Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Getting up to speed:

Thanks to Saturday's magnitude-8.8 earthquake, Chile's vintners have had to dump at least 150 million bottles' worth of wine as barrels burst and vats toppled like dominoes, sending rivers of merlot and cabernet sauvignon pouring onto warehouse floors.
   Chile is the fourth-biggest exporter of wine to the United States (after Italy, France, and Australia). The value of the lost wine, which represents at least 12.5 percent of Chile's cellared wine, is nearly a billion dollars.
   But experts say damage to the wine-making industry's infrastructure could be even more serious than the loss of already-produced wine. Warehouses collapsed, irrigation systems were damaged, and now fruit is withering on the vine.
   The grape harvest was to begin this month. No one knows whether it'll even be possible to collect all the fruit.
   While wine accounts for just one percent of Chile's exports, its producers employ more than 80-thousand people. (Maiman)

Reality Round-Up:

Former Alaska Governor SARAH PALIN is reportedly shopping a reality series about her home state. The Hollywood Reporter says she made the rounds of TV networks this past week when she was in town for her appearance on "The Tonight Show with JAY LENO." MARK BURNETT will also supervise her show-- if somebody picks it up.
Editor's note: Only problem with a Sarah Palin reality show is that it's unclear if she even knows what reality is. (Maiman)

Potential highlights of a Sarah Palin reality show:

   --Popular Saturday night "you betcha" drinking game
   --Tender family moments on the porch enjoying sunsets and saying goodnight to Russia
   --Boating trip with Levi Johnston; make it look like an accident
   --Inability to answer questions while wearing gloves
   --Boning up on foreign policy by dining at International House of Pancakes
   --Standing in front of a mirror practicing her look of bewildered silence
   --Practicing her 2012 presidential concession speech (Maiman)

Oscar Trivia Dep't:

No actor has ever won the acting Oscar the same year they won a Razzie but that's almost certain to happen this time.
   SANDRA BULLOCK, who's up for Best Actress in "The Blind Side," is likely to win the worst actress Razzie tomorrow night for her role in "All About Steve" (see other Razzie noms below). Normally, she'd probably lose to MEGAN FOX ("Transformers 2") or BEYONCE ("Obsessed"), but since Bullock announced that she'll attend the Razzies ceremony on Saturday if she wins --guess what.
   Last month, the Razzies sent out an e-mail blast to voters (yes, they have their members, too) informing them of Bullock's plans, thus giving everyone a gentle nudge. If you check online threads (like this one) devoted to reader predictions, you've got a pretty good crystal ball.
   FYI: Looks like Razzie voters think the "Transformers" sequel will "win" worst picture. Razzie nominations for worst picture: "Land of the Lost," "G-I Joe," "Old Digs," "All About Steve" and the "Transformers" sequel.

Razzie Worst Actor nominations:

--Will Ferrell, "Land of the Lost"
--Steve Martin, "Pink Panther 2"
--Eddie Murphy, "Imagine That"
--John Travolta, "Old Dogs"
--Jonas Brothers, "Jonas Brothers, a 3-D Concert Experience"

Razzie Worst Actress nominations:

--Sandra Bullock, "All About Steve"
--Beyonce, "Obsessed"
--Miley Cyrus, "Hannah Montana: the Movie"
--Megan Fox, "Jennifer's Body" and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"
--Sarah Jessica Parker, "Did You Hear About the Morgans?"

Concert Info:

DONNY & MARIE OSMOND have added five shows to their run at the Flamingo Las Vegas. They canceled all shows this week after the death of Marie's son MICHAEL BLOSIL of an apparent suicide last Friday. The new dates will be April 13th through the 17th and go on sale today. (Marino)

Iditarod begins:

The annual Iditarod race (the 38th) begins in Alaska tomorrow (Saturday). The whole thing began back in 1925 in snowy Alaska where a Husky named Balto led a dogsled team across 600 miles of ice and snow to deliver diphtheria serum to Nome, AK, where an epidemic was underway. The man driving the sled became snow blind, so the dog led the team all by himself with the wind blowing 80 mph and the temperature 50 degrees below zero. The route later became the route for the Iditarod Trail International Sled Dog Race. Just in case you're really interested, there's a statue to Balto in Central Park, NY.
   There's a field of 71 mushers (56 men, 15 women) who'll be leaving Anchorage and heading with their dog teams for Nome, 1112 miles away. This year --as in all even years, the teams will be taking the Northern Route, although both routes are part of the Iditarod National Historical Trail which was used in the early years for all winter travel. Back in the day, besides emergency supplies of medicine, dog sleds delivered the mail, the preacher, the groceries and hauled out gold and furs all the way to Anchorage or Fairbanks.
   The teams average 16 dogs, and in case you're wondering, the temperature this morning in Anchorage, is 28 degrees. In Nome, it's around 3 degrees; with the windchill, -19.