Glad (sort off) I'm not alone. If anyone with this problem calls AppleCare, please report the solution. I'll call tomorrow night (unless the problem miraculously fixes itself).
If its a MBP with a battery you should not remove (like mine),
SMC reset:
Shutdown your machine. Plug in the adapter.
Hold Shift+Control+Option+Power button at the same time.
Then release them at once say after 3 seconds. (it should not start when you press the 4 keys for the SMC reset)
Then hit the Power button to start.
Once started and you hear the beep, hit Command+Option+P+R immediately for the pram reset.
Keep holding it till you hear the start beep for the second time. (it would be an internal second restart)
are they set up properly in mail, contacts and calendars under system preferences? Can you connect to them through the mail app, but they don't show up in the notification center?
try sending yourself and email to get the ball rolling. Perhaps it does not kick in until a new message is received (ie, after the account is set up, so older messages do not appear).