Katy Perry To Host Groundbreaking Skype Chat

Katy Perry is set to hold the world's first-ever fan-led global Skype interview.

The 'Wide Awake' singer will be interviewed by ten of her fans from ten different countries about her upcoming music documentary, Katy Perry: Part of Me. The interview will be streamed live on MSN, which is teaming up with Katy Perry: Part of Me's distributor Paramount Pictures for the event.

MSN UK's executive producer Pete Clifton said in a statement: "We're very excited about this event and the fact that we are bringing MSN readers the hottest stars and offering them a unique opportunity to connect with them live regardless of where they live."

"And this is just the beginning. There will be more of the biggest stars on MSN, and more amazing innovation to excite our millions of users."

Other fans can also join the interview via Twitter by asking their questions with the hashtag #msnkaty.

Katy Perry: Part of Me will hit cinemas this coming Thursday.

[Contact Music]

Human Head Found In Montreal Park

Hands, feet, torso…head? Well at least all the missing body parts have been accounted for.

Police are investigating whether a possible human head found yesterday in a Montreal pond is that of 33-year-old Jun Lin, whom Canadian police identified as the victim in a gruesome homicide.

Canadian porn actor Luka Magnotta is accused of dismembering his gay lover, Jun Lin, and mailing his hands and feet to Canadian political parties and schools. After his torso was found in late May, his head is the only body part that remains unaccounted for.

Test results expected in roughly one week will determine whether or not the human head does in fact belong to Lin.

[CTV]

Pennsylvania High School ‘For Sale’ On eBay

Maybe when you were in high school you dreamed of all the ways you could have made it better if you ran the show. You know, stuff like a free soda fountain in the cafeteria, a hot tub in the gym and no weekend homework assignments — ever. Of course, your chance at living the high life in high school has passed, but the opportunity for you to ensure some current students do it right is now available, although you must act fast, as it expires on Wednesday.

A high school for troubled teens near Philadelphia is putting itself up for sale on eBay in an attempt to compensate for crippling budget cuts. The Learning Center in Langhorne, Pa., may be “pre-owned” and “slightly used,” according to its online description, but for a mere $600,000 the winning bidder will help 7,000 at-risk kids get the education they need.

According to CBS, the listing also said:

Sure, it sounds like a great cause, but what will you, the good Samaritan, get for your investment — besides the feel good vibe of securing the future of so many otherwise lost young souls? Hold on to your bulging wallet, ’cause delivering an education to a group of kids who could really use it, is just the beginning.

Of course the winning bidder won’t actually own the school, but there is a “naming opportunity, a free large pizza, a coffee cup with the benefactor’s name on it, passes to Neshaminy Senior High football games and the opportunity to deliver a speech on graduation day.”

Naturally the idea was conceived by a recent grad whose father once tried to sell his family on eBay.

[AP]

Scientists To Unveil Proof Of ‘God Particle’

A European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) scientist looks at computer screens showing traces on the Atlas experiment of the first protons injected in the Large Hadron Collider during its switch-on operation at the CERN's press center near Geneva Sept. 10, 2008. (AFP/Getty Images)

It’s been a long, difficult—and, for most of us, incomprehensible—search, but scientists at the largest particle accelerator in the world have finally found evidence of the Higgs boson, the so-called God particle that gives the building blocks of matter mass.

While researchers at the European Organization for Nuclear Research’s (CERN) Large Hadron Collider, which straddles the Swiss-French border, wouldn’t go so far as to say they had “discovered” the particle, they did say that after combing through several truckloads’ worth of data, they’ve found its footprint.

It’s the best evidence yet for the existence of the long-sought-after particle, a holy grail for physicists hoping to explain some basic facts about the universe.

[AP]

Anderson Cooper Officially Opens Up On His Sexuality

Well knock me over with a feather…

After years of refusing to discuss his private life, TV host and high-profile CNN journalist Anderson Cooper has informed  a friend in a matter-of-fact e-mail:  “The fact is, I’m gay.”

The CNN anchor and syndicated talk show host told the Daily Beast’s Andrew Sullivan via a letter to Sullivan that Sullivan posted on his blog this morning.

“I have found that sometimes the less an interview subject knows about me, the better I can safely and effectively do my job as a journalist,” Cooper wrote, adding later that he decided to come out to show he never intended to give the impression he was hiding anything.

He adds: “I’ve always believed that who a reporter votes for, what religion they are, who they love, should not be something they have to discuss publicly. As long as a journalist shows fairness and honesty in his or her work, their private life shouldn’t matter.”

[Daily Beast]

"Ted" To Be New Sex Symbol?

Ted, the sex symbol plush teddy bear star of Seth MacFarlane’s Ted, helped the flick reach No. 1 at the box office this weekend.

