Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Apr 8, 2011

Crisis in Japan:

A moment of panic yesterday when a magnitude-7.1 earthquake struck about 25 miles off the coast of Japan's hard hit Miyagi Prefecture and triggered a tsunami alert for the country's ravaged northeastern coastline. But the warning was later called off when no serious waves materialized.
   The quake, which was actually another aftershock from last month's magnitude 9.0, was felt as far away as Tokyo, but caused no major damage, only minor injuries, and though workers briefly evacuated the troubled Fukushima nuclear plant, there were no threats to the ongoing cleanup effort there. (Maiman)

Stars and their movies:

Some things are just better left in the past, like classic comedies such as "Arthur." The revamped version of the film is getting cruddy revews across the board --MARSHALL FINE of the Huffington Post and a few others think the problem lies solely with leading man RUSSELL BRAND --whom they just don't find funny. 
   Meanwhile, the suits in charge of the flick disagree --CINDY ADAMS of the NY Post reports that producers gifted Mr. KATY PERRY with a hundred-twenty-five-thousand-dollar Rolls-Royce when filming wrapped --too bad someone already crashed the luxury automobile. (Lee)

BEN AFFLECK is reportedly talking to producer about playing Tom Buchanan in "The Great Gatsby."
   The film stars LEONARDO DiCAPRIO as millionaire Jay Gatsby, CAREY MULLIGAN as Daisy Buchanan and TOBEY MAGUIRE as Nick Carraway, a young Midwesterner now living on Long Island, who finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor. The film was originally done in 1974 with MIA FARROW as Daisy, BRUCE DERN as her husband and ROBERT REDFORD as Jay Gatsby.
   BAZ LUHRMANN is directing this new, 3D adaptation of the F-SCOTT FITZGERALD novel.

Grace notes:

It looks like finding jurors for the trial of MICHAEL JACKSON's doctor is not going to be easy. Yesterday, the Los Angeles Times said prospective jurors had to fill out a 29-page questionnaire with a total of 117 questions.
For example: Are you a Michael Jackson fan? Do you own any of his CDs or DVDs? Have you ever seen him live in concert? Well, right there, most of the world is disqualified since Michael was one of, if not the most well known celebrity. And, there are questions about the 27 different prescription drugs Michael may have taken. When they actually get enough qualified jurors, Dr. CONRAD MURRAY's trial is expected to last two months. (Marino)

Human Nature:

Archaeologists say they've discovered a 5-thousand-year-old gay caveman.
   According to AOL News, the remains date back to at least 25-hundred B-C. The male body was buried in a way normally reserved for women during the Copper Age (picture).
   Scientists found the skeleton in the Czech Republic surrounded with artifacts only used in female graves. One archaeologist says he was probably "a man with a different sexual orientation, homosexual or transsexual." (Still)

Filling a need:

They're doing double takes over a snack that's made its debut at a convenience store on Cape Cod.
   They're called "lazy cakes relaxation brownies." The package says the chocolate treats contain --quote-- "a calming blend of roots and extracts" that are supposed to mellow you out.
   Turns out these brownies, which contain nearly eight milligrams of melatonin, have turned up in lots of places around the country.
   The label warns: "May cause drowsiness," and says the brownies are not for kids or pregnant women, and don't drive or operate heavy machinery after eating them.
   Editor's note: Sounds like they'd probably be safer if they used actual pot.
   --Up next: The "Pick Me Up Twinkie" (now with more crystal meth! --Maiman)