Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Apr 2, 2013

The White House:

The White House is defending PRESIDENT OBAMA's rather cold 2-for-22 basketball shooting peformance yesterday during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. Spokesman JAY CARNEY said, "The president doesn't get to practice probably as much as he would like to. Having done a few shoot-arounds with him, he's a pretty good shot." (Pacelli)

Tax time is coming:

According to new data out from TechBargains those preparing and filing taxes early in the year pay about one-third less than those who wait until after April 1 to prepare and file.
Most Americans file in March (41 percent) while about 26 percent file in February and 19 percent file in April. Those filing early (January/February) pay about 33 percent less in fees than those paying late. Most early filers expect a return (90 percent) while only about 47 percent of late filers do. (Kaye)

Fashion Emergency:

Daaaammnnn! Girl! What did JENNIFER ANNISTON do to her hair? The actress who made the Rachel haircut famous is now rocking The Bald Girl look. It doesn't look like an April Fool's joke either. She shocked everyone over the weekend when she showed up at a New York event with her hair cut short, like she's ready to kick some alien butt, SIGOURNEY WEAVER-style. Jen, who's currently shooting an untitled project with TIM ROBBINS and WILL FORTE. Jen told People that her scalping is for the role. "My character gets to this really broken point and [the director] and I thought it would make her more realistic." (Bartha)

Drug Bust of the Day:

Authorities in Leawood, Kansas, are a little embarrassed after a recent drug raid.
Cops descended on home of ROBERT and ADLYNN HARTE as part of a multistate drug sweep. But, the only green stuff they found was in a legitimate indoor vegetable garden. The Hartes were apparently under suspicion because they had recently purchased a lot of hydroponic equipment, which is often used to grow cannabis. To make matters even more awkward for police, the Hartes are both retired CIA employees. (Still)

Grace notes from Vinny Marino:

Sorry, but there is no such thing as a "used download." Yesterday, a judge ruled against a digital music start-up called ReDigi which allowed subscribers to buy and sell "used" digital downloads that were originally bought from Apple's iTunes store. Capitol Records sued ReDigi for copyright infringement, and won the lawsuit.
Editor's note: Nice try! I worked in a used record store, and the reason why they were cheaper than a sealed copy is because once a record is played, it is no longer in perfect condition. A digital download is the same no matter how many times you play it. Used download... sheesh! (Marino)

Lowering expectations:

In case you missed it, the Easter Bunny was pulled over last weekend for riding his red motorcycle without a helmet near San Diego.
Mr Bunny told a CHP officer that he was en route to a charity event, in costume. Given the charity connection, the office let the rabbit go with just a warning, reminding him that his costume could also make it hard to see. Mensa Bunny then rode off with the head of his costume in the sidecar.
Editor's note: An even worse crime! How many children were traumatized be seeing the decapitated head of the Easter Bunny going down the highway in a sidecar? (Maiman)