Those of you following the latest “it” couple–meaning Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise–will not want to miss tonight’s Very Special Episode of Access Hollywood, in which Billy Bush gets personal with the star of War of the Worlds. Excerpts of the one-on-one were aired this morning on NBC’s Today show and, I must say, I am really quite convinced that Cruise is, um, smitten. Here are just a few choice quotes:

Cruise: I gotta tell you something. I’m not going to hide it. I can’t contain it…. I’m not going to pretend it.

And if that weren’t convincing enough, how about this:

Cruise: I’ve seen Dawson Creek.

And I’ve seen Schindler List and St. Elmo Fire.

Without having seen the exact terms of the filibuster deal, the “extraordinary circumstances” clause sounds an awful lot like the “health of the mother” exception liberals always wanted to insert into into the partial-birth abortion ban.

The question is: In practice, will “extraordinary circumstances” for judicial nominees become what “depression” was for the “health” of mothers wanting late-term abortions?

Update, 5/24/05, 10:15 a.m.: Beldar goes much further calling the Republicans responsible for the compromise “seven gutless suckers.”

Yesterday’s North Rhine/Westphalia elections may have spelled doom for German chancellor Gerhard Schröder and his Red/Green governing coalition. Not only did Schröder’s Social Democrats lose a state election after having ruled there for 39 years, but the defeat also marks the last Red/Green stronghold in the country. In other words, how can Schröder run things in Berlin when not one German state is run by his coalition? The problem is glaring enough that the chancellor announced that national elections will now take place this fall and not next year. The indispensable Davids Medienkritik quotes Schröder as saying: “With the bitter election result for my party in North-Rhine/Westphalia, the foundation for the continuation of our work has been brought into question.”

So is the country ready for its first woman chancellor?

Drudge is reporting:

Afghan President Rips NEWSWEEK Gossip: PRESIDENT KARZAI: Of course, we are as Muslims very much unhappy with Newsweek bringing a matter so serious in the gossip column. It’s really something that one shouldn’t do, that responsible journalism shouldn’t do at all. But Newsweek story is not America’s story. That’s what — that’s what we understand in Afghanistan…

Calling Terry Moran! If it’s bad to have Scott McClellan questioning Newsweek‘s journalistic practices, how awful must if be to have an actual head of state doing so?

Terry Moran must speak out! Karzai shouldn’t be “instructing the media how to go about its business.”

Terry Moran–Journalism needs you!

Michael Wilbon observes:

This is where the Spurs really remind me of the Patriots. They’ll exploit whatever matchups necessary to win. When the Patriots need to smother Peyton Manning, they do. When they need to score 35, they do. These Spurs can beat you, 81-75, as may be necessary in the NBA Finals against Detroit, or 121-114, which is necessary against the Suns.

Like many others, I’m generally down on the poor quality of play in the NBA, but the four teams left in the playoffs (San Antonio, Phoenix, Detriot, and Miami) are big exceptions to that rule. This is the first time in a long while that each of the NBA’s final four would be a legitimate and deserving champion.

The Law Jedi, who would give me a run for my money in the Uber-Geek Edition of Trivial Pursuit (combine the cards from the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings editions), has up the first Sith conspiracy theories I’ve seen, explaining the construction of the Death Star:

In the novels, all Lucas-approved, the Empire has an undiscovered outpost near Kessel . . . which is located in a gap between a series of black holes in the region called “the Maw”. . . . The Maw installation contains a fleet of Star Destroyers and at least one Death Star skeleton ready to be built, years after Episode VI. Perhaps there was simultaneous work going on for both Death Star units of Episode IV and VI, as we know that the structure of Death Star II is significantly larger that Death Star I. The skeleton may have been just dragged out for construction at Endor. The Emperor probably moved it there (rather than being in the relative safety of the Maw) so that the Rebels would find it an attractive target and thereby lure their fleet into a trap.

The Law Jedi also takes on Leia’s “memories” of her mother:

Padme’s funeral was of the open casket variety. Also, she still appeared pregnant, which is an obvious ruse for the benefit of Vader and the Emperor and the protection of Luke & Leia. But if that was faked, is it possible that Padme didn’t die at all, but rather went to Alderaan to care for Leia, and then later dying from the broken heart which seems to be the case in Sith? She possibly would have avoided Tattooine for fear of being seen and/or the memories of Anakin’s start towards the dark side after the death of Shmi Skywalker.

Yeah baby!

The best thing I read this weekend was Joan Didion’s long, serious essay on Theresa Schiavo in the New York Review of Books.

Didion takes a pretty even-handed approach to the story and as a result emerges at the only position possible for people of good will: Something terrible and unjust happened in Florida. Didion doesn’t come all the way out of the closet, but her allusions make it very clear where her sympathies lie.

Thoughtful reader K.R. sends in this link to the old video of Triumph working the line of people waiting to get into the first showing of The Phantom Menace. An oldie, but a goodie.

Highlight: “How do you explain this to your imaginary girlfriend?”