Page 6A ■ Friday, July 26, 2013
Bismarck Tribune ■ Bismarcktribune.com
WEIRDLES
Morning
Briefing (Weirdles is drawn by Tim Leer and appears weekdays on Morning Briefing and at www.bismarcktribune.com/ weirdles. See previous Weirdles online at www.weirdles.com.)
Odds and ends
CAR POOL: A car that has been converted into a driveable pool is seen in Eibenstock, eastern Germany, on June 23. ■ Berlin
In the pool car lane A car caught cruising the streets of a sleepy east German village on a sweltering summer’s day sported a decidedly unorthodox feature: a pool filled to the brim with water. German police said a motorcycle cop couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw four men, including the driver, splashing about in the open-top BMW as they passed him Sunday afternoon near Blauenthal, about 155 miles south of Berlin. Chemnitz police spokesman Frank Fischer said the men pulled over and jumped into a nearby river as soon as they saw the officer, but one later returned to claim his clothes. Fischer said Thursday that police were still investigating which of the men drove and whether he was drunk. He said the vehicle itself “probably didn’t have a road permit.” ■ Erie, Pa.
Cursing draws a fine A Pennsylvania woman has been fined $500 for cursing because she was frustrated with being picked to serve on a jury. Erie County Judge Ernest DiSantis levied the fine Wednesday on Kathleen Port. DiSantis told the Erie woman she was “totally out of line” and explained jury service is a duty of citizenship. Port, whose phone number is unlisted, apologized several times but was fined nonetheless. She told the judge she was upset because jury service would make her miss work and cost her income. DiSantis said Port could have claimed a hardship on her jury service questionnaire, but did not. Port was also thrown off the jury, which was picked to hear an illegal weapons case.
People and personalities Bullock, Clooney to open Venice festival ROME (AP) — The Venice Film Festival marks its 70th edition with films starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock as astronauts adrift in space, Scarlett Johanseen as a seductive alien roaming the Scottish countryside and Judi Dench as a single Roman Catholic woman searching for a son she was forced to give up decades before. Twenty films will vie for the coveted Golden Lion at the world’s oldest film festival, which opens Aug. 28, with the jury headed by Bernardo Bertolucci. Johansson appears in Jonathan Glazer’s highly anticipated science fiction thriller “Under the Skin,” while Dench stars in Stephen Frears’ “Philomena.” Director Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity,” starring Clooney and Bullock, will open the festival and is among 17 films showing out of competition. Thierry Ragobert’s documentary “Amazonia” closes the event on Sept. 7.
FESTIVAL OPENER: This publicity photo released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Sandra Bullock, left, as Dr. Ryan Stone and George Clooney as Matt Kowalsky in the sci-fi thriller “Gravity.” The film will open the 70th Venice Film Festival, which runs from Aug. 28 through Sept. 7.
lemore & Ryan Lewis lead the VMA Awards with six nominations each. Bruno Mars is up for four awards. Robin Thicke, Miley Cyrus, Pink and Thirty Seconds to Mars have three nominations each.
say to me that would be sort of castrating,” Gosling said, smiling.
Ryan Gosling wrote emasculating lines
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Aubrey Plaza had to overcome a few fears in the R-rated comedy “The To Do List” — including doing a number of hilariously awkward sex scenes. But the 29-year-old actress said she’s anything but brave. Plaza: “I’m fearful Rated R every day of my life. Every moment of life is full of fear,” the “Parks and Recreation” star said in her usual deadpan manner. “But you know when I was shooting this movie I had a lot of support and the cast was so funny ... so I just kind of looked fear in the face.” Plaza plays Brandy Klark, an overachieving high school graduate, in the coming-of-age comedy set in 1990s Boise, Idaho, who tries to complete a sexual to-do list before heading off to college. The film, which opens today, was written and directed by Maggie Carey, wife of actor Bill
NEW YORK (AP) — When it comes to conjuring up the most mean-spirited insults a mother could hurl at her son, leave it to Ryan Gosling. In his latest NEW YORK (AP) — Lady film, “Only God Gaga will perform at the MTV Forgives,” the Video Music Awards next Canadian actor month. It will be one of her first plays a drugappearances smuggling since having hip mama’s boy. In surgery in Februone scene, his ary. character is The 27-yearGosling: humiliated by his Writes lines old pop star will mother at dinner perform her new after he brings a single at the hooker, posing as his girlfriend, Aug. 25 awards to meet mom — played by show, which will Kristin Scott Thomas. air live from the Lady Gaga: Gosling said the embarrassPerforming Barclays Center in ments heaped on his character Brooklyn, N.Y., — including comments about MTV announced Thursday. his anatomical shortcomings — Gaga sang the national weren’t originally in the script. anthem at New York’s Gay Pride “She had to emasculate me last month. and so she asked me to help, She will release a new album, which I thought was funny. We “ARTPOP,” on Nov. 11. just worked together and I told Justin Timberlake and Mack- her all the things that she could
Lady Gaga set to perform at VMAs
Plaza looks fear in the face in comedy
Hader (“Saturday Night Live”). They met in improv class at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and first worked together on Carey’s Web series, “The Jeannie Tate Show.”
O.J. regrets going after memorabilia CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — O.J. Simpson went before a parole board and pleaded for leniency on his armed robbery and kidnapping sentence Thursday as he expressed regret for his actions and described being an upstanding Simpson: inmate who earns Regretful pennies an hour keeping gym equipment sanitized and umpiring and coaching games in the prison yard. Simpson also said he has become a counselor of sorts to fellow inmates doing time for similar crimes and noted that he has made amends with his victims in a botched heist of memorabilia in a hotel room in Las Vegas in 2007. “I just wish I never went to that room,” the 66-year-old Simpson said during a 15-minute appearance.
Photo of the day
■ Stockholm
Caught with pants down A Swedish politician who wanted to show his new tattoo to followers on a social media site accidentally revealed far more than he intended. Lars Ohly, former leader of Sweden’s Left Party, posted a picture of the English soccer club Liverpool’s liver bird tattooed on his leg. What he failed to notice was that his genitals were visible in the background. Ohly quickly removed the picture after posting it Wednesday on Instagram but couldn’t stop the avalanche of comments in social media. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt of the rival Moderate Party jested, “Congratulations — finally, after all these years you have made a genuine public breakthrough.” From wire reports
Quote in the news “We don’t know what all the uses might be. Since we can afford to, I think we should go ahead.” Amidon Mayor Jerry Erickson, on discussion of building a city hall See story on Page 1A
Classifieds deal of the day
PICKETT’S CHARGE: Confederate soldiers reach the wall during Pickett’s Charge. Tim Erhardt captured this scene July 7 during the 150th anniversary re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg. (Want to submit a photo to be considered for publication as photo of the day? It’s easy. Just go to www.bismarcktribune.com/submitphotos. You will need to enter your login info for the Tribune website and will be taken to a form where you can submit your photo, title and caption. Please include the place where the photo was taken and your own address.)
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