Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Lincoln's birthday:

Tomorrow's Honest Abe's birthday so, let's show one of our greatest presidents some love! Did you know Abe grew a beard for the 1860 presidential campaign after a little girl named GRACE BEDELL wrote him a letter telling him that all the ladies like whiskers and they'd tease their husbands to vote for him. So he became the first president to have a beard! (Source: "U-S Presidents for Dummies").
   Editor's note: Try telling a candidate something like that today --they gotta have 18 different surveys and polls before they'll even go to the bathroom just to see what toilet paper brand to use. (RB)

We all know about Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, which is a model for concise speech. The great orator, Sen EDWARD EVERETT, spoke for two hours the same day, and nobody writes anything about his speech. Abe spoke for two minutes and the speech went down in history.
   Editor's note: Don't tell your program director about this. I'm just sayin'.

While we're on the subject, look for DOMINIC COOPER to play a guy who trains Honest Abe to hunt vampires and BENJAMIN WALKER to play our 16th President in the upcoming film, "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."
   The Hollywood Reporter says producers had wanted JOAQUIN PHOENIX to play Lincoln's mentor in the film, but Cooper's been on a role since last month's Sundance Film Festival, when he got rave reviews for his dual roles in independent film, "The Devil's Double," in which Cooper plays both SADDAM HUSSEIN and Hussein's double.

Stars and their movies:

WILLOW SMITH may be just ten-years-old, but is already a hard-core career woman. As we've told you. the daughter of WILL SMITH and JADA PINKETT SMITH is set to star in a revamped version of "Annie" --but what you don't know, is that she has her leading man all picked out. The talented little one told the British tabloid the London Sun that she wants BRAD PITT to play OLIVER "Daddy" WARBUCKS. (Lee)

MADONNA will not be at the Grammy Awards this Sunday --she'll be in Berlin, Germany, where she's scheduled to show some footage from her movie, "W.E.," to overseas distributors in hopes of getting movie deals in various countries. The movie is about Britain's KING EDWARD VIII (played by JAMES D'ARCY) and his affair and subsequent marriage to American divorcee WALLIS SIMPSON (played by ANDREA RISEBOROUGH) after he abdicated from the throne.

At the local Cop Shop:

A New York City limo driver has pleaded guilty to fraud for taking a businessman on what is probably the most expensive airport cab ride in New York history.
   PETER RAHHAUOI admitted billing a Hong Kong mogul's credit card nearly $800-thousand after driving him from Teterboro Airport in suburban New Jersey to midtown Manhattan in 2008. It's a 13 mile trip.
   According to the NY Post, TONY CHAN, a megamillionaire and feng-shui master, didn't notice the charges and learned of them only after he was notified by bank security.
   Rahhaoui pleaded guilty to credit-card fraud and now has to travel to Hong Kong with his attorney and federal prosecutors for a formal videotaped deposition.
   Editor's note: $800 grand. Did that include a tip?
   --Apparently there was a lot of traffic that day so he had to take a detour through Omaha, NE. (I knew I shoulda taken a right turn at Albuquerque.)
   --Sounds like someone's credit card doesn't have a limit.
   --Actually, in New York, this still works out better than driving yourself and paying to park. (Maiman)

Grace Notes:

TABOO of THE BLACK EYED PEAS can write. Who knew? He has a new book out called "Fallin' Up: My Story," and that's exactly what it is. The singer was born JAIME LUIS GOMEZ on the mean streets of East L.A. He also struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, but Taboo beat all of that and, hey, he just performed at the Super Bowl!
   Editor's Note: We're still waiting for the APL DE AP app for the iPhone. (Marino)