Afternoon, folks

It appears that former Senator Max Cleland will be joining the Kentucky Democrats this weekend in Frankfort.

St. Louis won 5-4 against the Pirates last night. Chris Carpenter got a no-decision as Brad Thompson picked up the win. The Cardinals record is now 93-53.

In last night's Red Sox game, Louisville native Scott Downs picked up the win against Red Sox pitcher Matt Clement.

I wonder if The Sunday Mail will be opening for Jon Stewart when he heads into DC for two shows at George Washington University.

Stewart will be performing twice at the Smith Center on Friday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. The early show was added because of overwhelming demand for the Daily Show anchor, said Peter Konwerski, special assistant to the senior vice president of Student and Academic Support Services. The Smith Center holds approximately 5,000 people.

The last time Jon Stewart appeared on campus was about one year ago and believe me, it was not pretty.

Pete Mitchell is Paul McCartney. Good move for the folks over at Capitol Records. I applaud any record label that sends critics CD's with false names in order to prevent any leaks online.

But here's the thing: Pete Mitchell is Paul McCartney -- never mind the name on the advance copy of Chaos and Creation, sent to us by the press-and-paranoia department at Capitol Records.

Fearful of piracy, Internet leaks and -- just maybe -- music critics who, as a breed, tend to have violent reactions to new Paul McCartney records, Capitol went into cloak-and-dagger mode for Sir Paul's 20th studio album since that popular little band of his broke up. (And we don't mean Wings.)

Reviewer copies can't be played on computers, and they were "watermarked," whatever that means. For good measure, "Pete Mitchell" was slapped across the CDs, lest a Beatles fan wander by a critic's desk and decide that there's no better time than now to hear the new Paul McCartney.

On the retail edition of Chaos and Creation, though, McCartney gets his name back. Which may or may not be a good thing.

The problem with Paul McCartney is that he's Paul McCartney. Anything he does is measured against his best work, of which there is plenty. The pretty but bittersweet Chaos and Creation, then, is hardly the new Revolver. It's not even Band on the Run redux.

It was 21 years ago today that Dan Anykroyd and Bette Middler co-hosted the first MTV awards ceremonies. Of course, these days, you really don't see much music on MTV.

Both Bob Geldof and the punk band, The Sex Pistols, are going to be honored on the Walk of Fame. Bob Geldof, I can understand being honored. But the Sex Pistols?!? Sorry, I have no taste for punk rock music. Remember, the Sex Pistols wrote a parody to "G-d Save the Queen" that was not well-liked by the royal family.

Prosecutors have filed responses to the Fletcher pardons.

State prosecutors say they will call any witnesses who accept pardons from Gov. Ernie Fletcher to appear again before a grand jury, claiming that those persons may no longer refuse to testify.[...]

Assistant Attorney General Scott Crawford-Sutherland yesterday filed a notice in Franklin Circuit Court to call back witnesses. He insisted that those who have accepted pardons have no grounds to claim self-incrimination and must testify.

His court filing was further indication that the special grand jury will continue investigating allegations of improper hiring in the Fletcher administration. But it also sent a signal that the future of the inquiry could depend on how much witnesses say -- not just what is revealed in documents and e-mail messages already obtained by investigators.

Crawford-Sutherland said it's unlikely that the grand jury would indict any more administration officials, but he would not offer that assurance in regard to Fletcher, who insisted that he will not pardon himself.

"The Commonwealth intends to recall these individuals so that the special grand jury can complete its investigation of the activities surrounding the 'Governor's Personnel Initiative,'" the notice said.

In court documents, the attorney general's office has called the initiative "a corrupt political machine," the purpose of which "was to get supporters of Gov. Fletcher state merit jobs in order to take pressure off the governor's office."

The state merit system requires that rank-and-file state workers be hired or promoted on the basis of qualifications and not politics.

Northern Kentucky will have many party members in attendence this weekend.

I admit that I am not as far to the left of the members of PETA and I am disgusted when they called to desecrate Col. Sander's grave (Can't the man rest in peace?!?) but I applaud Heather Mills-McCartney.

For anyone interested, the last track on the Blues Brothers 2000 soundtrack is called "New Orleans." That song has more meaning now than ever. I need to see the movie again.

There are new singers but it's the same ol' song. Band Aid 20 takes place this week.

This isn't the first time Farm Aid has arrived in the shadow of a national disaster. Farm Aid 2001 was held outside of Indianapolis 18 days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Many people thought Farm Aid would be canceled, but organizers never considered the thought. The concert turned out to be one of the most emotional in Farm Aid history, highlighted by Neil Young's scorching eight-minute version of "Rockin' in the Free World."

Rolling Stones lead vocalist Mick Jagger fears for London.