You know the drill. We’re gonna dish the dirt from tonight’s Ford Dinner, for sure. But we’re gonna try something new-age-y and such. The Twitter machine!

We’re gonna embed this here Twitter code so you can read our updates from throughout the evening, as mashed in directly on our cellular telephonic device and maybe the fancy netbook we’ll have on-hand. We’ll maybe even include some scandalous pictures from our phone.

Then, once we get home, we’ll archive the full night in its entirety and update with better photos and such. Maybe we’ll even have video!

Oh, and just like last year… There are a few ways to curry favor with us: Free drink tickets, gossip, free drink tickets, just introduce yourself (especially if you’re an elected who routinely avoids us/someone we say mean things about) and (this is important) tell us how skinny we’re looking these days.

While you’re waiting for coverage to start, here’s last year’s Ford Dinner post.

Anyway, just start reading. Refresh the page every few minutes for updates.

Okeydoke… Here’s the archive of our Twitter feed from the night of the Wendell Ford Dinner:

5:15 - Heading to the annual Wendell Ford Dinner in a few. Will update throughout the evening and will publish photos and video. Drama & Fun!

6:17 - Ruh ro. Stupid ass Larry Clark just had the gall to use homophobic slurs about myself and Jonathan Hurst. What a pig fucker.

6:19 – Quite the crowd already! http://twitpic.com/7botx

7:04 – Gov ran right past. Heh. Everyone is here. Baaaaaad fashion, kids. Bad.

7:19 - Shorter Steve Beshear, “Larry Clark’s gonna pass gamblin!” Now Yarmuth is up. Longmeyer trashed Northup. Huge applause.

Peep the rest of the drama and the juicy, juicy after the jump…

7:25 – “we’re gonna turn things around…” praised dems. John Tanner from TN is up next.

7:26 – Yarmuth just won the Yarmuth-Chandler cup.

7:36 – Gov is hoverig nearby. Everyone says gambling will fail. Omg Greenwell’s dress. Haha.

7:39 – Gov waved at @johnsweber and shook @freelancehack’s hand. Didn’t acknowldge me. Very warm welcome! I’m between the two.

7:41 – God. Joni’s shoes are awesome. And she’s skinny.

7:48 – It’s kind of embarrassing that the local party is selling balloons. Um.

7:51 – Vegetarian option is def not low-carb. Huge chunk of meat in it, too. http://twitpic.com/7bz7a

7:54 – Oh noes. Larry Clark will pee. Yarmuth is chatting with Jonathan Hurst.

8:03 – Joni’s giving Lisa Tanner the young dem of the year award. Also, they stopped taking drink tickets. WTF.

8:05 – Some old dude just won something? There’s no more booze so I don’t care.

8:07 – Volunteers of the Year? Ray Crider! We love him. And Charlie Horton. Holla at the South End!

8:08 – @fakebillclinton nope. drinkin fail.

8:10 – Some other dude won the Crimmins award? Omg. It’s Danny Ross? Wasn’t he convicted and then pardoned?

8:11 – Joe Prather is conducting a live auction. Will anyone buy our ad spot in the silent?

8:13 – Flashback to the 70s. Joe is quite aged. Jennifer Moore is prancing around. Nightmares.

8:15 – He’s doing a real auction. Auctioneer voice and all. Might pass out.

8:16 – Feels like we’re at the stock yards.

8:23 – Dinner of champions?? http://twitpic.com/7c2yp

8:25 – Tony Lundauer’s white suit is AWESOME.

8:28 – Conway congratulated Mongiardo on the baby. Giving a great, non-boring speech about Wendell Ford.

8:30 – Great story about Ford spending 30min with him, McConnell only 30 seconds. Hilarity about Jim Bunning.

8:31 – Bill Clinton loves Kentucky and hopes Jim Bunning has at least one good day before he leaves the earth. Hahaha.

8:33 – Question: why is the mascot shitting stars? http://twitpic.com/7c442

8:34 – Jack says he’ll finally do something for the children. Dubya hated children. Jim Bunning eats them. The children!

8:36 – Applause for solving health care crisis. Jack says he’s “sanguine.” no one knows that that means.

8:38 – Oh snap! Lt Dan is up! Hey gurl, get on it. Let’s talk about the queers n the coal. And e health. That’ll save us.

