More from the "You have to be kidding me!" files

Claim: Kids who say 'yuck' may be racist

Toddlers who say "yuck" when given flavorful foreign food may be exhibiting racist behavior, a British government-sponsored organization says.

The London-based National Children's Bureau released a 366-page guide counseling adults on recognizing racist behavior in young children, The Telegraph reported Monday.

The guide, titled Young Children and Racial Justice, warns adults that babies must also be included in the effort to eliminate racism because they have the ability to "recognize different people in their lives."

The bureau says to be aware of children who "react negatively to a culinary tradition other than their own by saying 'yuck'."

"Racist incidents among children in early years settings tend to be around name-calling, casual thoughtless comments and peer group relationships," the guide says.

Staff members are advised not to ignore racist actions and to condemn them when they occur.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=upiUPI-20080707-122008-1071&show_article=1

From the Ron Burgundy School of Broadcasting

This news anchor didn't realize that the period after the sentence "Dana is off tonight" means stop, and doesn't mean continue directly into the top story. When there is no transition between the two sentences, you have a tense newsroom the next day. Somewhere, Ron Burgundy is smiling.

From the "YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME" files

Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" is becoming an opera:

"MILAN, Italy - First it was the film and the book. Now the next stop for Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" is opera.  La Scala officials say the Italian composer Giorgio Battistelli has been commissioned to produce an opera on the international multiformat hit for the 2011 season at the Milan opera house. The composer is currently artistic director of the Arena in Verona."

LOST only has 34 episodes left after tonight.

Mostly though, it's an excuse to post a picture of Evangeline Lilly (Kate).

Paramount silencing portions of Indiana Jones in theaters?

"Paramount has intentionally silenced bits of the soundtrack of _Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in order to deter and track piracy. The notice acknowledged that the momentary silences were annoying but that it was out of their control. Basically it said, please don't bug the manager if the sound drops out, unless it lasts more than a minute."

This Billboard Ad

I won't lie and say words can't describe this billboard for American Gladiators.  There are lots of words available, but this is a mostly family friendly blog, so I will refrain.  Besides, a picture is supposed to be worth 1,000 words anyway.

Three more reasons that bears are the number one threatdown: 

Alert Stephen Colbert immediately!

Bears are training to be ninjas

Bears are faster and deadlier than ever

Bears have developed a taste for Pepsi along with human blood.

Hulk Hogan's son planning reality show from jail, blames friend for accident
Hulk Hogan's son nick was drag racing with his friend John and crashed the car, leaving his friend in a hospital in a vegatative state. Nick got sentenced to prison for 8 months for the crime, and less than one day into his sentence, he calls his mom and says he can't take it. He also called his father and they blame John's karma for the accident and plan Nick's reality show for when he is released from jail. Here's an excerpt:

Hulk Hogan: Well I don't know what type of person John was, or what he did to get himself in this situation. I know he was pretty aggressive and yelled at people and do stuff. And for some reason God laid some heavy s**t on that kid. I don't know what he was into.

Nick Bollea: He was a negative person.

Hogan: He was what?

Bollea: He was a negative person. Will you work on that reality deal?

Hogan: Yep.

Bollea: Get that lined up so the minute I walk out, wherever I walk out of, it's there, boom.

Hogan: Can you do it while you're on probation?

Bollea: Of course.

Hogan: Do you want to do it with Pink Sneakers or someone else?

Bollea: I want to do it where I'll make the most money.

Mr. T brought boy out of coma

"Former The A-Team star Mr. T once stunned a sick child's family by bringing him out of a coma - after doctors begged the actor for help.

The poorly kid fell unconscious in Detroit, Michigan in the mid-1980s - and the only physical movement he made was in response to hearing Mr. T's name.

And when the mohawked star was in town, he stopped by the hospital to visit the ill boy - with miraculous results.

He tells Empire magazine, 'His family put toys around him and one of them was a Mr. T doll. And whenever my name came up, the boy moved his arm.

'Somebody told the doctors I was in town, so they called me down there. I closed the curtains and prayed. Then, as I was walking down the hall, the kid suddenly came out of the coma and hollered out.

That was my supernatural moment.'"

