Illinois Governer Rod Blagojevich (D) has been taken into custody on charges of seeking bribes in exchange for an appointment to the Senate (among other allegations) fundamentally reshapes the Illinois political landscape.

The impact of Blagojevich’s arrest is far-reaching, with tentacles into the Senate, governor’s mansion and the national political scene.

The most obvious fallout is in the race for the seat vacated earlier this month by President-elect Barack Obama. Under state law, Rod Blagojevich is given total authority to replace Obama — an authority he allegedly was using as collateral to extract concessions from those interested in the seat.

As long as Blagojevich remains governor — and whether he will stay in office remains to be seen — he retains the power to appoint the next senator. But, if an appointment from Blagojevich was problematic before (due to the long-running investigation into his Administration on other corruption charges) it is entirely tainted now.

According to conversations with several Chicago political sharps, the thinking now is that if Rod Blagojevich makes the appointment, the only possible pick is a caretaker with an unimpeachable record on ethics who will hold the seat for two years and then step aside in 2010.

It’s nearly impossible to imagine that anyone Blagojevich picks at this point would be able to run for a full term 2010 as they would immediately be labeled as the hand-picked choice of a scandal-tarred governor.

Given those realities, the new frontrunner for the appointment could well wind up being Secretary of State Jesse White who had been floated in the past as a safe — and inoffensive — pick. People like Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and former congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth may now have to turn their attention to the 2010 open seat as it seems increasingly unlikely that either of them would get (or want) an appointment from Rod Blagojevich.

In the event Blagojevich resigns in the coming days, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, a Democrat, would step into the job and would be tasked with the appointment. If that happens, all bets are off and everyone is back in the mix.

In terms of the gubernatorial race, it now seems increasingly unlikely that Rod Blagojevich will run for a third term in 2010. (Yes, we realize how insane that last sentence sounds but remember that Blagojevich was considering a reelection bid with job approval numbers in the mid teens.)

Assuming the seat is open, expect a contested primary fight between state Attorney General Lisa Madigan, state Comptroller Dan Hynes and state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulas — all three of whom were considering the race before today’s news. Madigan had been prominently mentioned as a possible appointee to the Senate seat but apparently was far more interested in running for governor.

In terms of Blagojevich’s arrest on national politics, remember that House Minority Leader John Boehner released a campaign memo earlier this week in which he makes clear that his party will push the idea of a culture of corruption within the Democratic party over the next few years.

Rod Blagojevich, although a governor, spent six years in the House and, as a result, has ties to a number of sitting members. Expect House Republicans to use his arrest as a cudgel against their Democratic colleagues over the coming weeks.

This is a developing story with all sorts of twists and turns. We’ll be following it closely. Stay tuned.

Whitney Cummings boasts both brains and beauty. An Ivy League graduate, she resides in Los Angeles, performing stand-up comedy and is currently touring the U.S. with her improv act. She has appeared on shows like Punk’D, VH1’s Best Week Ever, What About Brian, and Tell Me You Love Me. She has written for the talk show The Last Call with Carson Daly and is a host for the Sundance Film Festival Dailies.

So, you’ve got this big movie in Made of Honor coming out, what is that about?

Tom (Patrick Dempsey), who is kind of a bachelor, and his platonic best friend since college, Hannah (Michelle Monaghan), are buddies. But she has always liked him, and he has always enjoyed playing the field since he doesn’t want a relationship. After a work trip to Scotland, she comes back engaged after meeting the man of her dreams. At this point, Tom realizes he is in love with her and wants to stop the wedding, but things become complicated after she asks him to be her maid of honor. I play one of her best friends.

Were you nervous at the audition since this is your first big movie?

If you are a comedian there is not really much that can make you nervous. I laugh about it because as someone told me, “You have to go read with Patrick Dempsey, are you nervous?”. Listen, I have bombed in front of a thousand people before, you don’t know, you become kind of dead inside. It was a little nerve wracking, and it was an amazing group of really talented people. The competition was really high and thankfully I thought it worked out well.

