Everett, Wash.

Published: Wednesday, July 1, 2009

The Buzz

Balance sheet

Michael Jackson's net worth was about $236 million as of March 31, 2007, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press (Page A6).

He also had only about $668,000 in walking-around money -- not enough to pay Bubbles the chimp's weekly allowance, to say nothing of a private shopping spree at a Bahrain shop reserved for the wives of sheiks.

What a headache: An FDA panel wants new restrictions on acetaminophen, the pain reliever in Tylenol, because overdoses can cause liver damage (Page A3).

The panel did reject a proposal to yank Nyquil off the market. Hey, FDA: If you take the acetaminophen out of Nyquil, you might as well jack up the alcohol content. That way, at least we won't notice the stuff doesn't do much good.

Central casting: Johnny Depp stars as Depression-era gangster John Dillinger in the new film "Public Enemies" (Page E1).

It's a baffling piece of miscasting: Why on earth isn't Depp playing Pretty Boy Floyd?

On the other hand, Billy Crudup, who appeared in drag in the movie "Stage Beauty," seems just right as J. Edgar Hoover.

­-- Mark Carlson, Herald staff

© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA