- White House Correspondents' Association Dinner is tonight
- The president and others in the room will be lampooned
- Jokes at annual event have brought guffaws, groans
- Comedian Jimmy Kimmel is the headliner
Washington (CNN) -- Whose turn is it to squirm?
At least one person wasn't laughing at last year's White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.
Remember Donald Trump's frown when comedian Seth Meyers lampooned him about his hair and political aspirations?
"Donald Trump has been saying that he will run for president as a Republican, which is surprising, since I just assumed he was running as a joke," said Meyers.
Taking his turn, President Barack Obama credited Trump with making hard decisions -- such as firing Gary Busey over Meatloaf on an episode of "The Celebrity Apprentice."
The annual gala, also known as the "Nerd Prom," raises money for journalism scholarships. A-list celebrities walking the red carpet at the Washington Hilton bring a large dollop of Hollywood to the affair, which features a fancy dinner.
Most people, however, will remember the barbs.
Saturday's yuks will come from Obama and, perhaps, first lady Michelle Obama. They''ll be followed by comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who this week lamented he had to work hard for material.
President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush were ideal because they are "cartoony" and do interesting things, Kimmel told CNN.
"The president kind of keeps to himself," Kimmel said. "Somebody throws him a basketball, he makes a shot. He ruins everything."
Most of those on the receiving end of jokes take it in stride.
But the dinner can make for a tricky venue -- comedians are at once expected to be politically topical while observing boundary lines that are far from clear.
In 2009, comedian Wanda Sykes took heat after joking that she hoped radio host Rush Limbaugh's "kidneys fail," adding that the talk radio host needed to be waterboarded.
Stephen Colbert, the host in 2006, also was criticized by some for his searing routine that took direct aim at Bush, who was seated only feet away.
Meyers had lighthearted fun, last year, at Obama's expense.
He said the one presidential candidate who could "definitely beat" the incumbent was the "2008 Barack Obama. You would have loved him."
Meyers appeared prescient when he joked that Osama bin Laden was hiding on C-SPAN.
What Meyers did not know was that U.S. intelligence had already found bin Laden and that he would be killed within hours.
The president just grinned.
Obama, for his part, made light of the controversy about his birth certificate. Days after releasing his long-form birth certificate to refute claims he wasn't born in the United States, the president began his address by showing what he called his birth video.
But rather than footage of a baby Barack being born in Hawaii, the clip was from Disney's "The Lion King," showing the grand unveiling of the baby Simba in Africa.
Kimmel, star of ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," has not hinted who will be on the receiving end of his zingers. But Mitt Romney and the U.S. Secret Service are possibilities.
Journalists and news organizations, naturally, are well-represented at the affair, and they bring famous faces in tow.
This year's invitees include George Clooney, Steven Spielberg, Rachel Zoe, Mary J. Blige, Martha Stewart, Diane Keaton, Rashida Jones and John Legend, according to The Washington Post.
Observers say the celeb crush began when Baltimore Sun reporter Michael Kelly brought Oliver North's secretary, Fawn Hall, to the 1987 dinner.
The dinner will be Obama's fourth as president. It has been a ritual in Washington since 1920, when it was first held to boost communication between the press and the president, according to the association's website.
It was open only to men until 1962, when President John F. Kennedy said he would not attend unless women were invited.
Speaking of women, first ladies have been known to get in their own digs.
In 2005, Laura Bush said friends went out one night to see male strippers after Bush, "Mr. Excitement," was typically fast asleep at 9 p.m.
First lady Hillary Clinton was featured in a video clip shown at the 2000 dinner. Seated in a limousine, she told the camera, "I wish I could be here more, but I really think Bill has everything under control."
The president ran out to the White House driveway, yelling after the departing car, shouting "Wait! Wait! You forgot your lunch!"
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