Weird News

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Perry and George Clooney's wax figures in Germany are a cookie-cutter display of life in quarantine -- or at least, an outdated, kinda sexist life.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

Willamina is a squirrel with kick-ass timing -- she's now living in the lap of luxury, because she showed up in a Louisiana woman's home just as quarantine began.

So, here's the story ... just as Louisiana went on a statewide lockdown, Emily Istre was asked to foster a baby squirrel. Emily's mom had found it injured in her yard. Willamina had a badly infected eye and was dangerously malnourished, but over the last 4 weeks ... that's all turned around.

Yeah, it's a feel-good story, but it also makes for some pretty strange video. Emily told us Willamina is now looking at her as the mama squirrel she never knew -- and also as a tree.

Willamina's eye has healed, but the infection left her blind, and she's clearly making herself right at home ... running up and down her adoptive mother no matter what's happing in the house.

We know what you're thinking, and the squirrel's been tested. No rabies, but she does have her own IG page now. Naturally.

Emily's rehabbed sick animals before -- usually birds -- but always released them to the wild. Watch the video ... she explains why Willamina's a different story.

The United Kingdom's coronavirus lockdown is baaahd for humans who want to play a round of golf, but it's good for flocks of sheep ... the animals are taking over a golf course!!!

Check out this huge flock of sheep roaming free at the Avington Park Golf Course in Winchester, England ... there's about 100 sheep setting up shop on the links, roaming and grazing on grass at the prestigious 32-acre golf course.

The UK is under a strict coronavirus lockdown, and the restrictions bar people from taking hacks on a golf course.

But these sheep are making a case as essential workers, because they're pretty much taking over the role of greenskeepers!

We've seen animals starting to take over the world as humans shelter in place due to the outbreak of COVID-19 ... and this scene is eerily similar to the goats that took over a town in Wales.

It's even happening in the United States ... Santa Monica's parks are being overrun with squirrels.

Armie Hammer's potential stir-craziness is pretty evident from his fresh new haircut and mustache, which kinda scream ... "Wait'll they get a load of me!"

The "Call Me By Your Name" star just shared his new mane, and it evokes thoughts of a couple classic characters -- Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver" with a hint of Alex's menacing look in "A Clockwork Orange."

Armie fittingly captioned the maniacal looking shot of his new mohawk and handlebar mustache ... "Killing the game."

Of course, one could also see his mustache and be reminded of 'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic, or think of The Ultimate Warrior because of his outfit ... there's truly a lot going on here.

As we first reported, the coronavirus pandemic has more and more Americans deciding to cut their own hair at home. Armie's hammering that point home ... for better or worse.

Italy wants to inch back to normalcy using baby steps -- and as summer nears, one company suggests keeping people boxed in on their sandy shores ... say hello to beach cubicles!!!

Officials in the European nation -- which has been hard-hit by coronavirus, and is currently on a full-blown national lockdown -- have been brainstorming ways to ease people back into public life, especially as their tourism season starts to pick up in the next few months.

Welp, a company called Nuova Neon Group Due Srl gave their elevator pitch this week to a bunch of Italian bigwigs on how to get folks back to their gorgeous shores, but still maintain some social distancing at the same time. As we've seen, it's hard to do both.

Their bright idea ... 15 feet x 15 feet plexiglass walls that would enclose a party of no more than two or three people tops, just enough for a couple chairs and an umbrella. That's what Nuova thinks will do the trick, but Italian lifeguard orgs think it's a bit too wacky.

The president of a lifeguard cooperative there is quoted as comparing the beach boxes as "chicken coops," going on to say no one in their right mind would subject themselves to being stuck in there under the scorching sun. Other lifeguard honchos agreed ... they hate it.

The Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are not being told to shelter at home, at least not in Montana, where the governor is telling kids the magical entities are free to roam around.

Montana Governor Steve Bullock just sent a super-cute letter to all the kids and families in his state ... telling them their Easter Sunday won't be ruined by COVID-19, because hiding eggs and swiping teeth are now essential services.

The way Steve sees it ... the Easter Bunny is essential because it hides Easter eggs, supports the chocolate-egg industry and brings springtime joy to Montanans.

As for the Tooth Fairy, the governor says it's an essential time for lost tooth collection and payments, with all the little ones chowing down on chocolate, Peeps and other treats.

Elves, unicorns and friendly dragons are also being deemed essential in Montana ... as long as they maintain their social distancing during essential travel. Six feet means six feet!!!

But, there's a catch ... the governor says the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy must do their jobs, which means they gotta leave behind eggs, chocolates and fair market value for teeth.