When Jimmy Kimmel sends a person out on the street to pose as a news reporter doing a story on Super Tuesday, the result is a study in second hand embarrassment. Not only are the Californians interviewed unaware that they aren't set to vote in the primary until June, but they lie and say that they voted earlier that day, elaborating with details about the crowds at their polling locations and various new, incredibly made up sounding voting procedures. Like some of their chosen candidates, it's enough to make just about anyone cringe. Via Daily Dot
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Max is an English cream golden retriever who knows what he likes. Namely, the pacifier that's in his mouth. You can try to take it from him all you like, but his response will be body language telling you to Talk to the Paw. Via Tastefully Offensive
In the article highlighted here, seven people who travel for their livelihoods are asked the following question: "What’s the scariest or worst thing to ever happen to you while traveling? How do you suggest others avoid finding themselves in a similar situation?" While the stories behind their answers are not tales the average traveler can relate to, for the most part they break them down into basic rules of thumb it would benefit all travelers to keep in mind.
Take, for example, the story told by travel writer Trevor Morrow:
"When I was 18, I traveled solo to Tanzania to volunteer in a rural school. One weekend, when school wasn’t in session, a few other volunteers and I took a trip to a town on the coast for a little rest and relaxation. Before leaving, two of the volunteers and I decided to take a walk down the beach. The beach was very flat and wide and there was almost no one around. We passed two local fishermen who were dealing with a net and kept walking until they were far in the distance. As we turned around to head back, a lone man who was sitting on a dune started to approach us quickly from several hundred yards away. He wore a pair of tattered pants and held his shirt in his hands, which was concealing something underneath.Now a few feet beside us, the deranged man revealed the machete he was hiding under his shirt and gestured it toward us — we were being robbed at machete-point.
Extremely scared, we backed up and sped up our pace, moving back in the direction of the two fisherman we passed earlier on the beach. Luckily, one of the two people I was with was a well-traveled Swedish woman in her 30s. Immediately, she told us to just walk very fast and not to run as it might provoke him and cause him to react — this was truly enlightened advice. Think of it like backing away slowly from a bear vs. turning around and running.
We resisted just long enough, while walking fast enough, until we were in eyeshot of the two fishermen we passed earlier. The deranged man, now seeing the potential witnesses to his crime, backed away and left us.
The main lesson to be learned from this story is to always be hyper-aware of your surroundings. Not in a paranoid way, simply in a smart, present-in-the-moment kind of way. This is true no matter where you go, but especially true in places where no one else is around, in economically depressed areas where crimes of opportunity may be more common, and in situations where you stick out like a sore thumb and may attract unwanted attention. This man was watching us come down the beach in his direction for some time and we didn’t even notice him — and if we did, we didn’t think twice about his presence.
The next lesson is, to try not to blatantly carry your belongings with you. All three of us were wearing small backpacks. This advertised that we had items of worth on us — be it the backpacks themselves and whatever we had inside them. In my case, that was all of my money, my passport, and my cameras. Huge. Rookie. Move.
The third lesson is, we probably should have just given him what we wanted, our backpacks. Instead, we played with fire and called his bluff for just long enough to make it back to the eyeline of the fishermen. Things could have turned out way worse.
All that being said, most people on this planet are kind and mean you no harm. Just be smart and be present in the moment.
Read more scary travel stories told by professional travelers here.
Image: Ionut Cojocaru
Molly Ringwald in 2015 (l) and 1985 (r)| Image: (l) Getty, (r) Paramount via Uproxx
It's hard to believe that it has been 30 years since the February 1986 release of John Hughes' Pretty in Pink. It's even harder to believe when one looks at a side-by-side comparison of then and now 48-year-old Molly Ringwald head shots. The woman appears to have been bathing in the Fountain of Youth (or a fountain of Botox -- you decide). Either way, she looks great!
But what has Ringwald been up to for the last 30 years? The linked article gives us that answer as well as answering that question with regards to her Pretty and Pink castmates. It reads in part,
The 48-year-old redhead was a frequent John Hughes collaborator before becoming Andie, and preceded her role with both Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club.
In 1987, a year after Pretty in Pink, Molly Ringwald was cast as Randy Jensen in The Pick-up Artist with Robert Downey, Jr. in one of his first roles.
After keeping busy throughout the ’90s, Ringwald transitioned to Broadway, first headlining Cabaret from 2001 to 2002, and then, taking on Charity Hope Valentine in Sweet Charity.
Ringwald’s perhaps best-known most recent role was as Shailene Woodley’s mother on The Secret Life of the American Teenager throughout its run.
She followed up the series with the release of her first jazz record in 2013, and is currently working with Jason Priestly on upcoming Canadian sitcom, Raising Expectations.
