Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Not 'Secretary's Day' anymore:

In case you forgot, today used to be National Secretary's Day, or as they now call it, Administrative Professionals Day --they're called APs or AAs for short. It's the day set aside for all those people who take grief from their bosses for 364 days a year.
   The same polls on this subject are done every year and routinely offer the same message: If you're a boss, don't send flowers or give 'em a box of candy. Most administrative professionals --usually near three-quarters-- would rather have the cash or some kind of gift certificate. Some say they've gotten socks, a sandbox or a whistle as presents from the boss. Last year, one told an American Express survey she received a canister of mace.

Auto World /Gas Guzzlin' Update:

General Motors will announce today that it's paying back more of the money it owes on loans it got from the federal government.
   The $4.7 billion dollars being announced today is for a payment GM promised to make in June, and five years ahead of the actual loan schedule.
   GM will try to pay back the remaining $45.3 billion in bailout money to the U-S government by selling stocks, possibly later this year.
   GM hopes a quicker repayment will lead to a bolstered image and better sales. (Maiman)

Sucking the life out of the wire services:

NADYA SULEMAN is woman enough to admit she's made a few bad choices when it comes to procreation. The notorious "Octo-Mom" whined to OPRAH WINFREY on her daytime talk show that she was raised an only child and gave birth to fourteen children to "overcompensate" while "trying to fill some missing piece inside." Despite her bad rap, Nadya was refreshingly candid:
   --she admitted the family relies solely on media appearances for money
   --owned up to making "immature" and "selfish" choices, but "can't regret children"
   --and (Amen!) fessed up that more babies are out of the question, even if she meets a real-life Prince Charming. (Lee)

Today's police blotter:

A Chicago man has been arrested for performing illegal dentistry.
   The Chicago Tribune says 49-year-old FRANCISCO RENDON allegedly set up shop in a rented room between an auto body shop and a scrap metal yard. Instead of a dentist's chair, cops say he used a leather office chair. And, instead of a dentist's drill, he allegedly worked with regular old power tools. But, police say his syringes and painkillers appeared to be real.
   When cops responded to an anonymous tip, they found five patients waiting to be seen. Francisco is now in jail charged with providing medical service without a license. (Still)

Broadcast, cable and video news:

DAVID HASSELHOFF is making a triumphant return to daytime television. Entertainment Weekly reports "The Hoff" has signed on to star in "The Young and the Restless" beginning in May until mid-June. The troubled "Baywatch" actor got his first shot at acting in the soap back in 1975 and wants to return to as a thank-you to BILL BELL, the creator of the daytime drama. (Lee)

Grace notes:

MICHAEL JACKSON is the next target of CIRQUE DU SOLEIL. Following up shows featuring the music of THE BEATLES and ELVIS PRESLEY, the troupe has set its sights on the late King Of Pop. Unlike those other two productions, the Michael Jackson show will first go on tour, then find a permanent home in Las Vegas in 2012. The Jackson estate and Cirque will each own 50-percent of the show, and put up half the money to get it going. The touring version will hit the road next year. (Marino)