Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Apr 15, 2011

Idle gossip & unconfirmed rumors:

Hey bachelors --are you on the hunt for a mature, beautiful woman that knows her way around a foxtrot? KIRSTIE ALLEY might be just your lady! One close friend of the sassy "Dancing With the Stars" contestant dished to In Touch Weekly that she's found some confidence after dropping a few pounds and "ready to find a boyfriend." Be prepared if you want to get intimate, there, Slugger --the 61-year-old "Cheers" actress admitted she hasn't done (ahem) the "nasty" in four-and-a-half years! (Lee)

On, off and way-off Broadway:

SAMUEL L JACKSON will be appearing on Broadway as Dr MARTIN LUTHER KING.
Playbill confirms the movie star will make his Broadway debut in "The Mountaintop," beginning in September. There were rumors that HALLE BERRY would be joining him in the production, but at this time, it looks uncertain because of Halle's child custody fight in court.

Rounding up the usual suspects:

Try not to get too confused on this one: In Modesto, CA, police are looking for a woman who dressed as a man and drew a beard on her face with black marker to rob a downtown gas station Wednesday night. (Photo from surveillance camera.)
Police say the woman entered the gas station's convenience store, pulled the gun, demanded money and left with an undisclosed amount of cash. Her getaway vehicle: A bicycle. She's still at large.
Editor's note: Anyone check the circus? (Maiman)

Movies that will suck:

You just knew it was a matter of time for this. Movie fans are flocking to theaters in Hong Kong to see what's being billed as the world's first 3D porn film.
AFP reports that "3-D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy" opened to packed theaters across Hong Kong yesterday, with some screenings selling out completely. The flick is loosely based on a piece of classical Chinese erotic literature, and had a $3.2-million-dollar production budget. (Pacelli)

DONNY & MARIE OSMOND will be on QVC Monday afternoon. They'll be promoting their first album together in more than 30 years. The 16-track CD is simply called "Donny & Marie," and they'll perform a few songs from it at 1 pm Eastern Time. The release date is May 3rd. (Marino)

Heads up:

Postal rates go up Sunday. And your income taxes are due next Monday.
I don't think the Post Office folks did this on purpose, because taxes are usually due on Apr 15, but because it's Emancipation Day, a holiday in DC, the Nation's Capital, everybody gets this weekend to do their taxes.
So... when you mail your return, make sure you have the right postage on it.
Your basic letter or bill payment you send first-class will stay at 44 cents, but additional ounces on that first-class mail will cost 20 cents, up from 17 cents. That means if you're enclosing lots of paperwork with your tax return, you'll wind up forking over more money in first class mail... so don't just stick a stamp on. You don't want your return coming back due to insufficient postage... and then get penalized for filing late.
Also:
--Postcards will cost 29 cents, up from 28 cents.
--Letters to Canada increase five cents, from 75 to 80, and letters to Mexico increase one cent, from 79 to 80.
--First-class parcels, now $1.22, will cost you $1.71.