February 14, 2008
"Naked Cowboy" sues M&Ms maker
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City street performer "The Naked Cowboy" is suing Mars Inc. for $6 million (3 million pounds) over the use of his trademark look -- white underwear, cowboy boots and a hat -- by a blue M&M candy on a Times Square billboard.
For nearly a decade, Robert Burck has been a fixture in Times Square, where he strums a guitar on a street corner while dressed in his skimpy signature costume.
In a lawsuit filed this week in Manhattan federal court, Burck said that two oversized Times Square billboards that promote M&Ms used his look without compensating him.
The billboards feature a scantily clad blue M&M with a guitar alongside views of New York including street scenes and the Statue of Liberty.
Burck is suing privately held Mars Inc., which makes M&Ms, and Chute Gerdeman Inc., an Ohio agency that he said created the ad, for trademark infringement.
Neither company was immediately available for comment.
"Just like The Naked Cowboy does on a daily basis in Times Square, the M&M is not only dressed as "The Naked Cowboy", it is playing the Naked Cowboy's distinctive white guitar in the cartoon," the lawsuit said.
Mars and Chute Gerdeman "decided to exploit and trade upon The Naked Cowboy's well-recognized likeness without a license and without furnishing any compensation," the lawsuit said.
Burck has trademarked his signature look and has made several television and movie appearances in costume, including for a televised audition on the "American Idol" reality TV program, the lawsuit said.
Posted by ronnie at 07:11 AM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2008
Rail company rejects naked man posters
TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese rail company has refused to display posters advertising a 1,000-year-old "naked festival" held at a temple in northern Japan, saying the design is too extreme.
The festival at Kokuseki temple in Iwate Prefecture is one of several held around Japan in which men dressed only in "fundoshi" loincloths, which barely cover the genitals, take part in purification rituals and wrestle for possession of wooden charms.
The poster shows a hairy-chested man in the foreground, with rear views of other naked men in the background.
"The overall design is rather extreme, said Kaichi Yamazaki, spokesman for the Morioka branch of JR East, which refused to display the posters.
"We just want passengers to be able to use the station in a pleasant atmosphere," he added. "We do not mean to be negative about the people in the photographs, or about the festival itself," he added.
Domestic media said the company had said displaying the poster would amount to sexual harassment.
Tokyo's subways briefly ordered parts of a poster of a naked and heavily pregnant Britney Spears to be covered up in 2006 because it was considered "too stimulating," but quickly reversed the decision.
Posters featuring photographs and manga drawings of scantily clad young women are, however, commonplace on trains.
Posted by ronnie at 12:36 PM | Comments (0)
December 18, 2007
Naked man arrested after ax attack
WAUZEKA, Wis. - A 52-year-old man has been arrested after he attacked Crawford County sheriff's deputies with an ax and then barricaded himself in his home.
Prairie du Chien Police Chief Michael King says a special operations team that included members of his department attempted to negotiate with the man for about three hours. Then, the naked man ran screaming out of his home about 7:30 p.m. Thursday and charged law enforcement officers.
King says the man was shot with an electronic stun gun and two 12-gauge less lethal impact rounds.
He says the man was not injured, nor were any law enforcement agents.
Posted by ronnie at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)
December 12, 2007
Man vexed not sexed by text message
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A New Zealand woman who sent a naked man to the wrong house on the promise of a good time has been charged with misusing a telephone, local media reported on Wednesday.
The 17-year-old woman sent the man an enticing text message offering him an early Christmas present in the shape of two friendly women and suggested he take off his clothes to save time, the Manawatu Standard reported.
The 31-year old man wasted no time in arriving at the house, and took off his clothes and threw them through the window before entering.
But it was the wrong house and the householder did not see the funny side. The police were called and the man arrested for being unlawfully on a property.
The woman, who sent the tempting but deliberately wayward message, was also tracked down and charged for misusing a phone.
Both the man and the woman escaped prosecution and were cautioned and put on good behaviour bonds.
Posted by ronnie at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)
November 19, 2007
Australian PM surprised at naked request
SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian Prime Minister John Howard expressed surprise on Monday after a magazine poll showed around one in six of its readers want to see him naked.
The survey of 1,200 people for Zoo magazine showed 16 percent wanted to see him with nothing on, although he trailed opposition leader Kevin Rudd, who had 34 percent wanting a full frontal glimpse.
"I'm amazed it wasn't zero," Howard told national television.
Howard, 68, is trailing Rudd in the campaign for the November 24 vote, with latest polls showing him heading for a landslide defeat.
Zoo editor Paul Merrill said the poll was more evidence Howard was heading for election embarrassment.
"No one wants a prime minister who doesn't look good naked," he said.
