Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Jun 20, 2011

Top talkables of the day:

The controversy over the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance has popped up again. Leading into yesterday's final round of the the U-S Open PGA event, NBC aired a video montage featuring a recitation of the plege that left out "under God" and "indivisible."
Dumb move.
The reaction was immediate and almost universally negative, save for a few far-left blogs.
Later in the telecast, host DAN HICKS read the following statement during coverage: "It was our intent to begin our coverage of this U-S Open championship with a feature that captured the patriotism of our national championship being here in our nation's capital for the third time. Regrettably, a portion of the pledge of allegiance that was in that feature was edited out. It was not done to upset anyone and we'd like to apologize to those of you who were offended by it."
Editor's Note: "Regrettably" it was edited out? Bull! This doesn't happen by accident on a network level. Why also leave out "indivisible?" And yes, I know "under God" was added in 1954. Last I checked, it's still in there. (Pacelli)

Culture Shock:

Is divorce a dirty word again?
Divorce rates have been on the decline since reaching a peak in the 1980s, but there's also an attitude shift about divorce. According to a new study, many women considering divorce feel ostracized by other married couples, while also revealing that many view divorce not as helping women find "freedom" but rather as a "selfish" act.
Another interesting trend noted in a 2010 study by the National Marriage Project: College-educated Americans are less likely to divorce than the rest of the population. Just 11 percent of college-educated Americans divorce within the first 10 years of marriage, compared with 37 percent of the rest of the population, who call it quits within the first decade. (Maiman)

Filling a need:

It's never too early to start thinking about Christmas, because the big toy of the holiday season is already in stores! It's a kid-friendly version of something familiar to all adults, the toy version of a TSA scanner wand.
It's called The Security Scanner. It's at Toys-r-Us now. According to the box, the detector wand flashes and beeps when it detects metal, just like the real thing.
Editor's note: And just like the real thing, it really creeps people out when you wave it at them. (Maiman)

Trash talk and satellite dish:

Dr. OZ left his normal, healthy diet in the dust for Father's Day. The NY Post's Page Six gossip column reports the TV physician headed out to Morton's steak house in Hackensack, New Jersey, with his son last weekend and the two dove into plates of rib-eye and strip steaks. His publicist confirmed the news and says he indulged in a "lean cut" of beef. (Lee)

KATE MIDDLETON is a fashionista who knows how to spot a bargain. Fashion critics love the new Princess Kate, wife of PRINCE WILLIAM, because she's trendy in an affordable way. Star magazine caught her shopping in a pair of $22 dollar Levi's, a $13 dollar sweater from Old Navy and a pair of basic flats for $50 bucks. (Myers)

TV Briefs:

The Hollywood Reporter says the search for a replacement for REGIS PHILBIN is down to three possibilities: the ubiquitous RYAN SEACREST (he's everywhere!), ANDY COHEN, who hosted last night's "Miss USA Pageant," and who's also the VP of the Bravo network and host of "Watch What Happens Live," and actor MARK CONSUELOS, who's married to KELLY RIPA and is a frequent co-host of the program already.