Weird News

A robin about the size of an orange got a bunch of bird watchers off their asses and out to the wetlands from across the pond, 'cause this was something they just couldn't miss.

About 100 guys who get a kick out of peering through binoculars gathered up their best gear early Saturday in Stiffkey, England -- a parish along North Norfolk -- and flocked to the nearby salt marsh to get a gander at a rare bird who hadn't graced their area in 40 years.

The beast in question ... a little something called the Rufous Bush Chat, otherwise known as the Rufous-tailed scrub robin. It usually breeds in Mediterranean areas, and can even be found in areas around Africa ... but is rarely seen in northern Europe. Last time it was spotted in Britain was in 1980, out in the shire county of Devon ... this according to the BBC.

As for how it ended up in the U.K. ... local bird experts reportedly suggested it was seeking a more tropical climate, but somehow got turned around on its journey and landed there.

Now, Rufous here might not be much to look at from a first glance ... but the rarity of its presence was more than enough to get all these fellas together for a closer look. Ecologist Mike Hoit -- who was on the scene snapping shots -- tells us that while it may appear a lot of the guys out there were unsafely clustered together, the gathering was much more socially distanced than photos might suggest. And besides, they're outdoors ... which helps some.

The woman who praised President Trump for his smile and called him handsome is ripe for parody on "Saturday Night Live," and Twitter's already decided who should play her -- Academy Award winner Allison Janney.

In case you missed it ... the Prez was fielding questions during his Town Hall Thursday night from voters who apparently are still undecided, when a woman named Paulette Dale stole the show by fangirling out.

Paulette -- a registered Republican who indicated she's leaning toward voting for Joe Biden -- decided to shoot her shot with Trump before asking her question ... by telling him he has a "great smile."

This prompted an awkward smile and a "thank you" from Trump before Paulette really went for it, telling him ... "You're so handsome when you smile."

Like we said ... perfect 'SNL' material.

The awkward exchange unsurprisingly spread all over social media, and many Twitter users quickly came to the conclusion that Janney would be the best choice to play her in the inevitable sketch this weekend.

It's unclear if the "Mom" star's willing to do it, but you'll recall ... Brad Pitt ended up playing Anthony Fauci after the good doc personally advocated for that casting.

The cougar that almost tore apart a hiker while protecting her cubs has left the building, so to speak ... and because of that, wildlife officials are gonna leave her be.

A rep for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources tells TMZ ... the department has gotten a bunch of messages since Kyle Burgess' scary encounter with the big cat, with many people concerned the animal could still be on the trail near Provo, and pose a danger to the public.

However, we're told the agency got even more calls begging them not to harm the mountain lion -- citizens who argued it hadn't done anything but try to protect its babies.

Welp, the department was able to address both sides.

We're told rangers hit the Slate Canyon trail over the past couple days, trying to spot the cougar anywhere in immediate proximity to the walking path. Fortunately, the UDWR says it did NOT find the cat, and therefore ... suspended its search and deemed the area safe.

That's pretty much what Kyle wanted -- he told us he wished no harm to the "kitty cat," as he felt she was just following her maternal instincts.

The UDWR won't be posting warning signs either -- the agency feels it's common knowledge the cats are in the area. As for how to deal with one ... well, see Kyle's video. Worked out for him!!!

A man adventuring through a Utah hiking trail stumbled across perhaps the worst thing you could find in the wild -- a big cat predator -- which tracked him for 6 terrifying minutes.

Kyle Burgess posted a full video of the terrifying encounter that went down this weekend at what he says is the Slate Canyon Trail near Provo, UT -- footage that shows him coming across a couple cougar cubs along his run ... only to come face-to-face with their mother.

As soon as he recognizes the mountain lion is hot on his trail, he starts to backpedal slowly, trying not to startle the beast or trigger it to pounce -- but it did rush at him several times!

Burgess tried different methods to scare it off, including using some foul language. Watch the video -- ya can't blame him it all under these circumstances. Not that there's anything funny about this ... BUT, we'll admit, Kyle repeatedly calling a wild animal that could've killed him, "dude" ... got us to chuckle.

The cliché of making yourself "getting big" against Mother Nature appears to have saved his ass. That and a well tossed stone!

Just wild video, and Kyle should have needed some fresh shorts.

A law student and prospective lawyer went into labor in the middle of taking the bar exam, which she actually finished ... after having the baby! She can do both.

Brianna Hill -- who'd recently graduated from Chicago's Loyola University School of Law -- was all set to take the bar last Monday, 38 weeks into her pregnancy. The exam had been pushed back due to the pandemic ... so perfect timing.

