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ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. David Paterson on Monday lashed back at what he called a "callous and sleazy" assault on his character in statehouse rumors and media reports that include accusations about womanizing and drug use, allegations he flatly denied.

The Democratic governor told The Associated Press that the media and New York politics have hit new lows, but that the situation won't stop him from serving in office or seeking election to a full term in the fall.

He cited as fabricated a Jan. 30 New York Post report that he was caught by state police in the mansion with a woman other than his wife. He said the room in which he was reportedly caught doesn't even exist.

"We stand by our reporting," Post spokeswoman Suzi Halpin said.

The rumors about Paterson's personal conduct have been circulating in Albany – and sometimes appearing online and in newspaper reports – at a crucial moment in the governor's career. His popularity has fallen precipitously, but he has vowed to run for re-election, even though many Democrats would prefer the state attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, to run in his place.

Washington Democrats have sent a clear message that Paterson should step aside for Cuomo. They are concerned that a weak top of the ticket could hurt other Democrats, including Kirsten Gillibrand, whom Paterson appointed to fill the seat vacated when Hillary Rodham Clinton became secretary of state.

In his interview with the AP, Paterson would address most allegations only broadly but denied all sexual relationships and drug use that are among the accusations.

He said he hasn't been involved sexually with another woman since he and his wife separated more than a decade ago, an admission he made upon taking office 23 months ago. He also said he hasn't used drugs since his early 20s.

Paterson said the rumors have portrayed him as a fan of frequent partying, but he said that aside from fundraisers and official functions, he doesn't go out much – and noted that he has eaten away from home or outside the executive mansion in Albany only five times in his tenure.

"For the last couple of weeks I have been the subject of what, even by Albany standards, has been a spate of outrageous rumors about me," Paterson told the AP.

He said the rumors had been stirred up by an as-yet unpublished New York Times investigation "that spawned a bunch of speculations that are so way out that it's shocking," he said. He said he now fears that all reporters are "stretching the bounds of journalism" in a race to get anyone to confirm a vicious rumor about him.

New York Times spokeswoman Diane McNulty declined to comment on the governor's remarks.

"There is an accountability that should exist in the media," Paterson said. "How do I get my reputation back? Because I don't believe I have done anything to deserve this kind of bashing."

He said it has distracted him from the state's fiscal crisis and tense budget negotiations with legislators, and from defending his veto of what he considers the Legislature's weak ethics reforms.

He said he is unsure who pushed the rumors and wouldn't speculate, saying "that would be just as unfair ... but it is certainly serving others' interest and not mine, and I think it's a callous and sleazy way to treat a governor who is just trying to do his job and, in a democracy, is trying to keep his job."

Paterson ascended to the job in 2008 when Eliot Spitzer resigned amid a prostitution scandal. When he became governor, Paterson admitted he had been unfaithful to his wife in an attempt to head off questions about his personal life.

He said he doesn't think he was targeted because he is New York's first black governor, but acknowledged that the allegations played to stereotypes about black men.

State Police Superintendent Harry Corbitt said Monday that he's unaware of any troopers, including Paterson's security detail, who have seen the governor do anything illegal.

After testifying before lawmakers Monday, Corbett described rumors of a looming scandal as "a move afoot" to pressure the Democrat into not running for election this fall.

Corbitt, who was nominated for his post by Paterson in 2008, says the transfers last week of about 10 troopers from the executive services detail, which protects the governor and guards the executive mansion and some state offices has nothing to do with press reports suggesting women and drug use at the mansion.

___

Associated Press writers Michael Virtanen and Valerie Bauman contributed to this report.

I never understood why Hugh Hefner's pacemaker skipped two beats for his ex-girlfriends The Shannon Twins. They were so below average on every level to me. I figured he liked the choo choo choo noises they made when they spoon fed him. But after seeing these pictures of them at Playboy's Super Bowl party this past weekend, I now see what Hef sees. Like me, Hef has a soft spot for Fresno meth hooker hair circa 1987 (aka "chola going to spring formal" hair aka 90s teen mom hair aka Sav-On cashier hair).

This is the kind of hair you get when all you've got is a travel-sized bottle of gel and a gas station sink. When your trick gets a little too carried away and sprays the party all over your hair, simply rinse it off in a sink (a garden hose will do too), shake the water out, apply a generous amount of gel and scrunch your way to instant glamour! In just a few minutes, you'll look just like these two day-shift pussy peddlers.

