Gay Sci-Fi Nerds (GSFN) Podcast Show

Latest stories are listed first with links to the full story below each item.

Australian plea for ‘ugly’ women

The mayor of a remote Australian mining town has come under fire after saying that female “ugly ducklings” might benefit from its shortage of women. John Molony told a newspaper last week that “with five blokes to every girl, may I suggest that beauty-disadvantaged women should proceed to Mount Isa”.

The council has since been swamped with complaints from both men and women.

But Mr Molony has refused to apologise for the remarks, saying he was “telling it like it is” in the Queensland town.

BBC News

“Bigfoot” fails DNA test

Results from tests on genetic material from alleged remains of one of the mythical half-ape and half-human creatures, made public at a news conference on Friday held after the claimed discovery swept the Internet, failed to prove its existence.

Its spread was fuelled by a photograph of a hairy heap, bearing a close resemblance to a shaggy full-body gorilla costume, stuffed into a container resembling a refrigerator.

Reuters UK

Americans ‘find body of Bigfoot’

Two men in the US state of Georgia say they have found the body of a Bigfoot, the legendary ape-like creature that has been subject of decades of hoaxes. Matt Whitton and Rick Dyer say they stumbled across the 2.3m-high (7ft 7in), 226kg (500 pound) corpse in a wood in the north of the state in June.

A photograph on the men’s website shows what appears to be the body of a large, hairy creature with an ape-like face. Bigfoot experts reacted suspiciously to the men’s claims.

BBC News | Searching for BigFoot

The IT Crowd goes west

Cult geek comedy The IT Crowd, has been sold to a US cable channel and the scripts for the third series have been delivered to producers.

Series creator Graham Linehan admitted on his blog that he’d cut the deadline a bit fine and so could do with some help in making the series look and feel sufficiently geeky. He said he wants suggestions for “posters, comics, fanzines, T-shirts… anything you’ve seen in the last few months that you think is pretty cool or captures the spirit of the show or a particular character”. Lineham said he wanted the characters’ IT dungeon to look like “a cross between a comics shop and the Batcave”.

The Register

Jolie ‘to take Cruise movie role’

Actress Angelina Jolie is to play the lead role in an action thriller which was previously earmarked for Tom Cruise, according to a report. The film will be a screen return for the star, who recently gave birth to twins, says Hollywood paper Variety.

The script of espionage action flick Edwin A Salt will be reworked and the title changed, it adds.

BBC News

Google StreetView Sees Man Passed Out Drunk On Mother’s Lawn

Not content to just capture houses burning and other embarrassing shenanigans in the US, Google StreetView has gone overseas and done the same to a drunk Australian man passed out in his own lawn. Now that man is pissed - not in his pants, but at Google - for the invasion of privacy.

Gizmodo

Cher fan has his stereo destroyed

A man who blasted Cher and U2 from his home has had his stereo equipment and music collection destroyed. Karl Wiosna of Graig, Pontypridd, was warned to turn down his music by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council after complaints were made. He was served with a noise abatement notice, which he later admitted breaching. As a result, his two tape and record decks, radio, tapes and CDs were seized by the council.

All of Wiosna’s equipment has now been destroyed and he was also fined £265 by local magistrates after he admitted the charges against him.

BBC News

Advocates for disabled to protest “Tropic Thunder”

Groups that advocate for the disabled called on Sunday for a national boycott of the Ben Stiller comedy “Tropic Thunder,” citing what they say is its negative portrayal of people with intellectual disabilities.

“We are asking people not to go to the movie and hope to bring a consciousness to people about using derogatory words about this population,” said Peter Wheeler, spokesman for Special Olympics, one of 22 disability groups nationwide protesting the satire.

Reuters

And finally… Rick Astley as James Bond

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Latest stories are listed first with links to the full story below each item.

Jaws star sues family over loan

Actor Richard Dreyfuss is suing his father and uncle over a 24-year-old loan he claims was never repaid. The Jaws star, 60, says he gave his relatives $870,000 (£453,000) in 1984 when they owned an interest in a Los Angeles office building. In court papers filed on Friday, he claims the loan is still outstanding and that his uncle, Gilbert, has refused to turn over financial records.

Neither Norman nor Gilbert Dreyfuss could be reached for comment.

BBC News

Coltrane used on NZ wanted poster

Actor Robbie Coltrane’s face is being used on a wanted poster by police trying to catch a 16-year-old burglar in New Zealand. As law bans the publication of photos of juvenile criminals, Christchurch police are using the actor instead.

“Robbie Coltrane is not the burglar, but imagine him aged 16 with lank greasy hair and you have the picture,” the poster says.

