It wasn't the Oscars, but it was a close second.

Gov. Beverly Perdue hobnobbed with other governors in the State Dining Room of the White House Sunday. Instead of Sean Penn and Kate Winslet, they heard from President Obama and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell.

Perdue, who skipped the president's inauguration to focus on work, said it was "a real privilege" to represent North Carolina.

"I don't have a bar to compare it to," she said. "It was very inviting — very beautiful, wonderful food, wonderful music, and the president spoke so eloquently. Everybody was dolled up, so it was a real special night."

Perdue sat with Govs. Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming, Brad Henry of Oklahoma and Jon Huntsman of Utah under a seating arrangement designed to bridge partisan and geographic boundaries.

She also met with other female Democratic governors, including potential Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is scheduled to speak to the Cleveland County Republican Party for its Reagan Day Dinner Feb. 20.

The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the North Lake Country Club in Shelby.

Huntsman, a Republican and former U.S. diplomat, was elected governor in 2004. He has helped enact record tax cuts while directing new funding for education, according to a news release from the Cleveland Republicans

Huntsman holds a bachelors degree form the University of Pennsylvania. He was a White House staff assistant to President Reagan and has held senior appointments in the U.S. Commerce and State departments. He speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese.