Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Yesterday's names:

We can't seem to rid ourselves of the Balloon Boy dad.
   RICHARD HEENE pleaded guilty in court but now he claims the whole thing wasn't a hoax after all. He tells LARRY KING he believed his 6-year-old son was inside the balloon. He claims he pleaded guilty in court only to protect his Japanese wife from being deported.
    Heene was given 90 days in jail (a portion of which was work release) and told he couldn't make any money off the incident. He begins serving his sentence next week.
   The interview with Larry King airs tonight on CNN. (Here's the preview)
   Editor's note: Gee, what a coincidence! And what a convenient way to promote the interview. Don't buy air time, just issue a press release to everyone else. (Okay and we fell for it, too, but at least we're calling it like it is. We have little shame, but we have a little more than the Heene-meister --Maiman)
   FYI: It's possible that prosecutors would hear these latest statements and decide to revoke Heene's guilty plea, forcing him to stand trial. One law professor tells the LA Times that while no prosecutor likes having someone going around telling the media that he was coerced into pleading guilty. (Maiman)

Bottom feeding:

Warning: note sexual content.
   COURTENEY COX is a busy working mom that has to pencil everything into her schedule --including quality bedroom time with her husband, DAVID ARQUETTE. AbsoluteNow.com reports the mister admits the little lady does her wifely duties about once a week and even made him wait forty minutes for the nookie on New Year's Eve because she was chatting with a friend. (Lee)
Meanwhile, the folks at ABC like Courteney's new show, "Cougar Town," so much that they've given the show a full season order of 24 shows. Variety says the move can be interpreted as a vote of confidence for the show, which will likely take a hit once "American Idol" begins on Jan 27 right across the dial.

On, off and way-off Broadway:

Ever hear of NORBERT BUTZ? [No, he *is* a real actor, but the name *did* catch my attention right away].
   Norbert won the Tony Award back in 2005 for his work in the play, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." Now, Daily Variety magazine says he'll play Enron CEO JEFFREY SKILLING in the upcoming Broadway play about the 2001 financial debacle.
   The show is set begin previews Apr 08 at the Broadhurst Theatre; it's already had a run on London's West End as well.

One pop star is replacing another in the Broadway musical, "Chicago." Playbill.com says that ASHLEE SIMPSON-WENTZ will turn over the role of Roxie Hart to former DESTINY'S CHILD singer MICHELLE WILLIAMS on February 8th. Like Ashlee, Michelle also played that part last year in London's West End. (Marino)

Those Full-body scanners:

Ever since the failed bombing attempt on a Christmas Day flight, a growing number of airports are using full-body scanners. Of the two types of machines used to see through clothes and identify objects, only one exposes passengers to the type of ionizing radiation used in medical X-rays. According to an ABC News story, radiation fears from the scans are unfounded.
    Radiology experts say the scanners being used deliver a low dose of radiation, and the X-rays themselves are very low energy. A person would have to take several hundred trips requiring screening to even reach what would be considered a negligible dose. (Page)