Oh, bother, said Pooh

Bear bottom: Officials in the Polish town of Tuszyn are objecting to a proposal to place a sculpture of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh in a playground because “it doesn’t wear underpants because it doesn’t have a sex. It’s a hermaphrodite.” Pooh wears a red shirt but no pants.

Considering scantily clad figures in Eastern Europe, who should Poland be more concerned about: A pantless plush bear with a honey dependency or a shirtless Russian leader with a territory addiction?

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Never the Twain shall meet: Former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno receives the Mark Twain Prize for humor Sunday night on PBS. Leno is the 17th recipient of the award.

The award does qualify Leno for the next opening on a late-night television talk show, but he’s 18th in line behind the other recipients. And Mark Twain.

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Got us feeling all right: The Library of Congress honored pop singer Billy Joel with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song this week. A concert, to be broadcast on PBS on Jan. 2, featured Joel and other pop stars performing for Washington, D.C., officials. Democrats and Republicans were seen sitting side by side, clapping to the same beat.

In hopes that similar camaraderie might break Congress’ gridlock, each day’s session will now begin with a bipartisan sing-along of “Piano Man.”

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