Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Aug 18, 2011

Money Talks:

You soon may have to pay a fee to use your debit card.
Wells Fargo will begin testing a $3 monthly fee in a number of states. You wouldn't be charged for using your debit card to get cash from the ATM, but if you swipe the card at a merchant even once, you'll be charged the fee.
Wells Fargo says they decided to impose the fee after Congress cut in half the fee merchants had to pay every time you swiped your card. So while the merchant gets a well-deserved break, Wells Fargo wants its money and who better to get it from than you?
They see it as a bargain --10 cents a day to carry plastic instead of cash.
The pilot program starts in October in Washington, Georgia, New Mexico, Nevada and Oregon.
FYI: Debit cards don't have the same protection as credit cards if you lose them. With the monthly fees likely coming to a piece of plastic near you, you might be better off using cash. (Maiman)

Idle gossip & unconfirmed rumors:

Wanna bet on who JENNIFER LOPEZ's next husband will be?
PaddyPower.com is offering odds for various celebrity match-ups for J-Lo, with SEAN "Diddy" COMBS the odds-on favorite at 5-4, and longshots including newly single ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (66-1), CHARLIE SHEEN and PRINCE HARRY (both at 200-1). Ex-husband OJANI NOA is the longest shot of all, at 500-1.
Somewhere in the middle:
--Bradley Cooper 12/1
--Ryan Reynolds 20/1
--Ne-Yo 25/1
--George Clooney 25/1
--Pitbull 25/1
--Ben Affleck 50/1
--Robert Pattinson 80/1

Collegiate capers:

Either the ACT exam is getting really hard or students just aren't very prepared.
It seems the latter. Of students in the class of 2011 who took the exam, only one in four are "prepared for college." That is, only one quarter of those students met four key benchmarks that supposedly show readiness for success in the first year of college.
The results, released by the ACT, also show that Massachusetts was the state with the highest composite average scores on the test and that the achievement gap between the high and low scoring students is growing. (Maiman)

Reality Round-Up:

Another day and more rumors about the upcoming season of "Dancing With the Stars." Yesterday it was MTV reality star KRISTIN CAVALLARI who'd be joining TIFFANI THIESSEN from "Saved by the Bell," CHYNNA PHILLIPS and ROB KARDASHIAN; NICOLE "Snooki" POLIZZI of "Jersey Shore" denied she'd be on the show.
Yesterday QUEEN LATIFAH also shot down rumors she'd be joining the cast, but E! Online claimed GEORGE CLOONEY's former girlfriend, ELISABETTA CANALIS, would be on the show.
No word yet on two other rumored contestants, MIKE TYSON (who performed with his wife, but was not a contestant on Italy and Argentina's DWTS shows) or CHRISTINA MILIAN.
The latest cast will be announced by TOM BERGERON and BROOKE BURKE during ABC's "Bachelor Pad" on Mon, Aug. 29.

Grace notes:

CHER Tweeted yesterday that a song she recorded with LADY GAGA will be released in September. It's called "The Greatest Thing" and will probably be the first single from Cher's new album. There's no title or release date yet, but before Christmas is a safe bet. (Marino)