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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Jul 9, 2012
July 9, 2012
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He's dead, Jim:
Oscar-winning actor ERNEST BORGNINE, who died yesterday of kidney failure. He was 95.
Borgnine, whose acting career spanned 61 years, was a larger-than-life actor with an affable, gap-toothed grin, known for often villainous roles, yet he won the Best Actor Oscar in 1955 for playing against type as a lovesick butcher in "Marty," and then endeared himself to a generation of Baby Boomers with the 1960s TV comedy "McHale's Navy."
Borgnine's career continued almost until the end of his life. In the 1980s he starred in another television series, the adventure drama "Airwolf," playing a helicopter pilot, and in the 90s took a supporting role as a bubbly doorman in the sitcom "The Single Guy." He's had a continuing role in the Spongbob Squarepants series as the voice of Mermaid Man.
Borgnine served in the U-S Navy during WWII and visitors to Hawaii's Pearl Harbor can still hear his voice narrating the audio tour of the USS Arizona Memorial.
Trivia: Borgnine was also married five times. His most famous one was his shortest as well --he was married to his third wife, famous loud person, ETHEL MERMAN, for barely a month in 1964. That became the go-to joke for comedians wanting to slam somebody for quickie, non-lasting marriages for years.
More trivia: It's a coincidence that Borgnine would die just days after ANDY GRIFFITH since Borgnine happened to have a long, close personal friendship with GEORGE LINDSEY, the actor who played Goober in the Andy Griffith show. Because of their friendship, Borgnine presented a collection of scripts from his film and TV career to the University of North Alabama back in 1999. Lindsay was an alumnus of the school. He died in May of this year, so not quite the "it always comes in threes" thing, but an unusual Six Degrees of Separation sort of thing. (Maiman)Money Talks:
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO is lending his star power and some cash to struggling battery-car start-up Fisker Automotive. He's helped promote the Toyota Prius but now owns one of the $102-thousand dollar Fisker Karma plug-ins and has invested in the California-based firm. The Detroit Bureau reports Leo will also be promoting the Fisker brand as part of a campaign for global sustainability. (Kaye)
Meanwhile, In Los Angeles, JUSTIN BIEBER got cited for doing 80mph on the freeway in his Fisker Karma.
However, one witness to the scene was councilman/former LAPD motor officer DENNIS ZINE, who told TMZ, "Bieber was driving like a maniac. He was weaving in and out of traffic... If I was on patrol, I would have arrested him for reckless driving."
According to Zine, Bieber was tearing down the 101 at speeds in excess of 100mph. But Bieber's manager contends that Zine "is just a councilman looking for a headline," and noted Bieber's citation for 80mph and that he was being pursued by paparazzi.
Then again, turns out nine other drivers called 911 to complain about Bieber's reckless ways. The singer insists he was only doing 80mph, but Zine says it looked like 100mph --and he calls that estimate "conservative."
Zine acknowledges that celebrity life is no picnic --but said, "Any time you do 90, the paparazzi are going to go 90."
One other tidbit: A source tells TMZ that a member of Bieber's security team was in the car and allowed the 18-year-old to gun it on a busy freeway. Check out the video of Biebs' chrome-plated Fisker Karma being pulled over.BETHENNY FRANKEL can't get rid of her Skinnygirl Margarita problems. Although she sold the line in 2010, Star magazine reports that the reality star has been ordered back to court for the third time, this time for a lawsuit that the drink isn't made with 100 percent blue agave tequila but some cheap mix. (Myers)
MICK JAGGER can have any woman in the world he wants... except one. A new book called "MICK: The Wild Life and Mad Genius of Jagger," by CHRISTOPHER ANDERSEN claims that while Mick was married to JERRY HALL and fooling around with CARLA BRUNI, he was really after ANGELINA JOLIE. After casting her in the video for the ROLLING STONES' 1997 single, "Anybody Seen My Baby," Mick spent two years trying to get the sultry actress into bed. She said no, many times. Even Angelina's mother wanted her to be with Mick, but Angelina refused. Eventually, she agreed to spend a weekend with Mick in Palm Beach, Florida, during a break in the Stones' "Bridges To Babylon" tour. Angelina was not impressed, but Mick would not give up. He left her endless voice mails until she finally told him to get lost. Yes, even Mick Jagger gets rejected. (Marino)
Broadcast, cable and video news:
The stars of "Happy Days" have settled their suit against CBS and Paramount over using their likenesses without their permission.
Last year, somebody went to a casino to play slots and noticed a "Happy Days" video game. At that point, ANSON "Potsie" WILLIAMS, MARION "Mrs C" ROSS, DONNY "Ralph Malph" MOST, ERIN "Short Stuff" MORAN and TOM BOSLEY's widow, PATRICIA, got together and filed a lawsuit claiming they should get some royalties on stuff like that --and any other deals that had been set without their knowledge.
Now, Daily Variety says the suit has been settled --and just before the case was supposed to go to trial a week from Tuesday. Nobody's talking about how much the actors got, but the original damge claim was for $10 million bucks.
FYI: stars HENRY WINKLER and RON HOWARD were never part of the lawsuit. -
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