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/wenn/20080329/ten-mr-t-brought-boy-out-of-coma-c60bd6d.html

Eric Roberts' memorial of Heath Ledger

Eric Roberts who plays Salvatore Maroni in "The Dark Knight", wrote a very nice tribute to Heath Ledger. Here is a sample:

"I did not see any indication of his having any problems of any kind. I have worked with other actors whose behavior is symptomatic of either depression or self-medicating, and I do believe in taking well-advised steps to reach out and help someone. But I saw none of that with this man and am in no position at all to comment. I used to have a terrible problem with myself resulting in problems with drugs, including the drug of alcohol. I wish I hadn’t been so good at scaring people into not approaching me. I needed their help. Though, truth is, several people tried and did a really excellent job, which I undid. Until one day…"

You can read the entire tribute here

2008 Oscar Nominations

Complete list of 80th annual Academy Award nominations announced Tuesday:

1. Best Picture: "Atonement," "Juno," "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men," "There Will Be Blood."

2. Actor: George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"; Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"; Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street"; Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah"; Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises."

3. Actress: Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"; Julie Christie, "Away From Her"; Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"; Laura Linney, "The Savages"; Ellen Page, "Juno."

4. Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"; Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"; Hal Holbrook, "Into the Wild"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"; Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton."

5. Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"; Ruby Dee, "American Gangster"; Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"; Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"; Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton."

6. Director: Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"; Jason Reitman, "Juno"; Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"; Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood."

7. Foreign Film: "Beaufort," Israel; "The Counterfeiters," Austria; "Katyn," Poland; "Mongol," Kazakhstan; "12," Russia.

8. Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Hampton, "Atonement"; Sarah Polley, "Away from Her"; Ronald Harwood, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"; Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"; Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood."

9. Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody, "Juno"; Nancy Oliver, "Lars and the Real Girl"; Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"; Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava and Jim Capobianco, "Ratatouille"; Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages."

10. Animated Feature Film: "Persepolis"; "Ratatouille"; "Surf's Up."

11. Art Direction: "American Gangster," "Atonement," "The Golden Compass," "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street," "There Will Be Blood."

12. Cinematography: "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," "Atonement," "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," "No Country for Old Men," "There Will Be Blood."

13. Sound Mixing: "The Bourne Ultimatum," "No Country for Old Men," "Ratatouille," "3:10 to Yuma," "Transformers."

14. Sound Editing: "The Bourne Ultimatum," "No Country for Old Men," "Ratatouille," "There Will Be Blood," "Transformers."

15. Original Score: "Atonement," Dario Marianelli; "The Kite Runner," Alberto Iglesias; "Michael Clayton," James Newton Howard; "Ratatouille," Michael Giacchino; "3:10 to Yuma," Marco Beltrami.

16. Original Song: "Falling Slowly" from "Once," Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova; "Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; "Raise It Up" from "August Rush," Nominees to be determined; "So Close" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; "That's How You Know" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.

17. Costume: "Across the Universe," "Atonement," "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," "La Vie en Rose," "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street."

18. Documentary Feature: "No End in Sight," "Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience," "Sicko," "Taxi to the Dark Side," "War/Dance."

19. Documentary (short subject): "Freeheld," "La Corona (The Crown)," "Salim Baba," "Sari's Mother."

20. Film Editing: "The Bourne Ultimatum," "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," "Into the Wild," "No Country for Old Men," "There Will Be Blood."

21. Makeup: "La Vie en Rose," "Norbit," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."

22. Animated Short Film: "I Met the Walrus," "Madame Tutli-Putli," "Meme Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)," "My Love (Moya Lyubov)," "Peter & the Wolf."

23. Live Action Short Film: "At Night," "Il Supplente (The Substitute)," "Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)," "Tanghi Argentini," "The Tonto Woman."

24. Visual Effects: "The Golden Compass," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," "Transformers."

Johnny Depp says thanks a million to hospital

Actor Johnny Depp secretly visited London's Great Ormond St Hospital yesterday to donate a million pounds to thank staff for saving his daughter's life.

Depp arrived unexpectedly at the renowned children's hospital where eight-year-old Lily-Rose was treated last year when her kidneys failed.

Last week he invited five Great Ormond St doctors and nurses to the party for the London premiere of his film Sweeney Todd.

And unknown to the public, Depp spent four hours at the hospital telling bedtime stories to patients dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates Of The Caribbean.

Last March, Lily-Rose spent nine days at Great Ormond St when E.coli poisoning led to the failure of her kidneys.

