Ear to the ground

“I think we need a ‘Parents Night In’ around our house.”

– A partied out Durangoan reacting to Friday’s Parents Night Out at the Rec Center

Governor Val?

With Bill Richardson heading off to a new post with Team Obama, New Mexico will soon be looking for new leadership. However, there may already be a front runner for the position of governor – Val Kilmer, the actor who has played everyone from Moses to Morrison.

A fairly recent story in theNew York Posthinted that the Iceman has serious ambitions for the state house in Santa Fe. Kilmer’s permanent residence is in San Miguel County not far from the capital, though he hasn’t voted since registering in 1992. Speaking on a cell phone from Bulgaria, he told aPost columnist that he sees himself as a good prospect for people of the Land of Enchantment, who he called “poor, hardworking, decent people – Native Americans, carpenters, artists, expats mixed in with hundreds of the world’s smartest physicists at Los Alamos. I’ve always thought of myself as functioning as a candidate for them.”

While getting nowhere close to an endorsement, Richardson has been supportive of the idea. The next U.S. Secretary of Commerce has even gone so far as to hold a fund-raising dinner for the actor. Richardson, whose term would have ended in 2010, has even said, “I like the idea.”

Nonetheless, Kilmer is proceeding cautiously. “I have to think about putting my acting on hold,” he told the paper. “Being famous as a movie actor is one thing, but they take no prisoners in politics. I have to think what this might do to my kids.”

Aspirations or no aspirations, Kilmer could use a little boost right now. His latest film, “Delgo,” is a CGI animated feature that opened in theaters last week. In the film, the land of Jhamora is fractured by a rivalry between “the winged Nohrin, masters of the skies, and the terrestrial Lockni, who harness the mystical powers of the land.” Kilmer plays a character named “Bogardus” in the picture, which appears to be a shoe-in for a Razzie. In fact, the movie broke a record for having the worst opening ever for a film in wide release. “Nothing works here,” commented Bill Gibron, of filmcritic.com.

Holiday hiatus

Just in case we missed you last week (and to cover our asses next week), here’s another update from your friends at theDurango Telegraph. The staffers at your favorite local weekly will be taking Christmas week off.

That’s right, the world headquarters will be closed to the public next week. Avid readers are reminded to not look for a new edition on Christmas Day (and please don’t call to tell us that the new issue is not up on the web). Instead, hold onto this eye-catching “double-issue” for an additional seven days. We’ll be back in business on Dec. 29.