Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Update as of Wednesday, February 13, 2008

© 1993-2007. This sample content is intended for your show prep and may not be reproduced on your station's website or distributed by email or any other means.

Valentine's Day:

If you are foolish enough to think this will pass muster with your date on Valentine's Day, gentlemen, proceed at your own risk: White Castle restaurants will offer reserved seating for candlelight dining on Valentine's Day from 5 to 8 pm. "Not only can cravers dine with candlelight, but the tables will be adorned with decorations and customers will be presented with a special menu and will receive table side service," the company said in a release. (Kaye)

The Weather and Old Man Winter:

Think winter is bad where you are? Just be thankful you're not in Alaska (unless you are). The Fairbanks Daily News Miner notes that this is the coldest stretch of winter Alaska has seen in the last 40-years. It was nearly 50 below zero there Sunday. The Alaskans are looking forward to some relief today though, as the National Weather Service expects temps to hit 0 or better in the region. (Couchman)

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue --all online:

Attention Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue fans! Dudes: Save your $3.99 for another Red Bull and vodka! Every picture from SI's swimsuit issue is on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2008 website.

And talk about comprehensive: there's more than 15-hundred pictures, plus videos, interviews, a desktop calendar, and, woo-hoo, impress your honey, a list of swimsuit retailers.

The magazine came out yesterday. Here's the cover for this year's issue, supermodel MARISA MILLER. (Maiman)

From our "Well, DUH" department:

Singer-songwriter JOSH KELLEY tells People magazine "It feels unbelievable to be married" after a whole month of wedded bliss to "Grey's Anatomy" star KATHERINE HEIGL."

Writer's Strike:

The announcement could come as soon as today --the writer's strike is officially over. Union members voted Tuesday, and depending on how quickly the ballots are counted, we could be back to work on TV series and movies before the end of the week.

Bottom line: look for an announcement to take advantage of the nightly news and entertainment programs, around mid-afternoon East Coast time... or maybe tomorrow. How long has the strike been going on? Since Nov 05.

Ah, but it's not really over --the Screen Actor's Guild still has to negotiate its contract with those same TV and Motion Picture Producers in June. And the beat goes on.

Broadcast, cable and video news:

Say hello to my little friends. DENISE RICHARDS' kids, that is. E! TV rolled out Denise yesterday to talk about her upcoming reality show, and as promised, it'll showcase the now-single ex-wife of CHARLIE SHEEN and their two daughters, three-year-old SAM and two-year-old LOLA, who'll be appearing in the show.

Also on the show --her dad, IRV. Her mom, JONI, died of cancer last year and so Irv is moving in with Denise and the two kids --at least temporarily. The show will roll out next fall.

Polling America:

WebMD.com asks, "What type of cosmetic surgery would you have?"
6. Facelift: 2%
5. Nose: 5%
4. Eyelid: 7%
3. Breast: 10%
2. Tummy tuck: 19%
1. Liposuction: 23%

FYI: I wouldn't have cosmetic surgery: 34%

Factoid: 47% of women see signs of aging by the time they turn 30. (Source: Aveeno, Incresearch)

Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Update as of Tuesday, February 12, 2008

© 1993-2007. This sample content is intended for your show prep and may not be reproduced on your station's website or distributed by email or any other means.

Lincoln's birthday:

Hey, let's show one of our greatest presidents some love! Did you know Abe grew a beard for the 1860 presidential campaign after a little girl named GRACE BEDELL wrote him a letter telling him that all the ladies like whiskers and they'd tease their husbands to vote for him. So he became the first president to have a beard! (Source: "U-S Presidents for Dummies").

Editor's note: Try telling a candidate something like that today --they gotta have 18 different surveys and polls before they'll even go to the bathroom just to see what toilet paper brand to use. (RB)

We all know about Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, which is a model for concise speech. The great orator, Sen EDWARD EVERETT, spoke for two hours the same day, and nobody writes anything about his speech. Abe spoke for two minutes and the speech went down in history.

Editor's note: Don't tell your program director about this. I'm just sayin'.

Going Geek-dot-com /Caught in the Web:

Millions of BlackBerry smart phone users got hit with a massive service outage all across the U-S and Canada yesterday. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion said that customers using both AT&T and Verizon Wireless were affected.