Patrick Dempsey is currently known for his dramatic role as Dr. Derek Shepherd on Grey’s Anatomy, what type of comedic range did he have on set?

Was he funny? I was shocked. I am a comedian for a living so my standard of what is funny is pretty high, and he is so just so funny, charming, and quick witted. He would consistently improvise on set, making scenes funnier. Many people don’t know this about Patrick, but he is a great impressionist. He does impressions of Remy from Ratatouille and Brando from The Godfather that are great! Patrick is hilarious and was a dream to work with.

Every movie set seems to have a few funny stories at the end of the shoot. Tell us one.
We were in Scotland, and there was a few days of filming where we had to dress up in mid evil garbs for these Scottish games, and they went authentic with it. We wore these huge hats that had to be pinned to our heads with these veils attached to them. The dresses were made of crushedvelvet, were corseted, and went all the way down to our mid evil shoes. One of my good friends, actress Busy Philipps, was in the movie as welland every time we would walk from wardrobe to set, we would fall down. We went down probably 7 or 8 times, we just kept falling throughout the day. It was so embarrassing. We would walk 2 feet, get caught in the gown, and fall down on our faces. I don’t understand how people do period pieces, we were in these dresses for 2 days and we could not handle it. Wardrobe had to come and clean us up a few times. It was very challenging to be in that type of costume and it was a very humbling day for us. It was like, we are so glamorous in this big scene with Patrick Dempsey and we keep falling.We were such klutzes.

You definitely seem to have a unique sense of humor, like poking fun of fat kids for being unable to run away from home. What comedians had the biggest influence on you in your rise to becoming a stand-up comic?

My first was Paul Reiser. That segwayed into Bill Cosby, who was a huge influence. Once I found Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, and George Carlin, it was over. I think I sort of knew then what my voice was going to be like. Woody Allen was also an influence on me. Comedians nowadays I really like are Brian Regan and Ellen Degeneres. Ellen is just amazing, I still can watch stand-up of her I’ve seen six times and it still brings me to tears. She is just so great.

What do you do if your in an improv class or are in a sketch, and the person you are working with is just awful? Where do go from there or how do you recover from that?

There is no awful in improv. You can always use it, you are only as strong as your partner they say. It forces you to be more creative, which makes you much stronger at the end of the day. I try not be judgmental and think ‘Wow, this guy is really bad at improvising’. You can’t really be present and judge it while you are in it.

You’ve stated in a previous interview that you don’t really like ‘Method Acting’, the process that Daniel Day-Lewis and Dustin Hoffman are known for. Why not?

Its not that it is not important, I really think that it is. I tend to be a sensitive person and an emotionally complex person, and method acting is really good for that. It helps you really get into your soul, understand your emotions, and understand why you are programmed they way you are. That is all really important, but I think I’ve done enough of it where I don’t have to emotionally torture myself on a regular basis because I have stand up for that. I think acting can be more fun than that.

When you first moved to LA, you got a job on Punk’D. What was that like and what was your favorite prank you were a part of?

I think my favorite was when we Punk’D The Rock, and burnt his trailer down. That was really cool, it was such a rush doing that show. Ashton Kutcher is just so funny and talented, what a cool gig thinking back. You just have to trust your instinct and working on that show was such a blast.

As far as your hosting for the Sundance Film Festival, you definitely seem to have a disarming approach when you talk to people. Do you find that the people you talk to are surprised at your sense of humor?

I love the fact that you think my comedy is disarming. At sundance, you are sort of working with a blank slate so you could sort of go up and do whatever you wanted. The cross section of people is so different, it is exciting. There was so much to work with and so many interesting people to talk to. Disarming is kind of my thing. Being inappropriate is definitely my favorite approach to comedy. The funny things are always the unexpected, and people seem to think I come off as innocent first, so when I am inappropriate it is funny. Sundance is just so fun to do because it has such an interesting group of people.