Posted by ronnie at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)
September 22, 2007
Bored naked man tries to rob Pa. store
CARBONDALE, Pa. - Authorities said a man wearing nothing but a hat tried to rob a convenience store in Carbondale. Police say the 24-year-old man charged in last month's robbery attempt often stands naked in front of the window of his apartment.
He was first arrested on an accusation of exposing himself to two women at his apartment building. Carbondale Police Sgt. Thomas Heller says the man ultimately confessed to being the one who tried to rob the store — and said he did so because he was bored.
The clerk at the store kept her cool during last month's robbery attempt. She refused to give the man money and dialed 911. The man left, still undressed, without getting any cash.
Posted by ronnie at 05:43 AM | Comments (0)
September 10, 2007
Man found nude after clothes stolen
OELWEIN, Iowa - Two men have been arrested for stealing a man's clothes and leaving him to wander around naked, officials said. The victim, a 19-year-old Hazleton man, was taken by two men to a rural area west of Oelwein where the men took his clothes at gunpoint, officials with the Fayette County sheriff's office said.
The investigation began after the sheriff's office received a report of a naked man walking down a county road early Sunday morning.
Deputies searched an Oelwein home later in the day and found the victim's clothes and several guns.
Billy Ray Staton Jr., 36, and Arthur David Thomas, 53, both of Oelwein, were arrested and charged with first-degree robbery.
Thomas also was charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.
Staton was being held in the Fayette County jail under $100,000 bond. Thomas was being held under $120,000 bond.
Posted by ronnie at 03:03 PM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2007
Naked man arrested in Dallas courthouse
DALLAS - A man stripped naked inside a Dallas County courthouse and tried to grab a weapon from an officer who attempted to subdue him, officials said.
A receptionist saw the 33-year-old man taking off his clothes on the 11th floor of the court building near the district attorney's office on Thursday, authorities reported. She called for help, and a prosecutor chased the man into a stairwell.
An officer was trying to help the prosecutor when the man placed his hand on the officer's weapon, officials said.
The man faces a charge of trying to take a weapon from a peace officer.
Posted by ronnie at 01:49 PM | Comments (0)
May 23, 2007
Naked U.S. tourist shocks German city
BERLIN (Reuters) - A naked American tourist raised eyebrows when he went for a walk through a German city and told police he thought this was acceptable behavior in Germany.
"We have been having unusually hot weather here lately but, all the same, we can't have this," a spokesman for police in the southern city of Nuremberg said Tuesday. "The man said he thought walking around naked was tolerated in Germany."
Many Germans enjoy nude sunbathing which is allowed in public parks. The 41-year-old was carrying his clothes in a bag when police stopped him Monday evening after complaints from pedestrians.
The tourist was not under the influence of drugs, said police. They made him get dressed and pay a 200 euro ($269) deposit pending his investigation for indecent behavior.
Posted by ronnie at 11:16 AM | Comments (0)
May 03, 2007
Nude man leads police on 40 minute chase
MAYFIELD, Ky. - A western Kentucky man bolted — naked — from his home and led police on a 40 minute foot chase before being caught, police said.
William McCampbell, 21, is now exposed to jail time for contempt of court, fleeing from police, indecent exposure, criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct.
McCampbell bared all after police went to his house Monday to serve a warrant, said Steve Hendley, Mayfield's assistant police chief. As he ran through town, people aided police by pointing in the direction McCampbell streaked off, Hendley said.
"They were, I would say, probably shocked," Assistant Police Chief Steve Hendley said. "Its not every day you have a guy take off down the street naked at 11 o'clock in the morning."
Officers initially thought McCampbell was mentally unbalanced, but Hendley said that wasn't the case.
"He just didn't want to go to jail and decided he would outrun the police naked," Hendley said.
A woman in the house where police went to arrest McCampbell, Treba Maxwell, 32, was charged with obstructing an officer and violation of a conditional discharge. Hendley said she tried to block officers from the house.
Hendley said chasing a naked man was a first for his department, although there used to be a mentally ill woman who regularly led officers on pursuits while she was in the nude.
Posted by ronnie at 07:19 AM | Comments (0)
March 25, 2007
Harlequin books seeks "real men" for covers
TORONTO (Reuters) - Real men don't pose for the cover of a Harlequin romance. And that's something the publisher wants to change.
Representatives of Harlequin Enterprises, the world's biggest publisher of romance novel series, inspected the assets of about 200 men who lined up at a Toronto casting house on Saturday to prove they could flutter readers' hearts better than professional models.
"We're looking for some guys that are not your usual models, but have that iconic look that women go for -- sexy, sensitive, beautiful and fit," said Harlequin spokeswoman Marleah Stout, who attended the open casting.
"We want real men ... exactly what you think in your mind when you're fantasizing or imagining that ideal man."