She is said to have contracted the bug while staying with Depp, 43, and her mother Vanessa Paradis, 34, in Surrey while Depp was filming Sweeney Todd.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23059189-5012974,00.html

"Sip your coffee like a normal human being. We’re trying to save the planet here.”

Can we just fire everyone in Washington and start over from scratch? These idiots are having hearings on steroids in Major League Baseball and now want the cafeteria to be environmentally friendly and serve gourmet food.

"Newly ascendant Democrats may have hit roadblocks on Iraq and fiscal issues, but they have revamped congressional menus, replacing fatty, pre-made foods with healthier, gourmet alternatives. The once dreary congressional cafeterias now abound with haute cuisine. The menu transformation is part of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “Greening the Capitol” plan to make the House campus more environmentally friendly and socially progressive."

"There is pan-roasted Chesapeake rockfish with sweet potato fennel hash and yellow pepper relish. Pears with Stilton cheese and watercress. Cumin-scented leg of lamb with almond couscous."

"Coffee cups have been replaced by “ecotainers” and drink cups by “greenware” made from corn starch. The napkins emerge from their dispenser one at a time, making it impossible to grab a whole stack. Nearly everything is biodegradable. And the recycling stations, oh, the recycling stations! They are veritable shrines to a renewable Earth, with four differently shaped slots to sort garbage and lengthy directions on proper sorting. Soup containers go into the square-shaped “compostable” slot, but soup lids end up in the rounded “landfill waste” slot. There are other enviro touches, too. The new salad bar was constructed from “green materials.” The seafood is “sustainable.” The fruits and vegetables come from local growers when possible. Energy-efficient vending machines sport a 6-foot-tall illuminated image of trees. A poster trumpets the existence of a “pulper,” a big machine that mashes up waste into little cubes that go to compost centers, where, eventually, they biodegrade into dirt. "

"some people have complained that the compostable straws can melt in hot liquids...Ventura said customers would have to change their behavior to accommodate the environmentally friendly products. “We have had a few people observe that [straw] phenomenon and we had to tell them, ‘Sip your coffee like a normal human being,’” Ventura said. “We’re trying to save the planet here.”

Read the full story here

Is it 2008, or 1984?

Orwell must be rolling over in his grave. Check out this scary piece of news.

"Microsoft is developing Big Brother-style software capable of remotely monitoring a worker’s productivity, physical wellbeing and competence. The Times has seen a patent application filed by the company for a computer system that links workers to their computers via wireless sensors that measure their metabolism. The system would allow managers to monitor employees’ performance by measuring their heart rate, body temperature, movement, facial expression and blood pressure. Unions said they fear that employees could be dismissed on the basis of a computer’s assessment of their physiological state."

You can read the whole article here

Couple sentenced for far-fetched fraud

The couple that preyed together won't stay together. They are going to separate federal prisons.

Brent Eric Finley -- who along with his wife scammed family, friends and neighbors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars with a far-fetched scheme of using the CIA and some of its technology to head off serious medical problems -- has been sentenced in federal court to four years and three months in prison. Finley, 38, of Rayville must report to prison by Feb. 4.

His wife, Stacey, who prosecutors believe was the dominant personality in the massive fraud, was sentenced earlier this year to five years and three months in prison.

Over a period of six years, the Finleys persuaded 22 people to pay them a total of $989,898, prosecutors said. Many of the victims, who ranged in age from young adults to the elderly, depleted savings, insurance policies, and pension funds.

Stacey Finley, 34, persuaded her targets -- described by federal prosecutors as "solid, middle-class, educated citizens" -- that she was a CIA agent and could use her agency contacts to have medical scans conducted by satellite. Finley said the scans would reveal hidden medical problems, prosecutors said, and that CIA agents would then enter their homes and administer secret medications while they slept. Those treatments would supposedly prevent serious health problems and hereditary diseases.

The FBI began investigating after one of the victims became suspicious and told a local law enforcement officer.

Stacey Finley is not associated with the spy agency, prosecutors said

The Finleys were ordered to make restitution in the amount of $873,786.94. Prosecutors said that money won't come from what was stolen because the victims' money was spent. They said the Finleys owned a home and five vehicles, but their house was mortgaged and the vehicles financed and there were few other assets.

