How do you turn the traditional neo-Nazi march that passes through your small town every year into a good thing? If you're the residents of Wunsiedel, in Bavaria, Germany, you turn their hate parade into an involuntary walkathon, so that every step they take raises more money for an anti-fascist charity.
Antonio Villaraigosa, the absentee publicity whore mayor of Los Angeles, will not be heading to Washington. Villaraigosa was up on stage behind Barack Obama during last month's introduction of the magic economy-fixing team of advisors, for reasons that were utterly unclear (the man's financial expertise begins and ends with his ability to leverage an ineffective mayoralty into political superstardom). According to Antonio, he totally had a serious conversation with the president-elect about a possible appointment, but (once again according to Antonio) he turned Obama down.
Barack Obama's Treasury Secretary pick made the stocks jump! We're all saved! Drudge calls New York Fed President Tim Geithner "The Man Who Can Save Economy?" (Family Love Geithner!) Geithner worked, obviously, at the Treasury Department that helped create this mess, in the Bob Rubin and Larry Summers days. His background is solid "didn't foresee this in retrospect obvious problem" economist, what with his IMF and Group of Thirty stints, just like everyone else considered for the job. Woman-hater Larry Summers will still probably do something in an Obama administration. Meanwhile comical New Mexico governor Bill Richardson will be our Commerce Secretary, because he's clearly bored in New Mexico. Hillary Clinton is still dithering about her job offer, and Obama will apparently finally announce that whole thing after Thanksgiving.
Guys we LOVE our new governor! Thank Roger Stone the abrasive other guy got caught up in that hooker thing because that's really the only way we could've ended up with this awesome black and blind dude who is compulsively honest. AND, it turns out, gay-friendly! He decided the state of the New York would recognize gay marriages performed in California, and he compared the gay rights battle to the African-American civil rights battle, which, as the Times notes, "put him at odds with some black leaders, who bristle at such comparisons." Yes, they do. Why did Governor Paterson do it?
Last seen on the streets of New York and in Bellevue hospital with a collapsed lung and on methadone (and in 2004's extremely awesome Blade: Trinity with Parker Posey which was so good even though Natasha couldn't really walk or anything and Parker was all "Look at me, I'm getting paid bitches!"), Natasha Lyonne is making her major comeback! In a new Mike Leigh play, to be directed by extreme Mike Leigh enthusiast Scott Elliott of the New Group. This is nothing short of miraculous. Welcome back, Natasha, you dog-molestation threatening extremely extremely troubled young person! We're thrilled.