8:40 – Lt Dan says he’s the only one who endorsed Obama. What about Yarmuth? Chandler? Says he’s not a professional politician.

8:42 – Says e health will fix the system. Gotta use universities. KY can fix the broken health care system.

8:44 – Cradle schools. Parents will teach kids what they need to know. Gotta pay teachers more. Who writes this mess???

8:46 – Says we gotta use more of what’s ours – and our oil and our natural gas and our coal – to save ourselves. everyone shaking their heads. ha

8:47 – “We can burn more coal cleanly and we will.” Everyone is talking amongst themselves. This clearly isn’t Dan’s crowd. Kinda feeling sorry.

8:47 – Something about adventure tourism and then something about Steve Beshear having Kentucky in great hands. Hrm. Transition of the night, yeah

8:48 – “Wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth.” Let’s not ask where the spoon was located.

8:49 – Only a couple folks standing to applaud Dan as he leaves stage. Yarmuth is up to introduce the dude from TN. Hope it’s not boring as hell.

8:50 – Yarmuth cracking jokes about playing golf with John Tanner. Old men laughing. There is no booze :(

8:52 – @freelancehack e health care is crazy important. But there’s not a damn thing we can do here in bumblefuck.

8:53 – Okay. Will John just shut up? He makes us love him more and more every time he speaks. Ugh.

8:56 – Alert! Joni’s table is filled with the hottest people in the joint. John, Drew, TIFFANY, everyone! Also the gayest table with Jonathan & me

8:57 – I don’t know what John Tanner is talking about. Does anyone even know who he is?

8:59 – “Trying to reform the health care system IS brain surgery!” Goes on to praise John Yarmuth & Louisville for sending him to D.C.

9:00 – “John is the best golfer in Congress, there’s no question about it. JFK was supposedly the best President.”

9:00 – Too many golf stories. All of the gays, ladies and people under 80 are confused.

9:01 – You know, Denise Harper Angel really is a sweet person. We’ll just blame Jennifer for that mess last year.

9:02 – Is this guy old enough to be telling WWI stories? He seems funny. Bet Tanner is fun to hang out with.

9:05 – Details are important. Check this fancy donkey confetti. http://twitpic.com/7c7s0

9:06 – If there was just a little more alcohol, I could probably dance and sing. Or maybe not.

9:07 – “Govt must invest in human capital. There is no nation in history that remains strong with an unhealthy, uneducated population. Not poss.”

9:08 – @DavidAdamsinKY Are you talking about Frank Simon Teabagging, Inc?

9:08 – Lots of applause for Tanner as he exits the stage. Everyone standing. We need more like him. Minus the boring golf crap.

9:09 – YAY! CLOSING SPEAKER!!! It’s Wendell Ford! He’s really alive! Maybe he’ll make a bad joke or something awesome.

9:10 – Have I mentioned that the Crowne Plaza is seriously magical on the inside these days? Exec West was a shit hole. This is amazing. Really.

9:10 – Wendell praising John Yarmuth. “John Yarmuth is a special person. Where he came from, I don’t know, but when he got there he made impact!”

9:11 – “The next United States senator from Kentucky is in this room tonight.”

9:11 – “I’m gonna let you all have at it. But I’ll bless you when you get here.”

9:12 – “We’re gonna put Kentucky where it outta be and Governor Beshear is gonna be our leader.” Except not, because he has no idea how to lead.

9:13 – “40 years ago I helped Louisville stick it to those awful bitches in Frankfort.” (paraphrased)

9:14 – “Louisville is the heart and soul of the Democratic party in this state.” What was that again Lt Dan says about Louisville hurting Jack?

9:15 – “Democrat Party.” First time of the night. Joni didn’t even screw it up. One time is a record for this crowd.

9:16 – Crazy standing applause for Sen. Wendell Ford as he heads off the stage. Well-loved man. It’s great to see him out and about.

9:16 – OMG OMG OMG TONY LINDAUER SINGING MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME!!! ALERT!!!

9:16 – @rkahne You love me!

9:17 – All kinds of drunks mumbling the words to My Old Kentucky Home. I only know the gay part. Everyone is laughing. Woops. Guess I needa stand

9:25 – Heading to have drinks with some controversial Democrats. Larry Clark would blow a gasket.