Willie Colon

In the ballroom, it has begun! The MC just made an announcement: Please welcome civil rights activist..... Grammy-winner.... life-long Democrat....

Willie Colon!

Once again. Anyway, he played the trombone a bit and prepped to launch into the national anthem.

"Governor--can I say it yet?" he asked for permission from offstage. Yes he could. "Governor Spitzer!"

(Sounds weird, don't it? Governor Spitzer!)

NYS Dem party chair Dennie Farrell was up next, to the tune of that song. You know, the 80's Morris Day-style one they used for Cherry Coke commercials.

-- Choire Sicha

Mayor Mike's new television spot was unveiled this afternoon at campaign headquarters on West 40th street and featured, in a dig on Freddy, "Bronx native" and salsa star Willie Colon. In the ad, (no link available) Colon spins around and blows his trombone as Mike stands, with conspicuously less rhythm, on the other side of a split screen in a frozen grimace or talking with school kids. Fernando Mateo, director of Latino outreach for the Bloombrg campaign, performed some salsa steps as the commercial played, and said the ad helps "bring out the flavor of who we really are." The 30-second spot, which will start airing immediately on Hispanic television channels and cable shows in the city's Latino neighborhoods, is an effort to cut into Ferrer's base. But the commercial's fast, wheeling pace and lack of a traditional voiceover suggests a move to anticipate Freddy's expectedly unorthodox Ellis Verdi ads. "Salsa moves all Hispanic people," said Mr. Colon, who was on hand. "We hope it moves them to the voting booths." - Jason Horowitz  read more »

El Diario's Gerson Borrero reports that the Bloomberg campaign is hiring Fernando Mateo -- Bush backer, taxi-driver advocate, and (to Borrero) "controversial Dominican," angering some more liberal Hispanics. Sheekey won't confirm it, but he does point out that "Herman Badillo y Willie Colón ya son co-presidentes de la campaña."  read more »