Here’s an interesting look at a modern spacesuit design, created by MIT aerospace engineer Dava Newman. Instead of the bulky and cumbersome “diving bell” suit usually associated with astronauts, Newman’s design looks like tight fitting spandex which allow for greater mobility.
Very interesting!
[via SciencePhoto]
Thanks to Bonniegrrl for the tip.
There are many fun things you can do with costumes…dressing as your dead mother shouldn’t be one of them. Especially if you plan to commit grand larceny, forgery and conspiracy while you’re at it.
And yet, a New York man is accused of doing just that.
Officials say Thomas Prusik-Parkin donned a wig, heavy make-up and old-fashioned dresses and used a cane to portray his mother, Irene, who died in 2003 at the age of 73. The man posed as his mother for six years, to steal approximately $115,000 in benefits.
Parkin made sure his mother’s death wouldn’t be accurately recorded, giving the wrong Social Security information to the funeral director, so he could collect $700 a month in Social Security in her name (in addition to his own disability checks).
He is also accused of posing as his mother to file for bankruptcy and collect $39,000 in city subsidies to help pay rent on an apartment.
Parkin even enlisted a close friend to pose as Irene’s nephew, “helping” the “ailing aunt” get around town, cash government checks and assist in property transactions.
[via Daily Mail]
Yesterday, Twitter was buzzing with excitement after Costume Craze released photos of their new Robot Chicken masks. I think they look pretty cool! A full overhead latex mask for $30 isn’t a bad price at all.
I’m also impressed with several homemade Robot Chicken costumes I found by doing a little snooping around the Web. These costumes are excellent and you can tell a lot of care and work went into making them.
Robot Chicken is such a funny show. It’s alive!
[via Costume Craze, Twitter, Instructables, Posterous & HoustonCostumes]
Swansea residents in the UK now have the distinguished honor of breaking the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people in Smurf costumes!
City residents, with the help of students from the local university, crammed into the Oceana nightclub and almost doubled the previous record.
The official tally is 2532 Smurfs! That’s incredible. The party looks like it was a total blast. I can’t imagine partying with thousands of blue Smurfs, that’s just so fun. Way to go, guys! You are true blue heroes.
[via Geekologie, WalesOnline & Facebook]
Here’s a short video clip of the previous world record holders from last year. They had a lot of smurf costumes, too, but this year they were easily beaten.
Sad news, folks. David Carradine, beloved star of Kung Fu and Kill Bill has been found dead at a hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. He was 72.
Carradine was in Thailand working on his latest film Stretch. He became famous after starring in the 1970’s television series, Kung Fu. Modern pop culture will always remember his role as “Bill” in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
He had a great career which included more than 100 feature films, two dozen television movies as well as some theater work.
[via ComingSoon.net]
Farewell Grasshopper, we will miss you.
Sad news, my friends. Boppo the Clown has passed away.
Last week, a funeral was held in Bellefontaine, Ohio for 79-year-old Norman “Boppo” Thompson. He was the best of clowns, and spent over 15 years helping children in Shriner’s Hospital.
His fellow clowns paid him the highest honor possible, by carrying him to his resting spot in full costume. The costumed tribute was performed at the request of Thompson’s family.
“Oh, he’s definitely smiling right now,” said Gloria Thompson, Thompson’s daughter, at Friday’s service.
[via Springfield News]
Here are several photos from the memorial service. Very touching! Peace be with you, Boppo the Clown.
Soccer fans have a reputation for fighting.
Soccer players on the other hand…well, let’s just say that there’s at least one group of football players who now have a reputation for being very cheeky.
Seventeen current and former members of the Bristol Hanham Athletic League were arrested last Saturday Night in the Greek town of Malia for wearing naughty nun costumes.
A police source quoted in a UPI article alleged that the players wore thongs under their skirts and were showing off their backsides. The official charges against the group were “causing a scandal by provocative acts and misrepresenting a uniform.”
The cheeky group, aged 18 to 65, spent 48 hours in a jail cell not fit for barely clad “nuns,” or anyone else. But on Monday morning, the court dropped the charges because no witnesses showed up to complain against them.
This wasn’t the first time the soccer players have engaged in costumed antics. In the past, they’ve dressed up as St. Trinian’s schoolgirls in Portugal and babies in Cyprus without encountering any trouble. But the town of Malia, located in a predominately Greek Orthodox country, was having “nun” of it!
[via SkyNews]
This picture is very strange.
Last Sunday in Madrid, over 300 demonstrators protested bullfighting by wearing fake blood and playing dead at the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas.
I’m not sure how the protest ended, but they DEFINITELY should have slowly risen and performed the Thriller dance, that would have been perfect.
[via Gawker]
One of the more odd stories buzzing around the Internet today is that a Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie is in the works - but without the creator, Joss Whedon, or star Sarah Michelle Gellar - or any of the supporting characters that made the 7-season TV show so popular.
I’m disappointed to hear this. They simply can’t make Buffy without Joss. Say it isn’t so!
[via The Hollywood Reporter]
Here’s a funny news story. Apparently, some guy in Wisconsin is dressing up as an ape and trying to steal foam banana displays from several local gas stations. It appears he’s making a monkey out of the police - they haven’t been able to catch him.
Police continue a fruitless search for a man wearing an ape costume who has attempted to steal foam banana displays from inside local gas stations. Capt. Steve Klein said Thursday someone donning an ape costume entered two gas stations Wednesday trying to steal the displays and police have received several calls about the suspect hanging around town.
While Klein acknowledges that the action may seem funny, they want to talk to the person behind the ape suit because they aren’t sure what the suspect’s motives are.
[via Yahoo News]
The world has experienced two major shocks in pop culture this week…the win of Shawn and Mark over favored Dancing with the Stars couple, Gilles and Cheryl, and Kris beating out Adam on American Idol!
Well, here’s another shocker, people…after nearly 70 years of stringing along both Betty and Veronica, Archie Andrews is getting married. That’s right, Archie will finally propose to one of them.
News of the perpetual bachelor’s pending nuptials leaked out Wednesday on the Internet and was confirmed on the official Archie Comics’ blog. It will be a six-part story beginning in Issue 600 of his comic book “Archie,” shipping on Aug. 12th and hiting stores on Sept. 8th.
In the story, Archie has graduated from Riverdale High School and college! Heck, he may even be a working stiff when he gets engaged.
But who will Archie choose…the elegant, wealthy Veronica Lodge? Or girl-next-door, Betty Cooper? On Archie’s blog, Jughead has suggested that Archie flip a coin to choose between the two ladies.
Hey, you think that’s how America decided who to vote for on Dancing with the Stars and American Idol?
[via TODAY on MSNBC]
This story is incredibly bizarre. A Scottish student recently wore a kilt to Rocky Mountain Junior High in West Haven, Utah, and was ordered by his principal to change.
Principal Craig Jessop told 14-year-old Gavin McFarland that “the outfit could be misconstrued as cross-dressing” and forced McFarland to change his clothes.
McFarland was wearing the kilt for his class project on his Scottish ancestry.
Read the full story on KSL.com.
Bad enough that this was for a school project, and essentially a costume. But it begs the question, shouldn’t males be allowed to wear kilts in America? How crazy!
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