Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Nov 23, 2011

Just a quick heads up:

we will not be publishing the Ross Brittain Report tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, or the following day, "Black Friday."

I'm a Poll Man:

A new analysis from Public Policy Polling --a Democratic firm-- has some shaky news for PRESIDENT OBAMA. If the election was today, he'd likely lose the pivotal swing state of Pennsylvania, a state vital for his re-election chances.
PPP's numbers put the president and MITT ROMNEY tied at 45-percent each. However, just 24-percent of the undecided voters approve of the president's job performance, while 70-percent disapprove. And for the most part, if you don't approve of the incumbent President, you're not going to vote for him. (Pacelli)

What's Cookin'?:

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, when most of us will chow down on turkey, along with ham, or prime rib, or turducken for the adventurous, and tofurkey for the Vegans.
But for most of us, the main course is you know what. The National Turkey Federation says 95 percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving --average weight of the family bird: 15 pounds. Yeah, that's nearly 700 million pounds of turkey will be eaten tomorrow.

We mentioned this earlier, but you never have it on hand when you need it: any questions about that big 'ol bird? Call the Butterball Turkey Talk Line, designed to answer questions asked by the poultry impaired (c'mon admit it --you left the gizzards inside at least once!): 1-800-BUTTERBALL between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm (Eastern), through Thanksgiving Day, or hit up the website any time: butterball.com.
   Or you could call the government. Believe it or not, the Agriculture Department has a hotline open YEAR-ROUND from 10 am till 4 pm (Eastern) to help and offer cooking tips.1-888-674-6854. (Maiman)

Stupid people, stupid places:

Time now for our annual feature: Guys in Action, Thanksgiving Version!
A Chicago area man trying to deep-fry 25 turkeys ended up cooking his own leg.
Eighty-six-year-old SERAFINO ALFE accidentally spilled 30 quarts of hot oil on his leg while preparing the turkey feast for 140 diners at a local country club. He tripped on a piece of cardboard and dumped the oil.
Doctors at the hospital where he was treated tell the Chicago Sun-Times it's a reminder of the dangers of turkey fryers --which many prefer since fried birds are moister than a traditional roasted turkey. Thanksgiving chefs are advised to use fryers with sealed lids well away from any buildings, kids and pets, but with a fire extinguisher handy. And keep bare skin and eyes covered.
Editor's note: He deep-fried his own leg? Job well done. Get it? WELL DONE! Ha, I kill me.
--Not exactly the drumstick I was looking for.
--A humble suggestion from the kitchen of Chez Maiman: Next time, stick to KFC. (Maiman)

Macy's Parade:

The 85th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks off at 9 am (Eastern) tomorrow in New York City. In addition to the 10-thousand Macy's employees, there'll be 24 floats, 11 marching bands, more than 16-hundred cheerleaders and 800 clowns.
--There are 15 giant helium balloons including Snoopy, a new version of Sonic the Hedgehog, SpongeBob SquarePants and a "lonely balloon boy" dreamed up by "Alice in Wonderland" director TIM BURTON.
--Performers this year include MARY J. BLIGE, NEIL DIAMOND, MICHAEL FEINSTEIN, CEE LO GREEN, AVRIL LAVIGNE, "American Idol" winner SCOTTY McCREERY, along with the the casts of several Broadway shows.

Shopping Around:

Nine out of 10 online retailers are offering special deals Thanksgiving weekend, with 51 percent offering Thanksgiving specials, and 80 percent linking them to Cyber Monday, according to the National Retail Federation’s online arm, Shop.org. Altogether 92 percent will offer some kind of promotion during the holiday weekend.
About 45 percent of e-tailers are offering coupons/percent-off deals, says Shop.org, and 37 percent plan limited-time promotions. About 30 percent will offer free standard shipping with conditions; 15 percent plan to feature a free gift with purchase.
The NRF’s CyberMonday.com will spotlight a “Deal of the hour” on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday. (Kaye)

Lady Gaga's Holiday Workshop Opens:

LADY GAGA’s Holiday Workshop is officially open at Barney’s in New York City. The Mama Monster herself ushered in the holiday season by cutting the ribbon on “Gaga’s Workshop” Monday night. StyleList.com says she wore a white Chanel gown custom-designed by KARL LAGERFELD. A who’s who of fashion turned out for the big unveiling. Gaga’s stylist NICOLA FORMICHETTI was there. He helped design the workshop. Also there: GIOVANNA BATTAGLIA and PRABAL GURUNG. Designers ALEXANDER WANG and CHRISTIAN SIRIANO also made appearances. Celebrities turned out too. NEIL PATRICK HARRIS and BLAKE LIVELY were spotted in the crowd.
Gaga's Workshop takes up the entire fifth floor of the department store.Fashionista.com says a lot of people brought their kids for the grand opening. The centerpiece: a giant red spider with blue hair. (Bartha)