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It wasn't so long ago that we featured the amusing antics of Pizza Rat, a New York City rat who scored a tasty slice and was dragging it to his rat lair in order to feast. That is, he was dragging the tasty treat until someone walked by, which caused him to take cover until danger passed.
In stark contrast, feast your eyes on Bustin' In Rat, a Chicago native who makes his New York cousin look like a major wuss. This guy's coming in the door, one way or another. One man and his broom are no match for his ninja rat moves. The man might have won the battle, but this rat is outside scheming to win the war. Via Daily Dot
If you have an interest in film, yet you tend to draw blanks when it comes to reading a history of Academy Award winners for Best Picture, this mental_floss article helps you to obtain instant tickets. Listed in their article are 30 films that have received Best Picture honors, all of which are available to stream as you read this. From older classics like Midnight Cowboy and The Godfather to more modern fare such as American Beauty and Argo, these films are also great upon repeat viewing, when we're able to catch some of the subtleties that render them a cut above.
See the full list of all 30 Best Picture Oscar winners available to stream at mental_floss.
The mummified body of a German adventurer who was last seen alive in 2009 has been discovered on his yacht off the coast of the Philippines. Two fisherman found the body of Manfred Fritz Bajorat near the radio phone of his 40-foot yacht called Sayo, perhaps poised to make a distress call. Bajorat's cause of death is unknown at this time.
Also discovered on the yacht was a note that Bajorat wrote to his wife Claudia, who died of cancer in 2010. The note said,
"Thirty years we're been together on the same path. Then the power of the demons was stronger than the will to live. You're gone. May your soul find its peace. Your Manfred."
The body was mummified due to conditions at sea: salty air, dry winds and hot temperatures.
To see additional pictures, a video and to read more on this story, see the linked article at the Mirror. (Warning: graphic pictures of mummified body.)
Image: Barobo Police Station Facebook Page
When a group of friends in France got together to have a party, they decided to rent a house to make the experience even more enjoyable. They consulted Airbnb and found the nice looking, three-story home in Palaiseau, pictured at left. Just a ten minute drive south of Paris, with seven bedrooms, a swimming pool, and backing up to a wooded area, it seemed ideal.
Yet when it came time to party, the renters were horrified to find a woman's badly decomposed body half buried in the garden area near the woods. In its shallow grave, the body was in a near fetal position, face down and covered with logs and branches. The local prosecutor's office said that homicide is suspected.
The friends who rented the place called off their party on Saturday and were questioned by the police the following day.
See additional pictures and read more on this story at the Washington Post.
Image: Thibault Camus/AP
Much attention has been paid in the media to Leonardo DiCaprio's formerly elusive Oscar win last night, with most opining that the actor had been previously slighted. Yet DiCaprio is not the only actor who could be considered deserving yet thus far denied of recognition from the Academy.
The article featured here lists what they call the "30 Greatest Living Actors Who Have Never Been Nominated for an Oscar." While most uses of "greatest" are subjective and debatable, their list indeed includes fine actors such as Steve Buscemi, pictured above. Their entry:
An actor known for his portrayal of eccentric guys, Steve Buscemi has constantly moved with ease between major film studios and indie productions throughout his career, becoming a regular of such directors as the Coen brothers and Quentin Tarantino.
He could have been nominated for “Reservoir Dogs” (1992), “Fargo” (1996), or “Ghost World” (2001).
Selected filmography: Mystery Train (1989), Reservoir Dogs (1992), In The Soup (1992), Trees Lounge (1996), Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), Animal Factory (2000), Ghost World (2001), Coffee And Cigarettes (2003), Big Fish (2003)
Another entry on the list is one of my favorite actors, Australian Guy Pearce:
A quiet force of US and Australian cinema, Guy Pearce first became known to audiences as a drag queen in “The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert” (1994), and followed a pretty diverse career ever since. He could have been nominated for “L.A. Confidential” (1997) or “Memento” (2000). Selected filmography: The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert (1994), L.A. Confidential (1997), Memento (2000),The Proposition (2005), The Hurt Locker (2008), The Road (2009), The King’s Speech (2010), Animal Kingdom (2010), Prometheus (2012)
Read about 28 more great actors who've never been nominated for an Oscar in this article.
Guy Pearce in Christopher Nolan's Memento
A Gizmodo writer stumbled upon this video from 2012 that may have been "buried" at the time for a reason: that being, it's a horror show. YouTube user gurutek was in the process of breaking down his saltwater tank when he discovered the gigantic worm (which he calls a Eunice/bristle worm, though commenters at both Gizmodo and YouTube are arguing over the terminology) after two years of keeping the tank. If that story isn't bad enough, when he tried to grab the worm with tongs, a section of its tail snapped off and was still wriggling around.
