Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 4:29:42 AM CST


prank

prank news stories

17 Stories

 Fake NYT Declares War Over 

Among other liberal fantasies like, 'Universities free!' and 'Thomas Friedman to resign'

(Newser) - “IRAQ WAR ENDS” declares the New York Times —or at least, an amazingly realistic imitation. A group of pranksters blanketed New York City with a fake edition of the paper of record this morning, reports Gawker. Dated July 4, 2009, the paper sports other headlines spun from liberal fantasies: “Maximum Wage Law Succeeds,” “Courts Indict Bush on High Treason Charge” and “Bike Paths to be Expanded.” More »

More about:  Iraq war New York Times Thomas Friedman liberal prank

Canadian DJ Chalks Palin Prank Up to Perseverance

'A lot of journalists would love to have a word' with press-shy candidate

(Newser) - The French-Canadian radio host who fooled Sarah Palin into thinking he was French president Nicolas Sarkozy chalks up his coup to simple hard work. “Call it luck, call it perseverance, call it what you want,” Marc-Antoine Audette tells ABC about Saturday’s 7-minute interview. He says his staff spent 4 days working the phones before eventually scoring the exclusive. More »

More about:  Election 2008 Sarah Palin Nicolas Sarkozy prank

 'Borat' Crashes Fashion Show 

Shooting latest film, actor/comedian has designers on edge at Milan event

(Newser) - Sacha Baron Cohen caused a scene at a Milan fashion show today when he got up on the catwalk and danced violently before being hauled off, ANSA reports. Cohen—stalking the Italian city’s fashion week as he works on a film in which he plays gay fashion reporter Bruno—was turned over to police but released later without charge. More »

More about:  Italy fashion comedy fashion designer prank Sacha Baron Cohen Borat

'Joker Teens' Nabbed in 'Terror Plot'

Pair could be dealt 20-year sentence for playing card prank

(Newser) - Virginia police didn't see the humor of a Joker-inspired prank that terrified dozens of residents, ABC News reports. Two 18-year-olds have been charged with conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism after leaving playing cards with threatening messages on them scattered around their town. Cops say the felony charge—which carries up to 20 years in jail—is justified by the fear the duo created. More »

More about:  terrorism Virginia The Dark Knight Batman prank the Joker

'Wrestlers' Strip and Smooch in Borat's Latest Film Prank

Furious Arkansas audience hurls beer

(Newser) - The poster promised “hot chicks, cold beer, and hardcore fights"—but 1,600 Arkansas good 'ol boy wrestling fans instead fell victim to a sexy prank by Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen. Playing “Straight Dave,” Cohen pulled an in-the-know audience member into the fighting ring and the two men stripped to their tighty whiteys. The crowd "went nuts" when they then "started making out,” said a witness. More »

More about:  film Arkansas prank wrestling homophobia professional wrestling Sacha Baron Cohen

In Senate, Pranks Mix
With Politics

Democrats Nelson, McCaskill channel Ashton Kutcher

(Newser) - The prank war started when Ben Nelson took advantage of Claire McCaskill's inexperience and got his fellow Democrat even more nervous about her 2007 Senate swearing-in than she already was. The action since then has been sporadic but inventive. McClatchy returns from Capitol Hill with tales of the lawmakers' dueling practical jokes, which have involved Barack Obama and college football paraphernalia. More »

More about:  Senate prank Claire McCaskill Ben Nelson

YouTube Punishment Fits YouTube Crime

Footage of fast-food prank gets teens suitable sentence

(Newser) - A judge has ordered two teens to create and post an apology video on YouTube as punishment for a vicious prank, Florida Today reports. The boys were convicted of battery and criminal mischief after posting video of one of them throwing a soda back at a drive-thru fast-food server after yelling, “Fire in the hole.” More »

More about:  Internet crime Florida YouTube apology prank sentence

Broken Glass Lands Cheeky Mooner in Hospital

Flashing Dutchman the butt of his own joke

(Newser) - A Dutchman is recovering in a hospital after a mooning backfired, the AP reports. The 21-year-old prankster and two friends were running around the streets of Utrecht with their pants pulled down at the back, police said. The cheeky ringleader pushed his butt up against the glass of a restaurant window, which then broke, resulting in "deep wounds to his derriere," authorities revealed. More »

