Weird News

White House Gift Shop dot com -- which is privately run, and not related to the actual White House -- is hawking some odd memorabilia ... a coronavirus commemorative coin no one asked for.

The COVID-19 coin features the names of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence ... and it depicts an empty presidential podium on one side, and a graphic of the novel coronavirus above the world on the other side.

The coin also shouts out the rest of the COVID-19 task force ... with smaller printed names for Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, Dr. Deborah Birx and Dr. Anthony Fauci.

The collector's item is emblazoned with tons of slogans ... including "Together We FOUGHT The UNSEEN Enemy," "Everday HEROES Suited Up," and "Everyday CITIZENS Did Their Part."

The White House Gift Shop is already taking pre-orders for the coin ... and the price is slashed from $125 down to $100. The store claims proceeds will be donated to hospitals.

The COVID-19 coin is the 11th in the gift shop's "Historic Moments" collection, which also commemorates Trump's meetings with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

So, at least the coronavirus coin is in ... good company.

Doctors in Germany are demanding more personal protective equipment -- to safely fight COVID-19 -- and their plight's getting attention, 'cause they got naked.

These Berlin docs are in ... their birthday suits for a campaign called Blanke Bedenken, which translates to blank/naked concerns. They kept it PG-13, you don't see any of their privates as they posed in unique ways to cover up a bit.

Their message comes across clearly ... they're in need of more gear -- like face masks, gloves and gowns. It's a plea we've heard from doctors, nurses and EMTs here in the U.S. for more than a month. The German doctors say without the critically-needed PPE, they might as well be bare naked on the frontlines.

Even some of the masks they wore in the pics are makeshift, homemade jobs. One of the docs has a sign that reads (in German), "I learned to sew wounds. Why do I now need to know how to sew masks?"

Germany's been credited for managing the pandemic fairly well, with under 200,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and less than 6,000 deaths. That doesn't necessarily mean their doctors have it easy, though.

England's historic Cerne Abbas Giant is, at long last, getting some much-needed attire, but it's not below the belt where he REALLY needs it ... someone just added a face mask instead.

The massive hillside figure in Dorset -- which measures about 180 feet in length -- got a makeover recently that reflects these crazy times ... with some prankster getting up there and etching out a face covering for the big bloke to show he's heeding government guidelines.

It's pretty funny, 'cause his excited genitals remain uncovered -- as they have been for decades, if not centuries now. Gotta get that mask on though. According to one local resident, who spoke to the BBC, the new change has actually lifted the townsfolk's spirits, which we can all use right about now with stay-at-home orders.

It's unclear who defaced the blocked-off protected site, but The National Trust (which maintains and manages this thing) has said it does NOT encourage this ... though it's been done countless times in the past.

Once, the giant's twig and berries were adorned with flower petals and made to look like a plant, and another time ... it was tweaked to resemble a tennis racket.

Supposedly, this thing is off-limits to the public -- but, obviously, people find a way to get up there and screw around. Compared to the States, CAG's like our Hollywood sign, which itself has been vandalized and played with over the years -- to the chagrin of authorities.

As for what the hell the drawing, if you will, even is or where it came from -- well, it's a bit of a mystery scientists are still trying to solve. Some have speculated it originated during the Iron Age (back in BC times) but more likely, it's a bit more recent ... probably 17th or 18th century, as some experts have theorized it was initially done as political satire.

Whatever the case, people have kept it up for a long time now -- re-digging the trenches along the hill it covers, and filling it in with lots o' crushed chalk ... which gives it the white look.

Eating out in a pandemic-afflicted world might look more like visiting a loved one in prison ... if this test run in Italy is any indication.

Restaurant owner Valerio Calderoni and his wife, Martina, are serving as guinea pigs for a possible new setup at eateries, intended to lower the risk of spreading the coronavirus.

The couple is seated at a table for 2 in Calderoni's Il Ciak restaurant in Rome's Trastevere district, and as you can see ... there's a large piece of plexiglass between them.

Clearly, the separator makes for a less intimate dinner date, but Valerio and his wife have plenty of room for their food and are still able to cheers with their wine glasses.

It's unclear how the dividers would affect sound travel in the restaurant -- especially if patrons are also wearing masks -- but this is just a test run ... probably a lot of kinks to work out still.

Katy Perry and George Clooney's wax figures in Germany are a cookie-cutter display of life in quarantine -- or at least, an outdated, kinda sexist life.

Check out the figures that came straight from Madame Tussauds' Wax Museum in Berlin, and you'll see what we're talking about. KP and GC have been placed in a picturesque home, where Katy's wax job is cooking at a grill. Georgie boy is kicking back and enjoying the view from a comfy balcony chair.

