The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner — considered the glitziest and most buzzworthy event of Washington’s party season — appears to be a bit more low-key this year.

Between the guest list absences of some of Hollywood’s brightest stars and a more subdued party scene, many folks working behind the scenes agree this year’s dinner will be decidedly more subdued.

One shindig noticeably void from the soiree circuit this year is Funny or Die’s annual First Amendment Party. Last year’s high-caliber bash on the eve of the dinner had partygoers bumping and grinding at the event’s huge downtown space well into the wee hours of the morning.

The Hollywood Reporter, which last year held star-studded affair with Google at the W Hotel, is also ducking out of the Correspondents’ dinner limelight this time around. A publicist tells us “we aren’t doing anything this year.”

“I don’t know if it’s toned down or not,” Hollywood on the Potomac editor Janet Donovan said of the mood in town, “but it feels that way.”

Donovan pointed to the lack of Anthony Weiner-sized headlines as a possible reason for the drop-off, saying that “perhaps because Hollywood celebrities are now more frequently in town, and we don’t really have a huge ‘five minutes of fame’ scandal-type this year.”

When Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) woke up in the hospital after being injured in Iraq, one of the first things she heard was that Gary Sinise had called.

And, on Tuesday night, she finally got to thank the actor for reaching out.

Duckworth lost both legs in Iraq in 2004 when the helicopter she was piloting was shot down. Sinise was friends with one of the guys in her unit, who told the actor about her.

"I was paying attention to what was going on. I had different units I was staying in touch with and one of them was hers," Sinise said.

On Tuesday night, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) took time out from the Gang of Eight’s immigration reform push to roast as well as praise a former campaign adviser and prominent lobbyist.

Charlie Black, chairman of Prime Policy Group, was awarded the 2013 Business-Government Relations Award from the Bryce Harlow Foundation, which promotes high standards for the lobbying trade. McCain was on hand at the group’s annual awards dinner to introduce Black, a long-time friend and a close aide during the Arizona Republican’s 2008 presidential campaign.

“Of course, he was the reason why I lost. I probably would have won if it hadn’t been for Charlie’s advice and counsel,” McCain told the packed dining room at the Capital Hilton.

“But after I lost, Charlie consoled me and I slept like a baby. Sleep two hours, wake up and cry. Sleep two hours, wake up and cry,” McCain said to laughs.

Former Sen. Richard Lugar has officially been knighted. The Indiana Republican now holds the (rather long-winded yet pretty impressive) title of honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

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Sen. John McCain says encountering fellow Vietnam prisoner of war Ernie Brace was one of the “great privileges of my life.”

The Arizona Republican spoke candidly about the many years he spent in a cell next to Brace — the longest civilian POW in Vietnam history — at the Monday premiere of National Geographic Channel’s “Locked Up Abroad: Vietnam POWs: McCain and Brace.”

“It’s a truly remarkable story,” McCain told the crowd at the National Geographic headquarters in downtown Washington. “It should be told to every American.”

The documentary features vivid, first-hand accounts of the pair’s captivity, escape attempts, and eventual freedom.

Brace was held in a bamboo cage in the jungles of Vietnam and then in the notorious “Hanoi Hilton” prison, for a total of eight years.

The future senator, now 76, and Brace began communicating through a cell wall at Hanoi by tapping codes on the wall and then by speaking into a metal cup wrapped in cloth. Read more...

Julia Louis-Dreyfus has a message for politicians who want to make a cameo on HBO’s “Veep” series: It’s not going to happen.

The actress, who portrays a fictional vice president in the show, last week had lunch with the very real Vice President Biden at the White House. A photo released by Biden’s office shows a smiling Louis-Dreyfus sitting at his desk.

But just because they have broken bread does not mean Biden will be getting an invitation to appear on the hit show.

“I’m afraid not. I’m so sorry, but we really can’t,” Louis-Dreyfus says she would tell Biden.

A former congresswoman says she crossed the Boston Marathon finish line just minutes before two explosions killed at least three victims and left more than 130 people injured.

Former Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) told Cincinnati’s WCPO-TV, “I finished it 13 minutes before it happened.”

The ex-lawmaker, who served four terms before being defeated in last year’s GOP primary by now-Rep. Brad Wenstrup, says she was waiting for her twin sister to finish the race when the blasts ripped through the area.

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Sen. Claire McCaskill’s gone country — at least on her Spotify playlist.

The Missouri Democrat recently revealed some of her top country music tunes on the music streaming service, with an extensive list of both modern and old school country picks.

McCaskill wrote on her Facebook page Sunday, “From Tennessee Ernie Ford to Jason Aldean, ‘it’s all good.’ ”

Some of the lawmaker’s fave foot-tappers include: “Hey, Good Lookin’ ” by Hank Williams, Martina McBride’s “This One’s for the Girls” and the payback-to-a-no-good-guy-filled Reba McEntire hit “Turn on the Radio.” Read more...

SPOTTED: Former “Ugly Betty” star America Ferrera lending her voice to the “I’m Ready for Immigration Reform” press conference outside the Capitol hosted by Voto Lation and other organizations.

“That 70’s Show” alum Wilmer Valderamma — sporting a serious set of shades — was also eyed shaking hands with Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.).

Photos: Greg Nash Read more...