Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Sep 22, 2011

Reality Round-Up:

Another day, another reality show, and Daily Variety magazine reports the latest one will be a version of the children’s game, “musical chairs.” Except in “Extreme Musical Chairs,” there will be an indoor obstacle course and multiple rounds of eliminations as the contestants, well, face the music. Look for it on the CW network later this year.

Here’s a hot one: the Colorado Springs Gazette reports that ABC's reality show, “Celebrity Wife Swap,” will feature actor-slash-train wreck GARY BUSEY and former New Life Church pastor TED HAGGARD. The pair will switch wives for two weeks, with the new wives living in their “new” homes for a week, getting the lay of the land, then the second week, they try to take control of the family and change things around to their way of living. The reunion show will reportedly be filmed with both families today at the GLBT Pride Center in Colorado Springs, CO.

Hot punks in the Summertime:

A guy in New York has been punished for playing the bagpipes.
According to the Times Union, 21-year old JAMES KIERNAN was a part of the "Kegs and Eggs" riot in Albany back on March 12th. A drunken, kilt wearing Kiernan allegedly jumped on cars, damaged property, and riled up an already rioting crowd with his bagpipes.
The judge went easy on him. Instead of four-years in jail, he'll only have to do 250-hours of community service, and pay about 1-thousand bucks in fines. (Still)

Grace notes:

R.E.M. is no more. The band posted this statement yesterday on its official website:
"We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening."
Since R.E.M. formed in Athens, Georgia, back in 1980, the band has released 15 albums and scored four Top 10 singles including 1991's "Losing My Religion."

FYI: R.E.M. was one of the first so-called "Alternative" bands, when that word actually meant something. The band's first single was on the tiny Hib-Tone label, and that got them signed to the quirky IRS Records label. Soon, the majors came calling, and R.E.M. wound up on Warner Brothers. (Marino)

Health and Medical Briefs:

You may want to keep your windows up in heavy traffic. New studies suggest breathing in traffic fumes can increase your risk of heart attack. A person’s risk is raised for about six hours after being exposed to traffic pollution and then goes back down.
Writings in the British Medical Journal explain that traffic fumes likely don’t cause heart attacks, but probably hasten them. Pollution can thicken the blood, making it more likely to clot and putting you at higher risk of a heart attack. Repeated exposure can shorten a person’s life expectancy, so health experts suggest avoiding traffic pollution as much as possible. (Page)

The nation's wealthiest:

Forbes magazine is out with its annual list of the wealthiest Americans. In a shocking development, the folks who were rich before are still rich now.
BILL GATES tops the list of 400 again --No. 1 for 17 straight years now-- with a net worth of $59 billion. Behind him: WARREN BUFFETT. And three members of the Wal-Mart family made the list.
There are 42 women on the list, in case you're counting, and the total net worth of all 400 is $1.5 trillion, about the amount the president wants to raise in taxes on the rich over the next decade. (Maiman)
10. Alice Walton
9. Jim Walton
8. Sheldon Adelson (Casino magnate)
7. George Soros
6. Christy Walton & family
4. David Koch
4. Charles Koch
3. Larry Ellison
2. Warren Buffett
1. Bill Gates