Capitol File will attempt to lure the overflow to Cafe Milano

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Our Favorite Dish: Correspondents' Dinner Invites

By Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts

Tuesday, April 25, 2006; Page C03

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,Mitt Romney, New York Giant Tiki Barber , tennis babe Anna Kournikova and Melina Kanakaredes . Gov.

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;Ray Nagin and Tommy Lasorda; and Business Week scooped up Steve Case. L.A. Times has Mayor

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.