MRC's Gala is the "conservative Oscars," the MRC is a "important resource," and Keith Olbermann is about as popular as Haman at a Purim celebration. Those are just some of the observations from conservative bloggers about the MRC's 20th Anniversary Gala.

Media strategist David All called our Gala featuring the DisHonors Awards the "Conservative Oscars" and added these observations right after the dinner:

UPDATE 11:03 PM: A few quick random thoughts…
…Wheel…of…fortune… Pat Sajak, yes, that Pat Sajak, totally owned (PWN3D?) the audience. He made a joke about YouTube, which of course grabbed my attention. And he made quite a few tasteful fat jokes about Al Gore. Honestly, tough to believe, but the guy had us all rolling.

Blogging Bloggy Bloggers …Lots of YouTube references throughout the night, though oddly, not a single reference to a blog. There was however practically a standing applause when Neal Boortz said that, “thanks to alternative media, we don’t need [the mainstream media] anymore.”

Extreme Mortman's take:

Extreme Mortman attended the dinner and got a particular kick out of this winner:

Katie Couric: “A passionate student of history, Condi Rice believes turmoil often precedes periods of peace and stability. And she rejects the notion that the U.S. is a bully, imposing its values on the world.”

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice: “What’s wrong with assistance so that people can have their full and complete right to the very liberties and freedoms that we enjoy?”

Couric to Rice: “To quote my daughter, ‘Who made us the boss of them?’”

But the real story of last night is the loud round of boos Keith Olbermann earned every time his name was mentioned or a clip of him was shown. My Jewish brethren might compare it to the racket we make every time Haman’s name (boo!) is said during Purim.

Keith might not have won an award last night, but he sure earned Worst Person On A Grand Hyatt TV Screen recognition.

Let’s keep that our little secret.

National Review's Kathryn Jean Lopez had a few quibbles with some elements of the program, but overall enjoyed the Gala:

To be honest, I always hesitate a little to attend the dinner. I know there will be cringe-worthy moments. It's easy for liberal media dishonor awards to get a little carried away — the orginal material often being as ridiculous as it is. And so there were – who knew how many times Al Gore weight jokes would get a laugh (many)? Such things bum me out a bit because MRC and conservatives are better than that.

[...]

A few bad decisions aside though, I am fond of the guys and gals at MRC. The Media Research Center is an important resource – that stuff that shows up on YouTube now at the drop of a hat? That’s stuff only MRC had not so long ago. And no one documents – and has the patience for watching the news like they do … to this day.

[...]

And about Rush Limbaugh. The man is a national treasure. And, actually, an international treasure, considering the work he does to explain the world, day after day, in his clear and honest and entertaining way. Rush Limbaugh is funny, confident, conservative.

At the MRC dinner he was given an award that was an honor for me to be in the audience for. That Rush Limbaugh was given the William F. Buckley Jr. Award for Media Excellence is appropriate and speaks to why it is so important that we have MRC. Who else would realize a) we need to have an award in Bill Buckley’s honor to encourage and celebrate alternative media excellence; b) we need to give it to Rush Limbaugh?

God bless MRC. God bless WFB. God bless Rush.

—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters