The Rundown

I haven't done one of these in awhile. When it rains Palin news, it pours.

First up, Jay Leno.

I thought it was great. Her fans loved it, her haters probably hated it, and those in the middle had things like this to say:

Sarah Palin rocks!

Sarah Palin should never come as close as she did to commanding the world stage as vice president of the United States. But if the Tea Partying former governor of Alaska wants to grace the late-night or talk show stage, I'll be a faithful watcher.

Palin's comfort in front of the camera and with the material, not to mention her don't-mess-with-me jeans-and-heels outfit, made Palin a feast for the eyes and ears. Imagine her hurling zingers at Democrats, elites, Hollywood, mainstream media and Washington from the safety of an air-conditioned studio with an adoring audience. It would be great. Palin would command a killer salary that would cement her family's financial security. Most importantly, it would keep her away from the national political stage, an arena for which she is nowhere near prepared.

Little by little, she's wearing them down.

It cracks me up when people say Palin's not qualified. The guy in the White House right now was nowhere near qualified. And Palin was going for the bottom slot, not the top. For the record, John McCain is still alive and his heart is beating just fine.

And now for some pics:

According to Ryan Seacrest, Palin and the kids swung by American Idol after the Leno taping:

In the audience tonight at idol? @sarahpalinusa and her kids...she came over after taping Leno. You wont see her on camera but she was there.

Cool. Bristol's taping for her TV appearance, so it all fit together nicely.

While Bristol was working, Sarah, Willow, and Tripp (maybe Piper, but they didn't mention her) swung by the Silver Spoon Oscar Suite. It sounds like a celebrity auction of sorts. E! Online wrote a hit piece that sounded like it could have come from McCain staffers.

The funny thing is that their "source" claimed that Sarah "wouldn't let anyone take her picture or do any interviews." Then they posted this:

Oh, yes. It looks like the evil woman is ready to rip the camera right out of the poor guy's hands! And the people in the background look so angry at that horrible Diva!

More pictures that Palin wouldn't let anyone take are found here -

Oh, yeah. I believe that E!Online source. MmHm.

The LA Times had a much more balanced view of the affair:

Benefiting the Red Cross, the swag suite snagged the former vice presidential candidate for photo ops and gifting from beauty and luxury sponsors. At the Interior Illusions store in West Hollywood, Palin received jewels from Pascal Mouawad, watches by Skagen and Unite hair care products.

I'm told the oft-parodied politico donated all of her gift items back to the Silver Spoon for auction, as well as about $1,700 of her own cash, in support of multiple Red Cross efforts, including those in Haiti and Chile.

Palin's middle child, Willow, got her hair styled, receiving a blowout from Erick Orellana of the Chris McMillan Salon (Jennifer Aniston's longtime hairstylist).

It's also rumored that Palin is pitching a mini-series on Alaska:

Sarah Palin, TV producer? Multiple sources confirm that Palin and uber-reality show producer Mark Burnett have been making the rounds in Hollywood this week to pitch a TV docudrama about Alaska. One source called it a “planet-Earth type look” at Palin’s home state.

The former candidate for the vice presidency was seen leaving ABC today with Burnett, and an insider confirmed that she met with reality topper Mike Darnell yesterday at Fox (where she and her family ended the day by visiting American Idol. Palin stayed in the green room). She also stopped by CBS today and plans to meet with NBC Universal TV Chairman Jeff Gaspin tomorrow.

Because the people she was reportedly talking to specialize in reality shows, the assumption is that this would be a reality show. It doesn't sound like it to me. To me, it sounds more like a big commercial for Alaska with maybe some Palin in it so that people will watch.

One major hang-up for Sarah has been that people really don't know anything about Alaska, so they just assume she was Governor of three people and a polar bear. In order to know Sarah Palin, you must know Alaska. Alaska is what shaped her.

It would be awesome if they could work in things like ANWR and the pipeline. And I'm sure things like the Iron Dog and the Iditarod will make cameos. I see huge potential, but we'll see if it ever gets beyond the planning stage.