Leaflets have been distributed to homes in the areas of targeted residents.

BBC News

American man too fat for execution

With a lawsuit filed in federal court on Friday, the Associated Press reports, attorneys for the 5-feet-7-inch, 267-pound Richard Cooey say the executioner’s needle would have trouble finding his veins. And even if it did find his veins, they insist, his heft would lessen the effect of the needle’s initial lethal injection drug - an anaesthetic meant to dull the pain.

“All of the experts agree if the first drug doesn’t work, the execution is going to be excruciating,” Cooey’s lawyer Kelly Culshaw Schneider told The AP.

The Register

Robin Hood star quits BBC remake

Jonas Armstrong, who plays Robin Hood in the BBC’s remake of the classic tale, is to leave the show at the end of the third series. The 27-year-old, who is currently filming in Budapest, said playing Robin Hood was an “incredible experience” but he was looking for “new challenges”.

According to producers, the Irish-born actor will bow out in an explosive and nail-biting finale.

BBC News

Royal premiere for new Bond film

Princes William and Harry will attend the world premiere of the next James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. They will be joined on the red carpet in London by 007 actor Daniel Craig, as well as co-stars including Dame Judi Dench and Gemma Arterton. The Royal brothers have asked for proceeds from the event to benefit two charities - Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion.

The premiere will take place on 29 October in Leicester Square.

BBC News

Joss Stone to star in the Tudors

Singer Joss Stone is to play Anne of Cleves in the third season of The Tudors, the BBC has confirmed. It will be the first TV acting role for the 22-year-old, who made her debut in fantasy film Eragon in 2006. The Emmy-winning series, produced by Showtime and aired on BBC Two, chronicles the reign of Henry VIII, played by Jonathan Rhys Myers.

BBC News

Knights Templar to Vatican: Give us back our assets

The Knights Templar are demanding that the Vatican give them back their good name and, possibly, billions in assets into the bargain, 700 years after the order was brutally suppressed by a joint venture between the Pope and the King of France.

If the Holy See doesn’t comply, the warrior knights, renowned for liberating the Holy Land, will deploy that most fearsome of weapons: a laborious court case through the creaking Spanish legal system.

The Register

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First we have the Star Wars model that sold for £177,789 in an auction of iconic film memorabilia. The 18 inch-high T.I.E. fighter featured in the climactic space battle in the 1977 movie.

The auction allowed collectors to buy more than 1,000 original pieces of Hollywood history, including several superhero costumes - among them Wolverine’s X-Men jacket and Ben Affleck’s Daredevil costume.

BBC News

Next we have the DIY Batman Tumbler (Editor’s note: Tumbler..? Come on guys, it’s the Batmobile!).

Bob Dullam has built this absolutely amazing working replica of Batman’s current-gen Batmobile, the Tumbler. It’s got it all - the afterburner, the huge honking double-barrel wheels, the stealth-toothiness on all of the edges - immaculate. Dullam threw it all together with nothing more than commonly available photos and the movies themselves, all custom welded, in his own garage by himself. Bob estimates his labor of love will cost him anywhere from $50k-$70k. And even after repeated pleading on the Super Hero Hype forums where he’s showing it off, he ain’t sellin’. Bob’s planning on building a version of the Batpod when the Tumbler is completed.

Gizmodo

And finally we have a custom built Iron Man suit but you have to think that this guy should have made himself a slightly more appropriate costume more in keeping with his physique. Gizmodo have dubbed this unfortunate individual “Iron Dork”, and I have to agree. I mean, look at those love handles! Not that I’m a skinny queen or anything, far from it, but even I wouldn’t do that to myself. Shame really as the suit itself isn’t half bad…

Gizmodo

Gizmodo also included a photo of this mental retard, which I guess is his only excuse for this disturbing costume, the retardness I mean.

Name one super hero that goes around with his cock on display. You can’t, can you and if you can, please send in pictures?

Mores the pity actually… Now Brandon Routh in his Superman outfit, with his cock showing through those red briefs would have guaranteed an immediate sequel.

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Looks like passing wind and penis jokes were all the rages in ancient Sumeria and Anglo Saxon times.

UKTV has published what it claims to be the world’s oldest joke - a Sumerian rib-tickler dating back to 1,900 BC which goes: “Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband’s lap.”

Yup, they were a laugh a minute, those cheeky Sumerians, and no messing. In second spot we have the equally-hilarious Egyptians, who poked fun at pharoah King Snofru back in 1,600 BC with this cracker: “How do you entertain a bored pharaoh? You sail a boatload of young women dressed only in fishing nets down the Nile and urge the pharaoh to go catch a fish.”

