Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Mar 22, 2011

While you're filling out your taxes, think about this:

according to the Economist magazine, Fox News, its parent corporation and its subsidiaries only paid $238 million in corporate taxes worldwide.
"In the same period, its consolidated pre-tax profits were $5.4 billion. So News Corporation has paid an effective tax rate of only around six percent."
OK, so that's not really a direct comparison, since we all pay one rate and corporations get another one. But by comparison, Disney, one of the world's other media empires, paid 31 percent. Basic corporate-tax rates in Australia, America and Britain, the three main countries in which News Corporation operates, are 36%, 35% and 30% respectively.
Editor's note: That's not public funding, to be sure, but if you're supposed to pay 35 percent and you're only paying six percent, that's 19 percent that has to be made up by other taxpayers. Guess which ones? The guy making $60 grand and paying 20 percent. (Maiman)

Sucks to be you:

PARIS HILTON made headlines when she was popped for cocaine possession last year and now the tables have turned. People magazine reports the prosecutor who threw the book at the heiress and musician BRUNO MARS was arrested after officers allegedly saw him buying crack from a street dealer. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that DAVID CHARLES SCHUBERT --who works as a Chief Deputy District Attorney and is a member of a federal drug task force --is currently on suspension and well on his way to being terminated. District Attorney DAVID ROGER says Mr. Schubert's future with the DA's office is "bleak." (Lee)

Drug Bust of the Day:

No word on her preliminary hearing yesterday, but it's definitely the Police Collar of the Week.
Officers detaining a woman in connection with a possible robbery recovered more than 50 bags of heroin, cash and loose change from her following a cavity search.
After police found three bags of heroin in her jacket, say 27-year-old KARIN MACKALIUNAS told investigators she had more hidden somewhere else.
A doctor performed the search and recovered 54 bags of heroin, 31 empty bags used to package heroin, prescription pills and $51.22.
Mackaliunas was jailed on $25-thousand bail on charges including possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. It wasn't clear if she had an attorney. (Maiman)

Reality Round-Up:

On last night's "Dancing With The Stars" premiere, KIRSTIE ALLEY surprised everyone as she logged a 23/30 from the three judges (CARRIE ANN INABA, LEN GOODMAN and BRUNO TONIOLI), but RALPH (“The Karate Kid”) MACCHIO proved to be the night's overall leader with a 24.
Football player HINES WARD picked up a 21 as did Disney star CHELSEA KANE. On the lower end, ROMEO, who had to drop out of season two because of an injury and was replaced by his dad, MASTER P, got a 19 for his Cha-Cha-Cha; WENDY WILLIAMS got a 14 for her Cha Cha Cha and syndicated radio personality "Psycho MIKE" CATHERWOOD pulled the evening’s lowest score --a 13-- for his foxtrot.

Odds to win "Dancing With The Stars" Season 12 (from Sportsbook.com):
--Kendra Wilkinson, 2/1 (favorite)
--Ralph Macchio, and Chris Jericho, both 5/2
--Chelsea Kane, Hines Ward, Romeo and Sugar Ray Leonard, all 7/2
--Wendy Williams and Kirstie Alley, both 5/1
--Mike Catherwood and Petra Nemcova, both 10/1 (longshots)