David Paterson unveiled a new look today. Gone is the salt-and-pepper beard which has long been the governor's trademark; it's been replaced by a much trendier mustache. Could the change have had anything to do with the 'stache that Brad Pitt insisted on keeping for Inglourious Basterds, which the Times suggested has helped to revive interest in the look? If so, the governor isn't saying. "When asked Monday why he shaved the beard he's had for as long as anyone remembers around Albany, he joked it came down to "more cutbacks." [NYP]

Last Friday, David Paterson insinuated that he was the victim of racial bias, suggesting that a racially motivated campaign had been organized to keep him from running for governor this fall. A good deal of criticism immediately followed (and today Paterson attempted to back away from his remarks). But if Paterson had been planning to stick with that line of attack over the weekend and possibly coordinate a march on Albany with Al Sharpton, well, that doesn't appear to have been on his agenda. A few hours after raising the race issue on Friday, he cruised out to Water Mill to attend a country western-themed fundraiser at the home of author Jay McInerney and heiress Anne Hearst, where he had an opportunity to play a little charity blackjack with the likes of Kathy Hilton and Countess Luann de Lesseps. And you were thinking that the Hamptons tended to be exclusionary! A few more photos of Gov. Paterson's fun-filled Friday night below.

Failed presidential candidate and "America's mayor" Rudy Giuliani has been shuffling around New York to shuck up support for a potential Gubernatorial run come 2010, but should really reconsider. Because, honestly, his dreams will likely be squashed. Thus, a warning....

Gov. David Paterson has finally figured out why New Yorkers don't like him. It's because he's black! And now the "white-dominated media" is pushing him to bow out of the face for governor next fall: "My feeling is it's being orchestrated, it's a game, and people who pay attention know that." Sure, Americans may have put a black man in the White House last fall. And, sure, New York may be one of the most liberal states in the country. But presumably suggesting it's all about race is a better strategy than copping to the fact that people don't like you because you're incompetent. [NYDN]

Dennis Hof sure is a generous man. The owner of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Nevada plans to offer hundreds of elected politicians across the country a little pick-me-up with a "government assistance program," which involves him mailing out what he calls "good time party passes" to every senator, congressman and governor in America.

Gov. Paterson was seen partying at the Taj Lounge in Chelsea on Wednesday night. Is this going to turn into a campaign issue this fall? Probably not, unfortunately. When the Post's he Fred Dicker asked Andrew Cuomo about the governor's night on the town on the radio this morning, Cuomo resisted the urge to take a shot at him: "The way I heard it, you know, what the governor was doing was totally appropriate. He was at a party. He was celebrating somebody's birthday... He's come to birthday celebrations for me... From the facts that I heard, I thought it was totally appropriate." [NYDN]

• Governor David Paterson's nightspot of choice? That would be the Taj Lounge on West 21st Street, at least if last night was any indication. [Gawker, NYO]
• A look around Agua Dulce, which opened for dinner this week. [GS]
• The Max Brenner outpost in the East Village has closed. [Gothamist]
• Matthew Schaefer, the chef at Danny Abrams' Mermaid Inn, is out. [GS]
• A symptom o' the times: Ads are appearing on bills these days. [Eater]
• One more: private dining rooms are now an "endangered species." [Crain's]
• Organic food isn't any healthier for you than non-organic food, according to a new study. So you may want to think twice about paying $11 a tomato. [NYDN]
• The House approved a set of new food safety laws today. [NYT]

Our old friend Tionna Smalls just messaged us to say that she's partying at Taj on West 21st along with the Governor of New York, about whom Tionna says, "He need to get his ass home."

Former Star reporter Kate Major's definitely one kind of whore, the other, not so sure. Whorebaiting gov'nuhs, too! Walter Cronkite, here? Yeah. Also: Frank McCourt. Paris Hilton, the Chelsea Hotel, some Indie Rock FAIL. Presenting your Sunday Morning Gossip Roundup:

"The New York Senate voted Thursday to outlaw using portable electronic devices to text, play games or surf the Web while driving. The Assembly had approved the measure earlier. It sets fines up to $150 for using handheld devices or laptops to send text messages or read, view or transmit images or data while a vehicle is moving. Gov. David Paterson is expected to sign it." [Newsday]

Was the absurd stalemate in Albany not quite enough drama for you? Great, because more of it is coming your way: "In a shocking and legally questionable effort to end the month-old Senate stalemate, Governor Paterson is considering naming a lieutenant governor today during a 5 p.m. televised address, sources said. Such an appointment would defy the advice of the state's attorney general and decades of accepted legal wisdom that a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor could not be filled until the next statewide election." [NYP]

Gov. David Paterson may have the lowest approval ratings in the history of state politics—one recent poll found that just 21 percent of voters said they have a favorable view of him, compared to a 26 percent favorability rating for disgraced ex-governor Eliot Spitzer—but Paterson is about to change all that. He's landed the sort of boldface supporter that politicians dream about. It seems none other than Star Jones will be hosting a "sunset cocktail reception" for Paterson on July 11 in Wainscott. Prepare yourself for some major momentum when the next batch of poll numbers are released. [NYDN]

So. What's up in Albany? Nothing. Nothing at all. It has actually been too depressing to even occasionally update you. Well, it's also been kind of funny. But now something might happen!

Has the stalemate in Albany been boring you to tears? Allow Kevin Parker to liven things up. The Democratic state senator called Gov. David Paterson a "coke-snorting, staff-banging governor" today after Paterson ordered the Senate to continue working out their differences, rather than go home for the weekend. Parker has had his anger management issues in the past: He's the same guy who attacked a Post photographer outside his home in Brooklyn back in May. But you won't find much of Parker's bitterness on his website. The most recent story? "Senator Parker Donates Prom Dresses To High School Teens At Annual Prom Dress Giveaway." [NYDN]

Gov. David Paterson has never generated positive poll numbers, but every time the numbers reach a new low, another month passes and they get even worse. According to a survey conducted by the New York Times, Cornell, and NY1—the same one that found that while people generally like Michael Bloomberg, a majority aren't interested in having him serve a third term—just 21 percent of New York voters say they have a favorable view of Paterson, compared to a 26 percent favorability rating for Eliot Spitzer, and seven in 10 respondents said Paterson did not deserve to be elected in 2010. There was one bright spot for the governor who has vowed to make gay marriage legal in New York: Forty-six percent say they favor same-sex marriages, up from 38 percent a year ago. [NYT, previously]

Hey, David Paterson won a political battle! But he did it on a Friday afternoon, so no one will notice, or care.

Good news, gambling addicts with houses in the Hamptons! The Shinnecock Indian Nation is one step closer towards gaining official recognition from the federal government, a designation that would permit the tribe to open a casino. In Southampton. And they've already reached out to Gov. David Paterson to get the ball rolling!

Governor David Paterson turns 55 today. Cher is 63. Newsweek editor Jon Meacham is turning 40. NBC chief legal correspondent Dan Abrams is turning 43. Busta Rhymes is 37. The Food Network's Ted Allen is 44. Interior designer Stephen Sills turns 58. Joe Cocker is 65. Ron Reagan, the son of Ronald and Nancy Reagan, is 51. Former Yankee David Wells turns 46. And Cindy McCain is turning 55 today.

Remember how Vanity Fair said Caroline Kennedy's kids made her stop running for Senate, and we were all "nuh uh"? She went on the TV to prove us right!

Just when you thought Gov. David Paterson couldn't be any less popular than he already is, he goes and surprises us yet again! A new Marist poll finds that just 19 percent of voters approve of the job the governor has been doing, a seven-point drop compared to his approval numbers last month. Even worse: Andrew Cuomo, who may go up against Paterson in the Democratic gubernatorial primary next year, is the state's most popular politician with 70 percent of the public saying he's doing a "good" or "excellent" job as attorney general. To Paterson's credit, about half the people polled said he was performing nicely when it came to combating the whole swine flu thing. But since few people could actually explain what he was doing to prevent the epidemic from spreading, we're guessing it may not be the most comforting consolation prize. [NYDN]