by guest contributor Philip Trupp
Photo credit: Neshan H. Naltchayan
She does bicep curls in stilettos while keeping her gorgeous auburn hair in shape for a possible Vogue shoot. She travels to world capitals to interview famous dignitaries. She chows down on brown bag gourmet lunches prepped by her dashing chef-husband, Geoff Tracy.
Norah O’Donnell and husband Chef Geoff Tracy
And this was only the beginning June 11 story line for Norah O’Donnell, the unstoppable co-host of “CBS This Morning” who laughed her way through a celeb-worthy “roast” hosted by the American News Women’s Club. She was also honored by the ANWC with the Excellence in Journalism Award.
Bob Schieffer, Andrea Mitchell and Susan Page join Norah O’Donnell as her Roasters
With so much adulation coming her way, O’Donnell, a 40-year-old mother of three, it would be hard to call the roast more than what Washington Post writer Helena Andrews called “a brown toast, not like a charring.” Posed on the stage of the National Press Club’s august ballroom, a setting where presidents and kings are routinely chewed up in sharky snarkathons, O’Donnell smiled all the way as a line of roasters nibbled at her heels.
Luke Russert and Norah O’Donnell
NBC’s Luke Russert served as emcee. Stretching for laugh lines,Washington’s latest news newbie peppered his humor with forgettableageist wisecracks. This probably wasn’t the best imitation of Jon Stewart wishing he might win over a crowd definitely south of 50.
“Is he even 30?” someone asked. “No, he’s 29. A fun guy, a guitar-strummin’ guy.”
Norah O’Donnell, Bob Schieffer and CBS News president David Rhodes
Russert, son of the late journalist superstar Tim Russert, kicked off his initial jabs at O’Donnell by referring to her three children as “Irish triplets.” He said the worst thing about O’Donnell’s pregnancies was that the rest of the world was forced to endure “how to lose baby weight” stories by a woman who “always looked better right after giving birth than she did before.” The joke went over pretty well, but a few beats later it was followed by whispering from the audience and the obvious question: “Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?”
Bret Baier and Norah O’Donnell
Elizabeth Thorpe, editor in chief of Capital File magazine, was among the roasters who demonstrated a little rhetorical bite. Thorpe said she’d received a voice mail from O’Donnell on the morning of the ANWC event.“You must be off getting Botox for tonight,” O’Donnell said on voice mail. Thorp shrugged it off. “Only someone who’s never gotten injections would say something like that. Hello! No one gets Botox the day of an event,” she explained. “There’s all that bruising.”
ANWC president Natalie DiBlasio (center) presents the Excellence in Journalism award to Norah O’Donnell. Past recipient Bob Schieffer
Another gentle roaster/toaster was USA Today’s Washington Bureau Chief, Susan Page. She recalled that when O’Donnell was part of the White House press pool, it was like Brooke Shields attending high
school in the cast of Revenge of the Nerds.”
It remained for the evening’s marque roaster/toaster, Face the Nation’s Bob Schieffer, to take colorful charge of the evening wrap-up. The veteran newsman, whose wit is sharp as his questioning of Washington poohbahs, asked how it was possible to roast a woman “who has everything?” Schieffer solved this perplexing question in style.
“Norah, what you don’t have is a theme song.” He was accompanied to the event by a first-rate country and western trio who harmonized as he sang his original composition, “Norah Norah the Explorah.” It was bright and funny and the crowd roared. You would have thought that perhaps Willie Nelson had appeared out of nowhere to take a bow.
Bob Schieffer and his band Honky Tonk Confidential sing a theme song to Norah O’Donnell
Russert ended the night with an epilogue: “Bob Schieffer is playing at the Irish pub down the street,” he said. “Women get half off.”
Well, not quite. Schieffer shook a lot of hands and faded into the night. There would be no funky Irish bar for O’Donnell. Instead, “Norah the Explorah,” surrounded by admiring CBS management, sparked a cool D.C. after-party at the Willard Hotel.
