Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Aug 31, 2011

Afghanistan:

This past August has proven to be the deadliest month so far of the war in Afghanistan.
Sixty-six U-S soldiers were killed, one more than in July 2010. This month's high body count came mostly from a Taliban attack on a Chinook helicopter that killed 30 Navy SEALs. Another 23 soldiers were killed in the two southern provinces that are the focus of the current U-S strategy. President Obama has ordered 10-thousand troops to be brought home this year, and another 23-thousand by next summer. (Maiman)

Halloween update:

iParty Corp. chairman and chief executive SAL PERISANO says more Hollywood scandals mean more Halloween costume sales. He tells the Boston Globe that when a Hollywood star messes up, college kids especially want to impersonate said star on Oct. 31. “It’s been a year of scandals and outrageous behavior,” he says, and that’s helpful for him since his chain of 53 party-goods stores will grow by 11 temporary Halloween stores. For collegiate looking to revere AMY WINEHOUSE or mock CHARLIE SHEEN, some of those pop-up stores will be located near big campuses such as the University of Massachusetts and the University of New Hampshire.
Besides masks and costumes for scandalmongers, costumes inspired by recent movies will include get-ups as “Captain America” and the “Green Lantern” too. Perennials such as “Star Wars” and “Harry Potter” will be available as well.
By the way: Perisano isn’t too concerned about Halloween falling on a Monday --he says that’s close enough to a weekend to prompt plenty of parties with the corresponding investment in party supplies. Halloween at mid-week, he says, is the worst for party goods sales. (Kaye)

Reality Round-Up:

Odds to win “Dancing With The Stars” Season 13 (Bodog.com):
--Elisabetta Canalis, 3/1 (favorite)
--Carson Kressley, 4/1
--Kristin Cavallari, 5/1
--Chynna Phillips, 6/1
--Robert Kardashian, 15/2
--Hope Solo, 8/1
--David Arquette, 10/1e
--Ron Artest, 10/1
--J.R. Martinez, 12/1
--Ricki Lake, 15/1
--Nancy Grace, 18/1
--Chaz Bono, 20/1 (longshot)

Bad luck:

A lady in Canada was surprised to find a near-naked photo of herself went viral on the web.
According to the Toronto Sun, 32-year-old CRYSTA HAMMOND endured 14 hours of pain to get a giant fairy tattoo on her torso. But, she reportedly had no idea the artist planned to reveal it to the world. According to Hammond, when the artist snapped a photo, he promised it was for his personal collection. But, that artist later friended Hammond on Facebook, where he posted and tagged her in the butt-nekkid photo.
Hammond says she had no idea the image was public until she received a call from her banker. It had been there for two days before it was removed. Hammond says, "It was a complete breach of my privacy. It was a private tattoo that isn't private anymore." The tattoo artist has since apologized. But, he added that all customers sign a waiver that releases the right to use pictures of their tattoos. (Still)