Out of Ben's Mind

In Carpinteria, California, an Arabian horse named William got spooked during a California beachside photo shoot and suddenly ran into the ocean and swam a mile out to sea before rescuers finally got to him and helped him back to shore. Witnesses said the horse's white head looked like a seagull bobbing in the water. Rescue swimmers assisted by the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol and state parks employees found the horse a mile offshore as darkness fell. By 8:30 p.m., the horse was back on shore in good shape. (myway.com)

Talk about out-of-control hoarders. 38-year-old Lawrence Cobbold actually owns his own house in Plympton, England, but still has to live with mom and dad because his place has been totally taken over by his 21,000-item collection of bird ornaments and doodads. Before heading off to sleep elsewhere, he spends an average of four hours a day dusting and cleaning the collection. His dad-- who described his other son as "completely normal"-- said, "I just hope I die before Lawrence. I don't want to have to clear all this out." (Plymouth Herald)

A swarm of bees delayed an Arizona-Colorado game in Denver for several minutes during the top of the fifth inning, as the mass of winged insects invaded the first base line and Rockies' dugout before eventually gathering near a photographers' well on the the right field line. 

That well was, understandably, very quickly evacuated. Any regular picnicker knows bees will find their way into an open can of beer sooner than later, but I had no idea they were attracted to Coors Field, too.

Is that a shop-vac? Brave!

MILWAUKEE (May 18, 2012) – Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. officials are excited to announce the eleventh and final major performer slated for Summerfest 2012.  Foo Fighters will headline the Marcus Amphitheater on Thursday, June 28 at 7:30 pm.  Support acts will be announced in the near future.

Playing only a small group of select dates in 2012, Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear will be playing hits spanning the Foo Fighters’ catalogue of multi-platinum arena anthems, including “Rope” and “Walk" from their seventh album, Wasting Light which was released in 2011 and certified gold less than two months after debuting at #1 in a dozen countries.  Wasting Light has also generated arguably the best critical notices of the band’s 16-year career.

Foo Fighters first received a Grammy Award for their music video for “Learn to Fly” in 2000 and have won ten others in total, including four for Best Rock Album for There Is Nothing Left To Lose, One by One, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace and Wasting Light.  Recently, Foo Fighters were nominated for four 2012 Billboard Music Awards for Top Rock Artist, Top Rock Album, Top Rock Alternative Album and Top Rock Song.

Tickets go on sale Friday, May 25 at 10:00 am and include Summerfest admission.  Tickets can be purchased at the Summerfest Box Office, Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, Walmart stores, online at Ticketmaster.com and by phone at 1.800.745.3000 (live Ticketmaster Agent) or 1.866.448.7849(“Ticketmaster Express” automated phone line).  Patrons may also utilize “ticketfast” at Ticketmaster.com to print barcoded concert tickets from home.  Convenience fees may be added to all purchases. 

Summerfest 2012 will take place June 27 - July 1 and July 3 - 8, from Noon until Midnight and will be closed Monday, July 2.  In 2012, The “World’s Largest Music Festival” and Milwaukee’s cornerstone summer event will celebrate its 45^th Anniversary.  Since 1968, Summerfest has provided unforgettable live music experiences for fans from around the world.  Summerfest attracts over 700 bands, including the music industry’s hottest stars, emerging talent and local favorites and hosts a diverse selection of food and beverage vendors, marketplaces and interactive exhibits set against the Lake Michigan and downtown backdrops, creating a festival experience like no other.  Patrons can also enjoy Miller Lite, the Official Beer of Summerfest.  For more details visit Summerfest.com, Facebook.com/summerfest or Twitter: @Summerfest.

