Los Angeles: John Edwards, the Downward Dog

I couldn't resist posting about the pop-culture, political scandal du jour involving Rielle Hunter and John Edwards, especially after it was reported that the former Presidential contender's paramour was once a Los Angeles yoga teacher.

Admittedly, I found the revelation unfortunate (and a little funny in the absurd, everyone loves a good trashy story way) but also a little sad (and upsetting) since it turned out to be more than just tabloid fodder.

We all know yogis aren't perfect (hey, we're human too) but the cliche about a woman named Lisa Druck, once a party girl muse to Jay McInerney, who changed her name to Rielle (pronounced Riley) , moved to Los Angeles for spiritual enlightenment and fame, was just too juicy to pass up.

So here are the tidbits, I've gathered. A very good profile from Edward's home state paper, the Raleigh News and Observer.

An excerpt from an interview Hunter did with McInerney in the now defunct yoga lifestyle magazine Breathe, where Hunter said she was, "a seeker of truth."

And my favorite, a piece in the Los Angeles Times by Sarah Miller, who wrote about meeting Hunter:

Rielle padded in and out in Ugg boots and flared yoga pants, and in a voice that contained strange elements of surfer-ese and lockjaw, gave unasked-for information about her life's journey and personal health. She would tell us how she'd had an amazing yoga practice that day, or give an elaborate description of some braised root she'd eaten for lunch. I think I said to my friend once, "What a wack job," but that was the extent of my relationship with Rielle.

Then five years later, Miller's next encounter with the soon-to-be Edwards political "webisode producer":

"I am going to be famous," Rielle said. "Rich and famous. I am going to meet a rich, powerful man."

...."Wow," I said. "How are you going to do that?"

Rielle slid a toe out from under the tip of her flared yoga pants and poked me with it, playfully. "I'm going to manifest it," she said.

It seems manifest is destiny.