Trump said to be considering run for New York governor

Albany, N.Y. – Could New York’s state capitol building become the next Trump Tower?

Republican sources said Donald Trump – who in 1999 toyed with the idea of running for the White House on the Reform Party line – is mulling a bid to persuade New Yorkers to hire him as their next governor.

Senate GOP leader Joseph Bruno tantalized reporters this week by declaring a wealthy mystery candidate is “thinking” about seeking the party’s backing to replace Gov. George Pataki.

Bruno – a longtime Trump admirer who has gained new clout within statewide GOP circles as Pataki prepares to leave state politics – wouldn’t name the potential candidate.

“When it gets public, you are all going to become excited, interested and will want to write about it,” Bruno said. “This person is thinking about it, and I bet you you’ll vote for him if he ends up running.”

A billionaire Republican, real estate developer, casino mogul and TV star, Trump has been a big supporter of the Bruno-controlled troupe of Republican state senators.

But he also has sent donations to Atty. Gen. Eliot Spitzer, the current Democratic front-runner in the governor’s race.

Trump could not be reached for comment.

PETA staffer changes name to KentuckyFriedCruelty.com

New York – A 19-year-old PETA staffer has legally changed his name to KentuckyFriedCruelty.com.

Chris Garnett, youth outreach coordinator for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said he changed his name in support of the group’s anti-KFC campaign.

“People don’t believe me at first when I tell them my name, but it never fails to spark a discussion,” Garnett, er, Kentucky-FriedCruelty.com, said in a statement. “Many vow to boycott KFC after I explain the company’s indifference to cruelty to animals.”

Norfolk, Va.-based PETA’s complaints against KFC stem from video footage shot last year recording alleged mistreatment of birds at a Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. plant in Moorefield, W.Va. The plant is a KFC supplier.

Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, has disputed the claims of mistreatment. In June, a grand jury refused to indict former workers at the West Virginia chicken plant.

“Stacked” star Pamela Anderson, who has narrated a PETA video showing the alleged abuse, supports Garnett’s name change.

“I’m sure Chris can’t wait till KFC stops torturing chickens so he can change his name back,” the actress said in a statement.

Randy Jackson won’t spend New Year’s Eve tuned in

Los Angeles – So how is “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson planning to celebrate New Year’s Eve?

“I’m just trying to get ready for that New Year’s Eve ball drop with Ryan Seacrest,” Jackson joked.

Seacrest, who is host of the Fox reality show, will co-host ABC’s special for the traditional ball drop and countdown to midnight in New York’s Times Square.

So Jackson isn’t planning to be in front of the TV watching Seacrest?

“No, never!” Jackson told AP Radio. “I told him I’d only watch if he rides the ball.”

Seacrest will join Dick Clark, who is returning to “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” after suffering a stroke last December. Hilary Duff will anchor and perform at the Hollywood segment of the show.

“New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” will air today starting at 9 p.m. CDT.

Public radio program to do a dozen shows from theater

Minneapolis – Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” won’t be permanently leaving its St. Paul home after all.

The humorist said he expects to do about a dozen shows during the 2006-07 season from the Fitzgerald Theater, the longtime base of the radio program.

The rest of the season’s shows will air from the road, including a return to the Minnesota State Fair, he said.

Keillor said last month the show was looking for a new home.

But in the end, he said, it was an impulsive decision to stay at the Fitzgerald, based partly on people he met at coffee shops or parties.

“They said it would be terrible if the show were not in St. Paul,” Keillor told The Associated Press on Thursday. “I listen to people who tug at my sleeve.”

Two men arrested for trying to sell stolen wedding video

New York – Two men have been arrested for trying to sell Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez’s stolen wedding video back to the couple for $1 million, authorities said.

The men tried to ransom the video after first shopping it around unsuccessfully to media outlets including People, Us Weekly and “Access Hollywood,” according to a criminal complaint filed against them.

Tito Moses, 31, and Steven Wortman, 49, were arraigned late Wednesday in Manhattan Criminal Court on charges of conspiracy, attempted grand larceny and possession of stolen property.

A copy of the celebrity couple’s wedding video was in a laptop computer that was in Anthony’s car when it was stolen in Linden, N.J., in October. The car was later recovered but the laptop was gone.

According to the complaint, once they failed to sell the video to the media, Moses and Wortman called Marc Anthony Productions and tried to sell it back to the salsa star.

An NYPD detective posing as an Anthony associate engaged in a series of negotiations with Moses and Wortman between Dec. 20 and Dec. 27, during which the men demanded $1 million for the laptop, the complaint said.

At one point the detective refused the $1 million demand and Wortman threatened to destroy it, the complaint said.

Moses and Wortman were arrested in a sting Tuesday when they allegedly met with police to sell the laptop for a lesser amount.

Anthony, 36, and 37-year-old singer-actress Lopez, were married in June 2004.