Weird News

New York City's famous half-naked cowboy just got himself some new coverage that is very timely -- although his decision to hit the streets really isn't.

The Times Square street performer -- who's well known in the Big Apple and a regular staple for tourists -- was seen out Tuesday wearing a face mask in addition to his usual get-up (tighty-whities, 10-gallon hat, boots and guitar). So, not a huge change, to be real.

He was out there doing his shtick, and while we can appreciate the effort for social commentary ... it doesn't look like there were very many souls around to bask in its glory.

Frankly, New York City -- along with several other big cities across the country -- is by and large a ghost town these days amid the coronavirus outbreak ... which is forcing governments to mandate lockdowns and self-quarantining. Not cowboy, though ... he's still going strong, it seems.

The Charleston RiverDogs -- the NY Yankees' minor league affiliate -- has canceled their "OJ Trial" night promotion ... after admitting it was a TERRIBLE idea in the first place!!!

Here's why ... the South Carolina based team promoted the May 26 event as a "juicy spin" on the O.J. Simpson murder trial, where fans would play "jury" in an orange juice-themed stadium game.

Here's how the team marketed the event ...

"The trial of the century gets a juicy new spin. We will finally receive the verdict that everyone has been waiting for … pulp or no pulp?"

"Fans will act as our jury, voting with custom paddles to reach verdicts on various topics throughout the night ... Fans will receive an 'OJ Trial' shirt upon entering the stadium. If the shirt don’t fit, you must ... see if we have a different size."

See what they're doing? They're playing off the "OJ" in the O.J. Simpson murder case! Hilarious and creative right?!!? Yeesh ...

Of course, there was immediate backlash from people who felt the whole promotion was in bad taste ... due to the fact the original "O.J. Trial" centered around the brutal murders of two completely innocent people, Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown.

Eventually, the team agreed it was a bad idea and pulled the plug on the whole thing.

"After taking a step back and having further reflection on the overall message that was being conveyed, it was the responsible thing to do," RiverDogs president Dave Echols said.

THIS is some real-life superhero stuff here -- NJ State Troopers yanking a trucker to safety right as his 18-wheeler burst into a ball of flames ... and it's all on video.

It really looks like something straight out of a Hollywood action flick -- the officers encountered the burning rig on a highway in Bridgewater Township. Cops say the truck went off the road Monday afternoon and hit a guardrail while an officer was making a traffic stop nearby.

Trooper Robert Tarleton heard the crash and you can see in the video ... he immediately left the stopped car and bolted toward the truck, which was already on fire.

You gotta see Tarleton running at top speed, and when he got to the rig another officer -- Lieutenant Edward Ryder -- was there trying to free the driver from his cab. Together, they pulled him to safety with, literally, a second to spare.

"I'm getting a little bit of the meat sweats."

That's Joey Chestnut in the middle of pounding 32 Big Macs on Thursday ... and, yeah, it's the most disgusting/awesome thing you'll see all day.

The competitive eating legend posted the video on his social media ... saying he was having a cheat day and wanted to accomplish something he -- nor any other person -- had ever done.

So, the dude set out to grab a McDonald's world record ... and fired up his phone to get 15.36 POUNDS of Big Macs delivered to his crib.

What happened next is pretty graphic ... he slammed all 32 burgers -- pickles, lettuce, special sauce and all -- and sweated ruthlessly throughout the meal!!

But, in true Chestnut fashion ... he dominated the challenge -- setting the world record (it had previously been 30) -- and afterward, he looked pretty damn good for a guy that consumed 18,016 calories in less than an hour!!

Of course, Joey's used to these kinds of feats ... he owns the annual Nathan's Hot Dog-Eating Contest, eating a record 74 wieners back in 2018.

Crazy story in Australia ... cops say a man used a fishing rod FOR HOURS to steal a Versace necklace from a store last month -- and they say the whole thing was caught on video.

Detectives in Melbourne say on Feb. 24 ... a man rolled up to a storefront with a rod and reel at around 2 AM and began to work on trying to nab a pricey piece of jewelry off a mannequin.

Cops say for nearly 3 hours ... the guy was caught on video sticking the rod through a crack in the store window.

You can see in some footage of the alleged crime released by cops this week, the guy has some SERIOUS patience -- and it all begs the question ... WHERE THE HELL IS EVERYONE?!?!?!

Eventually ... authorities say the dude was able to land his catch and flee the scene -- and now, they're asking for help to identify him.

When we got comedian Brad Williams out in L.A. on Wednesday night and asked him about the burglary ... he says cops can't even be mad at the guy -- telling us the crime is ingenious.

But, Williams says the guy screwed up in one big way ... and his thievery advice for the dude going forward is pretty hilarious!!

Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous mug and iconic voice are being ripped-off by a Russian robot manufacturer, and he wants more than $10 million to make it right ... or for the robot to go hasta la vista.

Arnold's company is suing Promobot, which makes autonomous service robots consumers can customize to look human. The product's called the Android Robo-C, and can be made to look like a person of your choosing.

The problem -- according to the suit -- Arnold did not give permission to Promobot to use HIS likeness to promote it, and is generally very strict about his face being used for ads because "such activity diminishes his hard-earned and well-deserved reputation as a major motion picture star." However, according to the lawsuit ... he's become the "unwilling face" of the product.

Arnold's company claims Promobot is using the Arnold-like model at public events to promote and market the Android Robo-C. Even more egregiously ... Promobot allegedly asked Arnold to pose for a photo with its robot while he was in St. Petersberg to deliver a speech in 2019 ... and he refused.

However, according to the suit, Promobot kept using the Arnold android ... including at CES in Vegas in January. At that point, Arnold's attorney -- legal pit bull Marty Singer -- fired off a cease and desist letter to the robot company demanding it stop.

Singer made it clear to Promobot ... he's won cases like this in the past, including scoring a judgment for more than $2.5 mil for Priscilla Presley, who's "far less commercially valuable" than Schwarzenegger. In fact, Arnold says he would not have accepted anything less than $10 million for using his likeness.

Promobot allegedly assured Arnold's team it would cease using the Arnold-bot ... it popped up again at the New York Toy Fair at the end of February. Hence, a lawsuit's now been filed for misappropriation of Arnold's right of publicity.

Amanda Knox and her hubby are set to officially tie the knot this weekend in a celebration that's gonna be out-of-this-world ... yet fully in the Pacific Northwest.

Knox and Christopher Robinson -- who got legally married back in 2018 -- are having their wedding ceremony Saturday at an Elk's Lodge in Washington State. We're told the theme is space/Star Wars and guests are in for a galactic celebration.

We're imagining the original 'Star Wars' cantina scene, but maybe that's just us. Remember, these 2 space cadets got engaged with a bizarre "E.T." recreation in their backyard.

Knox and Robinson's registry is full of galaxy photos and in place of gifts, attendees were encouraged to donate to the final cost of the wedding. Guests who donated $500, $1000 and $2000 are promised special shout-outs during the ceremony.

Knox, who is now 32, was accused of brutally murdering her roommate in 2007 while she was an exchange student in the city of Perugia in Italy.

Famed tightrope walker Nik Wallenda's not the least bit shaken about his upcoming volcano stunt after another daredevil's recent death -- 'cause he says life or death is just his thing.

We got Nik out Thursday in NYC, and wondered if he's at all concerned about walking over the very active Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua next week. That will come on the heels of daredevil "Mad" Mike Hughes' fatally crashing a rocket in California.

Nik, who last summer tightrope walked 25 stories over Times Square, says there's no doubt he's risking his life but this is the business he was literally born into, and risk is just his reality. That being said, Nik admits he has some logistical concerns ... with the volcano itself.

He says the acidic gases it emits add a layer of stress. Nik, who is training with wind machines and an oxygen-deprivation mask, said the volcanic gases could pose a real threat to the wire. Then there's the heat, but oddly he's less worried about that.

Who ya gonna call? The Ghostbusters ain't in L.A. yet, so instead the Sheriff's Dept. is on the job, searching for a hearse, fully-loaded -- if ya get our drift -- that was stolen from a church.

Yeah, someone boarded the Hell Express and jacked a black Lincoln Navigator Wednesday night from outside a Greek Orthodox church in Pasadena ... according to cops. The luxury ride was carrying a casket containing a deceased woman who was going to be delivered to a different location.

The theft strikes even L.A. cops as especially bizarre ... or macabre.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Department tweeted a helpful hint to the suspect, saying ... "Out of all the bad decisions you have made, at least make one good one & bring back the deceased person & casket inside the Navigator."

If you're in SoCal, the Navigator hearse has the California license plate 7ZDG618.

Look for flames too. If the Sheriff doesn't catch 'em, we're thinking Satan will.