Now,  the owner of fetish site Clips4Sale.com (Not Safe For Work) intends to purchase the rights to Ted, who would become the site’s new mascot in an effort to boost the site’s popularity with furries and plushie fans.

“No, we wouldn’t let [our content creators] use Ted as part of their productions,” said the site’s owner, Neil, who asked that his last name not be used. “It’d be more of having Ted on the site for advertising, promotion, stuff like that…
“We don’t know if Ted could be a sex symbol for the plushie community, but we could find out if we had Ted at our booth, and discovered if plushie porn producers want to be associated with Ted and our site. We won’t know unless we pursue it.”

MacFarlane has yet to respond.

[Daily Dot]

Google Doodles For Canada Day

A Canadian-inspired Google doodle is shown in this undated handout image. The logo, created by Google employee Willie Real, appeared on the Google.ca homepage for Canada Day. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO

Yesterday, Google honoured Canada Day with a special doodle appearing on its Canadian homepage. The Google doodle has become a holiday staple and Canada Day is no different, according to the doodle's creator, Willie Real, 32, who has been a doodler for over a year.

The doodle features a beaver wearing a crown and holding the Canadian flag. Notably in the background is a mountain landscape, representing the terrain in British Columbia, Alberta and the Yukon. The doodle would not be the same without a portion of the letter "G" in the background, reminding users they are indeed on the Google website.

"When the Canada Day doodle came up, I was super excited to do it," Real said in an interview from Google's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

"I have a lot of good friends from Canada."

Real drew inspiration for the doodle by researching Canadian images. One recurring photo was a beaver wearing a crown.

"I kind of fell in love with it," he said. "I couldn't picture the doodle without that."

The beaver is the country's national symbol and represents the building of dams in Canada, while the crown represents the country's connection to the royal family.

Real says since many countries have their own Google homepages, the company has local doodle managers working for them. He co-ordinated with a manager in Canada to ensure the doodle was relevant to the country and holiday.

Real hopes Canadians enjoy the doodle as much as he enjoyed drawing it.

"It was a lot of fun for me to work on the doodle," he said. "I was very honoured."

Real has done approximately 100 doodles for Google. His personal favourites include Day of the Dead for Mexico, Grandparents Day for Poland and the Golden Gate Bridge's 75th anniversary doodle.

The first Google doodle was created on Aug. 30, 1998, when Google founders Larry and Sergey were attending the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert. They had the idea of putting a stick figure drawing behind the second "o" in the word Google as an "out of office" sign.

The company began drawing doodles regularly to celebrate holidays two years later.

A handful of Google doodlers, trained in animation and illustration, consult four times a year to discuss which holidays and events will be honoured with a doodle.

Overall, the team has created over 1,000 doodles for Google homepages around the world.

Taco Bell Hoax Gets Alaska Town Free Tacos‎

Residents of Bethel, Alaska recently fell victim to an elaborate hoax at the hands of two of their fellow residents. The ruse claimed Taco Bell was opening an outpost in the town of 6,200 residents. While sky-high hopes crashed down to Earth, the Internets went to work spreading the story, and word eventually reached Taco Bell headquarters.

On Saturday afternoon, Taco Bell tweeted #OperationAlaska had commenced, bringing a temporary Taco Bell to the sleepy town. The relief package consists of 900 pounds of beef, 300 pounds of lettuce, 150 pounds of cheese, 500 pounds of sour cream, and 300 pounds of tomatoes — enough for 10,000 tacos. Enjoy, Bethel!

[Food Beast]

Video: Ultimate Fireworks Fail Compilation

Yesterday was July 1st, or in other words, Canada Day. Now these videos were compiled over the last couple of years, so let's sit back and take in how idiotic we can be when lighting fireworks.



[YouTube]

Video: YouTube Complaints In Real Life

Parody channel barelypolitical took a jab at all the fun and annoying fads, trends, and memes on YouTube’s comment section. We’ve all read those annoying ‘First!’ comments, and now you can complain to YouTube about it. The video is also full of famous guest YouTube stars. 

[YouTube]

Video: Canadian National Anthem Performed With Beer Bottles

How Canadian of us. (This should have been posted yesterday.)

[YouTube]

Video: Hot Wheels Challenge Sets World Record

You know those Hot Wheels tracks with all the ridiculous loops, twirls, and jumps? It’s every boy’s dream to see their favorite extreme toy car hotline in real life, and that dream came true over the weekend in LA. At this summer’s X Games, extreme race car drivers Tanner Foust and Greg Tracy took on the very real double dare loop, and now Hot Wheels fans can have a happy day.

[LA Times]

Video: FlippyCat's Canada Day

Happy Canada Day, from FlippyCat!



[YouTube]