How much of the your material is scripted for this or is most of it improve?

Some of it is planned, like if I know I am going to a certain party I may think of jokes that could come up later. But for the most part, you have to be open. You can’t force jokes, because that never works. They have to be organic. You sort of have to fly by the seat of your pants and let it rip. Most of it is not written before hand.

Most comedians do not graduate from an Ivy League School, especially not in 3 years. How the hell did you do that?

When you are going to a school that cost that much money, you have to get in and get out. I knew that I wanted to come out to LA, and pursue a career in entertainment. I just went balls to the wall and didn’t have much of a social life and knew it was important to get an education. I just focused on doing that as fast as I could so I could get out to LA and start my career.

Do you have certain characters you go to when you improv or is it a new thing every time?

Its kind of a new thing every time. Sometimes I go to this bitchy snobby ignorant person who doesn’t realize how stupid they are. Someone who is rude and patronizing, yet can’t read. I really like that character, but for the most part, I make it up as I go.

What is next for you?

I am on the road doing stand-up, hopefully will do a TV show here soon. sort of just finding the right one right now. I work a lot as a writer, writing comedy. I was writing for The Last Call with Carson Daly. Hopefully when this tour stops, I can nail another movie. I also am currently working on a feature script.

(Whitney Cummings outside the box)

If you were stranded on a desert island, what one CD would you bring with you?
Soundtrack to Dirty Dancing

If you could go back in time and change one thing from your past, what would it be?
That I should have put out on prom night.

If you could ask anyone in history dead or alive one question, who would it be and what one question would you ask?

Mae West, and I would ask are you a man or not?

NBC will keep Jay Leno five nights a week, but in prime time, competing not with David Letterman, but with shows like “CSI: Miami.”

The network will announce Tuesday that Mr. Leno’s new show will appear at 10 o’clock each weeknight in a format similar to “The Tonight Show,” which he has hosted since 1993.

Five years ago NBC announced that it would hand the job of host of that franchise show to Conan O’Brien in May 2009. Since then the network has maneuvered to try to keep Mr. Leno, who continues to be the late-night ratings leader, fearing that he could leave and start a new late-night show on a competitor’s network. “The Tonight Show” is seen at 11:35 weeknights.

Mr. Jay Leno, 58, was known to have suitors, including ABC, the Fox network and the Sony television studio. But he was apparently persuaded to stay at NBC after aggressive personal wooing by Jeff Zucker, the chief executive of NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric.

Retaining Mr. Jay Leno will undoubtedly be seen as a coup for Mr. Zucker, who has faced some serious questions about the wisdom of guaranteeing “The Tonight Show” to Mr. Conan O’Brien and possibly losing Mr. Jay Leno to another network.

Details of Mr. Jay Leno’s agreement and the new show were provided by NBC executives who were briefed on the matter and who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the project until the network made its announcement.

The new show, which will begin next fall, is expected to be set in Mr. Jay Leno’s longtime studio in Burbank, Calif. Mr. Jay Leno is expected to retain many of the most popular elements of his “Tonight Show,” including his monologue and bits like “Headlines” and “Jay Walking.” One “Tonight Show” staff member said the new program would not be a variety show.

Mr. Conan O’Brien, currently the host of NBC’s “Late Night,” will move “The Tonight Show” to a new studio on the NBC Universal lot in Universal City, Calif., in May. Mr. Jay Leno, who is known to want to work as much as possible, would then miss only three months on the air, and would use that time to prepare his new show.

An executive involved in the discussions with Mr. Jay Leno said that Mr. Leno finally came around to the idea that the television business had changed and a show like his could be a success in prime time.

Running the same show in prime time five nights a week would be a novelty for a broadcast network. Such so-called stripped shows have been a staple of daytime broadcasting.