Asked how so many people could be conned by such far-fetched claims, U.S. Attorney Donald Washington described Finley as "a cult-like, charismatic personality."

http://www.ktbs.com/news/Couple-sentenced-for-far-fetched-fraud-6952/

Utah Cows Flee After Seeing McDonald's

WEST HAVEN, Utah - McDonald's? The burger joint? Stampede! Eight cows escaped from a trailer when the rear gate opened as the driver pulled into a McDonald's. It took about two hours to round them up Monday.

"Maybe they were going to ... hop in the freezer, save the middleman," Weber County sheriff's Sgt. Dave Creager said. Lt. Kevin Burns had another theory: "They didn't like their future."

The roundup was called "Operation Hamburger Helper." A nearby resident even hopped on his horse. "I thought my eyes were lying," said Wayne Sanders, who was at a truck stop next door. "I don't know where they came from, but I'd say they'd have to weigh 800 pounds apiece and they were on a pretty good trot."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071114/ap_on_fe_st/odd_cows_escape_mcdonald_s

A Pirate's (After) life for me!

I had no idea that pouring the cremated ashes of your loved one in Disneyland was a big problem, but I guess it is. From miceage.com

"While the rate of "HEPA Cleanups" has been increasing lately at the Haunted Mansion, the recent Pirates of the Caribbean movie craze (with its supernatural plot themes) means that ride isn't immune either. Just this past Friday a Cast Member watching the security cameras noticed a woman in the back of a boat throwing a powdery substance into the lavishly decorated sets in the cavern scenes near the beginning of the ride. Even though Pirates is a 15 minute long ride, by the time the lady spreading the substance returned to the loading area Security had yet to arrive.

The college age Cast Members operating the attraction knew that legally they were not supposed to detain anyone, and when they confronted her about what she was doing in the cameras she told them she was only throwing baby powder around. The woman quickly disappeared out the exit, never to be seen again, but she'd actually left more than baby powder all over the Pirates of the Caribbean.

Security and the police finally arrived, and the ride was shut down on a busy afternoon of a holiday weekend. The ash was identified by the Anaheim Police as cremated remains, and the custodial department found most of it all over the "Captain's Quarters" scene in the caverns. The woman had done a very thorough job of spreading the ash everywhere though, and after an hour of cleaning with the HEPA vacuums there was still work to be done.

While custodial did a thorough job of cleaning the ash from the rockwork and the areas closest to the passing boats, much of the cremated remains would have to stay there until the set could be dismantled and cleaned completely after the park closed for the night. So after a lengthy downtime, Pirates of the Caribbean was reopened by management with the remains of a very devoted fan still spread through much of the Captains Quarters."

You can read the rest of the article by clicking here

Police Want to Reunite 75 Stolen Gnomes With their Owners

Springfield, Oregon Police are investigating the theft of 75 yard gnomes that disappeared from all over the city's neighborhoods, and ended up in a family's yard.

Frogs, turtles, ducks, rabbits and all sorts of creatures comprise this gathering of ornamental yard ornaments. As they are now inhabiting the police department, Captain Richard Harrison with Springfield Police and his detectives says they are exploring ways to get these ornaments back to their homes.

I think police should be looking at the Travelocity.com gnome as the prime suspect of this cult like gathering of lawn ornaments. That's just my opinion though.

The real life inspiration for Mater and the cast of "Cars"

The town of Galena, Kansas lies on Route 66, while getting inspiration for the movie "Cars", John Lasseter and the people at Pixar drove by a run down service station and a tow truck that was rusting in the grass nearby. That truck became the inspiration for Mater and the service station that had run down cemented their idea about how in the film, the town of Radiator Springs would work to clean up the town and make things there better. Well, life is now imitating art, as the city of Galena is repairing the service station, and put eyes on the Mater truck to draw in more tourists. You can see more photos and read more about it here:
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM28DX

Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins

Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins. That's the official name of Terminator 4.

The producers are hoping that this is the start of a new trilogy of Terminator films. This film is set in the future shortly after Skynet begins its global domination and John Connor begins mankind's battle against the exoskeleton overlords. No word on if Ahnold will reprise his role, it's all based on his availability and what the director of the film wants. Suuuuuure. Like the no name director they'll hire to keep costs down can/will say "NO" if Ahnold wants a cameo or starring role. McG (rumored to be the front runner for director) isn't a no-name, but he certainly is a no talent hack. Vin Diesel is rumored to be high on the producer's wish list as well.

