Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

BP Oil Spill - Day 105:

If a two-part operation to pump mud and cement into the broken well works out as planned, BP engineers say that the Gulf oil spill could draw to a close by sometime next week.
   Known as "static kill," the procedure involves slowly force-feeding mud into the well, effectively choking it. After that dose of mud, a 500-foot-long cement plug is stuff in on top of it, and oil would no longer be able to escape out the top.
   The procedure is expected to begin today but the well won't officially be "killed" until the completion of the relief wells later this month. (Maiman)

Meanwhile, the jury is in on the use of oil dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico.
   A major study out yesterday vindicated the Environmental Protection Agency, federal officials and BP for using the controversial dispersants. The study found that the dispersant used, Corexit, is no more toxic than any other dispersant on the market, It also found that the dispersant is no more toxic than the oil itself.
   Bottom line: The dispersant doesn't make things worse, despite fears and accusations that the dispersants are the hidden menace in this spill. (Maiman)

Still alive:

Comedian BILL COSBY. Yesterday there was a flurry of internet reports that Cos had been killed --reports that Bill took time to refute in a "tweet": "Again, I'm rebuttaling rumors about my demise. But, I'm confirming I have an app," he joked. "To the people behind the foolishness, I'm not sure you see how upsetting this is."
This is the second time this year that rumors have spread about Cosby's death.

Idle gossip & unconfirmed rumors:

SUSAN BOYLE may not be a blazing beauty, but is poising herself to become filthy rich. Sources tell AbsoluteNow.com that the money-savvy diva lives on a mere eight-hundred-dollars-per-week and puts almost her entire fortune into an interest-bearing savings account. If her career keeps flourishing, the 49-year-old singer will have a nice, sixty-million-dollar nest egg in a mere eleven years. (Lee)

Wasted away again in Margaritaville:

A Cincinnati woman is facing charges for getting drunk, calling 911 and asking the dispatcher for a date.
   According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, 43-year-old BERNADETTE MUSIC called 911 four to five times. She was turned down, of course. Police arrested her at her home.
   Editor's note: Apparently, a woman who really loves a man in uniform. (Maiman)

Reality Round-Up:

PETER RICE, the guy who runs FOX's entertainment division, was at the TV Critics Press Tour yesterday, and when asked about the rumors surrounding "American Idol," said, "The only thing I can tell you is that no one has signed a deal yet on either side of the camera to be on 'American Idol' who wasn't on the show last year. Much of the information [in the media] is accurate and some of it is wildly inaccurate."
   But which parts were accurate he wouldn't say, except to confirm that ELLEN DeGENERES did, indeed, leave the show. That's it. And the beat goes on....

Grace notes:

PAUL McCARTNEY is a fan of "Glee." The hit Fox show's co-creator RYAN MURPHY said he thought it was a prank when he got a fan note from the former BEATLE. But, when he realized the letter was real and that Paul wants his songs used in a future episode, Ryan said he was (quote), "gobsmacked." (Marino)

Top-10 Best Party Schools (source: Princeton Review):

10. DePauw University (Greencastle, IN)
 9. University of Iowa
 8. University of California, Santa Barbara
 7. University of Florida
 6. The University of Texas, Austin
 5. University of Mississippi
 4. West Virginia University
 3. Penn State
 2. Ohio University, Athens
 1. University of Georgia