Specter Senses Emergency, Breaks Glass

There's some martial arts mumbo jumbo about the how best way to win a fight is to not get into one. That appears to be the cagey solution of Sen. Arlen Specter--avoid a possibly catastrophic primary battle by ditching the GOP. PLUS: avail yourself of all of the campaign funds, that will no doubt come pouring your way.

Well, played Mr. Specter, well played.

Anyway, there are actual principals at play too. Whatever those are--

"Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans."

Filibuster, be gone!

Things I Thought Only Happened on Fox Network Dramas . . .

A psychotic, pedophile cult leader, Juliano Verbard, has escaped from prison in French Polynesia. In an act of derring-do, he and his cohorts commandeered a helicopter and then flew it a few hundred yards (??) over the prison fence to waiting van.

Being a sociopath, however, and not a criminal mastermind, I'm willing to bet that Mr. Verbard's plans for, you know, getting of the island, aren't that well developed. Stay tuned.

For the Love of Bea

The crazy thing is that I was just talking with friends about Bea Arthur last night. Someone foolishly tried to challenge me on Golden Girls trivia . . . she thought Dick van Dyke dated Rose on the show. Silly rabbit.

Honestly, though, I'd say there is about a 10% chance that on any given day I have spoken to someone about Bea Arthur. That's kind of a ridiculously high likelihood, when you think about it. Not too far behind family members, friends, or a few particularly reviled coworkers.

The weekend after 9/11, my best friend and I flew to Washington D.C.--it was like a ghost town set of D.C.--to see Ms. Arthur in concert. It was just us and a bunch of old queens. She performed bare foot, and was spectacular.

In league only with Elaine Stritch (who also read for the Dorothy role on GG) Bea was truly one of the last, great of the gravelly-voiced dames.

Get Minxed . . . for Earth!

According to our friends at the The Local (NY Times Fort Greene/Clinton Hill blog) the only place in NYC to get the super-shiny, and semi-permanent Minx manicure is at DeLux on 704 Fulton, in Brooklyn. The look, sported by Beyonce in the Single Ladies video, "involves decals, not polish, and it lasts for 6 weeks without smudging or chipping."

So, I guess you could even say it's eco-friendly . . . eh, why not? And, by the way, NO DRYING TIME!

Honey is the resident Minxologist--call her at 212-920-1066 to set-up an appointment ($55)