Improv everywhere: They cause scenes

“For our latest mission, we filled a subway car with identical twins, creating a human mirror…”

From Improv Everywhere:

Last summer, we found out how many redheads we could recruit, and this time around we sent out a request for identical twins. Within a day we heard from over 50 pairs. Most of the twins could not make the day and time of the mission, but we were delighted to have 8 pairs turn out, nearly all of whom had never participated in one of our missions before.

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We actually did this mission a second time a few weeks later. The first attempt was a total success in terms of how it unfolded live, but our video footage wasn’t as good as we knew it could be. It’s very difficult to capture audience reaction to a mission like this in the subway while still keeping our cameras hidden. We invested in some wireless microphones and a new button camera and gave it a second shot.

The second set of twins

Only two of the original sets of twins (the Vieyra and Port sisters) could make the second mission. They were joined by 8 new sets who couldn’t make the first date. It was nice to involve more people. We even had some high school twins this time around. The Krueger brothers weren’t present for the group photo above, but did make it on the train.

The Kruger twins, age 16
We had some fun taking posed photosI instructed the twins via email to do everything they could to look identical. They did an awesome job dressing exactly alike and matching accessories. It really was impossible to tell them apart, especially when meeting 8 pairs at the same time.

The Barrett twins both had iPhones
The Drinkwater twins matched several accessories

The Rosenblum twins
I explained the mission to everyone. We would get on the 6 train at the start of the line at Brooklyn Bridge and the twins would sit on either side of the car, directly across from their sibling. Once in place, their job would be to mirror each other as closely as possible. If one scratches his head, so should the other. If anyone asked them what was going on, they should claim not to notice anything unusual and not to even be able to see their sibling.

Even before the mission started, we were attracting tons of attention. People were running up to us and snapping photos of the twins at the meeting point. Several folks stopped to gawk as we walked to the subway. The hot dog vendor above couldn’t stop laughing.

The start of the first mission was particularly funny to watch because our agents weren’t able to get every seat in a row. There was a man quietly reading on the bench, and our agents surrounded him.

He sat and read his entire journey and exited not knowing what had gone on around him. To be fair, there were several people seated on train who didn’t notice at first what was happening. If you were only looking at one side of the car it seemed perfectly normal. It was easy to see if you were standing, but those seated had to look to their sides to get what was going on.

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This couple was from Sweden. They were among the first the notice the mirror, and immediately started laughing and taking photographs. The woman theorized that there must be some sort of twin conference happening in town.

A man looks back one last time as he exits the train
The twins exit the train at 96th street
People coming down the stairs realize an army of twins is passing byAs with most of our missions, we got all sorts of reactions from all sorts of people. Most folks laughed quietly to themselves. A few got really excited and started asking others on the train if they knew what it was. Some were bold enough to try to talk to the twins. Some pretended not to notice and kept to themselves. Some genuinely didn’t notice.

For more missions go to Improv Everywhere

Stewart Lewis at Milkboy Coffee in Bryn Mawr

The film and TV world have been taken by Stewart’s songs, which have been featured on shows such as Ghost Whisperer, MTV’s Laguna Beach, Joan of Arcadia, Dawson’s Creek, Biggest Loser, and the 20th Century Fox feature film Firehouse Dog. Recently, Stewart has become the very first artist signed to the Here! LGBT TV Network and Regent Entertainment’s new music venture, Here! Tunes.

Tickets here: Milkboy Coffee

How to get rid of an unwanted houseguest

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Guest talks too much, German woman calls police

A desperate German woman finally called emergency services to rescue her after a friend visiting her at her apartment talked for 30 hours straight, authorities said

A police spokesman in the western city of Speyer in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate confirmed reports about the case, in which the guest rambled on about personal problems and became increasingly intoxicated until the 48-year-old dialled the emergency hotline.

“After an unbelievable 30 hours and failed attempts to encourage the guest to leave last Saturday, the woman did not know what else to do but to call an ambulance,” the police said.

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When the paramedics refused to carry the guest out of the apartment, the woman called the police, who picked up the friend and drove her home.

The spokesman said the guest would face no criminal charges.

Never Again? Trying to stop the next Karl Rove

photo: Fark.com

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Via Huffington Post:

Taking Aim At The Next Karl Rove

The Hill reports that Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman is considering legislation that would prevent future administrations from having Karl-Rove type advisors:

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who has primary jurisdiction over the executive branch, is considering legislation to eliminate Karl Rove-type advisers in future administrations.
The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hints broadly that such a bill could ban the use of federal funds to finance such a politically partisan office.

“Why should we be using taxpayer dollars to have a person solely in charge of politics in the White House?” Waxman said in an interview. “Can you imagine the reaction if each member of Congress had a campaign person paid for with taxpayer dollars?”

Waxman, one of President Bush’s most dogged opponents, will decide in September whether to press ahead this year or wait until next in hope of having a Democratic president sign such a bill.

Waxman says the White House operates under looser political ethics rules than does Congress, where chiefs of staff and other high-ranking officials are prohibited from using government phones, computers and facilities for political purposes.

Rove focused on President Bush’s reelection while working on a West Wing salary during the first four years of the Bush administration.

As Bush’s senior adviser, Rove headed the Office of Political Affairs, which interacts with the party’s political committees, and the Office of Public Liaison, which works with outside groups such as business, religious and advocacy organizations that want to communicate with the president.

Rove’s political activity at the White House sparked fierce disputes with congressional Democrats.  Full article.

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Rove has ignored a subpoena from Congress to testify under oath for the second time this year.

From The Crypt:

House Judiciary Committee subpoenas Karl Rove

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich) issued a subpoena to Karl Rove on Thursday as part of an investigation into improprieties at the Department of Justice.

According to a statement from Conyers, Rove’s lawyer Robert Luskin informed the chairman that his client would not agree to testify voluntarily before the committee.

“It is unfortunate that Mr. Rove has failed to cooperate with our requests,” Conyers said in a statement.

“Although he does not seem the least bit hesitant to discuss these very issues weekly on cable television and in the print news media, Mr. Rove and his attorney have apparently concluded that a public hearing room would not be appropriate. Unfortunately, I have no choice today but to compel his testimony on these very important matters.”

The deadline for Rove to respond to the subpoena is July 10. (full article)