Unintentional Hilarity: Please Explain This To Me

"What are we looking at?"

Source: Getty Images

I probably shouldn't even file this under Unintentional Hilarity; I'm sure there are those of you who are like, "So what? It's golf." No matter. To me, this pic encompasses all that makes golf utterly incomprehensible to me as a sport. First of all, this is a snapshot of the Gulf Air International Pro Captains Challenge Irish Regional Qualifier at Knightsbrook Golf Club. Seriously. Doesn't run off the tongue, does it? Secondly, doesn't it seem odd that you can literally sit down and think during this sport?

Barrie Hardymon

11:00 AM ET | 09-23-2008 | permalink

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Anyone Can Model In New Zealand

Cat burglar chic.

Source: Sandra Mu/Getty Images

It's Fashion Week! In New Zealand. Take a look at the model showcasing a design by Stolen Girlfriends Club. That's not a joke -- you can see more designs here. I guess when they say "stolen," they mean that literally. How do you think they size the headgear?

Barrie Hardymon

11:04 AM ET | 09-17-2008 | permalink

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Unintentional Hilarity: They Couldn't Make A Giant Danish.

Wait till you see the oyster crackers.

Photo by Omar Salem/AFP/Getty Images

 

From Getty:

Chefs prepare the largest Quaker soup in an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of Records in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah late September 3, 2008. Three Saudi chefs and 16 assistants made 7,500 litters of Quaker soup and succeeded in setting a record.

If you'd like to make a somewhat smaller tureen for yourself, you can find the recipe here. By the way, I'd love a giant vat of hummus.

Barrie Hardymon

11:28 AM ET | 09-11-2008 | permalink

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Unintentional Hilarity: Convention Protest Edition

"I thought Paris HIlton was in this parade!"

Source: John Moore/Getty Images

 

Getty insists that this is a shot of protesters in Denver. What are they protesting? Democratic fashion sense? Tiny Dogs For Everybody! Big Sunglasses For All!

Barrie Hardymon

11:43 AM ET | 08-28-2008 | permalink

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Unintentional Hilarity: The Olympic Hits Just Keep On Coming

Is it illegal to bite someone's rear end in wrestling?

Source: TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images

 

Either someone guzzled the "Drink Me" potion and ended up with more appendages than are strictly necessary, or India and Kazakhstan are wrestling for the bronze medal.

Barrie Hardymon

10:08 AM ET | 08-20-2008 | permalink

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Unintentional Hilarity: Next Up, Olympic Potato Sack Racing

Olympic wheelbarrow tournament.

Source: PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images

 

Wrestling, of course, yields the oddest photos -- besides of course, sabre fencing. Check out Andrea Minguzzi (Italy) walking Zoltan Fodor (Hungary, in a better clothing choice than their hideous opening ceremony outfits) around in a Greco-Roman wrestling match.

Later in the day, the egg and spoon race, and then go ahead and help yourself to bug juice and potato salad.

Barrie Hardymon

9:32 AM ET | 08-14-2008 | permalink

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Unintentional Hilarity: Olympic Career Choices

"I put on makeup for this?"

Source: Harry How/Getty Images

 

Nastia Liukin probably really loves artistic gymnastics. But I really love pictures that capture the actual moment when someone questions their career choice. I'm sure there's one of me somewhere, listening to the radio, perplexed.

Barrie Hardymon

10:35 AM ET | 08-13-2008 | permalink

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Unintentional Hilarity: Hamlet At The Olympics

"Now cracks a noble heart..."

Source: Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images

 

Now, Getty claims that this is a photo of Mihai Covaliu of Romania winning the men's fencing individual sabre (sabre? really!?!) bronze medal match on the fourth day of the Olympics. Whatever, Getty. I think we all know this is a post-apocalyptic rendering of the last scene of Hamlet, with Laertes and Claudius lying slain somewhere off stage. I don't know who directed this thing, but I love the costumes -- and it's just brilliant to set it in post-communist Romania. The Olympics are getting so artsy!*

*A welcome change from certain sorority antics of days prior -- though, come to think of it, that felt post apocalyptic, too.

Barrie Hardymon

8:43 AM ET | 08-12-2008 | permalink

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Unintentional Hilarity: Olympic Bikini Edition

Team USA gets a grin from the Commander-in-Chief.

Source: AFP/Thomas Coex/Getty Images

 

All this week, we'll be bringing you the most unintentionally hilarious photos from the Olympic games in Beijing. Our inaugural photos are probably well known to you -- but they're such a strong start to the week, that it would simply be foolish not to let you enjoy them. Above, you'll see a happy volleyball fan, also well known to you as President Bush. Below, you'll see -- well, you'll see a couple of well-toned rear ends.

Customary volleyball fun.

