Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Anniversaries:

The U-S Marine Corps is formed, thus giving people who eat nails a place to hang out. We can't handle the truth but we love these guys anyway. Semper Fi! (235 years ago today, 1775).
   --Scottish missionary, DAVID LIVINGSTON was located in Central Africa by journalist /explorer HENRY MORTON STANLEY (1871). Stanley's famous greeting was "Dr. Livingston, I presume?" To which Livingstone replied, "Did you bring the beer?" (Kidding)
   --(35 years ago today) The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, during a storm on Lake Superior (1975).

The First Family at play:

A handshake with First Lady MICHELLE OBAMA is causing a bit of controversy in parts of the Muslim world. Indonesia's Information Minister TIFATUL SEMBIRING posted a message on his Twitter account that he shook hands with Mrs. Obama only after she initiated the greeting.
   Sembiring practices a conservative form of Islam that prevents him from touching any woman that he's not related to. On Twitter, Sembiring said, "I tried to prevent (being touched) with my hands but Mrs. Michelle held her hands too far toward me (so) we touched." (Pacelli)

Top talkables of the day:

As of last night, Pentagon officials were still trying to figure out who launched what appears on a video recording to be a missile, and how that launch happened off the California coast on Monday. The video was shot by KCBS-TV from a helicopter.
   Right now, signs are pointing to some sort of private launch, or a launch from a submarine that the Defense Department doesn't want to admit to. Missile tests are common off the Southern California coast, but boaters, pilots and residents are generally warned about such launches well in advance. (Pacelli)

Trash talk and satellite dish:

WILMER VALDERRAMA can't seem to find a nice girl his own age. The NY Post's Page Six gossip column reports the sometime-actor hooked up with DEMI LOVATO shortly after she split from JOE JONAS back in March. One source said the Disney queen liked to show off pictures of her new man and he encouraged the young actress to enter rehab. If you're keeping track at home, Demi is eighteen-years-old while Wilmer clocks in a ripe thirty --he also dated LINDSAY LOHAN at the age of twenty-four when she was just seventeen. (Lee)

CATHERINE ZETA JONES is giving her cancer stricken hubby, MICHAEL DOUGLAS, exactly what he needs --space. According to Star magazine, while Michael was getting his last treatment and taking care of their two young kids, she took off to China for a golf tournament and acted like nothing else mattered. Sources close to Michael say he is strong and determined and doesn't want his wife following him around taking care of him. (Myers)

Broadcast, cable and video news:

Film reviewer GENE SHALIT says he's leaving NBC's "Today" show after 40 years. Shalit issued a statement yesterday, saying "It's enough already."
   But he's not retiring. The 85-year-old says he'll pursue other ideas, including publishing, radio, Web ventures and commercials.
   Shalit's last day will be tomorrow, so look for a retrospective of his career on "Today."

The first-night ratings of CONAN O'BRIEN's show beat both the "Tonight Show with JAY LENO" and "The Late Show with DAVID LETTERMAN" Monday night. Conan pulled in 4.2 million viewers, while Leno had 3.5 million and Letterman 3.4 million.
   And the Hollywood Reporter says Conan had 3.3 million viewers in the 18-49 age group, while Leno had less than a million and Letterman 1.3 million.
   Coco fans should not get too excited, however, since the ratings for his version of "The Tonight Show" on NBC dropped more than 50% from his premiere within a week.

"Jonas L.A." has been canceled. The Disney Channel made it official Monday night that the TV series starring the JONAS BROTHERS is finished after two seasons. The network said it will continue to work with the group which is wrapping up a 40-city concert tour and will then get back into the studio to work on its next album for Disney's Hollywood Records label. (Marino)