The Donald doesn’t want to be governor of New York

Albany, N.Y. – The Donald does not want to be the governor.

Donald Trump, mega-developer and star of NBC’s “The Apprentice,” said he has no interest in running for governor of New York this year.

“I’m not going to run for governor because I’m having too much fun doing what I’m doing now,” Trump told the New York Post.

Trump – who also told the New York Daily News that “I have no interest in running for public office at this time” – didn’t immediately respond to a telephone message left Tuesday at his New York City office by The Associated Press.

Trump had been suggested as a possible Republican candidate for governor by state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno. Trump told the Post that Bruno’s consideration was “a great honor.”

Already seeking the GOP nomination for governor are former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, former Assembly Minority Leader John Faso, former Secretary of State Randy Daniels and Assemblyman Patrick Manning.

The only announced Democratic candidate for governor is state Atty. Gen. Eliot Spitzer, who faces a possible primary challenge from Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi.

Republican Gov. George Pataki announced in July that he would not seek a fourth four-year term this year.

‘American Idol’ runner-up entertains troops overseas

Aboard a Military Aircraft – How does an 18-year-old “American Idol” star stay fresh and pretty while traveling to seven countries in seven days to entertain the troops?

Diana DeGarmo says you sleep and eat on schedule – and it helps to bring along your mom.

“Some people might call me a party pooper,” she told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday on a military aircraft en route to Germany for the final stop of the tour. “But you just have to do it.”

DeGarmo visited several U.S. bases in the Middle East and eastern Africa to host holiday shows with comedian Reggie McFadden and country singer Michael Peterson. They were traveling in a delegation led by the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace.

The weeklong United Service Organizations tour started at an air base near Doha, Qatar, and included stops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Djibouti and the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier somewhere in the central Arabian Gulf.

Hunter S. Thompson’s wife announces new magazine

Woody Creek, Colo. – Hunter S. Thompson’s widow will co-edit a new magazine called The Woody Creeker, which is expected to hit newsstands next month.

The gonzo journalist shot himself Feb. 20.

“We have some good writers already,” Anita Thompson told the Aspen Times for its Tuesday editions. Satirist and political commentator P.J. O’Rourke plans a profile of her husband based on interviews in 1987 and 1997, she said.

Anita Thompson continues to work on a book she calls “Hunter’s Wisdom,” a collection of witticisms, aphorisms and other expressions from Hunter S. Thompson’s bibliography of 14 books, along with her personal notes.

The magazine is named after the community where the Thompson property is located. Anita Thompson said she came up with the idea as a way to celebrate the oddities and richness of her neighborhood.

“We’re living the Woody Creek lifestyle,” she said. “We should be recording it, at least.”