Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Apr 14, 2011

Hospitalized, briefly:

CATHERINE ZETA-JONES, for bipolar II disorder. The LA Times says people with bipolar II swing from severe depression to a milder and briefer manic state called hypomania. It's affected by stress and less paralyzing that Bipolar I would be.
A professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine says "They aren't impaired to the extent that folks with bipolar I can be. People notice a change, but it's not extreme."
Her rep says "She's feeling great and looking forward to starting work this week on her two upcoming films." Other people in Hollywood with Bipolar disorder, according to the Hollywood Reporter:
--CARRIE FISHER
--"Terminator" star LINDA HAMILTON
--"Dateline NBC's" JANE PAULEY
--RUSSELL BRAND
--MEL GIBSON
--BRITNEY SPEARS
--BRIAN WILSON
--PETE WENTZ
--PHIL SPECTOR

Out of Rehab:

SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT. His reps tell People.com he's looking forward to beginning production next month on "American Reunion." He was spotted at a NY Knicks game Tuesday.

Anniversaries:

Famous Last Words: "I'll see you later." That was JOHN JACOB ASTOR to his wife, MADELINE, after putting her into one of the last Titanic lifeboats and giving up his seat to another female passenger, the night of April 14-15, 1912.

No joke:

Newsmax is reporting that DONALD TRUMP will, in fact, run for president. The site says that Trump will make his announcement next month, shortly after the May 15 season finale of his "Celebrity Apprentice" show on NBC.
Trump reportedly will tell viewers of that finale that he'll be making an announcement at Trump Tower in New York City, a few days after the show wraps up for the year. (Pacelli)

Money Talks:

No matter what the talking heads say, most consumers (52%) don't believe the recession is over. Deloitte's latest consumer survey finds we're especially stressed about gas prices, with 71% anticipating that higher fuel fees will affect their ability to spend in the coming months.
"This is a very deliberate, calculating consumer," ELLEN BASILICO of Deloitte's retail practice tells Marketing Daily. "And they are still focused on building their balance sheet. For example, of those getting a tax refund, 55% say they plan to pay down debt, and 46% intend to pay bills. As they're getting cash, their first inclination isn't to spend it."

Other concerns Deloitte pinpointed:
--47% are worried about higher medical costs
--53% say products in stores seem pricier with just 27% of consumers saying stores are offering more value for their money
--54% say stores seem to have less sales help on hand
--60% say they are shopping online to find the best product or price (Kaye)

Royalty report:

KATE MIDDLETON's weight loss is affecting a prize piece of British history! Sources at Buckingham Palace tell AbsoluteNow.com the future princess has been shrinking down to nothing and the engagement ring originally worn by PRINCESS DIANA is now too big. Just to make sure the jewel is safe, she's decided to have two tiny beads attached to the inside so it won't slip off. If you were wondering, the bauble is worth a cool fifty-two-million-dollars. (Lee)