Source: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

The Getty caption follows:

US beach volleyball player Misty May Treanor invites US President George W. Bush to give her a playful slap to her lower back (as is customary in the sport) as team-mate Kerri Walsh looks during a visit to the beach volleyball venue in Beijing on August 9, 2008.

I like Getty's straightforwardness. I mean, you would have to assume that the good-humored back slap is customary for beach volleyball, and not for greeting the President, but still, clarity is preferred. After all, you wouldn't want to see people bending over in, say, the U.N. General Assembly -- and I doubt you could get Chavez to do it.

One more quick note. This photo has been linked again, and again -- it's all over the web this morning. And you'll note, there's more than one photog that got the shot (so to speak). That means that both GWB and MMT were likely surrounded by cameras when she decided to drop it like it's hot, and he contemplated slapping her (in the customary fashion). And they both thought it was a good idea to give them the shot.

Barrie Hardymon

9:51 AM ET | 08-11-2008 | permalink

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Et Mew, Brute?

Discuss.

Source: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

It's time for a special Monday Tuesday edition of my favorite photo feature, Unintentional Hilarity! Today, I've found a special photo, straight from the streets of Cornwall. Here's the caption the good folks at Getty posted:

A young person cuddles his cat on the streets of the Close Hill estate, where a voluntary night curfew for all under 16-year-olds has recently been introduced, on July 25, 2008 in Redruth, England. The brainchild of community police officer PC Marc Griffin, Operation Goodnight in Redruth, Cornwall, will see officers given the power to remove any youth under 16 seen on the streets after 9pm and any child under 10 after 8pm. It has been introduced to coincide with the start of the summer holidays and aims to cut down anti-social behaviour and will be the first to punish parents for letting their children out alone at night.

There are several things I love about this photo. One, it's straight-up funny. Two, in light of the cops attempting to cut down on "anti-social" behavior, I love that this "young person" has opted to walk around snuggling his kitty. And three, I particularly like the expression of yearning on the cat's face; staring into the middle distance, thinking about the playtime he will never be about to have with his young companion (that is, after 8 pm.) Sigh.

Barrie Hardymon

10:35 AM ET | 08- 5-2008 | permalink

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Well Wishes, Russian Style

"Fine, but I do not wish this mascot well."

Source: JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images

Welcome to another edition of Unintentional Hilarity. (I cannot tell you how much I look forward to this. I might start making it daily.) Today's inadvertent giggle comes courtesy of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev -- remember, he's from a part of the world known for its literature, but not necessarily its humor. (If you're going to write to me about the funny bits in Brothers K, I'll probably make fun of you, so, save it.)

In any case, here is Medvedev, attending a well-wishing ceremony for his country's Beijing-bound athletes, where -- apparently -- basketball player Andrei Kirilenko gave him the mascot that he's holding. Either he thinks the mouse (is that a mouse?) is booby trapped, or he doesn't approve of his country being represented by something so small and funny-looking. Gone are the days of the furry, stuffed hammer and/or sickle. Sigh.

Barrie Hardymon

10:35 AM ET | 07-29-2008 | permalink

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Pot vs. Kettle

Wait... so this was the guy who accused someone else of having a Nazi themed orgy? Awwwwkward.

Source: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Welcome to the second installment in our weekly photo series, Unintentional Hilarity! Today, peruse the photo above, and marvel at its subject. Here's the scoop. Formula One boss Max Mosley sued the British tabloid News of the World for invasion of privacy. He was accused in print of playing "sick Nazi sex games" in an orgy with several women. First of all -- really? Nazi-themed? How do you do that? Second of all, the guy in the photo is the editor of News of the World, and the picture definitely looks as if it's the pot calling the kettle Nazi. That's all I'm sayin'. Meanwhile, the kettle is pretty iffy, too -- Max Mosely is the son of a famous Hitler sympathizer and fascist (Oswald Mosely, if you must know). Anyhoo, Mosely won his suit, and can go back to regular themed orgies whenever he chooses. But watch out for that editor. He looks screwy.

Barrie Hardymon

9:06 AM ET | 07-24-2008 | permalink

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Unintentional Photo Hilarity: Everybody's A Critic

Hanging on his every (other) word.

Source: WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images

 

Welcome to our new blog feature (bleature?) in which I scour photo images of the past twenty-four hours, and find the most unintentionally hilarious moments. Here is the caption Getty Images has provided:

Cardinals and Bishops listen to a speech by Pope Benedict XVI to the massive crowd at the World Youth Day (WYD) festivities in Sydney on July 17, 2008. The world's biggest Christian festival opened on July 15 with thousands of pilgrims making the journey to take part in World Youth Day celebrations headed by Pope Benedict XVI.

You know, it's really hard to stay focused if you're jet lagged. I'm just sayin'.

Barrie Hardymon

10:43 AM ET | 07-17-2008 | permalink

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