Head-Butting Chewbacca Arrested in Hollywood

by Neil Woodburn on

One of the things that tourists love to do while visiting Los Angeles is to stop by Grauman’s Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard, check out the footprints of the stars, and perhaps even pose for a photo with one of the many costumed performers which frequent the place.

Last Friday, this otherwise festive scene turned violent when an enraged Chewbacca head-butted a local tour guide.

The LA Times had a field day with the story. “The Force is all over Chewbacca” claims that the costumed performer yelled, “Nobody tells this wookie what to do!” before delivering the head-but. The recipient was a tour guide who had complained to the hirsute alien about allegedly harassing two Japanese tourists.

Police were called to the scene and arrested the performer, handcuffing the 6’5″ Chewbacca and placing him in the back of a squad car. Witnesses to the assault included Superman, Tickle me Elmo, Capt. Jack Sparrow, and Darth Vader himself. I can’t wait to see that trial on court TV!

Cameras from the Jimmy Kimmel show, filmed just across the street, were on hand to capture the arrest itself. You can check out the video and some eyewitness interviews here (click forward to 3:23).

What Does the Inside of the Louvre Look Like?

by Willy Volk on

I’ve had the honor of spending, oh, about 10 hours in Paris. During a lengthy layover, I rode the train into town, stood outside Notre Dame, ate lunch at an outdoor cafe, hopped a bus to the Eiffel Tower, trudged to the Louvre, returned to the train station, and then headed back to the airport. It was an exhausting day — man, I sure coulda used one of those free bikes! — but it was fun.

Unfortunately, although I got to see a lot of stuff from the outside, I didn’t get to see much from the inside. I never entered Notre Dame. I didn’t ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I only marveled at the architecture of the Louvre’s front door. Frankly, I was afraid to invest too heavily in any single activity for fear I’d miss out on something more fun — or miss my flight. On one hand, I’m glad I got to see so much of Paris, whirlwind though it was. On the other hand, if I could do it over, I might’ve chosen one activity, spent the whole day doing it right, and forsaken the others. Dunno. Nevertheless, I stumbled on this 9-minute clip shot (no doubt clandestinely) inside the Louvre. Now I see what I missed.

Did I make a mistake tackling Paris this way? Or was I wise to do what I did, given my time constraints?

Idiotarod, the Movie(s)

by Willy Volk on

Erik mentioned the Idiotarod recently. No, it’s not a typo; I didn’t mean that dog sled-thing in Alaska. I meant the shopping cart race/freak show that features people instead of dogs. Sort of a Burning Man for the mobile set, the Idiotarod is the urban version of Iditarod. The rules of the Idiotarod are, um, well there aren’t many. Organizers provide racers with a starting line, two checkpoints — during which racers face trials and challenges that “build character” — and a finish line; racers choose the fastest route to the end.

Staged in New York last weekend, Colonel Angus won (although his time was admittedly a guesstimate), while Guitar Heroes took Best in Show and the Mad Hattan Tea Party took the award for “Continuous and Affective Bribery.” What kind of award is that? Wait…is the Idiotarod a race? Performance art? A chance for people to dress up and run around the street screaming? You guessed it: it’s all of those things. And more.

If you’re feeling totally idiotic about the Idiotarod, check out the gobs of Idiotarod vids at the Carts of Brooklyn, and click through the (more than 8000!) photos on Flickr tagged Idiotarod. To get deep inside the minds of Idiotarod-ers — some of whom travel around the country promoting the sport event festival it — check out this short clip from Travelistic.

On second thought, I’m not sure you want to get too deep inside the minds of Idiotarod-ers. But I think I’ll make plans to attend next year. Mush!

BOO! Ghosts of the London Underground

by Justin Glow on

Do you believe in ghosts?

Me? I don’t know… it’s tough to say. Those who have experienced a sighting are sold on it — of course there are! But without having any contact with the “other side,” I only have numerous television specials to go on, and honestly, what’s to say there isn’t a bit of fancy editing or trick photography going on?

Regardless of where you travel, there’s bound to be a haunted this or a haunted that. Hollywood, for instance, has a myriad of hotels, mansions, restaurants and studios rumored to be haunted by film stars long gone. And what’s a trip to New Orleans — known as “America’s most haunted city” — without going on one of the many haunted tours peddled to tourists roaming the French Quarter?

Ghosts are everywhere, apparently — including the London Underground. A post on MetaFilter today alerted me to this website dedicated to tracking the many reported ghost sitings in the Tube, along with bizarre, unexplained photographs and a 47 minute documentary [Google Video] on the subject.

For you ghost lovers, London might be the next stop on a haunted trip around the world.

Seat Belts Not Necessary: Five Videos of Terrifying Traffic

by Justin Glow on

I’m in a video mood today. I spent the last hour or so going through YouTube and rounding up some of the best videos of bizarre traffic situations from around the world. And YouTube has a ton, let me tell you. Many of the clips brought back teeth-rattling memories from my recent trip to India, and I found myself flashing back to those times I traveled by rickshaw, unsure of whether or not I would arrive to my destination in one piece. I did, luckily, but not without some mental scarring.

With that, I give you the five fabulous videos, in no particular order:


Here’s a good night shot of Cairo traffic. No sort of rules — just use the horn as much as possible. I like it.

For the rest, please …

This one from Taipei isn’t that impressive in terms of traffic, but the guy holding the camera is a hoot! “Look at those crazy scooters, man! They’re nuts! Your scooters are crazy!”

Watch these people negotiate their way through Saigon traffic on foot. Amazing.

This one is especially great, and if you’ve been to India, you’ll know why. Even when things appear to be calm — if only for a few seconds — there’s always bound to be a few cars blowing their horns and coming within inches of running you over. I miss that place.

And finally, a short one from Cambodia. Poor dude on a trike gets hassled by a cop — it’s a good thing he can reverse in that thing!