She took some time out to pitch for the Iditarod website recently:

She's also working on a second book. Good gravy, this woman is busy.

Oh, what else...

Remember when I said that my calculator had Levi owing more along the lines of $20,000 in back child support? Well, the judge recrunched the numbers and has now determined that Levi owes $21,500. Well, there ya go.

In more serious news, the Calgary Herald has a good article up about the Arctic natural gas conference. TransCanada and the Denali pipeline guys were both there and debated over who's gasline project would be better. I personally think the best solution would be to merge the two. Have both lines. But that's just me. What do I know about natural gas? Not much.

To finish off the morning, an excellent write-up by a gal who met Sarah on the street, and really "dug" her:
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Sarah Palin, My Unexpected New BFF -

Yesterday a friend and I had a meeting together in the valley. I arrived before he did, so I decided to sit outside and wait since it was such a beautiful day. As I sat in the sun, I saw a women chatting with a gentleman a few feet away. I thought I recognized her, but was not sure.

I saw my friend approaching, so I got up and walked towards him. As I passed the woman, I got a good look and realized I was looking at Sarah Palin. I hugged my friend and we turned to walk into the building, when I abruptly stopped, turned around, and went to say hello.

Let me begin by saying that Sarah Palin is beautiful. Not just pretty, but really beautiful. She has gorgeous hair, fabulous teeth, magnificent skin, and a killer body. She is really tiny, feminine and simply stunning. She is very approachable, so I decided to go in.

To clarify, I don’t agree with her politics. That said, her politics have nothing to do with my blog. This is America and she can believe what she wants, as can everyone else, myself included. I approached her because I like her as a woman. We are both ballsy ladies, mothers, and similar in age.

I introduced myself and told her that I thought she was entertaining on Leno the night before. I don’t actually watch Leno, and never will again, but I had seen a ton of clips online. Sidebar: Jay Leno is a baby, and a putz, and I hope Conan has sweet success and revenge.

So anyway, I tell her that I think she is a hoot, and while we are very different in our political views, I think she is a great broad, and I would enjoy hanging out with her. I love her as a woman, which is hard for people who feel strongly about her politics, to understand.

She asked me what my name was, what I did for a living, what my deal was in general. I told her about my kid, my blog, and my search for love. She asked for the link to my blog so she could read it, and mentioned that her sister was also in her 40’s, single, and looking for love.

We spoke about how hard it is to be single, and she related because her sister is in the same boat. I wonder what is harder to do: find a nice Jewish guy in Los Angeles, who is not looking for a Barbie, or finding a nice guy in Wasilla, Alaska, where everyone knows everyone? Both are small pools, but I think my chances are harder!

In speaking with her, I quickly forgot who she was in terms of her work, and what she stands for, and was able to see her as just another woman. It was like being with a girlfriend. She was funny and engaging. I must tell you, I liked her. At the risk of sounding too Californian, she has a good energy, and made me feel instantly comfortable.

We talked about glasses and purses. I asked her if we could take a picture and she was lovely. Someone from her group took the picture, and as he was getting the phone ready, I told her I normally take off my glasses for pictures, and she said, “Don’t you dare!” It was a great moment.
She wished me well, gave me a hug and told me she would look at the blog and pass the link onto her sister. To her sister Molly McCann, hello! Your sister is fantastic, and looking out for you. We need to compare notes about being single, and the struggles to meet good, decent men.

My encounter with Ms. Palin was unexpected, and very enlightening. Women have a lovely connection to each other. We may not have the same experiences or viewpoints, but we can relate to each other, and have other women in our lives who we can draw parallels to.

So Ms. Palin, apart from being annoyed that you are so skinny, pretty, funny, and have a yummy husband, I dug you. It was a great pleasure meeting you. I’m sending good wishes to Molly that we both meet our Prince Charming. For my son, myself, for the troops, and for America, I will continue to keep the faith.