Lloyd Grove

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The Reliable Source -- Live
Hosted by Lloyd Grove
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, Jan. 19, 2001; 11 a.m. EST

Got a rumor to dispel or confirm? Looking for dirt on your favorite or most-hated Washington celebrity? Ask "The Reliable Source" columnist Lloyd Grove, who's live online Fridays at 11 a.m. EST.

Grove, a 20-year veteran of The Washington Post, has been writing The Reliable Source column in the Style section since May 1999.

Grove grew up in Los Angeles and Greenwich, Conn. He was an English major at Yale and worked for the Kansas City Times (now defunct, we think), the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and the Dallas Morning News before joining the Post on the Weekend section, where for a few years he reviewed practically every live theater show that opened in D.C., including a few in church basements.

From there, he joined Style as a general assignment writer with a special interest in politics, and spent a year and a half covering the 1988 presidential campaign for the National staff. In 1991 -- after an ill-advised book leave -- he returned to Style and served as a political reporter, with occasional detours into television and movie coverage. He also has written extensively for Vanity Fair magazine.

Below is a transcript.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

To read the most recent responses, click "Get New Text" or select "Automatically Update Page."

Lloyd Grove: Mornin' everybody. This inaugural is making me a little crazy, but you'll all be happy to know I finally recovered from the hangover I acquired two nights ago. Meantime, I have to run off to an NBC reception, so this will be a half hour show instead of the full hour. For those of you who feel cheated (not many, I suspect), I'll try to make it up to you. Now to your wisdom!

New York, NY: Lloyd -

Love what you have done with the Reliable Source. I know this is inaugural weekend et al, but I recently witnessed some celebrity gossip that you may, or may not know. Perhaps you can let us know if this is common knowlege at this point?

Seems a certain Spanish beauty, Penelope Cruz, recently moved into an illegal sublet on West 17th Street here and has been receiving quite a number of flower arrangements from none other than Nicholas Cage. She has also been receiving a certain co-star, Mr. Damon!

Lloyd Grove: That is primo material, my friend. You been sitting in a beige sedan across the street with binoculars?

Los Alamos, NM: The FBI didn't exactly acquit itself admirably in the last 8 years, starting with Waco and ending with Wen Ho Lee. What's the explanation for George W. retaining Freeh? Like J.Edgar Hoover had damaging information on presidents and used it to stay in power, is it possible that Freeh has some hold over Dubya?

Lloyd Grove: My sense is that Dubya believes the FBI director, who is appointed to a 10-year term, should serve it out without being subject to the vagaries of politics. The bonus is that Freeh, who was Al D'Amato's choice for the federal bench years ago, is a Republican.

Arlington, VA: Lloyd, if you had the information on Jesse Jackson, would you have printed it? Or do you have a zone of privacy for the private lives of public figures?

Lloyd Grove: If I had that info nailed, I probably would have had a lenthy and complete discussion with my editors. My guess is that given that there was non-profit money involved, I probably would have published.

Washington, DC: With all of these celebs in town, what are the hotels and restaurants of choice?

Lloyd Grove: all of them.

Silver Spring MD: Predictions, please, Lloyd: The first major George II Administration scandal; the first departure in a huff from the Administration; how many days during 2001 Bush will spend incommunicado at his ranch.

Lloyd Grove: Scandal: George W. Bush Caught in Dancing Class with Ricky Martin.
First Departure: Communications guru Margaret Tutwiler--in 90 days.
Days Incommunicado at Ranch: 0

Washington DC: Lloyd,

I got my picture taken with Katie, Matt and Al this morning as they were doing a cooking segment the final 1/2 hour of the Today show. Have they been in town long and have you heard anything? They were all extremely nice.

Lloyd Grove: They just got here yesterday I believe. I'm going to see them all shortly so I'll pass on your greetings.

La Vida Loca: Ricky Martin is in town! Give us some scoop Lloyd! Shake your bon-bon!

Lloyd Grove: See answer above.

McLean, VA: Greetings Lloyd,

Yesterday's concert at the Lincoln Memorial and the resulting government shutdown cost taxpayers how much? $40 million + ... No mention on right-wing radio or in the conservative press. Can you imagine the OUTRAGE if this was Clinton?

Lloyd Grove: Well, this is about the same that was done 4 years ago and 8 years ago and the level of outrage was about the same as yours.

D.C.: Re: Los Alamos, NM

Freeh has been a constant irritant, weasel and leaker to far-right sources, including Ken Starr.

Lloyd Grove: If your assertions are true, that would really be out of chracter. I've known Freeh for years and while he has made some mistakes, he seems to me like a straight arrow and not an ideologue.

Fairfax City: Have you tried one last time to get a quote or two from Chelsea? USA Today ran a small headshot of HRC which looked as if they caught her just as she woke up from a nap -- it was ghastly.

Lloyd Grove: Wow. Haven't gotten to that paper yet, but now I'll give it a wide berth.

