What would the correspondents' dinner be without the after-party? It would be not worth it.

This year, there are three big bashes: In addition to the perennially decadent Bloomberg party, Capitol File is hosting a lavish affair at the home of the Colombian ambassador, and Vanity Fair has revived its storied shindig at the home of writer Christopher Hitchens, where a person can be sure to get a proper drink.

We are duly swagged. Capitol File is giving away party bags containing camera memory cards and $50 gift certificates to Lord & Taylor. Bloomberg has staffers passing out slippers, and hot model types in bathrobes giving out single-serve bottles of champagne from a bathtub. No glass, just a straw, which causes the bubbly to foam up and drip all over your hands. Additional swag: light bulbs. Don't know why.

We mosey over to the Capitol File party at the Colombian ambassador's residence, by now quite fuzzyheaded from teeny-weeny drinkie-winkies, and on our way in we catch sight of booted "American Idol" contestant Chris Sligh.

Hey, Chris! What's it like to be temporarily famous?

"Hopefully, it's not temporary," he says politely.

Oopsie-daisy. Awk-ward.

Out on the patio, we find "Grey's Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington smoking a cigar. He says he was really psyched to meet Greta Van Susteren and she was really psyched to meet him, and when they met, they were all: I'm a fan; No, I'm a fan; No, I'm a fan; No, I'm a fan.

"We both didn't know how to, like, act," he says.

Whoa. Two strange worlds collide, and love blossoms, and we are all one. We feel so much better about the state of things. Then a friend interrupts to say they have closed the bar. We are deeply saddened.

Does the Creative Coalition seem just a ittle more glittery now that the Democrats are back?

The group of stalwart Hollywood activists co-hosted a party with Capitol File at B. Smith's restaurant Wednesday and produced some new names who, if not full-on A-list, at least gave off some Us Weekly-type heat.

Sure. Heather Graham and Alan Cumming were also promoting a movie here, but both took turns (along with Wendie Malick, Ernie Hudson and Fran Drescher) reading the Constitution out loud, Gumming's Scottish accent somehow stretching the word "construed" to about six syllables.

Tim Daly said he had been meaning to join the group since running into prez Joe Pantollano at Sundance some time back. He was impressed by the day's meetings on Capitol Hill: "It feels like there's a coming wave of issues that are going to break through." Then he kindly fielded our geek-fan queries about his new.but-sadlydoomed series The Nine and his spooky performance as David Koresh in a '93 TV movie. (Yes, we remembered.) Meanwhile, Graham (lithe in a silk flower-print dress) was buttonholing industry reps to complain about trouble get a PG-13 rating for her film "Gray Matters." Seems the ratings folks got riled about a scene with her lesbian character fantasizing about a semi-topless woman. Why do they balk at sexuality, she wondered, while okaying all kinds of blood-and-guts?

"I can't see things like 'Saw' or other horror films," she said. Td rather watch sex than violence. How about you?" Oh, we like both! When it's, um, crucial to a project's artistic integrity.

Who are you taking to the prom? Condoleezza Rice is going to be there with Drew Lachey, you know, Nick's brother? Mary Cheney is going to be there with Ludacris!

Yes, it's time again for another White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. Saturday's press prom at the Hilton Washington — with President Bush and Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert — will be packed with 2,600 of the usual Washington suspects and eye candy from the world of television, music and sports.

"This is a great time of year, when the WHCA president manages to infuriate everyone he's ever known because they all want tickets," says the prez, AP reporter Mark Smith , who's fending off requests for the sold-out event.

ABC is bringing Rice, Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson, Gen. Peter Pace and "Dancing With the Stars" winner Lachey; People magazine nabbed Mary Cheney, "Grey's Anatomy's" Isaiah Washington, John Legend and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges; Bloomberg gets Michael Chertoff,Gov. Mitt Romney, New York Giant Tiki Barber, tennis babe Anna Kournikova and Melina Kanakaredes.

Newsweek's table includes Josh Bolten , Gov. George Pataki and maybe George Clooney. Fox News has Laurence Fishburne; USA Today has Alberto Gonzales and "Desperate Housewives" hunk James Denton; CNN boasts Alex Trebek and Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger; L.A. Times has Mayor Ray Nagin and Tommy Lasorda; and Business Week scooped up Steve Case.

The New York Times (Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Jane Harman ), CBS (Karl Rove and Dan Bartlett) and The Washington Post (Steve Hadley and Mary Matalin) are sticking to actual political types. Executive Editor Len Downie says The Post prefers "to invite people who are working inside the administration of the moment."

Bloomberg's exclusive after-party at the Macedonian Embassy is an even hotter ticket this year — the guest list has been pared to a mere 750. Reuters is providing a alternative at K Street lounge downtown, and Capitol File will attempt to lure the overflow to Cafe Milano. But the action is always at Bloomberg's bash: Last year, Bloomberg booker Julianna Goldman , 25, and MSNBC's David Shuster, 38, met at the party's fab ice chandelier; in January, he proposed at the same site. And yes, they made the list this year.