Naturally, she says she felt a sensation down below during the first of the four-part test, which would be broken up into 2 days. Sure enough ... Brianna eventually discovered her water had broken, but only after she completed that initial round.

Miraculously, Hill was able to complete the 2nd, 90-minute section, and only then did she get to the hospital with her hubby and midwife in tow. She had the kid 5 hours later, then got back on her lawyer grind.

Brianna buckled down and completed the rest of the bar the next day from a room in the hospital, and was even able to nurse her baby in between breaks!!!

Forget leaving room for Jesus at your school dances -- apparently, in Europe, they're turning spacing rules for young couples on their head for COVID ... or on their back, rather.

Check out this video of what's been described as a high school prom in what many are saying must be the Czech Republic (because of the language the MC is using). As you can see, kids are definitely back on campus, and they're even hosting traditional events again.

Thing is, there's nothing traditional about how the students are busting a move -- especially for the slow dance section. They're all back-to-back, locking arms ... and wearing masks. How romantic!!!

Unclear which school this is exactly, but we'll say this ... kudos for creativity, 'cause there's a vast number of ways officials could've rolled out the new dance regulations, and a lot of them probably would've been more restrictive than this. At least here, there's still contact.

It's a bird ... it's a plane ... it's a flying medic speeding through the air to go save lives!!!

That's the hope of the UK's Great North Air Ambulance Service anyway, which tested what's believed to be the world's first paramedic jet suit over the mountainous terrain of the Lake District ... in collaboration with Gravity Industries.

Check it out -- Gravity founder Richard Browning carries out the test flight, and is able to gloriously reach the "casualty site" -- unreachable by vehicle -- in less than 90 seconds! It would have taken 25-30 minutes on foot.

Obviously, that huge time saver in an emergency situation could be the difference between life and death.

Andy Mawson, director of operations at GNAAS, came up with the idea and described the test flight as "awesome." He says he saw the need for the flying paramedic because there are dozens of patients monthly within the complex geographical region.

Mawson says the jet pack exercise demonstrates huge potential of delivering critical care services quickly and effectively.

He adds ... "If the idea takes off, the flying paramedic will be armed with a medical kit, with strong pain relief for walkers who may have suffered fractures, and a defibrillator for those who may have suffered a heart attack."

The Whitney Houston hologram that was supposed to make its debut on "The Voice" years ago has emerged from the shadows new and improved -- the problem is, her estate had NO idea it was happening.

Record producer Scott Storch recently teamed up with Hologram USA -- the same company that created the famous Tupac and Michael Jackson holograms a while back -- to put on a variety show that featured live performances, as well as cameos from icons past.

It was hosted by Scott Storch but producers also beamed in some late stars like Jackie Wilson, Billie Holiday, Pac, Biggie, MJ ... as well as some still-living folks, like Ray J and Chief Keef. Storch and co. released it through a network called FilmOn TV about a week and change ago.

Anyway, one of the holograms to zap onto the screen at one point is Whitney's ... which took people aback, since plans to use her hologram were infamously scrapped in 2016.

You'll recall ... the hologram was supposed to duet with Christina Aguilera on the finale of "The Voice" that year -- a performance from which photos leaked online just days prior -- but Whitney's estate pulled the plug last-minute because they didn't like the hologram's look.

Turns out ... the guy who worked on that hologram -- Alki David -- wasn't done with his Whitney masterpiece. Sources close to Alki tell us he went back and retooled the hologram's image to make sure it was just right and decided to use it for this new Scott Storch show.

We're also told he didn't get the OK from her estate to release it, nor does he feel he needed to -- as it's his work and he feels he had the right to pick up the baton again.

Unfortunately, sources with direct knowledge tell us Whitney's estate sees things differently ... and they're currently weighing their legal options since this was done without permission.

Astronauts will very soon be taking a crap in a toilet that costs a whopping $23 million. Science, baby.

NASA's set to launch nearly 8,000 pounds of supplies Tuesday from its Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to the International Space Station ... and the cargo will include the Universal Waste Management System.

The toilet -- around 28 inches tall -- will be 65% smaller and 40% lighter than the current John on the ISS, but it'll have the capability to support larger crews. It will be installed next to the current toilet, and astronauts will test how the new crapper performs in a microgravity environment.

Some of the toilet's features -- a urine funnel and seat made to be more accommodating for female crew members. It'll also feature a 3D-printed titanium dual-fan separator ... which creates a strong airflow that'll help pull the astronauts' urine and waste into the toilet.

