Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Sep 5, 2018

The Hard Rock Cafés in NYCand all across the country are celebrating"Freddie for a Day" today, with QUEEN music, mustaches and outrageous Freddie outfits. Plus 10 percent of the sales go to the Mercury Phoenix Trust.

KEITH CARRADINE is coming back to "The Big Bang Theory." He's played Penny's dad before on the CBS series --but this is the final season. He was first on the show back in season four when Penny asked Leonard to pose as her boyfriend while her father was visiting --when they were both single. Keith has a regular day job --he plays President Conrad Dalton on CBS' other series, "Madam Secretary."

Speaking of TV, DICK WOLF has done it again. Mr "Law & Order" franchise has sold another series to NBC, which picked up 13 episodes of (drumroll, please) "Law & Order: Hate Crimes."

The tributes to ARETHA FRANKLIN continue, the latest being in the New York City subway, where the MTA has put up a big sign in the Franklin Street station next to the "Franklin" sign which reads "Respect" in capital letters, with an arrow pointing to the word, "Franklin."

And in Hollywood yesterday, somebody took some quality time to paint the words "Serial Rapist" on BILL COSBY's star on the Walk of Fame. The star has since been restored, but police are now combing through surveillance video in their search for the person who did it. Meanwhile, the 81-year-old star, who was convicted in April, is being sentenced September 24 --but until then is under house arrest with an ankle monitor.