Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

So what exactly did folks chow down on last night at the White House? Here's the menu:

   --First Course: D'Anjou Pear with Farmstead Goat Cheese Fennel, Black Walnuts, and White Balsamic Vinegar
   --Second Course: Poached Maine Lobster, Orange Glaze Carrots and Black Trumpet Mushrooms
   --Wine: DuMol Chardonnay "Russian River" 2008 (California)
   --Intermezzo: Lemon Sorbet
   --Main Course: Dry Aged Rib Eye with Buttermilk Crisp Onions, Double Stuffed Potatoes and Creamed Spinach
   --Wine: Quilceda Creek Cabernet "Columbia Valley" 2005 (Washington State)
   --Dessert: Old Fashioned Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream
   --Wine: Poet's Leap Riesling "Botrytis" 2008 (Washington State) (Pacelli)

Guilty Pleasures:

No winner in last night's drawing for the Powerball Lottery. That means Saturday night's drawing is valued at $118 million ($59.8 million cash value). Powerball is played in 41 states, Washington DC and the U-S Virgin Islands. Chances of winning the grand prize (all five numbers plus the powerball) are 1 in 195.2 million.

Money Talks:

A guy in Chicago has just launched a new line of perfume that stinks like money.
   CNBC reports PATRICK McCARTHY --an executive at Microsoft --just launched a fragrance called Money Cologne, along with Her Money Eau De Parfum for women. McCarthy designed the scents to make people "smell like a million bucks". The entrepreneur says, "I got the idea after reading a story about a Japanese study that showed a significant increase in worker productivity when the smell of money was pumped through vents into factories".
   McCarthy claims he's had lots of positive feedback. And, he believes customers will use the cologne as part of America's economic recovery. (Still)

Gossip Central: tabloids:

Personal assistants tell all to In Touch magazine:
   --TOM CRUISE and KATIE HOLMES make their assistants take a Scientology test before working for them, make sure Katie takes her vitamins and works out, get them food, no matter where it is and are never to discipline or correct their daughter, SURI
   --BRITNEY SPEARS assistants are like paid friends who sleep in her bed, play Ouija boards with her and shop with her whenever she wants
   --KARDASHIAN assistants must listen to their mom, KRIS's, sob stories and run to get food for the girls because they can't do take out without full hair and makeup
   --MARIAH CAREY makes hers get her takeout junk food and hide it in different bags. She also treats them well with trips, bags and diamond necklaces (Myers)

Crooks too stupid to live:

Five people accused of robbing a home in Marion County last month admit they stole and snorted what they thought was cocaine. Turns out, the powder was actually the ashes of a woman's father and her two Great Danes.
   "We didn't know it was ashes," said one of the perps. "We thought it was cocaine or something like that."
   The five were arrested in connection to a string of home robberies. (Maiman)

Grace notes:

KATY PERRY was at Facebook headquarters yesterday to announce the North American leg of her California Dreams tour.
   Why Facebook? Katy said the tour will be super-interactive with fans able to "check-in" using the Facebook Places tool and qualify to win prizes. And, the audience will be encouraged to Tweet messages and photos during the concert. Katy also revealed that the fan with the best Tweet will be brought up on stage.
   Opening for Katy will be MARINA & THE DIAMONDS and ROBYN. The tour kicks off on July 7th in Atlanta, and wraps up with two night at the Santa Barbara Bowl in California on August 13th and 14th.
   FYI: Katy's date for the Grammy Awards next month will not be her husband, RUSSELL BRAND. Instead, she's bringing her 90-year-old grandmother, ANN HUDSON. Katy said (quote), "If I don't go home with a Grammy, I'll still have my Grammy!" (Marino)