Entertainment

Filmmaker Says ‘Nerd Prom’ Has Grown to Reflect Poorly on DC

Published

11 years ago

April 24, 2015

In this May 3, 2014 file photo, President Barack Obama laughs as actor and comedian Joel McHale speaks during the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

BRETT ZONGKER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Politico journalist is poking a hole in the bubble that surrounds one of Washington’s biggest, celebrity-obsessed weekends with his new documentary “Nerd Prom.”

The film by Patrick Gavin, released online this month, takes a critical look at the White House Correspondents Association dinner and the slew of parties and VIP receptions that now span several days around the main event.

The official dinner draws the president to the stage to make some jokes, and many attendees spend the night posing for selfies with celebrity guests. This year’s dinner is set for Saturday. Film producers plan to release “Nerd Prom” on iTunes, Amazon and Netflix in the coming months.

Gavin spoke with The Associated Press about how he found the dinner that honors journalists and raises money for scholarships has drifted from its original purpose.

AP: What did you set out to do with this film, and what turned you toward critiquing this event?

Gavin: It had really become Washington’s signature event. For me, whatever the signature event is in one of the world’s most powerful cities I think bears some research. I definitely wanted to do some real reporting on it. The thing that made me make a slight 45-degree turn more critical was as I was interviewing everybody, it just sort of dawned on me that all the things the weekend was supposed to be about — White House correspondents or scholarships or even fun — just weren’t really holding up. … I just kind of realized the bottom was falling out of this weekend. And then of course, that leads you to say, “well, if it’s not about those things, then what is it about?”

AP: How long has it been this way?

Gavin: Everybody kind of pegs it to around the 1990s when celebrities started coming and the introduction of the red carpet. And that’s certainly true that that was a game changer. But from my perspective, it’s really been in the past 10 years. I remember when I started, it was really four events. There was the dinner, one after party, maybe one brunch. And now businesses have really changed it in the past 10 years. Now you’ve got 25 parties; you’ve got corporate involvement like you’ve never seen before.

AP: Is there anything wrong with Washington having a little fun? Or is there something else going on here that you found unseemly?

Gavin: My real issue is not with the dinner. It’s not with not getting invited to parties. It’s not with corporate sponsorships. … My issue is with this being our Super Bowl. My issue is with this being our No. 1 event every year, simply because this is a town that’s not supposed to be about self-celebration. It’s not supposed to be about glorifying ourselves and doing well by ourselves. It’s about doing well by others, making the world a better place.

AP: What kind of reaction have you heard since the film’s release?

Gavin: There’s this whole thread of people in D.C. who sort of say “yeah, it’s our biggest event, and yeah, it’s kind of unseemly and gross, but it’s dinner. Don’t worry about it.” That just struck me as incredibly cynical — the fact that this town has a 10 percent approval rating. … I think people in D.C. need to take greater pride in their town. And the only way they’re going to get the respect of the people they are supposed to serve is to actually start caring about how we’re perceived outside the Beltway.

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Oakland Post: Week of September 30 – October 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 30 – October 6, 2026

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3 days ago

October 4, 2026

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From Historic Memories to New Possibilities: Oakland Celebrates Coliseum 60

More than 75 people gathered at Youth UpRising in East Oakland on Friday, September 18, for Coliseum 60, an event marking six decades of sports, entertainment, employment, and community memories at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex. Held 60 years to the day after the Coliseum first opened, the celebration featured cultural performances and a mini-documentary highlighting its history. Speakers reflected on the venue’s significant role in the community and its future possibilities. Read more to learn about the individuals and stories honored during this special event.

Published

1 week ago

September 27, 2026

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Quixote Atkins of VillageGIVE moderates a panel discussion at the Coliseum 60 celebration at Youth UpRising featuring Keith Brown, a member of IATSE Local 107; author, historian and former Black Panther Party member Tareka Lewis; and African American Sports and Entertainment Group President Ray Bobbitt.

By Carla Thomas

More than 75 people gathered at Youth UpRising in East Oakland on Friday, Sept. 18, for Coliseum 60, a celebration honoring six decades of sports, entertainment, employment and community memories connected to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex.

Held 60 years to the day after the Coliseum opened, the event carried the theme, “One Community. One Legacy. One Future. Forward Together.”

The celebration opened with the national anthem performed by sisters Anese Jade, Amina Benjamin and Zaza Benjamin. Diamano Coura West African Dance Company contributed African dance and drumming, bringing movement, rhythm and cultural expression to the program.

A mini documentary highlighted the Coliseum’s sports history and its broader role as an entertainment destination. Archival material recalled performances by Prince and Tina Turner, along with memorable games featuring the Warriors, Oakland A’s and Raiders.

“The Coliseum 60 is about much more than celebrating a building or looking back at 60 years of history,” said event organizer Quixote Atkins of VillageGIVE.

“It’s about the people who made that history possible: the families, workers, athletes, artists, community leaders, fans and generations who gathered there and created memories together.”

A panel exploring that history featured author, historian and former Black Panther Party member Tareka Lewis; stagehand and union representative Keith Brown; and Ray Bobbitt, president of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group AASEG. Lewis described her family as fourth-generation Bay Area pioneers.

“My family and Black families who arrived even earlier helped build the Bay Area, grew businesses and established culture here,” Lewis said. “This should be taught in the public schools.”

Lewis recalled Oakland’s influence on sports, music and literature, from the Raiders’ beginnings at Laney College to stars such as The Pointer Sisters and Rickey Henderson who attended Oakland public schools. She also advocated for school museums, historical timelines, entrepreneurship training and investments benefiting corridors such as Bancroft Avenue and High Street.

Keith Brown, a member of Local 107 of the International Alliance of Theater and Stage Employees (IATSE) who began working at the Coliseum in 2011, remembered the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Ice Capades, baseball bat giveaways and Nelson Mandela’s 1990 appearance.

“The special events are amazing, but it’s the workers that make the memories real for everyone,” Brown said. “They make the magic happen at the Coliseum.”

The program recognized longtime workers, including beer-stand manager Robert Preston, who served for 40 years, and Kenyatta Gentry, who worked as a vendor for 24 years and used her earnings to purchase her first apartment. Union workers Jose Gonzales and Carmen Sandoval were also honored. Speakers emphasized that Coliseum employment provided generations of residents with union wages and benefits.

Dr. Denise Saddler, the superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) was also honored. Saddler shared her family’s history of working at the Coliseum.

District 7 Oakland City Councilmember Ken Houston discussed the complex ownership arrangements involving the city, county and private interests.

“This was the most complex deal of its kind in the country,” Houston said.

Prior to moving from the East Coast, Alameda County Supervisor and Coliseum Joint Powers Authority Chair Nate Miley recalled learning about Oakland through its three professional sports teams. As an elected official and public servant, Miley fought hard to keep the Golden State Warriors, Oakland As, and the Raiders, but he is hopeful for the future.

“The story is not over for the Coliseum,” Miley said. “We’re entering a new chapter.”

Bobbitt said the departure of three teams had once seemed unimaginable, but he maintained that Oakland’s future remains bright.

“Oakland is a cultural superpower worldwide,” Bobbitt said. “We’re going to write the future where we participate and drive the redevelopment.”

Bobbitt highlighted AASEG’s four-year partnership with Castlemont High School’s architecture program, which engages students in reimagining and creating redevelopment concepts for the Coliseum property. “The youth will always move us forward. They are the future.”

In closing, Atkins said, “September 18 is the celebration, but what we build together afterward is the legacy.”