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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Sep 14, 2012
September 14, 2012
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What's the Buzz:
No sooner do we get a headline making convention speech than old names come out of the woodwork.
MONICA LEWINSKY is writing a book. The New York Post reports (breathlessly, we might add) that the woman at the center of former President BILL CLINTON's impeachment scandal has been shopping around a top-secret book.
One source told the newspaper, "I'm sure every publisher is interested in what she has to say."
Major publishers reportedly signed a non-disclosure agreement, so it's unclear even who the front-runners are to publish the thing. The former White House intern has kept a low profile since moving to London in 2005.
Editor's note: And was never missed by anyone.Possible first lines for Monica Lewinsky's book (Maiman):
--"Even as a baby, my parents noticed I had an unusual attachment to my pacifier"
--"'Give me all your hot, intern love,' said the big creep"
--"It was a dark and windowless corridor"
--"Dear Penthouse: I never thought I would be writing one of these letters..."
--"I knew someday I'd go down in history"
--"Like, I hate hate hate hate hate hate Linda Tripp"
--"Does this font make me look fat?"
--"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times -- na, it was mostly bad"
--"By the time you read this, I'll be on to my next president..."
--"Me and my big mouth!"Money Talks:
A new survey from CouponCabin.com finds that just over one in five Americans (21 percent) spends more on their mobile service plan each month than they do groceries. A third (33 percent) spend less on basic utilities such as water, gas and electric than they do their mobile phone, as well as cable TV (57 percent) and the Internet (71 percent).
Almost 60 percent of Americans pay more than $100 for mobile service plans each month, while 13 percent rack up more than $200 or more each month. (Kaye)Sucking up:
JAKE GYLLENHAAL is one of the biggest stars in Tinseltown, but hangs with normal peeps. The NY Post's Page Six gossip column reports the hottie met three Los Angeles police officers while filming "End of Watch" and was overheard saying they're his closest buddies.
Making the flick had a profound effect on Jake --he told 300 of NYPD's finest that training with the men in blue changed his life. (Lee)Ratings:
Although KATIE COURIC's premiere was the highest rated talk-show on afternoon TV, her audience has dropped off 18 percent during the week and her show is now around a 2.3 share nationwide. So, here's a quick look at the competition for Oprah's chair this first week, so far:
1. (tie) Ellen DeGeneres, and Live! With Kelly And Michael; 2.8
2. Dr. Phil, 2.5
3. Katie Couric, 2.3
4. Dr. Oz, 2.2
5. Steve Harvey, 1.4
6. Anderson Live!, 1.3
7. Jeff Probst, 0.8
8. Ricki Lake, 0.7Everyday heroes:
This is one of those heartwarming good news stories that rarely get reported.
Here's the deal: German parents each donated a lung to save their 12-year-old son. The boy suffers from cystic fibrosis, and his situation became so dire in April that he was hooked up to both a ventilator and a heart-lung machine.
With no donor in sight, his parents decided to step in.
Fortunately, both mom and dad were compatible blood types and had lungs larger than their son's, a prerequisite for donation. Both parents recovered quickly from the six-hour surgery. The boy had to spend 155 days in the hospital, but now can breathe more easily. His prognosis and quality of life are much improved, though his cystic fibrosis hasn't disappeared.
Editor's note: Can't we all just get a lung? (Sorry. --Maiman) -
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