Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Nov 8, 2011

Along the Primary trail:

HERMAN CAIN will hold a press conference in Arizona today to address claims made by Chicago single mom SHARON BIALEK that he sexually harassed her in 1997.
   But every time Herman Cain tries to end this story, it takes another unexpected turn, and yesterday hadn't ended with the media dogging Cain about Bialek coming forward with allegations of sexually harassment (see below) when the Washington Examiner reported that a FIFTH woman has come forward to question Cain's behavior.
   The woman, DONNA DONELLA, 40, of Arlington, VA, explained that a female audience member posed a question to Cain after his address at a business function.
  "After the seminar was over," said Donella, "Cain came over to me and a colleague and said, 'Could you put me in touch with that lovely young lady who asked the question, so I can give her a more thorough answer over dinner?'"
   Suspicious of Cain's motives, Donella refused to schedule the dinner. She felt it important to describe the encounter after hearing other women bring more serious allegations of sexual harassment.
   "I couldn't swear that he had some untoward intentions," she said, "but we all thought his tone was suspect and we didn't feel comfortable putting him in touch with that woman."
   Editor's note: Would you? Ask your audience. Ask women. You'll get answers like "Totally inappropriate," "Creepy," maybe even "sexist pig." (Maiman)

Fashionista Report:

Women’s boxing makes its international debut at the2012 Olympics in London. So the International Amateur Boxing Association is floating a proposal torequire female boxers to wear skirts instead of boxers in the ring. Their reasoning is that skirts will make them stand out more from the men.
   The group meets in January to give their formal recommendation. Right now, they say they’re “seeking a consensus from the worldwide boxing family and the wider public” on the skirt idea. But most boxers think it’s a bad idea. Three-time world champion KATIE TAYLOR told Styleite.com that she doesn’t “even wear miniskirts on a night out, so I definitely won’t be wearing miniskirts in the ring.”
   Editor’s Rant/Phone Starter: Silly doesn’t even begin to describe this idea. Why do the women need to “stand out more” from the men, exactly? Or do the sports bras they wear during a fight not "stand-out" enough? Maybe they should be wearing push-up bras too. You know, so they can "stand out" even more. This sounds like a blatantly sexist way draw attention to the novelty of women boxers (like the pro female ballplayers in the 1940s.) What do you think? Should female boxers wear skirts? (Bartha)

Wasted away again in Margaritaville:

A woman in Louisiana is charged with beating her boyfriend with a frozen steak.
   The Smoking Gun reports 47-year-old EDNA VERDIN allegedly became enraged that there wasn't enough room in the freezer to chill her booze. To express her disappointment, cops say she decided to take a chunk of frozen beef out of the freezer, and chuck it at her boyfriend. The slab of meat hit him square in the face, leaving a deep cut.
   Verdin has been arrested for aggravated battery. (Still)

Movies that will suck:

Has Hollywood stooped low enough yet in the quest for material to adapt into movies? Not yet --the Hollywood Reporter says MGM has optioned the rights to make a live-action movie based on the "Where's Waldo?" kids' book series. More than 55 million of the books have been published, and you gotta figure there'll be a lotta crowd scenes.
   No word on casting for the lanky guy in the striped shirt, yet.

Grace notes:

This should blow your mind. "Stairway To Heaven" turns 40 years old, today. It's easily LED ZEPPELIN's best known song, and if you were a kid in the 70's, every school or summer camp dance ended with "Stairway." It was one of the first tunes you wanted to learn how to play on the guitar, and when you finally got the opening riff, you were, in fact, JIMMY PAGE. "Stairway" is at the end of Side One on the album that's really doesn't have a title. Technically, it's called "Led Zeppelin," but you know it as "The Hermit," or "Runes," "ZoFo," "Led Zeppelin Four," or anything else you want to call it. There is nothing satanic about the song. If you play it backwards...you'll only mess up your turntable. Here's a fun fact. Since "Stairway" was released on November 8th, 1971, it's been played on the radio 38-million times. If you stacked that up back-to-back, that's 578 years. (Marino)