The last major BlackBerry outage was in April of last year.

Fast Food:

Maybe you've seen Burger King's commercials that show customers being tricked into thinking the famous Whopper sandwich has gone away. The Wall Street Journal reports that the campaign worked well. Sales of the Whopper were up by double digits in the most recent quarter. The Whopper just turned 50, and with sales like this, it's bound to be around for a long time. (Couchman)

Sucking the life out of the wire services:

SIEGFREID and ROY are reportedly planning a one-night-only comeback, doing their signature show at a fundraiser for Alzheimer's.

It's been five years since that infamous tiger attack left Roy critically injured. He'd been getting around on a cane until an annual fundraiser in Vegas last December where he walked the inaugural mile without it.

The show is scheduled for next February. (Maiman)

Chic Sh*t:

While we were all blustering about dangerously skinny female models, we didn't notice that male models were shrinking too. The NY Times comments on the parade of skeletal models at the menswear shows last week: "Where the masculine ideal of as recently as 2000 was a buff six-footer with six-pack abs, the man of the moment is an urchin, a wraith or an underfed runt. Nowhere was this more clear than at the recent men's wear shows in Milan and Paris, where even those inured to the new look were flabbergasted at the sheer quantity of guys who looked chicken-chested, hollow-cheeked and undernourished."

The trend was evident on the New York runways as well. Casting agents tell the paper that designers want young men who've either never seen the inside of a gym or who will work to lose muscle so that they can fit into the smaller samples. The "look" is now the scrawny guy who gets sand kicked in his face. (Kaye)

Grace notes:

Sir PAUL McCARTNEY and HEATHER MILLS were in a London courtroom yesterday as their divorce trial got under way. The British tabloids say they arrived separately and didn't say very much to the throngs of press waiting outside.

The hearing will last five days, but we won't be able to get inside Court 34. In the U-K, divorce proceedings are heard in private with no press allowed. Heather is representing herself, claiming she can't afford an attorney. The High Court will now determine just how much of the ex-BEATLES' alleged $1.6-billion dollar fortune will go to Heather.

The couple got married in June of 2002, four years after the death of Paul's first wife, LINDA. Their daughter, BEATRICE, was born in October of 2003, and Paul filed for divorce in 2006 claiming Heather's behavior was (quote) "unreasonable." (Marino)

Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Update as of Monday, February 11, 2008

© 1993-2007. This sample content is intended for your show prep and may not be reproduced on your station's website or distributed by email or any other means.

Valentine's Day Getaways:

Looking for a spot to share a romantic getaway with that special someone next week? The "Five Most Romantic Spots for Valentine's Day" from Life and Style Weekly magazine (Good luck!):
5. Oahu, Hawaii
4. Los Cabos, Mexico
3. Paris, France
2. Venice, Italy
1. Fiji Islands

Guilty Pleasures:

No winner in Friday night's drawing for the Mega Millions Lottery. That means Tuesday night's drawing is valued at $150 million ($92.5 cash value). Mega Millions is played in 12 states: CA, GA, IL, MD, MA, MI, NJ, NY, OH, TX, VA, WA. Chances of winning the jackpot are 1 in 175.7 million.

London tabloids:

PAUL McCARTNEY and HEATHER MILLS are rumored to be very close to a divorce settlement which will give the bride a whopping $110-million-dollar payday. The London Daily Mail reports that the Beatle will pay out his ex-wife nearly 40 million to start, and follow up with payments of 5 million per year until their daughter, BEATRICE, is 18.

The agreement comes with a few caveats --Heather will not be allowed to publicly discuss the details which led to the couple's divorce nor can she live abroad for at least five years. Despite the huge price tag on the decree, it's estimated that she's only getting seven percent of Sir Paul's net worth. (Lee)

Stars and their movies:

PARIS HILTON may not be as popular as she thinks. Fantasy Moguls reports that her new movie, "The Hottie and the Nottie," opened on 111 screens on Friday and sold about $76 in tickets at each location. The web site Box Office Mojo said the theatres might have pulled in a bit more --$81 per theatre.

Bottom line --about ten people per theater dropped the cash to see the heiress in action. (Lee)

USOC doesn't trust Chinese chicken:

For the first time in Olympic history, U-S athletes will get all their meals served to them by a facility at the training center. That's because Olympic officials don't trust what China is serving as chicken.

