'Jeff Gannon,' Uninvited to WHCA Dinner, Heads to Bill Maher's HBO Show

By: Joe Strupp James D. Guckert, aka Jeff Gannon, has proved his critics wrong on at least one count: His 15 minutes of fame just won't expire.

Need more proof? He's set to appear on Bill Maher's live HBO show tonight at 11 p.m. EDT, along with Sen. Charles Schumer, Martin Short, and others. On his Web site today, Gannon announces: "I'll go one on one with [Maher]. ... We're going to talk about politics, last night's presidential press conference, and probably some other stuff."

The HBO Web site confirms that Gannon is slated to appear.

However, the former White House correspondent, and reputed male escort, did not get the invitation he had expected to the White House Correspondents Association dinner tomorrow night. Gannon, who quit his job with Talon News earlier this year after two years of covering the White House for the GOP-linked site, told the New York Post that he did not get invited to the annual WHCA gathering, slated for Saturday night in Washington.

Gannon had told E&P several months ago that he was sure to get an invite. But, according to the Post, it did not come through. "It seems to me to be odd to exclude the one person who has brought more attention to the White House press corps than anyone else in years," Gannon told the Post. "Probably many who would want to extend such an invitation already assume I will be in attendance."

Gannon's Web site, www.jeffgannon.com, makes no mention of the upcoming dinner.

Don't look for Bill Maher to be too cozy with Gannon. In one show this year, Maher commented on Gannon's past, saying, "Now I know what Bush meant when he said he had a man date."