The offer of a weeknight prime-time show is one that Mr. Zucker has favored for some time. In 2002, when David Letterman, Mr. Jay Leno’s competitor at CBS, was contemplating whether to renew his contract, Mr. Zucker offered him a show at 8 o’clock weeknights. He turned it down.

Executives involved in the decision said Monday that because ratings have decreased and costs are becoming more critical, NBC could reap an enormous financial benefit from this move.

Though Mr. Jay Leno will command an enormous salary, probably more than $30 million a year, the cost of his show will be a fraction of what a network pays for dramas at 10 p.m. Those average about $3 million an episode. That adds up to $15 million a week to fill the 10 p.m. hour. Mr. Leno’s show is expected to cost less than $2 million a week.

In addition, NBC will get more weeks of original programming. Network dramas typically make 22 to 24 episodes a year. Under this deal, the executives involved in the discussions said, Mr. Jay Leno will perform 46 weeks a year.

That cost differential will probably be enough for NBC to absorb any fall in ratings from its current slate of dramas. Mr. Jay Leno has averaged 4.8 million viewers for his show this year, with a rating of 1.3, or 1.7 million people, in the category of viewers ages 18 to 49, which most advertisers favor.

Few shows now at 10 p.m. could be considered hits. They include “CSI: Miami,” and “CSI: New York” on CBS and “Law & Order SVU” and “E.R.” on NBC. “E.R.” is about the leave the air. “SVU” will probably move to 9 p.m. next fall.

There have been no new hits at 10 p.m. on any network in almost four years; ratings for shows in that time slot continue to fall.

That does not mean that neither the network nor Mr. Jay Leno has no risk in the move. Mr. Leno’s shows tend to fare best in their first half hour; if they were to decline too much in the second half hour, NBC’s affiliated stations would see their news shows adversely affected. And there may be some question about whether Mr. Leno’s show at 10 might diminish the stature of Mr. Conan O’ Brien’s “Tonight Show” at 11:35.

But Peter Lassally, the longtime late-night producer of shows starring Johnny Carson, Mr. Letterman and now Craig Ferguson, said that NBC came to Mr. Carson in the late 1980s with a similar idea, but that Mr. Carson turned it down.

“It’s all different now,” Mr. Lassally said. “The economic factors have changed so much it makes complete sense for NBC to try this.”

On Monday Mr. Zucker suggested at a news conference in New York that in the future networks might have to cut back the hours of prime-time programming. The program with Mr. Leno would effectively cut the number of hours NBC needed to fill each week from 22 to 17.

Mr. Jay Leno had no comment. NBC executives also declined to comment. The network is expected to announce the deal with Mr. Leno in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

As the Bush family prepares to pack their bags and head back to Texas, some of the retrospectives have been looking at both George W Bush and wife Laura Bush’s pasts, and some media reports and an episode of The Family Guy mentioned the fact that Laura Bush killed a guy.

It’s a sad story, but also completely true: First Lady Laura Bush did kill a guy, although a very long time ago.

In 1963, according to a public police report, Laura Bush (then known as Laura Welch) was involved in a fatal car accident.

According to the report, Laura Welch allegedly had been driving when her car passed a stop sign and struck a sedan driven by 17-year-old named Michael Douglas. No charges were filed as a result of the accident. There was another female teenage passenger in Laura Welch’s car.

News reports stated that Michael Douglas died after suffering a broken neck. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Midland Memorial Hospital. There have been numerous rumors over the years regarding Laura Welch’s conduct at the time and whether she was at fault for the accident. Some have insinuated that Laura Welch was criminally negligent and/or she had been drinking. However, no lawsuits or charges were ever filed. There is no evidence of wrongdoing on her part.

Laura Welch was taken to the hospital after the accident and treated for minor injuries. Michael Douglas was a star athlete at Laura Welch’s high school. According to news reports, he was very popular among his peers.

