Drama Queen: 450,000 people evacuate in advance of the 900-mile wide lady in black, Hurricane Sandy, which promises to bring "once in a lifetime" 85-mph winds and floods from now until Wednesday, after which she may vote Republican. Here's a breakdown of the storm's footsteps today and tomorrow.

Random House of Penguins: As Paul predicted last week, two of the world's publishing behemoths are merging their pages. The frankencompany will control one-quarter of the consumer publishing business in the U.S.

A Book Too Secret for Reading: Mitt Romney is like Richard Nixon—no wait: “[Mitt] Romney is like the Michael Phelps of presidential candidates. If you’re looking for gold medals in terms of audacious lying, and adamant refusal to turn over personal information, nobody comes close," Norm Ornstein, a political scientist at the American Enterprise Institute, tells TPM. "I’m sure others would’ve liked to have done it, but the culture in the past was one where lying attracted some level of approbation and shame.”

Quentin Tarantino, Lisa Simpson, Bilbo Baggins, Jerry Springer, and A-Rod: Guess which celebrities are hot for Mitt!

Seattle-area Man Dead: After driving his car into a parked semi truck miles from the scene of a homicide investigation.

Time Travel: A UW physicist is working in his basement lab (always a basement lab!) to make it a modest reality. Speaking of which, you can now listen to laughter from 1878.

Gunning for Broke Dunn: "An unprecedented $2.9 million ad blitz by the Republican State Leadership Committee, a national group, appears to have tightened the state attorney general's race between Democrat Bob Ferguson and Republican Reagan Dunn." You think?

Last Chance to Register to Vote: Hey slackers, today's the absolute last day to register to vote for the Nov. 6 election. Just truck your ass to the King County Voter Registration Office (919 South Grady Way, Renton, 206-296-8683).

And finally, check out Steven Colbert's tea-bagger challenge for Donald Trump: