When students at Washington University found out that grizzly cub Bristol Palin was getting paid $17,500 out of their activities fund to come speak about abstinence, they got upset. So, having learned from others' past mistakes, Palin pulled out.

Stephen Colbert made his spontaneous, in-character appearance testifying in a House committee this morning, where he said some very nice things about migrant workers. This came after mean old Rep. John Conyers asked him to leave at the hearing's start.

A Cuban blog has posted the first known photos of Fidel Castro in public since he fell ill four years ago and relinquished the presidency to his younger brother, Raúl. An angry Miami Herald editorial is forthcoming. [Washington Post; pic]

VP Joe Biden will appear on one of television's worst shows this Thursday, when he hangs with Whoopi and Barbara on The View as part of their political series. Hopefully he drops an f-bomb on Elisabeth Hasselbeck. [ABC]

The President and First Lady will appear on the show's "Idol Gives Back" charity fundraiser next Wednesday, to benefit Save the Children and others. Ryan Seacrest can't contain himself! [Fox News]

Former congressman and possible Senate candidate Harold Ford is getting $20K a pop to give speeches around the country. Among the demands listed on his "tour rider": Limo drivers have to carry a sign that reads "H.F."; he needs an "alternate entrance & exit" at each venue; and you can't feed him shellfish. He's allergic (but will probably claim he's kosher when it comes time to lock in the Jewish vote.) [TSG]

How much do celebrities get paid to attend shows during Fashion Week? More than you might expect!

Students at NYU Law couldn't come up with the cash to have Snooki from MTV's Jersey Shore make an appearance last week. But either undergrads at Yale have more of their parents' money to blow or they're simply more determined because they have two Jersey Shore cast members booked between now and the weekend. (Vinny will be there on Thursday; Snooki is scheduled to make an appearance this weekend.) "Will Snooki find love and existential fulfillment at Yale? Will she find a New Poughkeepsie in New Haven?" Maybe not, but the $10K she'll walk away with should be reward enough. [IvyGate, previously]

It's been a heartbreaking day at NYU Law. It seems a group of students tried to make arrangements to have Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi from MTV's Jersey Shore pay them a visit, but then the whole thing fell through at the last minute. After the jump: The tragic details and amusing memo that was circulated earlier today.

If you're a fan of MTV's Jersey Shore, your next birthday party just got about ten times more exciting. Nicole Polizzi, or "Snooki" as she's known to the universe, will gladly turn up in person—and hopefully do some of her very impressive backflips for you—for "$2,000 plus transportation." [NYC The Blog]

Authors: never get conned by a friendly reporter into doing one of those "Let's Explore This Famous Writers' Work Space" stories. Your cool office is only cool in secret. We mean you, Jonathan Lethem!

Gov. David Paterson is retooling his public image once again. After opting to shave off his salt-and-pepper beard a few weeks ago and go with a handsome mustache, he showed up to meetings this morning sans any facial hair whatsoever. Will this improve his standing with voters? Will it do anything to repair his relationship with President Obama? Let's just say it certainly can't hurt. [NYT, previously]

After having her image frosted by the New York Times and Charlie Rose, Google VP Marissa Mayer, the cupcake princess of search, is hungry for more press. Luckily, Lesley Stahl arrived to spread more on!

Unconspicuous consumption is the hot new thing. That $300 million megayacht? Tacky, what with the layoffs. Private jet? Forget about it, after Detroit's debacle. Even the celebrity goodie-bag business is endangered.

This flier has reportedly been circulating throughout Puerto Rico, which holds its primaries on June 1. As you can see, it features a poorly Photoshopped version of Barack Obama dressed up as dreaded Dominican. There's no indication the Hillary Clinton campaign is actually connected to this flier. And really, why would she go to the trouble? The lesson: West Virginians and Puerto Ricans have more in common than they think. Click to enlarge. [via Ad Age] [UPDATE: A tipster points out that this flier is a spoof! It comes from the all-day-jokers at 23/6. There are some anti-Hillary ones too, so let's just say everyone everywhere is racist and sexist and leave it at that.]

Accompanying the Fortune article about the PayPal mafia is a fantastic shot of the article subjects dressed as gangsters. But, if you look closely, there are three people missing from the main group shot of the players. YouTube founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen were, as we surmised, nixed from allowing to participate in the shot once the corporate handlers at Google got wind of the theme. The other missing link? X.com founder Elon Musk, who has a controversial history with PayPal-gang godfather Peter Thiel. So why wasn't Musk included in the large group shot? Did Thiel pull some strings to keep him separated from the core gang?

Tina Brown's book The Diana Chronicles is perched prettily atop the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller list. (Take that, Chris Hitchens!) All Tina's careful plans have gone exactly right. So if one takes as a given that Tina Brown is the queen of intentionality, her decision to have a discussion with Times reporter Warren Hoge (who was London bureau chief for eight years) in the overheated, scruffy surroundings of The Strand (one of her favorites, and her husband Harry Evans's as well) last evening was to be another indication, perhaps, that Tina is Of The People.

A Rosieless The View hasn't quite been the must-see daytime TV minefield of recent months, but even its gentler incarnation has something to offer viewers looking for their daily dose of ribald and uncensored yenta talk. (From what we hear—we can't really be bothered to tune in without the threat of Elisabeth Hasselbeck getting her face eaten off at any moment hanging over the proceedings.) According to ever-vigilant AfterElton.com, however, Joy Behar couldn't resist bringing up the topic of Hugh Jackman, to whom all signs point to Gay: