A parting thought...

We found one last nugget we want to tell you before we go silent. Here's AP Television Writer David Bauder, who tracked down one of Al Franken's old friends:

The next time he runs into his old friend Al Franken, James Downey hopes to learn some of the secrets of the U.S. Senate.

Not that Downey thinks there really are any. The "Saturday Night Live'' writer just thinks it would be a fun thing to ask of the new junior senator from Minnesota.

The two men worked side by side on NBC's late-night comedy show for 20 years, and now they largely communicate by barber. They share the same one, and leave messages saying hello to the other whenever they get their hair cut.

Downey said he's reluctant to call his friend, since he always seemed to get him on the cell phone when Franken was about to give a speech. He hasn't watched much of Franken in action this week at the Sotomayor confirmation hearings, but is no longer surprised to see him as a politician.

"He's aged into it nicely,'' Downey said. "He doesn't even look the way he did when he was doing full-bore comedy. He just seems a little more serious stylistically. I can imagine someone who had no idea he had a previous career wouldn't think about it all.''

Downey said he knew Franken would eventually win when he was a few hundred votes behind on election night. "We used to call him the Rasputin of comedy'' for the way he wouldn't stop when he wanted something done, he said.

It's not that he ever thought he was working beside a future U.S. senator when they were tossing off gags for the "Church Lady'' or two wild and crazy guys.

"He was always extremely ambitious,'' Downey said. "But it was always directed toward appearing on TV or in movies. I bet he didn't think about it either.''

-David Bauder, AP television writer, New York