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David Paterson's back (sigh).

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today that he's nominating disastrous former Governor David Paterson to serve on the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority -- and we have the "cute" Beatle to blame for Patterson's return to public life.

Paterson will replace former Board member Nancy Shevell, who resigned from her post in January after marrying Paul McCartney in October. Shevell served on the board since 2001.

Despite Paterson's brief -- but horrific -- reign over the Empire State, Cuomo's got nothin' but love for his fellow Dem.

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Michelle Paterson, wife of accidental governor David Paterson, has plans for a tell-all book about the pair's time in Albany, and her press strategy has already kicked into high-gear before the writing is even complete. (Surprise #1: It includes slamming the press!) Cindy Adams at the New York Post has some teasers, including Michelle's "shock" at her husband's unwanted promotion. "I wasn't prepared," Mrs. Paterson says. "I was at my office like any other day when one morning David calls and says, 'Are you sitting down?' It was that famous Eliot Spitzer day. He said, 'There's been some sex scandal. There will be a conference in a couple of hours. And Spitzer will be out as governor . . . and I'll be the next governor.'" She says he was "very upset." His first words? "I think I'll kill myself."

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Today is just brimming with news about gone, but not forgotten New York politicians. First, the people of the city learned that they will no longer be able to watchEliot Spitzer's cable television show, and now it's been brought to our attention that Spitzer's replacement in office, David Paterson, will teach a course for NYU freshmen this fall. It's called "The Teachable Art of Governing." [Insert joke about Paterson's record here]. This kind of reminds us of Stanley McChrystal's course on leadership at Yale. We just hope Paterson's students don't take to doing impressions of him. [WSJ via Intel]

Rupert Murdoch's News International, which owns News of the World, one of England's biggest tabloids, apologized on Friday for hacking into celebrity voicemails, ending a months-long scandal that included some of the world's top athletes and royalty, as well as Murdoch's gigantic empire, still attempting expansion in the UK market. In a statement today, the company said it has "decided to approach some civil litigants with an unreserved apology and an admission of liability in cases meeting specific criteria," calling the misdeeds "a matter of genuine regret." The company previously blamed a "rogue" reporter and investigator, but seem now to just want the whole thing over with. Why? It's probably not the royal wedding! More inside a Friday afternoon edition of Press Clips, our daily media column.

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Ex-Governor David Paterson has paid his fine of $62,125 for accepting complimentary tickets to a 2009 Yankees World Series game. The tickets were for himself, his two aides, his teenage son, and his son's friend. They were originally priced at $425, which means Paterson comes out with a loss of $60,000 -- and he didn't even get to take home any souvenirs for that. What would $62,125 get you in terms of an authentic Yankees experience? Runnin' Scared does the math!

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Outgoing New York Governor David Paterson, who leaves office on December 31, has been fined $62,125 by the state ethics commission for the complimentary 2009 Yankees World Series tickets he "solicited, accepted, and received." (He used the tickets for himself, two aides, his teenage son, and his son's friend). The five tickets each had a face value of $425 -- which means Paterson will be out $60,000 for this "conflict of interest." Paterson claimed he always meant to pay for the tickets, but his staff said differently. [via NYT]

New York's beleaguered actors waiters can celebrate today: Governor Paterson just signed into law new penalties for employers who bilk their workers out of fair wages and overtime pay. The law, which takes effect in April, hopes to curtail some of the problems that are "rampant" in service industry jobs -- including "restaurants, retail, and construction businesses where illegal immigrants make up much of the work force," the New York Times says.

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"Fuck SNL and the whole cast," New York governor David Paterson rapped in his comeback single "Power," continuing, "Tell 'em David said they can kiss my whole ass." Now, after years of being somewhat mercilessly tortured by a Fred Armisen caricature (pictured) -- focused on the governor's blindness and all around bumbling ways -- the real David Paterson is stopping by Saturday Night Live tonight to clear the air. Or at least boost his public profile ahead of his upcoming unemployment.

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By now, you've heard that Governor Paterson more or less made yesterday's "Race to the Cock" day a better news story when he got rather excited talking about New York's bringing home the federal education bacon:

Paterson and Obama have never been close, nor have they ever really supported each other's election efforts. So we can only wonder if Paterson's crediting the President and Secretary Arne Duncan "for coming up with a race to the cock" was a mere slip of the tongue or of Dr. Freud.

You can call it "Race to the Top." Still, here are five reasons we think Paterson was right that yesterday was indeed "Race to the Cock" Day:

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There's good news and bad news for Governor Paterson in the just-released report by former chief state Judge Judith Kaye on the fracas stemming from the Halloween night domestic violence incident involving the gov's former top aide.

The good news is that Kaye clears Paterson of any criminal liability when the gov made several calls to ex-aide David Johnson's girlfriend/victim Sherri Booker. "These were errors of judgment," writes Kaye.

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