Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Top talkables of the day:

Folk hero fight attendant STEVEN SLATER denies the claims of some eyewitnesses that he instigated the upsetting encounter with a passenger.
   Some claim he'd been drinking himself, that it was Slater who was rude to passengers, and that he'd already had the cut on his forehead before the flight even took off from Pittsburgh.
   Meanwhile, his attorney is in talks to resolve the criminal charges against him.
   Slater has said he'd like to be a flight attendant again and that he'd like to continue working for JetBlue, but one PR "expert" told ABC News that calls are coming in from reality TV producers, speaker's bureaus and book publishers. (Maiman)

You just knew this would happen. London's Daily Mail reports that there's growing concern that many so-called "fishermen" asking for compensation from BP due to the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill might be trying to scam the company.
   To get compensation, fishermen must display a valid fishing licence, and officials say applications for those licenses have spiked by nearly 60-percent, even after many fishing areas were closed bcause of the disaster. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says it has sold about 22-hundred licenses since the spill began.
   BP admits their might be fradulent fishermen out there, and says it has set up a verification system to try and catch as many as possible. (Pacelli)

Road Warrior:

Cops in Germany pulled a guy over for reckless driving only to find out his license expired --half a century ago.
   Agence France-Presse says the 79-year-old was stopped this week after allegedly veering into oncoming traffic. Records show the unidentified man's license had initially been revoked for drunk driving back in 1959. But, the man was caught driving several times over the years in spite of the ban. So, a judge eventually revoked his license until the year 2031.
   Police say they'll be keeping a very close eye on the guy to make sure he doesn't drive again until the ban is lifted. Which, by the way, happens the day before his 100th birthday. (Still)

Stars and their movies:

Daily Variety magazine says "The Tillman Story" --the movie made about NFL player PAT TILLMAN, who left his career to fight for his country-- will be rated "R." The filmmakers lost their appeal to secure a less restrictive rating so that it would be a more mass-appeal movie, but the MPAA ratings appeals board held firm and it gets the "R" rating for language. The movie opens next weekend.

Remake dep't:

CBS Films is redoing the 1972 CHARLES BRONSON -JAN-MICHAEL VINCENT thriller "The Mechanic." Action star JASON STATHAM and DONALD SUTHERLAND will star in the new film, which will be out in January of next year. In the film, Jason plays the Bronson character or a hitman who's ready to retire with BEN FOSTER in the Jan Michael Vincent role as his "apprentice." Slugline from the '72 film: "He has 100 ways to kill... and they all work!"

Grace notes from Vinny Marino:

Looks like BILLY JOEL has found a new uptown girl. The New York Daily News says she's a blonde executive at Morgan Stanley and owns property in the Hamptons. She's been spotted with Billy in Sag Harbor on Long Island; at one of his recent shows with ELTON JOHN; and, Billy let her stay on his estate in Miami without him there. However, Billy will not reveal the lucky lady's name...yet. (Marino)

Old School, Elvis dep't:

Sunday night marks the big, annual candlelight vigil at Graceland to mark the 33rd anniversary of ELVIS PRESLEY's death in 1977. That's right --Elvis, who was 42 when he died, would have been 75 this year, and undoubtedly still performing in Las Vegas.