Chatterbox

If San Francisco Chronicle political columnists Phil Matier and Andy Ross drive their noses any farther up Willie Brown's bunghole, they'll have to summon the fire brigade to extract them. Get a load of these Barbara Walters-like questions the muckraking duo asked Brown in the April 12 Chron: "What's your secret to success?" "Any fear about raising expectations too high?" "Critics say you're reaching for the stars but that your feet aren't on the ground." "You've taken a lot of knocks from the press. How do you feel about us?" "You have a popularity rating of 62 percent in the polls -- how long do you expect that to last?" "Let's talk about the famous Willie Brown style. What's your secret for getting someone to do what they don't want to do?" "Still, you always manage to come out on top. What's the secret?" "What about the saying, 'Good guys finish last?' " "How's the workload in the new job?" "Let's change course here for a minute. Who does Willie Brown rate as great mayors?" "Any last thoughts?" ... Time has turned the beautiful HotWired interface ugly, so the whole Website is getting a makeover on May 6.