Family Guy is known for making shocking comments for the sake of attention. Recently, the show linked the McCain-Palin ticket to Nazis. It has also portrayed Jews as nerdy number-crunching accountants, mocked slavery, made light of domestic violence, and insinuated many crass things about the disabled. Peter Griffin once threw a dollar at Sandra Oh because that was “a lot of money to her people.”

In short, nothing on Family Guy is meant to be taken seriously. They use shock humor to get ratings.

Paul Benedict, the actor who played the eccentric English neighbor Harry Bentley on the sitcom “The Jeffersons,” was found dead Monday at his home on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. He was 70.

Authorities were investigating the cause of death, said his brother, Charles.

Benedict’s oversized jaw and angular features were partly attributed to acromegaly, a pituitary disorder that was first diagnosed by an endocrinologist who saw Benedict in a theatrical production.

He underwent medical treatment to prevent the disease from spreading while he continued to act — and used his facial features for comic effect.

As an actor, Benedict built a career portraying loony characters in films such as “The Goodbye Girl” (1977), “The Man with Two Brains” (1983) and “The Addams Family” (1991). He also appeared in the Christopher Guest comedies “This Is Spinal Tap” (1984), “Waiting for Guffman” (1997) and “A Mighty Wind” (2003). On the PBS children’s show “Sesame Street,” Benedict was the Mad Painter who painted numbers everywhere.

But he was mainly known for his role as Bentley on “The Jeffersons,” which ran on CBS from 1975 to 1985. He left in 1981 to pursue other projects but returned in 1983. Benedict later said he hadn’t expected the show to last more than a season and only agreed to the part because producer Norman Lear kept asking him to reconsider.

The accented speech that he used even offstage led many to assume that Benedict was British, but in fact he was born Sept. 17, 1938, in Silver City, N.M. He was the youngest of six children; his father a doctor, his mother a journalist.

“When I was 5 years old, from the first time I went to the movies, I knew I wanted to be an actor,” Benedict told The Times in 1992.

After growing up in Boston, Benedict attended the city’s Suffolk University and began his acting career in the 1960s in the Theatre Company of Boston, performing alongside such future stars as Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino.

On Broadway, he appeared opposite Pacino in Eugene O’Neill’s two-character play “Hughie” in 1996 and played the mayor in a 2000 revival of “The Music Man.”

As a stage director, he was known for taking a work in progress or a new play and laboring with a playwright to infuse it with “intelligence, sympathy and warmth — and of course, humor,” The Times reported in 1992.

His breakthrough show as a director was “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune” in 1987, closely followed by “The Kathy & Mo Show: Parallel Lives” in 1989, both two-person sleepers that became off-Broadway hits.

Armed robbers stole diamonds valued at 85 million euros ($108 million) from the Paris branch of jeweler Harry Winston, the city prosecutors’ office said.

Four armed men entered the store on Avenue Montaigne near the Champs-Elysees shortly before its 5:30 p.m. closing time yesterday, prosecutors’ spokeswoman Isabelle Montagne said. They took almost all the jewels on display and forced the staff to give them diamonds from storage. No shots were fired, she said.

“We are clearly dealing with well-organized, ruthless criminals,” Montagne said. Police investigators removed forensic evidence from the store, she said.

The branch was closed today, with a sole security guard outside saying he knew nothing about what happened yesterday. Three of the window displays were empty, while a diamond pendant and two jewel-encrusted watches were in the other two.

Television news cameras and curious tourists gathered on the street. “How on earth are they going to fence all that,” asked Richard Conacher, a 39-year-old pub worker from Melbourne.

The store is part of the Toronto-based Harry Winston Diamond Corp. A telephone call to the company’s offices before business hours wasn’t immediately returned.

The largest-ever jewelry heist took place in February 2003, when thieves took diamonds valued at 100 million euros from vaults at Antwerp’s diamond exchange, according to Agence France- Presse.