More about:  injury Netherlands prank jokes

it's april 1

Google Gets
Into the Spirit

Search engine
pranks users with email time machine, mission to Mars

(Newser) - Google continued a time-honored tradition of April Fools’ Day pranks today with foolish new email features and a mission to Mars, cNet reports. Gmail users found a new feature, “Custom Time,” which would allow emails to be sent back in time. And not to worry in case of problems, the site said—an “e-flux capacitor is on hand to resolve issues of causality.” More »

More about:  Google Mars prank Gmail April Fools' Day

it's april 1

10 Ways to Play the Fool at Work 

The most memorable April 1 office hoaxes

(Newser) - A good April Fools' prank can really liven up the office, and 32% of us have been on the giving or receiving end. CNN draws 10 of the best workplace gags from an annual CareerBuilder survey. Put pants and shoes in a men’s room stall to make it look as if there’s someone in there . . . for hours Stock the soda vending machine with beer More »

More about:  list work humor prank April Fools' Day

Man Busted for 27,000 911 Calls

Prankster, who made bodily noises, did it 'because it's free'

(Newser) - Police in a San Francisco suburb finally got their man—but only after he made 27,000 prank 911 calls, often treating the operators to grunts and his impressions of bodily noises. John Triplette "completely overwhelmed our system," police tell the San Francisco Chronicle. Why did this criminal mastermind do it? "Because it's free," Triplette told police. More »

More about:  cell phones prank 911 call California Highway Patrol

Philly HS
Turns Into
Cluck U.

Poultry overruns building in a senior prank for the ages

(Newser) - Dozens of chickens making themselves at home in the halls of a Philadelphia high school forced it to close for the day, the Inquirer reports. Staff members arriving for work this morning were greeted by the birds, which apparently were set free last night. "They let them loose and spread chicken feed all over the place to keep them fat and happy, I guess," says a district spokesman. "They've created quite a mess." More »

More about:  high school Philadelphia prank chickens

Joker Sends Holiday Cards From Afterlife

88-year-old pulls
one last prank on
family and friends

(Newser) - Chet Fitch got the last laugh on family and friends again, this time from beyond the grave. The 88-year-old, who died in the fall, arranged to have 34 Christmas cards sent this year, all marked with a return address of Heaven. "I asked Big Guy if I could sneak back and send some cards," Fitch wrote. "At first he said no; but at my insistence he finally said, 'Oh well, what the heaven, go ahead but don't (dawdle) there.'" More »

More about:  death Christmas holiday prank holiday card

Potty-Mouthed 'Santa' Letters Horrify Canada

'Filthy' correspondence leads to suspension of volunteer program

(Newser) - Letters from Santa distributed to at least 10 children in Ottawa are smearing the good name of jolly old St. Nick, the Citizen reports: They contain vulgar messages written by an unidentified “rogue elf.” The head of Canada Post says the country's postal service is "shocked and heartbroken" by the letters, which have shut down the Write to Santa program. More »

More about:  children Canada letters prank mail Santa Claus

Prank Caller Gets Dubya's Digits

Impersonating Iceland's president earns 16-year-old promise of a call back

(Newser) - As prank calls go, Vífill Atlason’s call to the White House is in select company. Posing as Iceland’s president, the 16-year-old says he managed to schedule a phone meeting with President Bush, though Icelandic police tracked him down before that could happen. White House spokesmen say Atlason called a public switchboard, but ABC News confirmed it was actually a high-level line. More »

More about:  White House Secret Service Iceland prank

Rove's Jag Gets Punk’d

Ride falls victim to the Christo treatment

(Newser) - When Karl Rove drives off into the sunset tonight, his ride will boast a new take on “Just Married” decorations. While the just-resigned strategist was visiting Texas, his Jaguar was pranked at the White House, the AP reports. The jokesters wrapped the vehicle in plastic wrap before slapping on an “I Love Barack Obama” bumper sticker. More »

More about:  Barack Obama White House Karl Rove car Secret Service prank Jaguar

Google Lets News Figures Fire Back

How service will protect against pranksters is unknown

(Newser) - People who want to talk back to the press received a major invitation from Google News yesterday when it announced a plan to post user comments alongside links to news articles, ars technica reports. But only people and groups specifically mentioned in the articles will be allowed into Google’s new peanut gallery, which will open its doors later in this week. More »

More about:  Google media news prank press Google News

17 Stories