Free Republic

Paula Abdul is set to headline an updated version of Star Search for ABC. The 47-year-old former American Idol judge will reportedly host and judge the competition beginning in the summer, according to EW’s Michael Ausiello. No word yet on whether Star Search would interfere with fellow judge Simon Cowell’s US version of The X Factor, which is set to debut in fall of 2011. Star Search premiered in 1983 with host Ed McMahon and was briefly brought back to the airwaves in 2003 with Arsenio Hall.

Snip... For the mainly Democratic audience - this was a crowd of Washington journalists and luminaries from Hollywood and Manhattan - it was an evening of cognitive dissonance. How to reconcile this charming image on stage with the Bush they love to bash? Snip... Mrs. Bush's performance, and her husband's reaction, wasn't a shock to the reporters who cover the White House. For years they have tried to convince their friends outside Washington that Mr. Bush is actually not a close-minded dolt, and Mrs. Bush is no Stepford Wife or Church Lady. Yes, they're Texans who go to church and...

Freeper help needed... My friend and his fiance have entered an online contest to win some money and prizes for their wedding. It's sponsored by a local publication, and the deadline is April 10th. Voting is simple - no registration is required. Go the the link, and vote for Tricia Heist and Jake Wilson at the bottom right corner of the page in the dark grey box: http://challengernky.com/people They're a nice young conservative couple, and plan on having a traditional Catholic wedding. Please take a couple of minutes to help the kids out. They sure could use it. Thanks!

Pamela Rogers Turner was charged this week with 15 counts of sexual battery by an authority figure and 13 counts of statutory rape. Turner teaches and coaches at Centertown Elementary School in McMinnville. Prosecutor Dale Potter said some of the incidents were alleged to have taken place at the school, others at the student's home. Potter said his office intends to prosecute the case to the fullest extent possible because it involves a child. (Copyright 2005, AP)

In one of the grandest events in the history of the world, millions of Iraqis risked death on Sunday to vote in a free, democratic election. There were more than 100 attacks on polling stations by the "insurgents" (or "Islamic fascists," as authentic Americans call them). But the Iraqis voted – Shia, Sunnis, women and an estimated 2,000 dead felons in Washington state. Democrats haven't been this depressed since we captured Saddam Hussein.

First lady Laura Bush presents the Annual Democracy Award to Mariam Hussein Mohamed, founder and co-chairperson of Somalia's human rights group, the Dr. Ismail Jumale Human Rights Organization Tuesday, July 9, 2002 in Washington. (AP Photo, Susan Walsh)