Britney Spears is back with “Good Morning America”

I’m not sure why it’s being touted as the second coming!

But Britney’s back!

I understand the point of hype and publicity, because I wouldn’t have a job without it. And I understand the drama potential in covering the rise, ugly tabloid-and-Cheetos-covered fall and second rise of a former pop luminary like Britney Spears, because America loves a feel-good story. I’m pulling for her, because even though she was never one of my favorites, and we can all admit that her voice was never stellar, she’s a fantastic performer when she’s on point. And she seems like a sweet lady, no matter what her problems, because who doesn’t have relatives we love with problems? So I see why we’re all excited when Britney’s doing well.

(Although I wouldn’t go patting ourselves on the back so smugly, America, because y’all know you were buying those tabloids when Britney was shaving her head and making out with strangers at photo shoots, too. Sometimes, a fall will hold us just as well.)

But even this jaded veteran entertainment reporter was a little stunned at the crazy buzz surrounding Britney’s birthday appearance on “Good Morning America” just now. I mean, more power to her PR folks, because if you can get a major morning show to hype your client’s 27th birthday and 80th comeback like Judy Garland, Elvis and Sammy Davis Jr. had risen from the grave to sing “My Way,” then you’ve got some mojo I’m frightened and awed by.

And she was lip-synching. That’s what she does, so it’s cool they don’t even try to pretend she’s not. She looked awesome, as she’s in much better shape than she was during that infamous MTV VMA “Gimme More” performance, both because her tummy is slamming and because she seemed to be awake this time. I do like that “Circus” song, and “Womanizer” is infernally catchy, even though the chorus has one word in it.

They’ve been doing commercials on this, with Britney smiling and cutting a cake, for at least a week. And in the commercial breaks leading up to her big top-themed performance of “Circus,” the title track of her new album, the cast of “Desperate Housewives,” Hugh Jackman, Reese Witherspoon and others wished her well in taped segments like they were paying tribute to Elizabeth Taylor on her 80th birthday. Again, I get promotion…but seriously?

Again, she has sold 62 million albums at an age when some people are still living with their mamas trying to find themselves between following Widespread Panic tours. So, good on ya, Brit. Keep it up.

Born June 28, 1971, Aileen Quinn was introduced to show business by her mother Helenann who was doing theater when Aileen Quinn was growing up. Aileen Quinn begged to audition too, and she began to get parts near her home of Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Former child actress Aileen Quinn is best remembered for her ingratiating performance as Little Orphan Annie in the lavish 1982 screen version of the popular musical Annie (Annie the musical). Her film career following the film was short and sweet, ending with her playing Princess Zora in the Muppets’ version of The Frog Prince (1988). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

After graduating from college, Aileen briefly worked as a translator.
Said that she hopes to “end up like Shirley Temple Black and work in politics.”
Studied at Drew University, New Jersey.

“I had been under contract for so long to make other ‘Annie’ movies that never happened. So by the time I was 16 or 17, and my contract was officially up and I could do other things, then it was kind of past the point. It was kind of like, ‘Who are you again?’ So I decided to get a really good education, especially with my mom being teacher. I’m really glad I did.”

New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was accidentally shot in the leg at a nightclub, it was reported Saturday.

ESPN.com and Fox Sports.com said the wound was not life threatening. It was not clear at what club the shooting took place. The Fox Web site said Plaxico Burress spent the night in the hospital.

“I don’t have anything for you at this stage,” team spokesman Pat Hanlon told The Associated Press from Giants Stadium before the Super Bowl champions left for a flight to Washington for a Sunday game against the Redskins.

Repeated phones calls to Plaxico Burress’ home and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, were not immediately returned.

Police in Totowa, N.J., where Burress lives during the season, and New York City, where he occasionally visits clubs, had no reports of a shooting involving the player.