Things had improved somewhat by the time the Anglo-Saxons got their act together back in the 10th century and presaged the birth of Carry On by asking: “What hangs at a man’s thigh and wants to poke the hole that it’s often poked before? Answer: A key.”

Paul McDonald, the senior lecturer at Wolverhampton University who dredged up these classics, said: “Jokes have varied over the years, with some taking the question and answer format while others are witty proverbs or riddles. “What they all share however, is a willingness to deal with taboos and a degree of rebellion. Modern puns, Essex girl jokes and toilet humour can all be traced back to the very earliest jokes identified in this research.”

I’d have to agree and say most pub jokes haven’t changed that much.

The Register

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US actor Shia LaBeouf’s left hand was “crushed” in a car crash in Hollywood last weekend, his lawyer has revealed.

The Indiana Jones and Transformers star had “extensive” surgery and there is “a substantial” risk of infection or other complications, Michael Norris said.

LaBeouf was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving but police have said the crash was not his fault.

The Transformers sequel, which LaBeouf has been filming, may be rewritten to work the injury into the storyline.

“He will need regular medical supervision until his doctors clear him to return to work,” Mr Norris told the Associated Press (AP) news agency.

The actor had a four-hour operation on the hand and his left arm is immobilised from the elbow down, Mr Norris added.

“His doctors remain hopeful that he will fully recover, but due to extensive surgery and the nature of the injuries, there remains a substantial risk of both infection and other complications.”

Michael Bay, who is directing Transformers sequel Revenge of the Fallen, told the Access Hollywood TV show: “His two fingers are pretty smashed.

“But we’re figuring out a way to shoot around it, kind of write it into the story.”

The crash happened in West Hollywood in the early hours of last Sunday.

Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore has said LaBeouf was not at fault and that the other driver apparently ran a red light.

The actor recently played Mutt Williams alongside Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

BBC News

And in more Transformers related type news (sort of).

Comedian Bernie Mac has spent the weekend in a Chicago hospital after coming down with pneumonia, his publicist has said.

Danica Smith said in a statement that the 50-year-old was “responding well to treatment and will be released soon”.

Ms Smith added the pneumonia was not related to an inflammatory lung disease the comedian also has. That condition has been in remission since 2005.

Mac starred in his own US sitcom, The Bernie Mac Show, from 2001 to 2006.

His performance in the programme earned him numerous award nominations including two at the Emmys and the Golden Globes.

Mac, a Chicago native, also starred in last year’s box office hits Ocean’s Thirteen and Transformers.

BBC News

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More crazy shenanigans from around the world as the body of a ballooning Brazilian priest is found at sea.

Now I had heard about this story a while back when it was originally reported that Father Adelir Antonio de Carli floated out over the ocean suspended by hundreds of helium-filled party balloons. Yes, that’s right, party balloons, not the proper hot air balloons that hundreds of people fly and enjoy.

Father Adelir Antonio de Carli staged the stunt that went tragically wrong to help raise money for a chapel for truckers in his highway parish.

Now Father Adelir Antonio de Carli has been found off the coast of southeastern Brazil, police have confirmed.

“We were almost certain that it was the priest due to various elements, such as the clothes and material used in the balloon trip,” Macae’s chief of police, Daniel Bandeira, said on Monday. “The DNA only confirmed our suspicions.”

No shit! No doubt Father Adelir Antonio de Carli will end up in next year’s Darwin Awards. Oh look, as I type this and check, he’s already there. Guess all those truckers that Father Adelir Antonio de Carli wanted to help will have to go cruising elsewhere..

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I think the reason why I didn’t do well in art college was because I’m relatively normal. The only hang up I had was the usual teen angst that nobody understood me. Though I didn’t understand me either. I wasn’t pretentious enough to be a fine artist and comic book styled illustrations were just frowned upon when I attended Art College.

Even now in my older days I still just don’t get some people. Like this sad “artiste”… Jaime del Val wanders the streets of Madrid naked but for camera equipment attached to his genitals. Judging by the photos, I wouldn’t be so brave or brazen. I mean, who’d want to see that!?

Like every red-blooded male he has a completely out-of-proportion view of his manhood and shows off his genitals because he says building are “organs of power”.

While some may see this as an empty boast, Mr del Val actually claims to have a serious message to promote as a self-identified ‘pangender cyborg’. He says his visual actions are part of a multi-protest against homophobia, surveillance, control and consumer society.

He has also staged his “performance” in front of Almudena Cathedral and at the Royal Palace in Madrid, denouncing tourist icons.

Why is there a light bulb in his butt crack?