Remember, no gravity up there so they'll take all the help they can get.

The new toilet also improves the pretreat system that's used to collect and treat urine before it's processed and recycled for reclaimed water. If the new toilet's a hit ... it could one day be used on missions to the moon and even Mars.

The re-supply mission will also include food, science experiments and even skincare from Estée Lauder.

An American in Thailand had the balls to post scathing reviews of a resort -- so the place turned around and went after him in court ... which could now land him behind bars.

According to multiple reports, Wesley Barnes, who works in Thailand, faces up to 2 years of jail time and a fine after Sea View Resort on Koh Chang island filed a complaint with authorities ... claiming he was posting unfair and inaccurate reviews about 'em, including on Tripadvisor.

Apparently, he'd booked a stay in the summer, but had a bad time and ended up beefing with some of the staff over a corkage fee. The resort says it only resorted to legal action because Barnes has posted several bad reviews, even after it reached out to him.

As for what he allegedly wrote ... apparently stuff like, "The staff was not friendly. Nobody could smile. The restaurant manager was very rude and full of himself. He is from the Czech republic. There are other hotels with better-friendlier staff. Avoid this place like it was the Coronavirus!" Another alleged review also likened the hotel working conditions to "modern day slavery."

If that sounds run of the mill to you ... it ain't under Thai defamation laws!

In Thailand, if a company files a complaint against you (like they did here against Barnes) it can get you in serious trouble. Barnes was taken in by immigration police, escorted back to Koh Chang, briefly detained and then released on bail.

A Missouri cop claims a guy broke his hand ... with none other than his face -- and now, a judge has allowed the case to move forward with an assault charge against the dude.

Ozark PD officer Trevor Spencer testified last week that back in December of 2019, a traffic stop in which he pulled over 48-year-old Matthew Calhoun turned in an unavoidable beatdown (on the cop's end), which left his hand crumpled after pounding the guy's mug.

Yes, that's right ... Spencer says he had no choice but to defend himself and wail on Calhoun's face, which left his hand busted. He's alleging assault against an officer as a result.

If that sounds insane to you, you're not the only one -- Calhoun's attorney argued against the absurdity of the charge at a hearing on it Tuesday ... reportedly saying, "Are we supposed to feel sorry for Officer Spencer because he broke his hand on my client's face?"

As for how this unfolded ... Spencer says he was stopping the guy for suspected speeding, when he realized there were warrants out for his arrest. Spencer says as he tried detaining Calhoun in a parking lot, a struggled ensued and because of Calhoun's alleged aggressive behavior, he was forced to slug a few times ... which he says ended in him being injured.

Wondering if Calhoun ever struck the cop? No, actually, according to prosecutors arguing on Spencer's behalf. What they claim he did do ... allegedly elbowed Spencer in the chest while trying to escape, and then allegedly balling up his fist before Spencer started swinging.

Residents of south-east Texas had more than COVID to worry about this week -- they were just told NOT to use unfiltered water ... if they didn't want their brains to turn to mush.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued a public warning Friday for several communities and cities on the outskirts of Houston, telling them to avoid drinking or using their household tap water, as it had been found to be contaminated with naegleria fowleri.

What the hell is that exactly??? Oh, nothing ... just a brain-eating amoeba that takes its sweet time munching away at your noodle. Just another day in the life of 2020.

In all seriousness ... it's pretty horrifying news. The Commission said 11 municipalities from Lake Jackson to Rosbenburg, Brazoria and tons of other towns in between should avoid drinking tap water, or even using the shower for the time being -- this after the Brazosport Water Authority informed officials that naegleria had been detected in their supply lines.

The one thing they said folks COULD still do safely and without worry ... flushing the toilet.

The good news is that by Saturday, several of those above-mentioned cities had been removed from the list as being at risk, and only Lake Jackson residents were still under the advisory's red alert. According to them, they'd flushed out the amoeba and enough scientific testing had been done to ensure it was gone in all those other areas.

Not to cast doubt, but if we were living in those other cities that were supposedly affected at first -- we might opt for bottled water for a solid minute or two ... just sayin'. Oh, and BTW, signs that the amoeba has infiltrated takes about 5 days on average to show up.

This mountain lion has a San Fran suburb on red alert, because it's been seen staring down kids at play! Yeah, things are getting hairy.

This big cat made its way into Timothy Kerrisk's yard in Pacifica, CA last weekend, and he recorded this video of it sitting by his front gate ... seemingly stalking kids who were riding their bikes just across the street.

