News of the Weird: Director's opinion of critic really stunk

On Feb. 11, during an intermission at the Hannover State Opera House in Germany, ballet director Marco Goecke approached the dance critic from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, Wiebke Huester, and smeared animal feces on her face. The Associated Press reported that Goecke was unhappy with a recent review of a production he had staged. In a later interview, he said that he was fed up after having his work "soiled for years. ... Once a certain point has been reached, I disagree." The opera house suspended and banned him from the facility until further notice.

In search of a feel-good Valentine's Day story, WFMZ-TV in Allentown, Pa., decided to profile Tony Toto and his wife, Frances, who have been married for 57 years. Everything was going fine, with Tony noting, "We have been blessed that we had all these years." The only exception, he said, was "that one time when we had a rough time." He went on to explain that in 1983, Frances hired hitmen five times to kill him. "It was like it was a love-hate kind of a thing," she explained. Of course, the murder attempts weren't successful, and Frances and the hitmen were arrested. She spent four years in prison, but the couple got counseling and reconciled after she was released.

Joby Pool, 32, pleaded guilty to theft and criminal damage in Kidderminster, England, magistrates court, the Guardian reported. His crime? Pool broke into a warehouse on Feb. 11 and towed away a trailer with about 200,000 Cadbury Creme Eggs, valued at about $37,000. He didn't get very far; when police stopped him, he "walked toward (them) with his hands up." The "Easter bunny bandit" as police dubbed him, likely will be sentenced to about two years in jail.

Austin Bristoe, 26, of Bloomington, Ind., was sick and tired of people breaking into his 1998 Buick and stealing stuff, Fox59-TV reported. On Feb. 12, when police responded to a car fire, they found Bristoe standing next to his burning vehicle, and he told them he set it on fire to stop the thefts. "If there was nothing left of the vehicle, then there would be nothing left to steal," Bristoe explained. As it burned, the fire caused a small explosion, and Bristoe commented, "I hoped the explosions would be bigger." Police searched him, finding several syringes and benzodiazepine. And then they arrested him for arson and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

News of the Weird doesn't usually cover fashion, but the Japanese garment company Takikou is an exception. The company has developed a wearable bean bag that enables a weary wearer to plop down wherever they are, Oddity Central reported. "This concept was born out of the idea of a cushion that would allow you to totally let go, anytime, anywhere," said the company's Shogo Takikawa. The bean bag is available in different sizes and colors, but it weighs about 11 pounds (which might make you want to sit down more often). Prices range from $60 to $119.