Such worms can, when small, hide in rocks or coral and go unnoticed, eventually growing to be quite large. They are nocturnal, so therefore are easy to miss. Says gurutek,
"I was breaking down the tank (as I was moving it), hence it looking shoddy. That unice was in there 2 years before I noticed, and only noticed because I had whole coral colonies missing after a single evening. I first saw it after I spent a few nights sat up (after lights went out) for about 3 hours per night looking for the critter who was eating my corals. Even when I knew it was there, I only ever saw it 3 times within the space of a year. It hides in the rocks, and only comes out at night, impossible to catch without taking everything out the tank."
I used to keep a freshwater aquarium and had a plecostomus grow to a size that scared me. One night I had a nightmare about going on vacation and coming back to find horrifying, prehistoric looking creatures inhabiting my tank. I used to laugh at myself for having that dream. Now it's not so funny.
Stuffed Garlic Bread | Image: Cookies and Cups
A birthday card with unexpected money inside. Opening an old box only to find a beloved, lost item. The proverbial pearl inside the oyster. Sometimes we get surprised with such delights — it's a part of what makes life worth living. Some might think food with delicious centers may not fall into such a category, but I beg to differ. The first time I bit into a juicy burger and found that the center was full of deliciously gooey melted cheese, I felt as if I had won the food lottery.
The recipes linked here, whether sweet or savory, all have one thing in common: they are stuffed with delicious ingredients. Check all of them out, select one to make and surprise your loved ones twice — once at the sight of the treat, and a second time when they bite into it.
Strawberry Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast | Image: Just a Taste
Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Parmesan Meatballs | Image: Blog Chef
Salted Caramel Molasses Cookies | Image: Crazy For Crust
This video captures the scene of Hawaii's Waimea Bay during the Quiksilver's Big Wave Invitational, a/k/a "The Eddie." The competition got started in 1985 as homage to surfer Eddie Aikau, who was lost at sea seven years earlier. Working as Oahu's first lifeguard, Aikau was known to dive into 30-foot waves to make rescues.
The date of the Quicksilver is dependent on weather conditions, and this past week the time was right. Contestants rode swells up to 60 feet high, and winner John John Florence walked away with the $75,000 first prize. Via Esquire
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, 2003
The Academy Awards is one of the rare events in which so many "A List" stars are sharing the same space. In addition to the Hollywood history they occasionally make in front of the Oscar ceremony cameras, these larger-than-life film stars can drum up just as much drama behind the scenes. Thus, some of the best photographers in the business are let loose backstage to capture snapshots of normally off-camera action. Some examples are shown above and below; see a collection of backstage Oscar ceremony shots here.
Images: Art Streiber
Jack Nicholson and Nicolas Cage, 2003
Robin Williams, 2004
Chris Rock, 2005
In this era of see-through dresses, nude Instagrams and live wardrobe "malfunctions," the notion of a miniskirt being revealing is fairly ludicrous. But these photos, taken in more simple and innocent times, harken back to the days in which skirts showing a lot of leg screamed sexy and even slightly scandalous.
Enjoy these examples, and see a large collection of miniskirt photos of old here.
If you've seen The Revenant, you know that this dramatic film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu is a gritty and harrowing ride that challenges the average moviegoer's endurance as well as the main character's.
The film is nominated for multiple Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, which if won would be his first. While those scores won't be settled until tonight's awards ceremony, some tales of The Revenant's incredibly challenging shoot can be shared in the words of DiCaprio, director Inarritu and some of their crew. Here are some snippets from the article linked below:
The actors entered into a real-life frozen jungle during a seven-month shoot in Alberta, Canada, using natural light (shot by cinematographer Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki) and fending off frostbite in temperatures that plunged to 40 degrees below zero. If that wasn’t grueling enough, a lack of snow near the end of the shoot forced the production to shut down last spring, and add six days in July — mid-winter — in Argentina, which tacked millions to the already inflated budget, while Inarritu had to cobble together an edit without an ending.
The cast set up shop overnight in small villages, and would drive — for up to two hours each day — to the uncovered set. “It was bizarre, because we were making a big movie with a small camera team,” says Lubezki, who wore six layers of thermal clothes to keep warm. “We didn’t have normal gear. We didn’t have lights.”
The lack of a cellphone signal meant that crew members had to relay messages via snowmobiles. The first few months were plagued by nonstop storms and threats of frostbite. But despite the harsh weather, DiCaprio insists he was never injured. He did, however, get sick repeatedly. “I got the flu quite a few times,” he allows. In one scene, where the other men in his troop carry him up a hill on a stretcher, Glass lets out a guttural cough. That’s not, in fact, acting, but DiCaprio spewing out phlegm. Inarritu tells a story about how, after a recent SAG screening, an actor approached him to ask: “Was that ADR?” Inarritu laughs.
Read more about the brutal shoot for The Revenant at Variety.
Image: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
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