Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Oct 29, 2020

Ch-ch-changes: The folks who put on the Comic Relief benefit shows say they'll stop sending celebrities to Africa after criticism that they were sending stars to Africa as "white saviours". The BBC reports instead, they'll be sending young black and brown film-makers to collect video and tell their story.

Movies, take one: HBO Max has hired actress MINDY KALING to star in and produce “Good in Bed,” taken from the novel by JENNIFER WEINER. It's about a journalist in Philly who's struggling to balance her life, considering her dad has left the family, mom has just come out of the closet, and her love life sucks. Add a movie star best friend, and you've pretty much got the plot.

TV News: If you love FOX’s “The Masked Singer” --now the network has extended the franchise to dance. Their new show, “The Masked Dancer,” will be pretty similar to the other one, and even include KEN JEONG as one of the judges. The other judges will be PAULA ABDUL (who definitely knows about dancing), BRIAN AUSTIN GREEN (who was just on Season 4 of “The Masked Singer”) and ASHLEY TISDALE. CRAIG ROBINSON will be hosting the show, and the only problem will probably be how the contestants will be able to dance in those elaborate costumes and face masks.

TV News, take two: Over at the CW network, they're putting together a show called "Tom Swift" --a spinoff from their "Nancy Drew" show. If you remember the novels, you'll pretty much guess what the series will be like --a Black, gay, billionaire inventor gets thrust into a world of science-fiction conspiracy after the disappearance of his father. No word on a star for the series yet, but if you're a Nancy Drew fan, the character supposedly will be introduced on that show.

Congrats to the late WHITNEY HOUSTON, who is now the first Black artist to have three Diamond-certified albums. The Hollywood Reporter sez the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced Wednesday that Houston’s 1987 sophomore album, Whitney, has now sold 10 million albums, making it eligible for the honor, and putting it in with her debut LP (which sold 13 million) and "The Bodyguard" soundtrack, which sold 18 million.

Quick survey of your audience: who's gained weight during the pandemic quarantine? Don't feel too, too bad, because “Baywatch” star PAMELA ANDERSON --who's now 53 years old-- announced yesterday she's porked up as well since she's been avoiding her exercise regimen. On the British talk show “Loose Women,” she said jokingly “I have a gym that I look at every so often,” but also said “I feel a little puffy but winter is coming so I won't feel cold.”

Now that there's a Republican-endorsed conservative-leaning judge who's been added to the Supreme Court, NBC reports some gay couples have decided to get married sooner than later because they believe the court may change their right for a same-sex marriage. Although new justice AMY CONEY BARRETT has said she'll continue to set aside her personal religious beliefs when deciding on cases, some LGBTQ couples are taking no chances.

Promo plugola dep't: The Washington Post says the latest thing is to hand out face masks emblazoned with your logo. Happened at the stock market opening bell yesterday, and there's other coronavirus-related swag which can be ordered as well, including branded sanitizer bottles, “clean key” tools for pressing elevator buttons and, of course, those masks.