Hooterville: Lloyd,

I enjoy Al Kamen's column ALMOST as much as i enjoy yours...do you guys ever compete for scoops or territory? Some of his stuff would do well in The Reliable Source, and vice-versa.

Lloyd Grove: Al and I have signed a non-aggression pact, and I think we work pretty well together and separately. He's a terrific fellow and has been very generous to me.

Nuh uh: Rainbow Coalition/PUSH is "for profit"...no non-profit money went anywhere.

Lloyd Grove: Really? I thought it was a 501C3. It's not a business, is it? I thought it depended on tax deductible contributions. Now Jesse Jackson himself does earn money outside of PUSH, but as today's Post story suggested, there seems to be some comingling of funds involved in this situation.

Fairfax: Any idea if Robin Givhan will be doing a chat on Monday about the weekend's festivities?

Lloyd Grove: Robin will be doing some stuff over the weekend. Check the Live Online schedule.

WDC: Since the Texans are in town I have never seen so much fur. Maybe Washington has hope yet to stop being so frumpy!

Lloyd Grove: I just hope they're able to avoid the PETA types with the cans of spray paint.

Arlington VA: You must be in mourning this inaugural weekend. Clinton and his gang were a gift from God to gossip columnists everywhere. Bush and the Bushies seem like a dull sort by comparison.

Lloyd Grove: I live in hope that the new team will make it interesting for all of us. Anyhow, it's always refreshing to have some new personalities to write about, even if they ARE a little dull.

Silver Spring, MD: It seems to me that as I look at pictures of Dubya, he is looking younger every day. So much so, that his wife is starting to look like she is too old for him! Reminds me of my naive comment of his father George Sr at his inauguration, when I thought he was danicing with his mother. Meanwhile Clinton looks as if he has aged twenty years!!!!

Lloyd Grove: I'm glad you don't get to watch ME age.

Silver Spring: Is it me or does the new adminstration seem incredibly boring?

Lloyd Grove: My standard line is: something old, something new, something borrowed, something beige.

Downtown DC: NPR ran a story this morning about a Republican "memorial service" for the Clinton administration last night. Some of it sounded kind of funny--the always-amusing Christopher Buckley--and some of it sounded horrible--a video replay of the burning Branch Davidian compound. Do you know any more goodies about this, like where it was? They seemed to be trying to keep that a secret, and all we got from the story was "the basement of a local hotel."

Lloyd Grove: I was there. It was at the Monarch Hotel. My old friend Chris was the bright spot in what was otherwise a rather baroquely leaden and unfunny evening. No wonder Jackie Mason didn't show up in person but sent a videotape. They had to call the bomb squad for that one!

Angst: I am still mad! I don't want my city to be taken over by a bunch of big-haired, boot-wearing Republicans! Is there anywhere I can go to join in with those who feel the way I do -- sometimes I think I'm the only one who's still mad.

Lloyd Grove: Chappaqua.

Bethesda: How well do you think Bush will get along with the "permanent government": the press, the socialites, etc. Even though they're mostly a liberal sort, they never really took to Clinton.

Lloyd Grove: I think he'll have much, much better relations. His father, whom I had a nice chat with last night, managed to have a decent working relationship with the Washington establishmenet and media, even though they gave him continual heartburn. By the way, I asked Bush I how he's doing after hip replacement surgery, and he said, "Great. I threw down my cane this week."

MD: Looking at past scandals, Democrats have problems with women (Hart, Kennedy, etc) and Republicans have problems with money.

Lloyd Grove: I think it works both ways. Remember Newt and Bob Livingston--who had troubles involving women? And remember Rosty, he of the franking abuses?

DC: Do any of the liberal Democrats senators of the Judiciary committee have black friends? I don't see any black aides behind them. Sen. Ashcroft has 2-3 blacks friends behind him. And his wife teaches at Howard? Give me a break.

Lloyd Grove: Of course they do. And of course John Ashcroft is not a racist, as certain members of the Congressional Black Caucus have charged. Nor does he "walk like a racist," as Maxine Waters weirdly claimed.

Alexandria: I miss Clinton already. I'm weepy! Will you PROMISE to continue to cover him in The Reliable Source for as long as you both shall live? I am gonna need a bubba fix at least weekly, if not daily!

Thanks for all you do!

Lloyd Grove: I will do my best to give him the attention he craves.

Georgetown: Why did "permanent Washington" never take to Clinton?

Lloyd Grove: Well, since you're in Georgetown, you probably know. My guess is that the Clintons went out of their way to dis the establishment, and the establishment responded. Icily.

Somewhere, USA: Lloyd Grove,

Concerning yesterday's concert. No. There was no concert 4 OR 8 YEARS AGO on a weekday prior to the inaugual where government employees had take the day off or be sent home early AND three downtown bridges closed to public traffic. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT, LLOYD!!!

Lloyd Grove: Well, I am off to do some reporting, so I will give it my best shot. I apologize to everyone I didn't get to this time. I'll be doing quick shows tomorrow night, though, shortly before 10 pm and shortly before midnight. See you then.

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