Networking with the stars - Patrick Gavin and Anne Schroeder Mullins

huffington-photo At the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, one part of the agenda for the journalists, politicians, elected officials and other Washington types who show up is pretty clear: to bask in the reflected glow of Hollywood glamour, if only for a night, to rub elbows with the more attractive of our species.

But what exactly is in it for the celebrities? A chance to talk politics with actual politicians? An opportunity to advocate for a cause? A moment to show their smarts? An occasion to be more fashionable than the fashion-challenged residents of the nation’s capital?

Or is it simply an occasion to feel even more famous? No matter our friendly or professional intentions, we can’t hide our adolescent enthusiasm for a little glitz and glamour.