Toronto-based Harlequin, a division of newspaper group Torstar Corp., sold 131 million books in 94 countries last year. It estimates that a third of American women have read at least one of its titles.
Until now, the publisher relied on modeling agencies to supply bodies for its concupiscent covers. But the readership -- predominantly female and averaging 42 years of age -- was upset when slight, young cover models clashed with the brawny, mature heroes described within.
"Some of the heroes are captains of industry, billionaires," said Deborah Peterson, a Harlequin creative designer and a judge at the audition. "A lot of the models were too young, men in their twenties ... and our audience likes men a little bit older, a bit bigger, than the runway models."
At the Toronto casting, chiseled hopefuls shed their shirts and donned a cowboy hat for the panel while a handful of other judges watched on closed-circuit camera in an adjacent room.
Several were asked to return for a book cover shot, where they may earn up to C$250 ($215) an hour, according to male modeling agencies.
Others indulged their own fantasies.
"From what I understand, (Harlequin) readers are women who want to escape from the relationship that they're in," said auditioner Carlos Troccoli, 30, who was tall, sturdy and muscular. "I can bring that to them."
Posted by ronnie at 08:36 PM | Comments (0)
March 12, 2007
Tide turns:100 naked men can stay on beach
LONDON (Reuters) - One hundred naked men have been allowed to stay on a northwest beach.
After months of wrangling over safety and environmental concerns, one of the country's most striking art installations has been granted a permanent home.
The tide turned for artist Anthony Gormley's sculpture, 100 life-size human statues spread over a northwest seashore, when the local council voted for it to stay.
Gormley, who modelled the Iron Men on his own body, said he was "absolutely delighted" by the decision.
"It's wonderful that my homeless, wandering tribe of men have found a permanent home. The idea that a part of the beach can now become a permanent place of contemplation and reverie is wonderful," he added.
The cast-iron figures, each weighing about 700 kilograms (1,543 lb), stand facing the sea horizon and are submerged at high tide.
The statues, entitled "Another Place," were initially given a permit for temporary installation.
The works, which had earlier been displayed in Germany, Norway and Belgium, became a major tourist attraction on Crosby Beach near Liverpool.
But coastguard authorities expressed safety fears, saying people could become stuck in soft sand and be cut off by the tide when viewing the statues up close.
Conservationists had also complained that bird-feeding areas had been compromised by the extra tourist traffic.
Last October, the local council refused permission for the statues to stay, prompting Gormley to criticise what he called Britain's "risk-averse culture."
"When I have been down on the beach myself, the majority of people have been intrigued, amused, sometimes very moved," he said.
Another Body Place Ltd, a body set up to campaign for the permanent installation, helped to convince the council to change its mind.
Graham Haywood, Chief Executive of Sefton Council, said in a statement "Despite some controversy, this internationally renowned artwork has aroused national and international public and media support."
"The Iron Men have placed Crosby and Sefton firmly in the spotlight and the knock-on benefits of this should be felt for years to come."
The planning committee decided to move 13 of the statues back away from an area used by small sailing craft. Three others are being re-sited away from bird feeding areas.
Gormley is best known for his 20-metre tall "Angel of the North," a massive steel sculpture of an angel situated on the edge of Gateshead, near Newcastle.
Posted by ronnie at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)
October 24, 2006
Police find naked man stuck in window
FORREST CITY, Ark. - Authorities say a would-be burglar's plot was foiled when he got stuck — naked — in the window of a house. The man was caught before he could take anything from an apartment he was allegedly trying to rob, Forrest City police said.
Dennis Reed Jr., 19, was arrested Saturday when police found him stuck between an air conditioning unit and a window frame of the apartment, police said. Reed was nude when police found him.
Reed told police that he was forced at gunpoint to break into the apartment by a subject he only knew by his first name.
Officers and emergency personnel initially tried to free Reed, but were unsuccessful. Reed was finally freed after the fire department's rescue squad rescue personnel entered the apartment and removed the air conditioner.
Reed was charged with residential burglary and taken to the St. Francis County jail, police said.
Posted by ronnie at 07:41 AM | Comments (0)
October 08, 2006
Boxer goes naked to make weight for world title fight
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Panamanian Celestino Caballero stripped naked on Tuesday to avoid missing out on a shot at the world title.
Caballero stunned reporters by removing his underwear at the weigh-in for his WBA super bantamweight fight with champion Somsak Sithchatchawal of Thailand.
The challenger's bold move paid off when he safely made the weight limit of 55.3-kg (122 pounds) for Wednesday's fight.
Thai media reports said last week that the 30-year-old Caballero was struggling to shed weight and had considered calling the fight off.
Posted by ronnie at 10:55 AM | Comments (0)