Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Jul 1, 2011

Culture Shock:

The people with no lives, also known as the Guinness Book of World Records, is now addressing social media, and so, since yesterday was global "Social Media Day," the Guinness Book nerds released the latest social media world records, everything from most view videos, most Twitter followers to most Facebook comments.
Some of the standout social media records noted by Guinness:
--This video by JUSTIN BIEBER ("Baby") holds the record for the most viewed video online --more than 575 million hits. It also holds the record for the most "dislike" hits, nearly 1.5 million (double the number of "likes").
--Most liked YouTube Video: The "Evolution of Dance," by comedian JUDSON LAIPPLY, which features various styles of dance set to 32 different music tracks. His video has been liked over 760-thousand times.
--Most Likes on a Facebook Page: Facebook itself, with over 47 million (followed by ZYNGA's Texas Hold'em Poker (45.78 million), rapper EMINEM (42.05 million), YouTube (40.44 million) and LADY GAGA (39.49 million).
--Most Twitter followers: Lady Gaga, with more than 11.2 million. She was first to pass the 10 million mark.
--Who reached a million Twitter followers the fastest? CHARLIE SHEEN. (Maiman)

Bad weekend to drive:

We reviewed stats from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the worst days to drive last month, but just a reminder --this weekend is the worst weekend of the year to drive if you'd like to avoid an accident.
In the most recent rankings, January first (probably the wee, morning hours when everybody is coming back from one of those drunken New Year's Eve parties) is the worst time of all to drive.
But Saturday (Jul 02) ranks ninth in total crashes, Sunday (Jul 03) is third and Monday (Jul 04) came in second. All told, this holiday weekend is the worst one of the year, and it's verified by the Insurance Information Institute as well. Labor Day weekend qualifies as a close second.
In fact, after New Years and July Fourth, the remaining 13 worst days are mostly all in the summer months, so unfortunately it would appear that warm weather, trips to the beach, and BBQ all correlate with automobile collisions. But 41 percent of the deaths on July fourth involved people with high blood alcohol concentrations, as did 51 percent of the deaths on January first. Also, more motorcyclists are killed on July Fourth than any other day.
So, mark your calendars and remember to drive carefully. And never, ever, get behind the wheel of car while intoxicated.

The Top 15 Worst Days to Drive
(Source: NHTSA)
15. Aug 11
14. Jul 15
13. Jun 30
12. Aug 31
11. Aug 04
10. Oct 14
9. Jul 02
8. Sep 22
7. Aug 06
6. Sep 01
5. Sep 02
4. Aug 03
3. Jul 03
2. Jul 04
1. Jan 01

Gossip Central: tabloids:

Stars who have had braces from Us Weekly magazine:
--BARBARA WALTERS
--CHER
--CINDY CRAWFORD
--TOM CRUISE
--PRINCE HARRY (Myers)

Drug Bust of the Day:

Cops in Montreal, Canada, arrested a guy after finding out what was stashed in his pants.
According to CNews, 32-year-old CLAYTON ROACH allegedly hid a half-pound of cocaine in his underwear. But, that's not all. Cops say, in addition to the fist-sized package of coke, Roach had over 6-ounces of crack and a small amount of pot. The street value of the drugs was around 24-thousand bucks. Clayton remains behind bars.
Editor's note: I heard something about "fist-sized" and "crack." Wait, what was this story about again?
--Seriously, the guy was busted for pot and his name is Roach? (Still)

Grace notes:

This could be a very interesting collaboration... if it's true. The Chicago Examiner says MADONNA is working with JIM STEINMAN on her next album. If that name sounds familiar, Jim is the guy who wrote all of MEAT LOAF's songs, as well as huge hits by CELINE DION and BONNIE TYLER. Madonna sent a few of her new lyrics and melodies to Jim and he liked it. She'll hit the studio later this month. (Marino)