The NY Times reports Tyson Foods will ship 25-thousand pounds of lean protein to China before the Summer Games. U-S officials have found some foods in China to be tainted with insecticides and illegal veterinary drugs, as well as steroids. One caterer who tested a chicken breast he bought in China said there's no way they could have given the chicken to athletes. It was so full of steroids, all the athletes would have tested positive.

Chinese standards for meat are reportedly low enough to create fears of food-borne illnesses. So for the first time ever, U-S athletes will have a facility serving three meals a day.

You can probably expect to see plenty of Tyson mentions during the Olympics this summer. In addition to sending over chicken, the company is also giving U-S Olympic athletes duffel bags with a hot pot, power adaptor and pouches of chicken to take to international qualifying events over the next few months.

Editor's Note: Roll The Barenaked Ladies' "One Week" over this story. Chickety China the Chinese chicken. (Page)

Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Update as of Friday, February 08, 2008

© 1993-2007. This sample content is intended for your show prep and may not be reproduced on your station's website or distributed by email or any other means.

Guilty Pleasures:

No winner in Tuesday night's drawing for the Mega Millions Lottery. That means tonight's drawing is now valued at $122 million ($76.4 cash value). Mega Millions is played in 12 states: CA, GA, IL, MD, MA, MI, NJ, NY, OH, TX, VA, WA. Chances of winning the jackpot are 1 in 175.7 million.

Brand extension alert:

Animal Planet is lending its name to a new Kellogg cereal called Wild Animal Crunch. Packages will feature facts, games and photos of wildlife. There are worse things you could get your kid to gag down, too --it'll contain 14 grams of whole grains (not bad), 8 grams of sugar (pass the insulin), 3 grams of fiber (not bad), 1 gram of fat (okay) and 100 calories per serving. (Kaye)

Speaking of healthy foods:

CBS is extending its "Survivor" brand to a bunch of things. First off the line: "Survivor Supercharged Sunflower Seeds," which will hit stores in March. Also in the works: a "Survivor Fitness Program," which relies on "Survivor"-style game elements and physical challenges to shape up participants. A CBS spokesperson tells Daily Variety there's more "energy foods" and "Survivor"-branded outdoor adventure programs still to come.

And looky here: John Deere jeans:

BrandWeek reports John Deere --best known for tractors-- is getting into the jeans game, with denim trousers made especially for people who work the land. The clothing line will also include jackets and shirts. Until now the only apparel the company produced is a green cap seen on farmers and the occasional fashion-backward celebrity. (Kaye)

Etc...:

ContactMusic.com reports JOHN LEGEND has signed on to be the new face of liquor Bailey's Irish Cream.

Writer's Strike:

With talks to WGA members scheduled for this weekend on both coasts, rumors are running rampant that the strike will be settled sometime this weekend.

Grace notes:

AMY WINEHOUSE was denied a visa by the U-S Embassy in Great Britain so she won't be at the Grammy Awards on Sunday. But, through the magic of modern technology, Amy will perform on the show via satellite from London. Her "Back To Black" album is up for six Grammys. Her choice of song has not yet been revealed, but it's doubtful that it will be "Rehab." (Marino)

Concert Info:

When BETTE MIDLER takes time off from her new Las Vegas show, CHER will do her own show at the same Caesars Palace theater.

Cher announced officially yesterday that she'll do 200 performances over the next three years, beginning in May. She's booked for four shows a week for four weeks, then she'll return in August and do concerts through October.

Cher says the show will feature songs from her entire career which has been going more than 44 years. And, she'll be backed up by 14 dancers and four aerialists. Naturally, Cher will be wearing costumes designed as always by BOB MACKIE. Tickets went on sale yesterday for Cher's first group of shows, starting at 95-dollars each. (Marino)

Morons on parade:

You know you've had too much to drink when you think the TV remote is a lethal weapon.

Fifty-seven-year-old GEOFFREY FRYATT was in court in Brisbane, Australia, this week after he threatened to blow up half the city with his TV remote. Police had to declare a state of emergency after responding to 911 calls from neighbors; Fryatt, began terrifying them with a knife and said he was going to detonate a store of chemicals with the remote.