Kerrisk tells KRON4 he thought it was a dog, like a German Shepherd, at first, but once he realized he was staring at a cougar ... he started shouting for the kids to get inside.

As you can see, the commotion made the big kitty decide to split ... so it jumped the fence and hid under a nearby truck for a bit. Kerrisk says the puma was still looking like it wanted to pounce though ... so he chased it away and over a hill.

Here's the scary part -- Kerrisk says the same mountain lion was going after his cat earlier in the day, then killed a deer behind his neighbor's house.

Cougar attacks on humans are very rare, but 2 people were killed by them in 2018. So ... yikes.

Okay, we're not saying a giant robot apocalypse is upon us, but we might be suggesting it's close ... because they got one in Japan that is already taking its first steps.

Check out this 60-foot replica of an RX-78-2 Gundam robot -- from the OG anime series -- that they built near Tokyo ... and which now moves about on its own! The Gundam is the signature piece of a factory there of the same name -- and they just lived up to the hype.

The whole idea of the life-size model was to make it realistic, and one engineering feat at a time ... they're slowly (but surely) achieving that. In this clip -- which is sped up at 2 and 4 times than normal -- you see the Gundam walk, kneel, lift its arm and move its fingers.

It can even open its eyes and turn its head!!! Honestly, it's an amazing achievement.

If you're unfamiliar with Gundam -- it's basically the template for what Transformers/Power Rangers went on to rep in the U.S. The original series kicked off in the late '70s, and several different iterations have been made since. It's widely popular in Japan and elsewhere around the world. There's even other Gundam statues around Japan ... but those ones don't move.

As cool as this is ... we feel obligated to tell the folks at Gundam Factory Yokohama to cool their jets (or jetpacks). We love living out childhood fantasies as much as the next guy or gal, but THIS is just inviting a full-blown robot takeover, no?!? Especially when they're this big.

More bombshell evidence that aliens have touched down and our own government has teamed up with them to RULE US ALL ... that is, if you buy what this UFO hunter's selling.

This guy named Scott C. Waring -- a self-described expert in the field of ufology -- recently claimed that he spotted what he says is a roughly 52-foot tall structure on the premises of Area 51, out in Nevada -- which appears ... almost human-like, and possibly alien made???

That's what Waring here is kinda implying. He wrote in a blog post, "I found a 16 meter dark figure in Area 51 and there seems to be another to the right of it, but shorter," adding ... "When I checked through the past photos of that location, I notice that the figure actually moves onto its side, then changes its poses in each photo. It actually moves."

As for how he even stumbled across these images, Waring punched in Area 51's exact coordinates, 37°13'26.26"N 115°49'2.37”W, into Google Earth ... and yes, it's still there.

He theorizes this thing was manufactured by aliens, captured by American forces and is being explored to use for possible missions. So in other words, AT-AT Walkers (ish).

While this could merely be a shadow (or nothing at all), heck ... maybe it IS aliens. We've already seen some seemingly credible UFO sightings in this wild year of 2020.

Here's one more thing to add to your "This Can't Be Happening 2020" f***-it list -- folks are sliding into DMs for some lovin' ... but not for booty calls, more so marry-me-buys.

It's true ... with pretty much all of us being quarantined and hesitant and/or prohibited from going into shops these days, love birds are starting to flock to the digital space to find their engagement rings -- especially on IG and TikTok, which is proving to be oh so fruitful.

Take The Clear Cut, for example -- a huge company that's shifted to social media to facilitate sales, and we gotta say ... they're kinda genius, 'cause the numbers are jumping.

TCC's co-founder, Kyle Simon, tells TMZ that they've seen a whopping 330% increase in revenue over the past few months ... ever since they started posting their engagement ring selection on the 'Gram and TikTok, which we're told they get hit up about directly now.

Yes ... that means customers are literally sliding into their DMs to ask about specific items they've seen and wanna buy. From there, Simon and co. take them to the next phase.

Clear Cut has a huge product line, but we're told engagement rings specifically are flying off their digital shelves faster than they can stock 'em ... and that the most expensive ones they've agreed to sell via social media ran about $70k. On average, they're flipping $20k rocks.

Hey, nobody said getting married was cheap! Anyway, the point is ... CCJ is now doing 80% of their business on Instagram, and siphoning traffic from their TikTok account too. It's wild.

As for why this is happening -- especially the pricier splurges we're told they're experiencing -- Simon says people's budgets have changed ... no more forking out an arm and a leg for venues, honeymoons or anything else uber expensive (at least not for now) ... so more people are spending that extra dough on the ring they wanna put on someone's finger.

Win-win!!!