“We are gathering information, just like everyone else,” NFL spokesman Joe Browne said.

Plaxico Burress injured a hamstring two weeks ago against the Baltimore Ravens. The Giants said Friday he would not play Sunday.

The 31-year-old receiver was suspended for a game against Seattle on Oct. 5 and fined $117,500 for missing a team meeting and failing to notify the team of his absence. He said he had a family emergency.

Plaxico Burress also was fined $45,000 by the NFL for his conduct during an Oct. 19 game against 49ers in which he abused an official and tossed a ball into the stands .

Plaxico Burress caught the winning pass in the Giants’ Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots. He signed a five-year, $35 million contract hours before the season opened in September.

The signing came after an unsettling offseason during which Plaxico Burress was fined $25,000 for refusing to practice during a mandatory minicamp in June. He also missed most of training camp at the University at Albany with a sprained ankle. He insisted the injury — not his contract — kept him off the field.

Despite his lack of practice, Plaxico Burress started in the opener against Washington and caught 10 passes for 133 yards. The following week, he had five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown in a win over St. Louis.

The rest of the season has not been as productive. The most passes he has caught in any game since is four in a loss to Cleveland on Oct. 13, the game which followed his suspension.

Plaxico Burress has 35 catches for 454 yards and four touchdowns in a season in which he has constantly drawn double coverage. His streak of receptions in 115 consecutive games ended last week in Arizona. He aggravated his hamstring injury during the first series and did not return.

It was the sixth-longest active streak in the league, dating to Nov. 26, 2000 against Cincinnati, Plaxico Burress’ rookie season in Pittsburgh.

Signed as a free agent in 2005, Plaxico Burress had caught a pass in all 56 previous games in which he had played for the Giants.

Reporting from Washington — At least two frequent fliers will be getting a good deal on holiday travel and accommodations this Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin and Pecan, the lucky turkeys whose lives were spared by the annual Thanksgiving presidential pardon Wednesday, will fly first-class on United Airlines to Los Angeles, where one of them will be grand marshal in Disneyland’s Thanksgiving parade today. The pair will then take up residence in a turkey house in the amusement park’s Frontierland.

“In recent weeks, I’ve talked a lot about sprinting to the finish,” said President Bush, surrounded by pumpkins and cornstalks in Wednesday’s Rose Garden ceremony. “Yet I’ve assured these turkeys they will not be trotting to their finish.”

The turkey pardon is a White House tradition that dates to the Truman administration. This year’s duo received their names after an online vote on the White House website. Runners-up included Roost and Run and Yam and Jam.

“This is an election season,” Bush said. “So it is fitting that the names of these two birds were chosen through the democratic process.”

Pumpkin and the backup bird, Pecan — whom the president joked was being held in an “undisclosed location” just in case “the main act chickens out” — hail from Ellsworth, Iowa. They were chosen from more than 4,500 candidates based on their struts, wattles and personalities.

In years past, the pardoned turkeys were sent to Frying Pan Farm Park, an animal sanctuary in Virginia, after the White House ceremony. Since Disney requested the birds for its 50th anniversary in 2005, however, they have been sent to the Golden State.

Leaders of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have objected to both locations. This Thanksgiving, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk had a stern reminder for Bush. “You might be a lame duck,” she wrote to him, “but you still have the power to help lame turkeys.”

Regardless of their ultimate destination, the birds usually do not roost for long — bred to be eaten, their life spans are often short. But for the moment, Pumpkin and Pecan are perhaps the luckiest birds alive.

Bush left the ceremony after giving thanks to the troops, the American people and his family — including his mother, former First Lady Barbara Bush, who is doing well at a Houston hospital after surgery for a perforated ulcer.

Bush is expected to spend the long weekend at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland. The menu will include cranberry sauce, buttered mashed potatoes and free-range roast turkey.

“He wasn’t pardoning all turkeys; just those two,” said White House spokesman Carlton Carroll.