Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Nov 9, 2011

Holiday Forecast: Busiest Shopping Days:

Yes, it's nearly that time of year, when the real shop-a-holics come out to put us dilettantes in our place and teach us how to power shop during the pre-Christmas crunch. Worst day to be in the stores and parking lots if ya hate crowds? As you might expect, Black Friday. That's number one for sales and traffic around the malls. The rest of the list:
10. (Sales), 8 (Traffic): Sat, Dec. 3
9. (Sales), 10 (Traffic): Mon, Dec 19
8. (Sales), 5 (Traffic): Sat, Dec 10
7. (Sales), 9 (Traffic): Sun, Dec 18
6. (Sales), 6 (Traffic): Sat, Nov 26
5. (Sales), 7 (Traffic): Thu, Dec 22
4. (Sales), 3 (Traffic): Mon, Dec 26
3. (Sales), 4 (Traffic): Fri, Dec 23
2. (Sales), 2 (Traffic): Sat, Dec 17
1. (Sales), 1 (Traffic): Fri, Nov 25 (Black Friday)
   (Source: ShopperTrak --Kaye)

Idle gossip & unconfirmed rumors:

Are you looking for a legal, get-rich-quick scheme to pay some bills? You might want to befriend CANDY SPELLING. The super-wealthy widow of AARON SPELLING is a big-time gambler and hit another jackpot in Las Vegas. TMZ.com reports she headed out to the Bellagio with some girlfriends a few weeks back and made $90-thousand playing the high-limit slots. This isn't Mrs. Spelling's first lucky day --she also scored 200-grand in 2007 and another 180-thousand back in '08. (Lee)

Designer Update:

Target better brace for another website crash. Ads in all the tabloids this week show that GWEN STEFANI's line of clothes for kids, Harajuku Mini for Target, debuts in stores on November 13th. (Myers)

One toke over the line, dep't:

Police in Shelby, NC arrested a motorist after a routine traffic stop after he was found with 11 bags of pot in his butt.
   The guy was all wrong: Suspended driver's license, no insurance, and the strong smell of pot coming from inside the car.
   Because cops found nothing in the car, they took him in and were about to ask him to take off his clothes for a strip search when he confessed that he that the drugs were in his butt.
   Editor's note: That wasn't pot, that was crack. Somebody had to say it. (Maiman)

Broadcast, cable and video news:

Guess who just signed a brand-new, five-year TV contract? That would be "Live!" co-host KELLY RIPA, who will now be with the show until 2017 (and with a new co-host, now that REGIS PHILBIN is leaving next week).
   No word on the dollar amount --or the new co-host, although MICHAEL GELMAN has been looking for months, now.
   PS: If you haven't heard, Regis' final week will be filled with high-profile guests including DAVID LETTERMAN, DONALD TRUMP, JIMMY FALLON and Kelly's predecessor, KATHIE LEE GIFFORD.

Another day, another re-boot. This time it's CBS which says they're bringing back the old 1958 CHUCK CONNORS western series, "The Rifleman." The Hollywood Reporter says the pilot will be done by "Harry Potter" director, CHRIS COLUMBUS.

People's Choice nominations:

KATY PERRY has scored seven nominations for this year's People's Choice Awards, but two of them are not for music. She's in the running for Favorite Animated Voice for her work as Smurfette in "The Smurfs" movie, and for Favorite TV Guest Star thanks to her appearance on "How I Met Your Mother." ADELE, LADY GAGA and TAYLOR SWIFT are also up for a bunch of awards. They'll be handed out on January 11th, live on CBS. You can vote right now at PeoplesChoice.com.