Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

President's Day:

Welcome to President's Day 2011. What's open? Any place that can legitimately hold a President's Day sale.

Factoid:

Only two U-S Presidents have middle names that are the same as the last names of former Presidents: RONALD WILSON REAGAN and WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON.

Factoid:

Presidents LINCOLN, JEFFERSON, F. D. ROOSEVELT, WASHINGTON and KENNEDY are portrayed on U-S coins. Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, JACKSON, GRANT, along with ALEXANDER HAMILTON and BEN FRANKLIN, are portrayed on U-S paper currency.

Factoid:

GEORGE WASHINGTON's salary as president was $25-thousand; GEORGE W BUSH's salary is $400-thousand.

Most valuable Presidential autograph?:

The signature of one of our lesser-known presidents, WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. A Harrison signature penned while NOT in office is worth around $1-thousand. But since he was in office for only 31 days before he died of pneumonia, fewer than 50 documents signed during his presidency are known to exist and are each worth at least $70-thousand!
   Behind Harrison's 'John Hancock' in value are (in order), material from GEORGE WASHINGTON, THOMAS JEFFERSON, ABRAHAM LINCOLN and JOHN ADAMS. Value: from $2,500 to $10-thousand. (Lincoln is not higher on the list because he was a president in wartime and signed hundreds of official documents and sent hundreds of letters and cards, so there's a fair amount of his paper out there.)
   Bottom line: the ultimate value of a piece of presidential paper is determined by three things: rarity, then popularity or historical ranking, and condition.

Money Talks, Dep't:

The Dep't of the Interior has nixed a plan to put a casino in the Catskills area of NY State. The NY Daily News reports ex-Gov PATERSON had cut a deal with the Mohican Indians to settle their claim in central New York, but now it's back to the drawing board --and no slots for the Mohicans.

Trollin' for publicity:

Here's one to wrap your mind around --BILLY RAY CYRUS was good buddies with KURT COBAIN. The father of young MILEY tells GQ magazine he became fast friends with the NIRVANA front man after discovering they both had daughters born in 1992. Billy Ray was devastated after Kurt's suicide in '94, canceled a tour and stepped out of the spotlight to grieve the death of his pal. (Lee)

If DAVID BECKHAM were your husband, wouldn't you do the same? Star magazine has a pic of his wife VICTORIA'S iPhone 4 and her screensaver is a shirtless pic of her hotter-than-hot soccer star hubby!
   Phone starter: Do you have a racy pic of your significant other on your cell? Is it your screensaver? (Myers)

Broadcast, cable and video news:

KATHY GRIFFIN and LORETTA DEVINE will be two of the judges on the panel when "Glee" goes to Regionals.
   The "My Life on the D-List" and "Grey's Anatomy" stars will have a third judge added on the panel --with unusual back stories as well. Zap2it.com says Kathy's character will play a home-schooling Tea Party candidate named Tammy Jean while Devine will play a former stripper named Sister Mary Constance.
   If you remember, last year's judging panel at Regionals included JOSH GROBAN and OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN.