Oddacity News
Beastly housemate, stunt ass declined, rejected license plates, dumb 911 calls
Welcome to the first 2026 edition of Oddacity News, your source for the weird, unusual and offbeat news of the world.
On second thought: A thief who stole two mandolins from a New Jersey music store, then was shamed on social media, returned the items to the store with a note that said, “SORRY, I BEEN DRUNK, MERRY CHRISTMAS.” Lark Street Music posted on Facebook that “the thief surreptitiously opened the front door and returned them in 2 shopping bags.” The store had previously posted video of the mandolin theft, sparking a social media hunt for the perpetrator. It seemed to work. “Your re-posts and pressure definitely made him realize the walls were closing in,” the store said.
Unwanted visitor: Having lived with a bear under his California home for over a month, Ken Johnson was excited to hear the sound of a trap — set up to capture the animal — being activated. Alas, the trap caught the wrong bear, reports the Los Angeles Times. The exasperated Johnson has been living with a 550-pound male black bear in his crawl space — he can hear it moving under the floor — since just before Thanksgiving. The bear even disconnected a gas line, forcing Johnson give up warm showers. “It’s really awful,” he said.
Oops: Concert organizers abruptly cancelled a performance by a popular Canadian musician after Google’s AI-generated search summary incorrectly labeled him a sex offender, reports The Globe and Mail. It appears that Google’s system blended information about Cape Breton fiddler Ashley MacIsaac with another man with the same last name. MacIsaac said he feared for his safety after the incident. “Google screwed up, and it put me in a dangerous situation.”
Whacked: Actor Timothée Chalamet refused to have a “butt double” stand in for him during a key scene in the new movie “Marty Supreme,” insisting that his own rear end get spanked on screen, reports Variety. In the scene, Chalamet’s character submits to a humiliating spanking with a ping pong paddle by a character played by Kevin O’Leary. “When it came time to whack him, there was a stunt ass. There was a double,” O’Leary said. “He [Chalamet] said he’ll do it himself. He didn’t want some other ass immortalized.” O’Leary said the scene was re-shot about 40 times.
Going too far: Illinois rejected more than 550 requested personalized license plates in 2025, including IBPOOPN and PRIUSSY. In a video posted on YouTube, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias revealed 2025’s vanity plate “naughty list.” Among those rejected were BBL (“Brazilian butt lift,” he explained), ICUP (“I guess you just say the letters; apparently a 10-year-old requested this one”) SNDNUDZ, and BDASMOM (“I keep telling my wife to stop requesting this plate”).
A person who called 911 because Walmart would not allow an air fryer to be returned was among British Columbia’s top 10 “most inappropriate” calls to the police emergency line, reports CTV News. Also on the list was someone who called 911 to complain about a bad haircut, a person who wanted help with a broken dishwasher, a traveler who was upset because an airline wouldn’t allow a large bag as a carry-on, and a driver asking about traffic congestion (“You don’t call 911 for a traffic report,” said the dispatcher).
These are the best! The apology note