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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Jul 20, 2012
July 20, 2012
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Popped by the cops:
Today's PEE WEE HERMAN award goes to FRED WILLARD. Us Weeklyreports the star of "Anchorman" and "Best in Show" was popped at the triple-X Tiki Theater on suspicion of engaging in a lewd act. The actor was booked and released and is presumably spending some quality time in the doghouse --he's been married to wife MARY WILLARD for 40 years. Meanwhile, after the news broke about his alleged indiscretions, PBS quickly fired Fred from his gig as narrator of its new show "Market Warriors," an "Antiques Roadshow" spinoff.
Gossip Central:
What will the cast of "Jersey Shore" do after their final season? In Touch magazine finds out:
--PAULY D will continue his DJ gigs, liquor line and season two of "The Pauly D Project"
--DEENA CORTESE is looking at "Dancing with the Stars"
--VINNY GUADAGNINO is hoping for a spin-off with his family
--JENNI "J-Woww" FARLEY's tanning product line is selling like crazy
--MIKE "The Situation" SORRENTINO is doing appearances and working on opening GTL salons (that's gym, tan, laundry for yous guys who didn't know)
--SNOOKI's plan? One word: baby!
--SAMMI GIANCOLA has a line of workout gear and a perfume
--RONNIE ORTIZ is hoping to get a spin-off with Sammi about their on-off loveTaking everything much too seriously:
What's the going price for a 31-year-old slice of bread?
CNews says a piece of toast left over from the 1981 wedding of PRINCE CHARLES and LADY DIANA just sold at auction for 361-bucks. The bread was kept by a former servant of the palace as a memento of the wedding. ROSEMARIE SMITH claims the precious toast was stored on her shelf in a cup for the past three decades. The toast was sold by the Hansons auction house last week to a UK buyer. (Still)Grace notes:
JUSTIN BIEBER is on the cover of the next issue of Rolling Stone magazine. In addition to the "manly" photos, you will also learn that the teen dream is part Indian. The Bieber says he's a high enough percentage, that in his native Canada he can get free gas. Schweet! (Marino)
Ramadan begins:
The Islamic holiday of Ramadan begins at Sunset tomorrow; a month of fasting for Muslims, and marks the month when the Prophet Mohammed began to receive the Quran. During Ramadan, Muslims do not eat during the daylight hours.
Fasting is one of the five important acts of Muslim worship (called the pillars of Islam). In the evening, the faithful attend prayers at mosque, asking Allah for forgiveness and mercy.
The greeting "As-Salaam-Alaikum" means "Peace be upon you." Another common phrase during Ramadan is "Dua maa yaad" or "Please remember us in your prayers." It is perfectly appropriate to say "Happy Ramadan" to Muslims celebrating the holiday.Shopping Around:
The International Council of Shopping Centers expects the strongest spending increases since 2005 for the back-to-school season --which generally runs from mid-July to mid-September. Their survey predicts a gain of over five percent from last year.
The National Retail Federation's numbers are similar. Their crystal ball shows the average person with school-age kids forking over $689 in back-to-school costs, up from $604 last year. Gender gap: men are expected to spend an average $740 on their grades K-12 spawn, compared to women who will spend an average of $640.
Total spending on kids in grade-school students is expected to reach $30.3 billion; with college spending, (laptops, TVs, and dorm furnishings) the annual BTS total is forecast at $83.8 billion.
For parents of the K through 12 set, here's the breakdown:
--Clothes: parents think they will spend $246
--Electronics: parents think they will spend $218
--Shoes: parents think they will spend $129
--School supplies: parents think they will spend $95 (Kaye) -
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