In a close-up of George, you can see he's got a laptop out and a cup of Joe next to him. Looks like a cushy set-up -- the man chills while the woman handles domestic duties. Ummm, the 1950s postcard in your grandpa's basement called ... and wants its stereotypes back.

The antiquated gender role tropes don't end there -- another shot of wax Katy shows her in the kitchen this time wearing an apron ... only now, she's baking cookies and striking that weird pose at the same time. Those don't change, unfortunately ... just location.

We're guessing Madame Tussaud wouldn't try these poses at their museums in London, or certainly here in the L.A. branch.

Germany certainly marches to its own beat. Guten tag from the last century, y'all 👋🏽.

Italy's lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic has kept the gondolas and the tourists out of the Venice waterways ... and wildlife is taking advantage of it.

This jellyfish was seen casually swimming through the now crystal clear canals, seemingly without a care in the world. Look at it, totally oblivious to the COVID-19 crisis responsible for it getting some R&R in Venice.

The clear and boat-free canal water, due to the country's lockdown, has brought out more than jellyfish too -- fish are visible again and swans have been able to chill out.

However, the clearer water doesn't necessarily mean it's much cleaner. A Venice official says less action on the canals simply allows gross stuff to stay at the bottom, adding ... "It's because there is less boat traffic that usually brings sediment to the top of the water's surface."

Pick up a pad and a pencil and draw your favorite celebrity nude scene ... your artistry could bring home some serious bacon!!!

The good folks over at MrSkin.com just announced a brand new social media contest, and 3 lucky winners are going home with a cool $1,200 just for drawing, sketching or painting celebs in the buff.

Here's the deal ... it's called the #MrSkinChallenge and there's a chance to win an extra stimulus check. All you gotta do is depict a famous nude movie scene or sexy celeb moment, then post your art on social media with the hashtag.

The nude scenes are already rolling in, and ya gotta see some of the submissions ... there are famous moments from "The Shining," "Basic Instinct," "Titanic," "The Wolf of Wall Street" and even a drawing of Kim Kardashian's infamous Paper Magazine cover.

The contest is open to U.S. state residents ages 21 and over with valid social media accounts, and 10 finalists will be announced May 3 with a special post on MrSkin.com.

Once it's down to the top 10, people will vote on the best submissions and the 3 artists with the most votes get $1,200 a pop!!!

If you're unfamiliar with MrSkin.com or haven't discovered it yet in quarantine, the website is a famous online source cataloging movie nudity scenes, and it even got a shout-out in Judd Apatow's romantic comedy, "Knocked Up."

Game shows like "The Price Is Right" and "Family Feud" are on hiatus due to the COVID-19 crisis, but comedian Chris Duffy's got a new way for game show junkies to win big ... from the comfort of their own home.

Duffy -- a writer for "Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas" -- has launched a Zoom-based series called "Come On Down, You're Already Here!" The show matches comedians up with random contestants all over the country ... to play silly games for pandemic-related prizes.

The way the game works -- Duffy and the other comics present challenges to the 3 contestants who've joined them on the Zoom call. Examples include being the first contestant to find a certain household item and bring it to the screen ... or drawing something using Zoom's whiteboard feature.

There are 3 rounds for 3 points each, and a final head-to-head round between the top 2 scorers to determine the winner.

The weekly champ gets a grand prize mailed to them, which can range from a Duffy-signed homemade dish towel mask to a Duffy-signed single sheet of toilet paper. Or -- for the really lucky -- an entire roll of TP.

Anyone can enter for a chance to compete as long as they have access to the video conferencing platform ... but having a special skill or interesting trait is a plus.

Chris tells us on a recent episode, a woman demonstrated during her intro how she can write simultaneously with both her right and left hands at the same time ... while another contestant flaunted a fake tooth.

Italians got the first piece of good news regarding coronavirus there in weeks -- but people are wisely still staying home ... and getting a little rallying going from their rooftops.

Check out this wild scene out of Liguria, Italy, where a couple of incredibly skilled people are literally playing a game of tennis from neighboring buildings, on the roofs no less. They're smacking the ball across what must be a good 15 feet or more between them.

Even crazier ... the ball is landing on each rooftop space as they go back and forth, without it dropping down below. Now, THAT'S talent ... and social distancing ingenuity, if we do say so ourselves. Granted, they could be on a regular court and be considered safe there too.

But, considering Italy, as a nation, is just now starting to ease their national lockdown -- which worked, BTW, as daily deaths and ICU patients are down for the first time in a long time this week -- we don't blame these two for going the extra mile to be apart for a match.