BBC Yanks Comics for Prank Call

Jody McIntyre says he was '100% not a threat to anyone'

(NEWSER) - British police have promised to launch an investigation after video surfaced of police officers apparently pulling a man with cerebral palsy from his wheelchair and dragging him across the street during Thursday’s student protests . The victim, 20-year-old Jody McIntyre, tells the Daily Telegraph that police actually pulled him from the chair twice, once amidst a clash between police and other protesters, and later when one recognized him in the middle of the street. More»

BBC presenter struggles to continue after notable mistake

(NEWSER) - A BBC radio presenter put his foot in his mouth after stumbling over an MP’s last name, replacing the “H” in “Hunt” with a “C,” the Independent reports. Presenter Jim Naughtie coughed and struggled to resume after making the mistake. “I’m afraid many of you will have noticed that I landed one of those awful verbal tangles, courtesy of Dr. Spooner,” he later said on air. More»

Texts back stoning, say Jews made into pigs

(NEWSER) - At a network of 40 Islamic weekend schools in the UK, some 5,000 students are exposed to textbooks that teach the following lessons: Some Jews were transformed into pigs and apes; thieves should have their hands cut off; and some crimes deserve stoning as punishment, the Telegraph reports. One book designed for 6-year-olds tells them nonbelievers will face “hellfire.” More»

BBC political editor Nick Robinson loses his cool with protester

(NEWSER) - Mild-mannered BBC political editor Nick Robinson was transformed into a ball of rage by an anti-war sign being waved in the background as he broadcast from Westminster. Robinson delivered his broadcast calmly, then turned around, grabbed the sign from the protester, tried to rip it apart, and stamped on it, the Independent reports. More»

Jonah Hill and Russell Brand score with Apatow formula

(NEWSER) - Jonah Hill and Russell Brand keep the critics largely amused in Get Him to the Greek, another Judd Apatow-produced flick that has a nervous record exec (Hill) trying to get a troublesome rock star (Brand) from London to NYC to LA's Greek Theatre:

• Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle : "The golden age of comedy—this new golden age, which will only be apparent years from now, when it's over—continues with the release of Get Him to the Greek, which is so comically fertile and yet so grounded in the reality of its characters that it's really a kind of marvel."
• Andrew O'Hehir, Salon : "An awkward, intermittently hilarious and mostly enjoyable mishmash."