In one of the more amazing videos to go viral, a guy who calls himself FlippyCat took over 65 hours to set up 60,000 dominoes in an elaborate pattern and then just 12 seconds to knock them all down again. The dominoes were set up as a row of 60 giant dominoes, each made up of 990 dominoes, with a further 600 being used to spell out numbers on the floor. FlippyCat says the stunt was a personal record - and it has clearly captured the imagination of Internet surfers, racking up nearly 500,000 hits in less than a week. By the way, a cheap set of 55 dominoes sells on Amazon for $5.45. At that price, 60,000 would come to just under $6,000 bucks! (Ananova)

Detroit seems to be determined to send a very bad message to city workers -- do the right thing and we'll fire your butt! John Chevilott, a former public-works employee in Wayne County, Michigan was mowing the grass in Detroit's Brightmoor neighborhood when he found a loaded, snubnosed revolver. So he turned it in to authorities-- and was promptly FIRED for having a gun at work! Police told Chevilott he did the right thing by getting the gun off the streets and a check revealed that it had been stolen from a nearby suburb in 2005. But Mr. Chevilott's superiors did see it that way. So after 23 years on the job -- just two years shy of retirement -- they fired him. His foreman, who knew about the incident, was also suspended for 30 days. The union representing Chevilott, Local 101, has filed a grievance and intends to fight all three accusations. (AOL News)

Police in Superior, Wisconsin, towed a GMC Yukon used as part of a woman’s yard display aimed at insulting her ex-husband. Police said the woman, who filed for divorce last July, caused traffic delays with her yard display Wednesday when she put out large signs reading “X-HUSBAND SALE” and “FREE” next to items purported to be his. She had covered the GMC, which had flat tires, with words including “cheater” and multiple obscenities. Police had the SUV towed away, but the rest of the lawn display was left intact. Sgt. William Lear said, “If it’s creating a disturbance, if there’s threats, if it’s blocking traffic, we can tow it.”

A sticky-note prank has lead to a firing and suspensions at an Indiana high school. Six students were suspended and a custodian fired at Cascade High, after more than 10,000 sticky notes were posted in the school. Students protested the severity of the punishment and more than 50 were suspended for refusing to end a sit-in. One of the note-posters, Saxton Archer, says his fellow students are outraged. School officials say while the prank didn’t do any damage, it did violate the school’s code of conduct.

Russell Brand has no regret marrying Katy Perry, despite the marriage lasting only 14 months. Appearing on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” yesterday, the actor admitted he still loves Perry no matter what. “I love her as a human being, but sometimes when you’re in a relationship, I suppose it doesn’t work out, does it? But that doesn’t mean I regret it or anything,” he said, adding, “I was very happy to be married with her. She’s such a beautiful human being and I just have only love and positivity for her.”

Three of the original members of the Wiggles have decided that it’ll soon be time to hand over their colorful clothes. Jeff Fatt (Purple Wiggle), Greg Page (Yellow Wiggle), and Murray Cook (Red Wiggle) will do one more tour before three replacements join Anthony Field (Blue Wiggle) next year. “We’ve been entertaining children around the world for 21 years now and it has been a fantastic ride in our Big Red Car,” the group said on their website. The demands of touring and performing have taken their toll and the three departing members want to spend more time with their families, according to the letter they wrote. Page had just returned to the group earlier this year, after retiring in 2006 and being replaced by Sam Moran. After the “Celebration Tour” – which kicks off in Singapore at the end of May and hits the U.K., U.S., Canada and New Zealand – Emma Watkins, Lachlan Gillespie and Simon Pryce will take over as the new Yellow, Purple and Red Wiggles. They’ve all played various characters in the show for years. Fatt, Page and Cook will take on behind-the-scenes roles. The Wiggles have sold more than 23 million DVDs and 7 million CDs worldwide, and its TV shows are broadcast in more than 100 countries. The group has done more than 4,000 shows.

“American Idol” finalist Joshua Ledet won’t be belting it out on this season’s final showdown. The booming 20-year-old vocal powerhouse from Westlake, Louisiana, received the fewest viewer votes last night, leaving 21-year-old crooner Phillip Phillips of Leesburg, Georgia, and 16-year-old budding diva Jessica Sanchez of San Diego, to compete for the show’s record deal grand prize on next week’s finale. “I just feel that we’re all winners at this point,” Ledet said before his eviction. “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest said 90 million viewer votes were cast this week. Phillips and Sanchez will face off Tuesday, with the 11th season “Idol” champion crowned on Wednesday. Phillips has never found himself in the Bottom Three, while Sanchez was due to be eliminated during the finals’ sixth round, the judges used their one-time-only power to rescue her from elimination.