* McDonald's has announced that apple slices will be added to its Happy Meals ... as if a few slivers of fruit will offset all the fat and cholesterol in the meals' greasy burgers and fries. This is roughly the equivalent of believing it's OK to eat half-a-dozen Dunkin' Donuts as long as you wash them down with a glass of low-fat milk.

* "The Undefeated," the documentary film about Sarah Palin, has flopped at the box office, so it's going to be released on pay-per-view TV, according to Reuters. Got news for you, Sarah: If people weren't willing to pay to watch this thing in theaters, they won't pay to watch it in their living rooms, either. Perhaps Palin's 15 minutes of fame (14 minutes more than she deserved) are finally over.

* Need proof that the death of British singer/trainwreck Amy Winehouse came as no surprise to anyone? Consider this: Whenever the death of a well-known person is seen as imminent, or at least likely, news wire services, like The Associated Press, will have an obituary prewritten and ready to go so only limited reporting and writing will be needed when the death occurs. Winehouse, all of 27 years old, was one of the celebrities for whom the AP had a prewritten obit. Pretty sad, but obviously pretty necessary.