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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check
October 19, 2009
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I'm a Poll Man:
A new Harris Interactive Poll (HERE) has some sour news for President BARACK OBAMA. His job approval number stands at only 45-percent among just under 23-hundred adults surveyed online earlier this month.
In the survey, the only age group the presdent wins is 18-to-32-year-olds, at just 51-to-49-percent. The President loses the other three major age categories by anywhere from 10-to-22-points.
Editor's Note: The major caveat to remember with online interactive polls is that you need at least some access to a computer to participate. Considering that, you have to contrast the results with traditional phone polls that generally have the president's approval at five-to-seven-points higher. (Pacelli)
Halloween and Pumpkins:
We have a new winner of the world's biggest pumpkin. NICK and CHRISTY HARP, who live near Canton, OH, grew one this year that weighed in at 1,725 pounds, beating the former record-holder, a 1,689 pound giant grown in Rhode Island in 2007.
Christy told Fox News that at one point in August, the massive pumpkin was growing 33 pounds a day. She kept it going by putting a mix of compost, coffee grounds and cow manure in the soil.
This year's runner-up pumpkin --so far-- is a 16-hundred, 58-pound pumpkin grown by DON YOUNG of Des Moines, Iowa, who flew the giant gourd out to the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, CA, earlier this month and picked up nearly ten-thousand dollars for his trouble.
Editor's note: Gotta wonder, though, what kind of baggage fee he paid to ship that thing!
Trash talk and satellite dish:
SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS tried to buy a few friends while appearing on BET's "106 & Park" last Tuesday, but his generous side quickly turned ugly when a diamond ring flew off his hand while he threw money into the crowd.
The NY Post reports he was cool about the incident on-camera, but when filming was over he demanded the building be shut down and everyone in the crowd be searched to find the $20,000 worth of bling.
Some former fans were livid over the situation and "Twittered" that they were frisking all the kids like it was "Rikers Island" --a New York prison. A spokeswoman for the network confirmed his jewelry was lost but no word if it was ever recovered. (Lee)
Celebrity Perps:
The "DUI du Jour" honors for today go to "The Hills" star, STEPHANIE PRATT, who was pulled over and taken into custody at 3:45 am yesterday morning for getting behind the wheel after allegedly tossing a few back at HOLLY MONTAG's birthday party at Empire, an LA nightclub. TMZ.com reports she was popped by LAPD's finest outside a Hollywood club and her bail was set at $5,000. (Lee)
Jon & Kate Plus 8 Plus lawsuit:
The other shoe has dropped in the GOSSELIN saga, as the TLC network filed a lawsuit against JON GOSSELIN Friday for allegedly breaching his contract. Not only is TLC ticked off that he won't go through with the filming of his own series, the weekly "Jon & Kate Plus 8," but that he's also been showing up on rival networks' programs ("Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider") for pay and making unauthorized public disclosures about the show (one example: "Larry King Live").
Interestingly, People.com reports Jon only attempted to remove his kids from their reality show after producers failed to give into his attorney's demand to let him out of his exclusivity contract. The suit says Jon had his attorney pull the kids the very same day TLC announced they would re-launch the show in November as "Kate Plus 8" and focus it on Kate's life as a single mom.
TLC wants damages from him as well as any money he made from appearing on those rival programs.
Jon's lawyer says TLC's contract is "unenforceable" and claims the network is trying to keep him from "earning a livelihood to support his family."
Reality Round-Up:
The NY Post has unveiled the cast of the next "Celebrity Apprentice," which kicks off in March. Among the faces this time around are SHARON OSBOURNE, former Met and Yankees star DARRYL STRAWBERRY, ex-IL Gov ROD BLAGOJEVICH, actor and comedian SINBAD, wrestlers GOLDBERG and MARIA KANELLIS, former pop stars CYNDI LAUPER and BRET MICHAELS, former "21 Jump Street" actress HOLLY ROBINSON PEETE and stand-up comedian CAROL LEIFER (whom "Elaine" on "Seinfeld" was based on); Australian celebrity chef CURTIS STONE and Olympic gold-medal swimmer SUMMER SANDERS.
Taking everything much too seriously:
Do you give your family and friends nicknames in your cell phone contact list?
The Al Watan newspaper in Saudi Arabia said a woman there is suing for divorce after seeing the nickname her husband gave her. The unnamed couple had been married 17-years. But, when she saw her nickname --GUANTANAMO-- she became furious. Now she is demanding a divorce or "substantial damages." (Still)
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