself.

Judith Sheindlin sits in the judge’s seat on the popular syndicated television show “Judge Judy” and weighs in on legal disputes between regular folks. And, on a recent appearance on CNN’s “Larry King Live,” Sheindlin alluded to a reality series she’s working on, titled, “So You Want To Be The President?”

“I often wonder whether the American people,” Sheindlin told King, “if they have the opportunity of really selecting somebody, irrespective of politics, you know — their pediatrician, their local chief of police, their teacher ... who they think has the stuff, has the moral fiber, the moral center to at least give it a go, be the next Harry Truman.”

A source close to the show’s development tells Yeas & Nays that the show, if picked up, would be “Survivor-esque” and feature one-minute videos from Americans from all walks of life explaining why they should be the next president. There will be elimination rounds and finalists will compete weekly on different tasks related to the requirements of running a country. Sheindlin is still meeting with people and pitching the show and, if she’s successful, it could hit the airwaves as early as this summer.

Given the ability of “American Idol” to turn regular Americans into big-time celebrities, could Judge Judy hold the key to the next president?

Judge film judged too racy for Air Force 2

“Idiocracy” was selected to be shown aboard Air Force 2 this weekend, as the plane carrying Vice President Dick Cheney headed back to the U.S. from Australia.

But according to Mark Silva of the Chicago Tribune, writing for the White House press pool, “an airborne censor [determined] that ‘Idiocracy’ contains sexually inappropriate content.”

The futuristic satire, by “Beavis and Butthead” and “Office Space” creator Mike Judge, is rated R. Not that it mattered, as the films were ultimately canceled anyway.

Silva reports that the plane had to stop in Singapore after experiencing electrical problems.

“Described as a power surge on the airplane, it had the effect of rendering our cabin electrical outlets inoperative [and] shutting down the galley,” he wrote, although “crackers and cheese were circulated in consolation.”

A White House spokesperson said the stop in Singapore was as scheduled.

Rudy Giuliani stops in Fairfax

For the second time this month, Rudy Giuliani ventures into the Old Dominion. Tonight, Hizzoner is appearing at the Tysons Corner Marriott to raise funds for the Republican Party of Virginia.

Although it isn’t a campaign stop per se for Giuliani, you can bet he’ll be trying his best to woo the connected crowd, only a few miles from D.C.

We wonder if he has an opinion on that Tysons Tunnel project.

Cosby keeps it light at charity appearance

“Is this the line for the bathroom?” asked one of the 2,000-plus attendees of the Leukemia Ball at the Convention Center on Saturday night, after seeing about 100 people in line.

“No, we’re waiting to have our picture taken with Bill Cosby,” came the response.

So it went for more than an hour, as Cosby delayed his performance to pose with countless fans.

This was Cosby’s second appearance over the 20-year history of the ball, what is now the region’s largest annual nonpolitical fundraiser. His 45-minute performance steered clear of some of the social topics that have landed him in the headlines of late, sticking with the family humor for which he’s best known and even dusting off his old bit on dentists.

He did, however, get a chance early on to embarrass a loud audience member. After asking her if she’d been drinking, he told her husband to “get some duct tape. Duct-tape her and tell her she’s having fun.”

After drawing the names of the two winners of new Mercedes-Benz automobiles, Cosby gave up the stage to Hootie and the Blowfish, the evening’s musical entertainment.