Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

State politics:

The state has California has gone to pot.
   A measure has just made it onto the ballot that will allow voters to decide whether to legalize and tax marijuana --not just medicinal (which the law now allows. This would be for recreational use. The Secretary of State's office certified petitions yesterday to place the proposition on the ballot this fall.
   If approved, it would allow people 21 and older to possess up to an ounce worth of the plant or even grow it themselves. Local governments would then decide whether to permit and tax pot sales.
   A state lawmaker says taxing pot could generate up to a billion dollars in additional revenue statewide.
   Editor's note: If ever there were a time to raise taxes on chips and Doritos, this would be it. (Maiman)

Sucking the life out of the wire services:

DENNIS HOPPER may make his final public appearance tomorrow when he receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The actor has been battling aggressive prostate cancer and reportedly weighs just one-hundred-pounds! One issue not helping matters is his latest divorce --TMZ.com reports his estranged wife, VICTORIA DUFFY, wants a big chunk of cash and isn't willing to settle for the $5,000-per-month in alimony he's offered. (Lee)

Looking for lunch in all the wrong places:

Here's a guy that must really love Japanese food.
   The Bergen County Record says a man in Hillsdale, New Jersey, was so hungry --he broke into a sushi restaurant and made himself dinner. Cops say the guy managed to enter the building through an exhaust fan. And, when he was finished eating, he fled --leaving behind his dirty dishes.
   The crook didn't even bother to steal the $200 workers had left in the cash register. One police officer said, "He just wanted food, that's it."
   So far, no arrests have been made. (Still)

Broadcast, cable and video news:

"At the Movies," the program that began with GENE SISKEL and ROGER EBERT in 1975, is now history. Siskel and Ebert --both critics working for Chicago newspapers-- began the movie review show and after Siskel's death in 1999, RICHARD ROEPER took over for the next seven seasons, until Ebert had to leave because of his own health problems. Now the show has been cancelled and the final program will air Aug 14.
   The current show features NY Times critic A-O SCOTT and Chicago Tribune critic MICHAEL PHILLIPS.

Grace notes:

DONNY OSMOND is not at all happy with LADY GAGA's new music video for her latest single, "Telephone." On his syndicated radio show yesterday, Donny said that as a parent, he doesn't want his children or grandchildren to be able to jump on the Internet and have easy access to the full, 10-minute uncensored version of the video which includes over-the-top and graphic violence, profanity, sexual exploitation and nudity.
   While Donny realizes his reputation as a goody two-shoes Mormon, he stressed that he is all for freedom of speech and is against any form of censorship. In fact, back in the 80's, he took a public stand against TIPPER GORE's Parents Music Resource Center and its crusade to put warning labels on albums.
   But, Donny said that unlike 20 years ago, today's Internet age allows any kind of content to go viral instantaneously. He feels that artists, like Lady Gaga, need to keep that in mind and be more responsible. (Marino)

Polling America:

The NPD Group's new "Dinnertime MealScape Study" finds family dinners are alive and well in America: 81% of U-S households report eating dinner at home, and nearly half (47%) report dining with all household members every night of the week. More than a third of the rest report that they eat dinner at different times than other household members, and 40% watch TV or a video while eating that meal. (Kaye)