According to the Brisbane Times, during the standoff with police, Fryatt shouted, "One push of the button will blow up half of Brisbane." It finally ended when cops nailed him with rubber bullets.

Fryatt's lawyer said his client lost control after getting cleaned out of his life savings by his broker. The judge gave him probation.

Editor's note: See? This is why we support mandatory registration of remote controls.

--Nobody move or I turn on the Lifetime Channel! (Now there's a threat! --Maiman)

Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Update as of Thursday, February 07, 2008

© 1993-2007. This sample content is intended for your show prep and may not be reproduced on your station's website or distributed by email or any other means.

Chinese New Year:

Happy Chinese New Year: and welcome to 4706 --the Year of the Rat in the Chinese calendar. In Chinese: Gung Hay Fat Choy! This year, the Year of the Rat, is the first animal in the Chinese horoscope.

Born in Year of the Rat:

AL GORE, SEAN PENN, JIMMY CARTER, ALYSSA MILANO, CAMERON DIAZ, GWYNETH PALTROW, LAUREN BACALL, EMINEM, SCARLETT JOHANSSON.

Chinese New Year superstitions:

During the first three days (meaning: this past weekend), everyone should refrain from using scissors, knives or brooms, since these may cut off or sweep away any good fortune. Bad language and unlucky words are not to be spoken; death and dying should never be mentioned and ghost stories are totally taboo. Fire crackers are shot off to chase away the evil and bad spirits.

Grace notes #1:

WILLIE NELSON is usually pretty toasted, but on April 17th, he'll be roasted by Comedy Central. The 75-year-old music legend will be on the dais in Los Angeles while some of his friends, and enemies stick it to him. The roast will be taped and is scheduled to air in June on Comedy Central. (Marino)

Grace notes #2:

Many celebrities have had some of their key body parts insured, but Sir TOM JONES has outdone them all. The British tabloids say the now 67-year-old entertainer took out a policy to have his chest hair insured --for 7-million dollars! Lloyd's of London initially said no to the request because it's too risky, but later agreed to go ahead with the deal. Tom is currently in Los Angeles working on a new album. (Marino)

Drug and smoking messages in your music:

The Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine reports a study that raises some concerns about the positive messages about substance abuse that kids are absorbing through their listening choices.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine studied the 279 most popular songs from 2005, based on reports from Billboard magazine. Only 9 percent of pop songs had lyrics relating to drugs or alcohol. The number jumped to 14 percent for rock songs, 20 percent for R&B and hip-hop songs, 36 percent for country songs and 77 percent for rap songs.

Breaking it down by one's specific vice, only 3 percent of the songs portray tobacco use. About 14 percent of songs spoke of marijuana use, another 24 percent depicted alcohol use, and 12 percent included reference to other substances.

About 4 percent of the songs contained "anti" drug and alcohol messages.

The study authors estimate kids are receiving about 35 references to substance abuse for every hour of music they listen to, on average. (Kaye)

Today's feel good story:

Unborn twins kick mom's tumor out of the way: for a mother-to-be, there's nothing like the feeling of your baby kicking around inside your belly. And when London's MICHELLE STEPNEY felt her twins kicking, she had no idea they were saving her life.

Stepney thought she had miscarried, though, and went to see her doctor. What she learned instead was that she was still pregnant, but had developed cervical cancer. During the ultrasound, doctors learned the 35-year-old mom-to-be had a cervical tumor that the babies had dislodged with their kicking. They recommended terminating the pregnancy, but Stepney refused. Instead doctors gave Stepney reduced chemotherapy treatments, hoping to stop the cancer from spreading during the rest of the pregnancy.

At 33 weeks, the babies were delivered by caesarean-section. Both babies were born bald as a result of the chemo, but were healthy otherwise. Four weeks after that, Stepney had a hysterectomy to remove the tumor. A year later, she is now cancer-free.

Stepney credits her baby girls with saving her life. She said if she wasn't pregnant with the twins, the cancer may not have been found until it was too late. And the fact that ALICE and HARRIET were able to kick the tumor free probably did more for her than the chemotherapy could have done on its own.

At the Cancer Research UK Race for Life coming up this month, Stepney will be honored with a Woman of Courage award. She says she is grateful for the support her husband gave her, and can't wait to tell her daughters one day how they saved their mum's life. (Page)