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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Jun 26, 2012
June 26, 2012
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Political Racket /Dirty Tricks:
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that IL Democratic Congressman JESSE JACKSON Jr. is "exhausted" and --according to a friend-- fighting to save his marriage. That's why he's been on a previously-undisclosed medical leave of absence for the past two weeks.
At least that what he's saying.
But it's also no secret that Jackson is also facing a Congressional ethics probe concerning allegations tied to the corruption case of former IL Gov. ROD BLAGOJEVICH. And last week, fundraiser RAGHUVEER NAYAK was arrested by federal authorities in an unrelated alleged fraud scheme.
It was Nayak who alledgedly offered $1.5-million-dollars in exchange for the Senate seat that was about to be vacated by BARACK OBAMA following his 2008 election as president. (Pacelli)What's Poppin':
You can now buy fish caught off Japan's Fukushima coastline for the first time since the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant last year, although you're stuck with octopus or whelk, a type of marine snail.
Testing showed no detectable radiation, but radiation fears are still keeping other types of seafood, including flounder and sea bass, from being offered. So far, the seafood is only being sold locally, and prices are almost half of what they were before the meltdown.
Today's seafood "was crisp when I bit into it, and it tasted so good," says one supervisor at a supermarket that sold out of both the snails and the octopus by 3 pm.
An official at a fishing cooperative says that crabs may go on sale next.
Editor's note: Sounds like the seafood got glowing reviews. (Rimshot!)
--Only being sold locally, huh? I guess the locals are already so irradiated that a little more won't make a difference. (Maiman)Idle gossip & unconfirmed rumors:
BRITNEY SPEARS is making plans to spend her summer on the sun-drenched beaches of the Pacific Ocean. RadarOnline.com reports the pop tart checked out a home in Malibu, California, with her fiance, JASON TRAWICK, and two sons, SEAN and JAYDEN, over the weekend. Insiders say she wants to rent the five-bedroom, three-story property for the summer and will be ponying up almost $15,000 per-month in rent. (Lee)
RYAN REYNOLDS wants EVA MENDES all to himself. According to Star magazine, Ryan has asked Eva to break off any contact she has with ex GEORGE GARGUREVICH. The couple have a home accessories line together and Evan doesn't want to give up the business to George entirely. (Myers)
Broadcast, cable and video news:
The big story yesterday was that embattled "Today" show host ANN CURRY will reportedly get $10 million to leave the show. That's the amount that the network would have paid her for the final year of her contract.
The NY Post says SAVANNAH GUTHERIE, who's one of the co-hosts of "Today's" third hour, is widely expected to take over Curry's job, although there's also rumors that HODA KOTB --who currently does the show's fourth hour with talk show vet KATHIE LEE GIFFORD-- is also up for the job.
The interesting part to that rumor is the question of who'd replace Hoda. And Radar Online says Kathie Lee's old partner, REGIS PHILBIN --who's now all of 80 years old-- is in the running. And it's not totally out of the question, since Reege is hosting some of NBC's live Fourth of July programming.Grace notes:
MILEY's dad is gonna be a Broadway star! Well, he'll be on Broadway. BILLY RAY CYRUS will take over the role of Billy Flynn in the musical, "Chicago" for seven weeks. It's his first time on the Great White Way, and he'll put on the tux for eight shows a week starting November 5th. (Marino)
It took 48 years, but former GUNS N' ROSES bassist DUFF McKAGAN finally got his high school diploma. He dropped out of Roosevelt High in Seattle in the 10th grade and got his G.E.D. later on, but last week, the school sent Duff an official diploma. (Marino)
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