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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Feb 4, 2013
February 4, 2013
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What's the Buzz:
A St. Louis pastor tells the Smoking Gun she is "heartbroken" over the brouhaha that erupted online last week over a tip she refused to leave, calling it a "lapse in my character and judgment." It ultimately led to an Applebee's waitress losing her job. If you missed it, here's what happened:
ALOIS BELL went to the restaurant with nine others. Applebee policy automatically includes an 18 percent tip for parties of eight or more. Bell wrote on the receipt: "I give God 10% why do you get 18," and she scratched out the tip, put a zero in its place, and signed it, "pastor."
The server, CHELSEA WELCH, posted the receipt on Reddit, where it soon went viral, with Bell's signature clearly visible. After Bell complained to Applebee's, the chain fired the waitress. In a statement, Applebee's said: "Our franchisee has apologized to the Guest" for violating the patron's "right to privacy." The individual responsible for the leak "is no longer employed by the franchise."
Welch told Yahoo News she was surprised that Applebee's fired her, "especially because there was nothing specific in the employee handbook admonishing this behavior."
"I had no intention of starting a witch hunt or hurting anyone," said Welch. "I just wanted to share a picture I found interesting. I come home exhausted, sore, burnt, dirty, and blistered on a good day. And after all that, I can be fired for 'embarrassing' someone who directly insults their server on religious grounds."
Editor's note: The hardest part of this whole story to understand: Someone eating at Applebees. (Maiman)Guilty Pleasures:
No winner in Saturday night's drawing for the Powerball Lottery. That means Wednesday night's drawing is valued at $208 million ($130.7 million cash value). Powerball is played in 44 states, Washington, DC and the U-S Virgin Islands. Chances of winning the grand prize (all five numbers plus the powerball) are 1 in 175.2 million.
Trash talk and satellite dish:
Feel free to click the relationship meter on JUSTIN BIEBER and SELENA GOMEZ right back to the "on" position. TMZ.com was on-hand when the Disney princess did the walk of shame after spending all night at the hearthrob's house. (Lee)
ROB KARDASHIAN is cute but goofy guy. He tells Us Weekly magazine that he sleeps with his baby blanket, that he calls Kiki, that his nana made for him, he changes his phone number about 10 times a year but never saves his contacts, and he's been on day one of his workout routine for the last two years. (Myers)
Models:
Israeli supermodel BAR RAFAELI made her Super Bowl ad debut last night. She was in that Go Daddy ad making out with the nerdy engineer. AdWeek says they shot 45 takes of that kiss. Two other versions of the ad were rejected by CBS for being "too indecent." (Bartha)
Stars and their movies:
Even though he was slighted by the Oscars, BEN AFFLECK has gotta be feeling good about life after winning the Directors Guild of America award for "Argo" over the weekend. So far, he's gotten a Golden Globe and a DGA Award for directing the movie --which is only his third directing attempt ever, following "Gone Baby Gone" and "The Town."
Daily Variety did the research --that makes him only the seventh DGA winner not to receive a directing Oscar in the 65 years of DGA awards.
And it's pretty significant as well, since the field of directors he beat to win the award --KATHRYN BIGELOW for "Zero Dark Thirty," TOM HOOPER for "Les Miserables," ANG LEE for "Life of Pi" and STEVEN SPIELBERG for "Lincoln" --all won the DGA award and then went on to win an Oscar.
Classy acceptance speech, too --instead of sticking his tongue out and saluting the Oscar nominating committee, he said "I don't think this makes me a real director but I think I'm on my way." -
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