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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - May 23, 2012
May 23, 2012
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Pet Patrol:
A family in Los Banos, California, got a brand new puppy --from the sky.
The NY Post reports a hawk had snatched the tiny dog and flew at least 30-feet into the air with it. Eventually, the pooch managed to break free. It fell to the ground and survived. And, it landed right in front of ELAINE BOUSCHARD and her seven-year-old grandson. Elaine said, "My thought is when God drops a puppy from the sky, you keep it."
Editor's note: These days you can order anything and have it delivered via air mail. (Still)Grace notes:
The king of all polkas has died. The legendary EDDIE BLAZONCZYK (blah-ZON-chik) rolled out his final barrel Monday and died of natural causes at age 70. Eddie and his Polka Jesters, and later the Versatones toured all over the world after getting their start in Chicago. Eddie retired in 2001. (Marino)
Ratings:
Not a good note for CNN --the Hollywood Reporter says CNN's primetime ratings have now sunk to a 20-year low. The move has a lot to do with PIERS MORGAN replacing the retiring LARRY KING --but ANDERSON COOPER's "AC360" show didn't do much better. Both of those shows, which are stripped in Monday thru Friday, anchor the network's prime-time lineup.
Locked Up for their own good:
Authorities have arrested a man for climbing Mount Rushmore.
That's a federal crime, since it's a national monument. The man was spotted on the loose rock directly below the carvings of four presidents, and park rangers escorted him safely down the mountain. A rep for the national park says the sculpture was never in any danger.
Similar incidents apparently happen several times a year when people for unknown reasons decide to try to climb the mountain. Mount Rushmore upgraded its security after members of Greenpeace climbed the mountain in 2009. (Maiman)Designer Update:
Facebook's stock price may have dropped, but sales are soaring for the designer of the wedding dress worn by MARK ZUCKERBERG's bride. Designer CLAIRE PETTIBONE created the now-famous "Sky Between the Branches" gown worn by PRISCILLA CHAN over the weekend. Women's Wear Daily says orders for that dress have "poured in" since the wedding on Saturday. And Pettibone's website spiked more than 26-thousand new unique visitors on Monday. Her average hits are usually around 15-hundred a day. (Bartha)
He's dead, Jim:
Couch potatoes everywhere are in mourning over the death of EUGENE POLLEY, inventor of the first wireless TV remote.
We take those things for granted now but years ago, those things were a luxury. That was back when you had to get up to turn a knob on the TV if you wanted to change the channel. In 1955, you could buy a new Zenith television with Flash-Matic tuning. The TV came with a green ray-gun-shaped contraption with a red trigger. The advertising promised "TV miracles," and the "flash tuner" was "absolutely harmless to humans!" Today, of course, with hundreds of channels and viewing technologies, remotes are pretty much a necessity.
Polley died of natural causes at a suburban Chicago hospital over the weekend. The former Zenith engineer was 96. He reportedly always kept his original, ray-gun-shaped remote control with him.
Editor's note: In his honor, Polley will be buried under some sofa cushions. You're welcome. (Maiman) -
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