I should've never doubted Hef's cataract encrusted eye. He knows what's good.

Here's the other junkies, tramps and thieves who showed up for the potato buffet at the Playboy Mansion yesterday. They are: Mini-Me, Chuy, The Two Coreys, The New Landers Sisters, Daisy de la Whora, nuns from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels and Brittania from Rock of Love Bus.

The gaypocalypse has occurred. So what if the judge in the fed Prop 8 trial is gay? As far as I know, being gay hasn't stopped some gay people from being homophobic, or voting for Republican, or even liking vanilla over strawberry ice cream.

As usual, NOM's Brian Brown sees a homoconspiracy here where there is none. Note that there is no mention of the pitiful case and the ludicrous testimony of witnesses defending discrimination and Prop 8. And what about religion anyway - is a Christian judge not capable of rendering a pro-gay verdict?

That's a big fat accusation of unprofessional conduct NOM is lobbing, and it could turn around and bite them in the ass, after all, how many SCOTUS justices are Catholic? Is that relevant, Brian?

From: Brian Brown <bbrown@nationformarriage.org>
Date: Mon, Feb 8, 2010 at 5:54 PM
Subject: Got Bias? San Francisco Chronicle Reports Prop 8 Judge Vaughn Walker is Gay

Got Bias? SF Chronicle Reports Prop 8 Judge Vaughn Walker is Gay

February 8, 2010

Dear Friend of Marriage, In a story this Sunday (Feb. 7), the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Prop 8 Judge Vaughn Walker is gay and called his orientation, "The biggest open secret in the landmark trial over same-sex marriage." We have no idea whether the report is true or not. But we do know one really big important fact about Judge Walker: He's been an amazingly biased and one-sided force throughout this trial, far more akin to an activist than a neutral referee. That's no secret at all. Protect Marriage, the defendants in this case are effectively being held hostage by Judge Walker and cannot really comment. But Judge Walker's bias from the bench includes: A series of rulings permitting deep and deeply irrelevant "fishing expeditions" into the private and personal motivations and secret campaign strategy of campaign proponents. It wasn't six guys at Protect Marriage that passed Prop 8 it was 7 million Californians. But Judge Walker went so far as to order the Prop 8 campaign to disclose private internal communications about messages that were considered for public use but never actually used. He even ordered the campaign to turn over copies of all internal records and e-mail messages relating to campaign strategy. Even though the Prop 8 supporters were forced to turn over private, internal documents and emails, Walker has refused to demand the same from opponents of the measure. In fact, Walker has refused to even rule on a motion to compel the discovery of this information, even though he has already closed testimony in the case. That alone is an unbelievable tilting of the playing field. Walker has presided over a show trial designed to generate sympathetic headlines and news coverage for gay marriage supporters. Witness after witness was allowed to testify about their "expert" opinion that homosexuals have been discriminated against, that they feel badly when society does not validate their relationships, and that the passage of Prop 8 was simply an echo of historic prejudice and bigotry foisted on society by religious zealots. To show the lengths that Walker has gone to create a "record" favoring the plaintiffs, he even allowed one "expert" witness -- a gay man from Colorado who has never lived in California and was never exposed to any Prop 8 campaign messages -- to testify that his parents' efforts to change his sexual orientation failed.  But the most egregious, and damaging, of all of Judge Walker's rulings was his determination to violate federal rules to broadcast his show trial worldwide. The US Supreme Court eventually blocked Walker's efforts (and rapped his biased knuckles sharply!) finding that he improperly changed the rules "at the eleventh hour" in violation of federal law. (Unfortunately, however, but by the time the Supreme Court issued a permanent stay two days into trial, the supporters of Prop 8 had already lost two-thirds of their expert witnesses who feared retaliation from the publicity). Judge Walker's bias has been so extreme, he's earned a rare judicial "twofer." Key elements of his "fishing expedition" rulings were already reversed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (notably one of the most liberal in the nation) and the Supreme Court had to step in to block his illegal attempt to broadcast the trial. It is highly unusual for a higher court to have to intercede in a trial judge's handling of a trial while it is going on -- yet Walker has had that "distinction" twice in the same case -- and we're not yet even at closing arguments.  There's only one saving grace to Judge Walker's bias. It's so big, and so obvious, not only the American public but the Supreme Court itself is already aware we have bias in the trial judge presiding.