Metro.co.uk

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I loved Dad’s Army as a kid and even now I find it just as funny as I thought it was then. The scripts were witty and the acting was spot on with great comedic timing, all the more funnier with a bunch of old men.

However I’m not sure how I would have felt if the opening credits were that which were originally planned. Apparently the intended original credits were going to feature shot of refugees and Nazi troops. I understand that they were trying to show what the Home Guard was there to protect us from, but I think it would have set a darker tone for what was essentially a wonderful light hearted comedy.

A row between BBC bosses prompted a complete change to the opening titles of classic comedy Dad’s Army, archive letters have revealed.

BBC One’s controller at the time, Paul Fox, ordered shots of refugees and Nazi troops to be removed from the sequence as he found them offensive.

They were replaced with the now famous swastika-headed arrow sequence.

The BBC’s archives are marking the much-loved series’ 40th anniversary by releasing documents and pictures.

Michael Mills, the corporation’s head of comedy at the time, expressed his “profound disquiet” and “shock” at changes to the title sequence.

A memo in the archive revealed that Mr Mills thought it “right and essential” that viewers were shown the Nazi threat faced by the Home Guard.

“I cannot help wondering whether we, in the comedy department, are controlled by different standards, i.e. clowns must stay clowns,” he added.

They reveal that Fox initially “felt uneasy” about the series but admitted he had been wrong when it became a hit.

In a letter to Dad’s Army’s producer David Croft in 1970 he said: “You made an enormous success of it and like millions of others I am only sorry it has come to an end. Temporarily, I hope.

“Looking back to that first programme, I am glad to say you were right 100%.

Breakthrough territory?

“Thanks to your persistence - and despite that title change - the show became a great hit.”

Croft’s plan had been to illustrate the dangers faced by the elderly volunteers of World War II’s Home Guard, the central characters in the show.

However, at the time Fox was uneasy about whether the series was “advancing comedy’s output in other areas” and asked: “Is this really breakthrough territory?”

The much-loved show ran from 1968 to 1977 and its popularity has endured to this day.

Clive Dunn, Arthur Lowe and Ian Lavender starred in the series, co-created by Croft and Jimmy Perry.

As well as the internal BBC memos, the online archive also features a behind-the-scenes photo gallery and letters from the actors.

BBC News

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UFO fever is sweeping a South Devon town after a series of mysterious lights flitted across the night sky on Saturday — which saw a record number of such sightings in the UK.

The curious heavenly light show was spotted by Wayne and Jo Taylor as they enjoyed a smoke outside their home in Barnsey Gardens, Ashburton.

Wayne, 40, said: “I just couldn’t believe it. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life before.”

A neighbour told him: “I’m glad you saw them too because I don’t want people thinking I’m mad.”

He counted about a dozen, slow-moving circular lights in formation heading towards Dartmoor at 10.20pm.

At the same time star-gazers across the country were being similarly gob smacked by the apparitions with 200 seen at various points between the South West and Yorkshire.

A spokesman for UFO Investigations UK immediately called for a Government inquiry to explain the deluge of reports from Sussex and Bedfordshire and from Devon to Lancashire and beyond.

“The whole of Ashburton is now talking about it,” said Wayne, who captured mobile phone pictures of the happening high above his home.

“I have absolutely no rational explanation for what I saw. The lights moved at one stage at a 90 degree angle.

“They were not these lanterns that people keep reporting. There was no way of telling how far or close they were. It’s very difficult to explain them. They were quite random.”

The spokesman for UFO Investigations UK confirmed that more than 200 people had reported sightings across the UK. Normally the organisation receives 10 to 15 sightings a day.

Just 24 hours later John Farley, a retired bus driver from Kingskerswell, was snapping away at Berry Head in Brixham with a view to increasing his photo portfolio for local competitions.

Glancing through his images on the computer at home, he spotted one which stood out from the crowd because, taking centre stage, was a UFO.

His panorama of the Bay bathed in glorious summer sunshine had a blot on the seascape which had him perplexed.

“I don’t know what it is,” he said, scratching his head.

Close scrutiny by the Herald Express picture desk could not help him with his inquiries.

One expert said: “The picture was taken at a thousandth of a second at f4 which would normally make any moving object pin-sharp.

“The fact that John’s object is blurred is a bit baffling. I’m afraid we can’t identify what’s there except to say it’s moving pretty damn quickly.”

This is South Devon

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Okay, this one has been doing the rounds all week so you may have seen it before. What a lot of sites are neglecting to add is that this is the result of a neurological-facial malformation called Holoprosencephaly. “The cause is thought to be a genetic alteration, in this case probably due to environmental exposure to certain chemicals.”

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