Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

News from Buckingham Palace:

Are you on the hunt for an original, one-of-a-kind gift for the princess in your life? How about some royal chonies? TMZ.com reports a guy named JOSEPH de BICSKE DOBRONYI (Jo-sef duh Beech-kuh Dob-ron-yee) was quite a ladies man back in the day and owned a pair of QUEEN ELIZABETH II's underwear! Seems her majesty left them on a private plane during a trip to Chile, Mr. Dobronyi passed away back in June and his estate is putting them on the auction block. Be prepared to spend a little bit more than you would for a three-pack of Hanes --they're expecting to fetch around nine-grand for the skivvies. (Lee)

MARTHA STEWART tells her secrets to Us Weekly magazine:
   --she brings her own fresh lemons when she travels
   --she has four horses, 200 chickens, two sheep, three minature donkeys, five cats, three dogs, 25 red canaries and she's a bee keeper
   --she loves the Yankees
   --she went to a restaurant this year for Thanksgiving!
   --her favorite home cooked meal is scrambled eggs
   --she loves EMINEM
   --she would love to meet PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
   --she's perfectly happy with a liverwurst sandwich
   --she's obsessed with her iPad, Droid and her Samsung tablet

The owner of the New York City restaurant mentioned in BILLY JOEL's 1979 hit "Big Shot" has died. Billy sang, "They were all impressed with your Halston dress and the people that you knew at Elaine's." That hot spot for the in-crowd was run by ELAINE KAUFMAN. She died Friday at age 81.
   Elaine reportedly wasn't the nicest person in the world, and gave the best tables to those celebrities she considered worthy. Anyone else was put in a corner called "Siberia" by local newspapers. MICK JAGGER and the late LUCIANO PAVAROTTI were regulars at Elaine's, along with WOODY ALLEN who filmed the opening scene of his movie, "Manhattan" at the Upper East Side restaurant. (Marino)

Operation Spiderman:

A wildlife smuggler in Germany has been arrested after allegedly mailed hundreds of live tarantulas to the United States.
   The LA Times says 37-year-old SVEN KOPPLER was popped by federal agents last week shortly after landing in the U-S. Authorities have been investigating the guy since March after 300 tarantulas, including more exotic varieties, were found in a package he sent to L-A. Since then, at least two other packages were sent.
   Agents say Koppler has earned around $300-thousand by selling tarantulas to people in countries around the world. Popular as pets, the endangered spiders are protected under international treaties.
   He faces up to 20 years in jail and a fine of up to $250 grand. (Still)
   Editor's note: So this whole enterprise could cost him an arm and eight legs. Har.
   --I smell another Samuel L Jackson movie.
   --Tarantulas can make for good pets so long as you don't expect much action. The kids next door both cried when theirs died. It took three days to be sure she had died because "sit" is the one command they will obey. They can sit for weeks. (Maiman)

Health and Medical Briefs:

Having annual mammograms could prevent a lot of mastectomies in women who develop breast cancer.
   According to a press release from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), researchers found just 19-percent of women who had undergone mammogram screenings the year before their breast cancer diagnosis needed a mastectomy. Among women who did not have a mastectomy a year before diagnosis, 46-percent needed a mastectomy. That's because the mammograms allowed doctors to catch breast tumors early, making the less dramatic lumpectomy surgery a viable option.
   Lumpectomies involve the removal of a tumor. Mastectomies involve the removal of the entire breast.
   Researchers believe annual mammograms could reduce the number of required mastectomies by 30-percent.
   Scientists also point out they found 40-percent of the diagnosed women in the study were younger women under 50-years old. (Page)