Faithfully, Brian S. Brown Executive Director National Organization for Marriage 20 Nassau Street, Suite 242 Princeton, NJ  08542 bbrown@nationformarriage.org

©2010 National Organization for Marriage.

Wow. It must be pretty bad if even the network is saying enough is enough. It's not like they're ones to turn down publicity.

The head honchos at MTV are reportedly pulling the plug on the cast of Jersey Shore and all of the club appearances they've been making because they're afraid of overexposure!

WTF??

A source claims:

"MTV has told the 'Jersey Shore' crew they can only do two personal appearances a week, and that all of their gigs have to be approved by producers. They've threatened the cast that they will be fined if they flout the rules — but some don't care and are blatantly going ahead to earn as much cash as they possibly can."

Another source says:

"We have to put in controls to protect the brand. We don't want them out all over the map at every single bar in the country. They have to get permission from MTV prior to doing a personal appearance — we don't want one of these kids appearing in a topless bar. Pauly D's fan base is about 85 percent women between 12 and 21, we have to protect that."

Oh, goodness, yes. You don't want to ruin the cast's squeaky clean image!

Michael Schweiger, who manages the cast with the exception of our beloved Snookerdoodle, says:

"We're incredibly busy. It's a hell of a ride right now. This is something like America hasn't seen before as far as reality TV goes. Rather than let it run like a train out of control, there has to be some rules put in place."

We don't think there's much about the show that would fit the term 'in control,' so we think they just want to keep the cast under their lock and key so they don't bring their business elsewhere! This is not going to end well.

What do U think??? Should the cast of Jersey Shore be allowed to run rampant??

[Image via WENN.]

Good for you! See what happens when you shave off the Captain Caveman beard!

Joaquin Phoenix was seen out grabbing some take-out with a PYT Saturday afternoon in Hollywood.

Just another tiny step to returning to normal!

[Image via National Photo Group.]

This will make house #3 for the Parker-Broderick clan near the Long Island shoreline.

Perhaps its time to look to other places for real estate.

Sources say that Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick quietly bought another home on Long Island's East End, dropping $5.8 million on the humble abode.

The couple is reportedly bringing the whole brood to the new place in June, when Matthew starts filming a new NBC pilot about an author hired to run a Hamptons newspaper.

Snooze! We'll skip that.

But hey, do you think they bought the third house to be fair to the kids? A beachfront house for each of them for when they grow up?!

That'll be one hell of a graduation gift!

[Image via WENN.]

Another one? And it even features her shiteous extensions on the cover!

Kate Gosselin is releasing a third book on April 13 entitled I Just Want You to Know: Letters to My Kids on Love, Faith and Family. The book will have prayers, journal excerpts and letters to each of her children.

Kate says of the book:

"Each day the thought crosses my mind that when they get older, my kids are going to look back and think about how they were raised. I know they will have a lot of questions about things that may not make sense because they were raised so unconventionally.

"I don’t want them to grow up and wonder; I want them to know without a shadow of a doubt how much I love them and how much every sacrifice made was worth it for them."

We're pretty sure you could write them letters without publicly publishing them for profit.

So why don't you just admit you want to make another quick buck!

Will U be reading Kate's latest?

Lucky bitch still has her hands on that sexy Swede!

Kate Bosworth and rumored boyfriend Alexander Skarsgard were spotted on the tented patio of the Chateau Marmont in El Lay with a big group, but the actress was paying particular attention to the True Blood star.

Stealing kisses and sitting next to each other, the pair of them were PDA-ing like crazy even rubbing each other's backs. But not ignoring the rest of the party, ASkars was said to be entertaining their friends with lots of stories well into the night.

A crowd-pleaser AND attentive to his girlfriend — can't ask for much more than that!

Except for a hot bod, but she can check that off the list, too!

[Image via Jody Cortes / WENN.]

That's what his friends think!

After Tony Romo's girlfriend Candice Crawford was spotted with a diamond-like ring on her ring finger, rumors were swirling that the pair were engaged.

Candice's colleagues denied the rumors, but Tony's friends admit that the couple is serious.

"Tony's ready to make the next step," says an insider. "They'll move in together because he's telling friends that he's most likely going to pop the question…soon."

Holy shiz, Jessica Simpson is going to freak the eff out!

At least Nick Lachey is still dragging his feet to the altar again — maybe you can still beat him to it, Jess! Hah!

[Image via WENN.]