Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Stars and their movies:

There's another "Mad Max" movie in the works. The original film starred MEL GIBSON as Max Rockatansky, an ex-cop set in a future where there was little gas to be had and gangs which preyed on drivers.
   According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film has actually been in the works for more than a decade, and at one point Mel was supposed to reprise his role. But those days are gone, and now it looks like TOM HARDY --whose claim to fame was playing Handsome Bob in GUY RITCHIE's "RocknRolla"-- will be Mad Max and CHARLIZE THERON is in talks to co-star. The new film will be called "Fury Road," and is set shortly after "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome."

Another shocker:

Yes, Virginia, there will also be a "Men in Black 3." The Hollywood Reporter says Sony has hired the guy who wrote "Tropic Thunder" for BEN STILLER but there's still no word on whether WILL SMITH or TOMMY LEE JONES --both of whom were in the original-- will be back for the sequel.

Grace notes:

MICHAEL JACKSON's "This Is It" has taken in 20.1-million dollars worldwide, and that's just for one day's worth of screenings. 7.4-million dollars in tickets were sold here and another 12.7-million everywhere else. The movie opened all over the planet yesterday and is now the top-ranking music documentary of all time, beating out U2's "Rattle & Hum" from 1988 which grossed 8.6-million dollars in the United States. Sony says the 7.4-million is the most money ever earned for a movie opening on a Wedneday in October. "This Is It" should continue to sell tickets through the weekend, though tomorrow is Halloween so that may slow the box office down a bit. (Marino)

MICHAEL JACKSON's "This Is It" could also be eligible for Oscar consideration.
   Quotable: "In case it wins Best Picture the Academy has already begun to customize an award just for Michael by chiseling the nose off one of the little Oscar statuettes. (Stevens & Grdnic's "Daily Comedy Exclusive")

Broadcast, cable and video news:

Looks like all the people who insisted that a bicoastal series was best for the networks were wrong. Overnight ratings for Game One of the fall classic show that Wednesday's Game 1 between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees was the second-highest-rated opener of the decade.
   Nielsen says 19.51 million fans tuned in for the affair --about 33 percent more than last year's Game One between the Phils and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Man Bites Dog, Dep't:

A Florida man took a real chance when he tried to steal a ferret from a pet store by stuffing it down his pants.
   The Jacksonville News says the man, who is homeless, was confronted by a suspicious teen. They tussled and then the homeless dude shoved the ferret in the teen's face squeezing it. Ferret no like. Ferret bite teen. Left two puncture holes in his ear.
    The ferret, which sells for $129, was not injured, but Mr Homeless was charged with theft and battery using a special weapon.
   Editor's note: Bet a good lawyer could help him weasel out of that charge.
   --That's just amazing. I can't believe it. A ferret costs $129 bucks?
   --Too bad ferrets don't have the same diet as squirrels.
   --Don't think of it as putting a ferret down your pants; think of it as the homeless man's version of a vasectomy. (Maiman)

Auto World /Gas Guzzlin' Update:

CNN reports (HERE) that this year's "Cash for Clunkers" program may not have been as successful as many claimed it was. CNN sites an analysis by Edmunds.com, which claims that the program resulted in only 125-thousand additional car sales out of the 690-thousand total vehicles that were sold during the program.
   The average rebate pre-vehicle was $4,000. But the overwhelming majority of sales would have taken place anyway at some time in the last half of 2009. That means --according to Edmunds-- that the government ended up spending about $24,000 each for those additional 125,000 vehicles that the program actually sold. (Pacelli)