At 11 p.m. the night had just started for MSNBC's White House Correspondent's Dinner after party at the Italian Embassy.
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow started the night off with a bang, bartending to a long line of star-studded patrons. "Maddow's bar" shined in pink and purple lights above.
"No specials tonight, what do you like?" she asked one of the many who requested her specialty.
Also among the party's features: a Johnny Walker tasting bar, Starbucks coffee stand, cigar rolling and photo booth.
DJ Funk Master Flex spun to a packed dance floor.
Rosario Dawson danced in an emerald green gown, stopping to take photos with the many who asked while smiling Meet the Press host David Gregory spun around to Billie Jean.
Celebs circulating the room included: Gossip Girl's Chace Crawford, Hunger Games' Woody Harrelson, comedian Dave Chappelle, Glee's Matthew Morrison, Modern Family's Eric Stonestreet, White House Correspondents' Dinner host Jimmy Kimmel, Dancing with the Stars winner J.R. Martinez and CNN Situation Room host Wolf Blitzer.
Former New York governor Eliot Spitzer was in attendance. "Life is good," he said. "I am keeping busy with a TV show and the family business. It's all very good." Spitzer has replaced Keith Olbermann in the 8 p.m. slot on Current TV. His new show is called Viewpoint.
White roses embellished the white tables in the all-white room —accented with pink and purple lights.
Those seeking a break from the music headed outside to the blue- and green-lit tent.
"It's a man heaven out there. In the tent there is Johnny Walker blue, cigars and bacon," said Ramya Raghavan, manager at YouTube.
The Rev. Al Sharpton smoked a cigar as waitstaff passed by, offering a variety of foods.
"We pumped up the menu," says MSNBC executive producer Dana Haller, who planned the party.
The menu featured steak tartare with quail egg on potato chips, Oysters Rockefeller, steak filet wrapped in bacon, mini baked potatoes and egg sandwiches served on English muffins. "We started with a steakhouse feel, then Italian food, and then a breakfast menu," Haller said. A lobster roll truck was parked outside.
This is the fifth year for MSNBC's after party. "It keeps getting better every year," Haller says. "This year we were going for hot and sexy."
