Caroline Kennedy

The who's who of DC gathered at the Kennedy Center tonight to wish Senator Ted Kennedy a happy 77th birthday. Bill Cosby hosted the event, and Lauren Bacall, Bernadette Peters, and James Taylor performed for the audience. Cosby wasn't the only person to make a joke. Teddy's niece Caroline, who saw her dreams of being a lawmaker fail this year, quipped: "I never thought I'd be in a room with so many senators."

One of those senators, Claire McCaskill, was in the audience, and shared the event with her followers on Twitter. She tweeted: "The Pres arrived at the end to lead us in singing Happy Birthday to Ted. Happy & sad."

Happy Birthday, Mr. Senator.

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• As most of you hoped, George Clooney will be returning to ER for one more episode. He is filming with his love interest Julianna Margulies today and tomorrow in LA, and it is expected to air in February. — Life & Style
• Barack Obama retook his oath of office last night with Chief Justice John Roberts in "an abundance of caution," since the words were messed up at the inauguration. — CitizenSugar
• Dakota Fanning is rumored to be talking to New Moon executives about playing the role of Jane, starring opposite Robert Pattinson in the upcoming Twilight sequel. — E! Online
• The Travolta family are alleged victims of a $20 million extortion attempt after people in the Bahamas supposedly threatened John saying they have information about Jett's death. Contrary to initial reports, it is not regarding photos of Jett dying. — TMZ
• Kelly Rutherford and her husband will have to testify in court for their custody case today, as a judge determines the best course of action for their son, Hermes. — Us Weekly
• Caroline Kennedy withdrew herself from the running for Hillary Clinton's senate seat. There are conflicting reports as to why she did this, although most say it was for personal reasons. — Huffington Post

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Most voters in New York don't want Caroline Kennedy to represent them in the US Senate. A new poll shows only 24 percent of voters back Caroline's bid, compared to 31 percent who want her rival, State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, to get Hillary's spot. Lucky for Caroline, unlike most wannabe senators, she doesn't have to court the voters. She only has one person to convince — Gov. Paterson.

Just in case you think the unpopularity of JFK's daughter is a backlash against legacies (can't get a more political name than Clinton or Kennedy), rival Cuomo has a political pedigree, too. His father Mario Cuomo served as NY governor from 1983 to 1994. And it gets better: his ex-wife, Kerry Kennedy, is the daughter of Bobby Kennedy. I think this race just got personal.

Considering the volatility of polls, do you think the opinions of 1,664 voters polled should sway the governor's decision?

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Sarah sat down with conservative filmmaker John Ziegler this week and dished big time on the media, viewers, Tina Fey, and Caroline Kennedy. She said she thinks the media and women like Katie Couric and Tina Fey have been “capitalizing on” and “exploiting” her.

I did see that Tina Fey was named entertainer of the year and Katie Couric’s ratings have risen. And I know that a lot of people are capitalizing on, oh I don’t know, perhaps some exploiting that was done via me, my family, my administration. That’s a little bit perplexing, but it also says a great deal about our society.

Palin also said she believes Caroline Kennedy, who is pursuing a New York Senate seat, is getting lighter press treatment than Palin did as the vice-presidential nominee because of Kennedy’s social class. She doesn't hold back — you can watch the video for yourself when you, read more

If NY Gov. Paterson appoints Caroline Kennedy to the US Senate, not only will she avoid an election (for now), but she will also dodge a requirement to file a 10-part, public report filled with details about her financial assets, credit card debt, mortgages, book deals, and any source of payments over $5,000 in the last three years. Theoretically, Caroline could disclose the usual information in a gesture of transparency; instead, she says she will wait to comply with disclosure requirements until after she is chosen as senator, if she is chosen at all.

Little is known about Kennedy's personal finances, except for the assumption that she is wealthy. According to the New York Times, while working for the New York City Department of Education, she declined a salary, which exempted her from disclosure rules. While I can't blame anyone for wanting some privacy, I'm not sure she'll find much working as a US senator.

Since she's going to release them at some point if she gets the job, do you think Caroline should disclose her financial records now for appearance's sake?

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• Politics: Caroline Kennedy is no Sarah Palin? Conservative Kathleen Parker seizes up Caroline Kennedy in comparison to Sarah Palin, concluding that you need less experience to be a senator than VP. — Huffington Post
• Inauguration: Is Rick Warren the least of progressives' problems? Find out why some people are going to be even more furious when they find out the full day's schedule. — 23/6
• Globalization: Diet for a small planet? Check out how globalization is affecting the way we all eat. — Good
• Sex: Did you know yesterday was the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers? Check out pictures from a demonstration in San Francisco. — SFist

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