Thundercats the Movie! Ho!

Warner Brothers is going ahead with an animated feature film of the classic 1980's Saturday morning cartoon show: Thundercats

The film will be an origin story with our hero Lion-O (Yep, that's his name) who is the leader of the a group of humanoid cats who leave their planet Thundera, which is destroyed shortly after. The Thundercats crash land on the planet Third Earth (Yep, that is the name of the planet) and they battle against Mumm-Ra (Yep, that's the name of the villain) who is an evil sorcerer that wants to kill the Thundercats.

Thundercats will be directed by a first time filmmaker Jerry O'Flaherty who has experience making videogames. He was the art director for "Gears of War" and "Unreal Tournament 3". At least the game tie-in might not suck.

Will Ferrell joining the cast of LOST (sort of)

Ok, so the headline is misleading. I couldn't resist. Will Ferrell will indeed be in a mysterious, strange and tropical setting, but it won't be one created by the Dharma Initiative. It will be on one much scarier. He will be a member of the movie: "Land of the Lost" which starts filming in March of 2008.
The film is summarized as "an adaptation...revolves around a disgraced paleontologist, his assistant and a macho tour guide who find themselves in a strange world inhabited by dinosaurs, monkey people and reptilian Sleestaks."

I loved the Sid and Marty Krofft show when I was a kid, and even though it wasn't supposed to be humorous, even at a young age, I took it tongue in cheek. With bad special effects, people in rubbery lizard suits and Will Ferrell overacting....this could be fantastic!

Man jailed after trying to pass $1 million bill

A man in Pittsburgh tried to cash a $1 million dollar bill at a supermarket, and grew angry when the cashier refused. He slammed an electronic funds machine into the counter after the manager confiscated the bill and called the police, who then arrested the man.

This is the bill he tried to use

Breaking News: Satan has just purchased a snow shovel

This just in: Snow is beginning to fall in Hell. Satan was seen at a local Lowes buying a snow shovel and driveway salt. Roads are slippery and a little dangerous. Be careful out there.

The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) is currently in court regarding their policy of suing people who have downloaded music without paying for it. Yesterday in court, the representative from Sony was asked how many suits the RIAA has filed so far.

From http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071002-music-industry-exec-p2p-litigation-is-a-money-pit.html

“Pariser (Sony) estimated the number at a ‘few thousand.’ ‘More like 20,000,’ suggested Toder (The prosecuting attorney). ‘That's probably an overstatement,’ Pariser replied. She then made perhaps the most startling comment of the day. Saying that the record labels have spent ‘millions’ on the lawsuits, she then said that ‘we've lost money on this program.’

The RIAA's settlement amounts are typically in the neighborhood of $3,000-$4,000 for those who settle once they receive a letter from the music industry. On the other side of the balance sheet is the amount of money paid to SafeNet (formerly MediaSentry) to conduct its investigations, and the cash spent on the RIAA's legal team and on local counsel to help with the various cases. One of the biggest bombshells from the cross-examination was Pariser's admission that the RIAA's legal campaign isn't making the labels any money, and that, furthermore, the industry has no idea of the actual damages it suffers due to file-sharing.”
Breaking news: It’s not just snowing in Hell, it’s a freaking blizzard! All schools are closed and people are being encouraged to stay in their pits and stoke the fires, because we’ve never seen anything, even remotely close to this!

Microsoft has just announced that it will sell more than a million DRM-free (digital rights management) tracks in the Zune store.

Breaking the law, breaking the law!

Artist gets probation for building secret mall apartment

This is such a bizarre story. This guy and his friends secretly built an apartment inside a mall in Rhode Island, and lived there weeks at a time. They had furniture and a Play Station 2, and used the toilets in the mall. It's like the film "Career Opportunities" with Jennifer Connelly, taken a step further.

"Michael Townsend, 36, said he and seven other artists built the apartment in a 750-square-foot loft in the parking garage four years ago and lived there for up to three weeks at a time while documenting mall life"

Read the rest of the article here:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2007/10/02/artist_gets_probation_for_building_secret_mall_apartment/

You can see this guy's blog here:

http://www.colincantread.com/Yoto/Malllife.html