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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Oct 24, 2012
October 24, 2012
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I'm a Poll Man:
Anyone following the presidential election knows that the swing state among all swing states is Ohio. How much? Consider this stat from NATE SILVER at the NY Times: He ran 40-thousand Electoral College simulations and the candidate who won Ohio won the election 95 percent of time.
Yeah, it's possible to lose Ohio this year and still win the White House, but it wouldn't be easy. Concludes Silver: "Unlikely does not equal impossible, but Ohio is central enough in the electoral math that it now seems to matter as much as the other 49 states put together."
Editor's note: If you're unfamiliar with Nate Silver, he's the statistician conservatives claim to be a liar because, even though science and math are saying one thing, we all know in our gut conclusions based on science and math aren't true, and my gut is never wrong. (Check out this moron. --Maiman)Halloween:
Ten disgusting types of Halloween candy you can buy:
10. Scorpion Suckers. (candywarehouse.com)
9. Toxic Waste. (candywarehouse.com)
8. Skeleton PopsCandy. (stupid.com)
7. Eyes of Terror Gumballs. (candy-crate.stores.yahoo.net/rabloeyofteb1.html)
6. Gummy Snakes. (stupid.com)
5. Lick Your Wounds Candy Scabs. Shaped like a Band-Aid, and really sticks to your arm. (candywarehouse.com)
4. Cockroach Bites. Looks just like real cockroaches. (candywarehouse.com)
3. Dripping Boogers. You just strap on the plastic nose and the liquid candy drips out of the nostrils onto your tongue. (candywarehouse.com)
2. Ear Wax Candy. Comes with a custom q-tip type stick to eat it with. (candywarehouse.com)
1. Chocka Ca-Ca. Chocka Ca-Ca is a fudge candy that comes wrapped in a diaper, and is even shaped like liquid piled on top of liquid. It's like eating poop right out of a diaper. (stupid.com)Whistleblowing:
That British phone-hacking scandal is not over by any means.
Yesterday, four people filed charges against the UK's Mirror newspaper group, claiming their phone conversations were illegally otained and used. Among the four are DAVID BECKHAM's former nanny and a British soap opera actress, along with the former manager of a British soccer team.
The tapings allegedly took place when current CNN host PIERS MORGAN was running the London Daily Mirror.
And the beat goes on.Idle gossip & unconfirmed rumors:
Everyone loves a Hollywood love story with a happy ending, especially KATIE HOLMES! A "friend" of the newly-single mom tells Grazia magazine she could be reuniting with ex-husband TOM CRUISE on one condition --the action star says sayanara to his precious Scientology. Tom leaving the controversial religion would be "tough for her to resist" because she's a "sucker for the big romantic gesture." Rumor has it their different beliefs led to divorce as the "Dawson's Creek" cutie didn't want six-year-old daughter SURI sent away to Scientology camp or attending one of the group's schools. (Lee)
On, off and way-off Broadway:
Lots of people went to see AL PACINO in the revival of "Glengarry Glen Ross" last week --with the average ticket price of $164.47 popping the gross for just four previews to $703,775! Yow!
Also doing quite well --FRANKIE VALLI and the FOUR SEASONS, whose three Broadway shows pulled in $633,900. Average ticket price on that one, according to Daily Variety, was about the same as you'd pay for a good concert seat --$125.
To put this all in perspective, Broadway's top box office draw, "The Book of Mormon," runs an average of just under $190 a ticket and pulled in $1.66 million last week.Lawsuit of the Day:
From the Nice Try Department: The NY State Supreme Court has ruled that lap dances are not art, and therefore taxable.
In a 4-3 ruling, the majority said that lap dances don't promote culture in a community the way ballet or other artistic endeavors do. But dissenting justices said there's no distinction in state law between "highbrow dance and lowbrow dance."
The lawsuit was filed by Nite Moves in suburban Albany, which was arguing that fees for admission to the strip club and for private dances should be exempt from sales taxes.
Editor's note: Clearly this court never met Candy Kane over at G-Strings. (How about I dance on your gavel, your honor?)
--Lap dances aren't only artistic, they're uplifting! (Maiman) -
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