TresSugar

50 Strangers Throw Couple Surprise Wedding Reception

TresSugar — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:15:00 -0700

The improv gurus behind No Pants Subway Rides teamed up this week to throw a surprise wedding reception for a random, unsuspecting couple. Fifty wannabe guests got dressed in their matrimonial attire, and headed down to Manhattan's City Clerk's office.

One couple was selected and led to tents that had been borrowed from a just-finished job fair. The guests (again, all strangers) cheered during the couple's first toast, watched them share their first dance, and boogied down with them for a couple of hours. One stranger gave the best man toast, and the bride and "maid of honor" met for the first time. After the gifts (mostly gift cards), the couple hopped in a pedicab complete with "Just Married" signage and took a ride around New York City.

Would you be happy if this happened to you, or would you have a hard time celebrating your wedding with strangers?

Welcome Back Prank

GiggleSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:00:00 -0800

Oh, man. I just came back from a trip. I wish Improv Everywhere had been there at the airport to welcome me back! Although, I am sure I'd be as perplexed as these folks were when suddenly friends they didn't know they had started handing them stuffed animals and flowers . . .

Welcome Back from ImprovEverywhere on Vimeo.

Twinsanity!

GiggleSugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:00:00 -0700

Is there a twin phobia? Because if there is, the person with twinphobia had better not step on this subway train! Improv Everywhere staged another one of their amazing public happenings. This time, they got sets of twins to board a subway car and sit opposite each other to see how people would react. Too cool. (Thanks, College Humor!)

Not Just For Kids! Would You Join a Huge Adult Playdate?

CitizenSugar — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 11:00:24 -0700

London is gearing up for the Hide and Seek Festival, held on June 27 and 28. Encompassing everything from flashmob games to location-based art installations, it's for kids - and very big kids at heart alike. It's designed to celebrate the social joys of art and games, so you can just show up and join in though some require a reservation.

If you're wondering what the heck a flashmob is - or if group pranks are more your style, New York magazine had this feature on the group Improv Everywhere. The "public scene making" collective stages elaborate stunts, like the Grand Central Station "freeze" below, and my personal favorite "everybody show up at a Best Buy wearing khakis and a blue polo."

The group has accomplished over 70 “missions,” including the annual No-Pants subway ride that last year got 900 people pantsless. How to play? The group's leader has a 13,000-person mailing list, and would-be participants get an email outlining the general facts and asking for an RSVP.

Why would someone participate in a group playdate like this? Improv Everywhere's founder says, “someone once told me, ‘What you’re doing is giving other people anecdotes. You don’t regularly see things in New York that make you go, ‘Wow, that’s awesome.’ You don’t see humans interacting in a way that takes you off guard and makes you smile.”

That's a good enough argument for me. Would you play along?

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The Food Court Musical

GiggleSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:00:00 -0700

Improv Everywhere is known for busting out comedic performances in unlikely locations, so they staged a musical - in a shopping mall food court. It all started with the Hot Dog on a Stick girl crying over spilled lemonade and ended with the whole food court triumphantly singing about napkin shortage. Hungry patrons, clueless that the joke was on them, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If you ask me, all they had to do was buy a corn dog from the crying chick and tell her to shove it. But that would have made this a lot less funny.

Yeah, Baby!

GiggleSugar — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:00:00 -0700

100 shirtless men descend on Abercrombie & Fitch. Sound like a dream? It was an Improv Everywhere skit to test how far they could infiltrate the "Shirtless Zone" that is A&F. I love when the guy with the gut hangs out with one of the buff shirtless models whose sole job is to stand outside and attract people. It's fun and games until security comes by...(Click here for Mad TV's take on A&F.) Thanks, Bella!

NAARP Protests Wendy's Logo

GiggleSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:02:00 -0700

Improv Everywhere thought it would be funny to gather a gang of redheads, call them the National Association for the Advancement of Red-Haired People, and protest the Wendy's logo. Their stance was that the freakish looking little girl in the logo ("Wendy") unfairly depicts red-headed people as always freckled with chalky white complexions and funny pig tails. Ughh, guys...this isn't discrimination. I believe this is Dave Thomas's daughter you're dissing. Nice work.

No Pants Subway Ride

GiggleSugar — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:00:00 -0700

As if riding on the subway weren't sensory overload enough, this poor woman is the subject of a "no pants" prank courtesy of the Improv Everywhere jokers. She doesn't know whether to laugh or to be startled by the fact that slowly, all the dudes getting on the subway car are wearing boxers--so she just clutches her purse. (She can be thankful it wasn't "tighty whiteys" day, God forbid!)

Flush China Calls US Out For Mishandling Their Economy

CitizenSugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:00:25 -0700

It's the ultimate economic version of the pot and the kettle and all that talk about being black. After having been on the receiving end of US scolding over their mishandled economy, the shoe has moved to the other foot. In recent weeks senior Chinese officials have been pointing the finger back at Americans for mismanaging their own economy. Among their criticisms is the “warped conception” of market regulation following the subprime mortgage debacle now eroding the world economy. At the latest World Trade Organization meeting, the Chinese envoy called upon the US to halt their dollar’s freefall depreciation before its complete failure further sends world oil and food prices upwards. To see who agrees, and how the Olympics fit in, read more.

A professor of economics at Columbia University agrees: “US credibility and the credibility of US financial markets is zero everywhere in the world. Anybody looking at this from the outside says ‘there’s been a lot of hot air coming out of the US, so why would we listen to these guys when they didn’t know how to manage risk?’" Adding to the Chinese anger is the fact that the US has failed to stop the plunging dollar - a problem as China keeps most of its 1.76 trillion reserve in dollars, which have been plummeting in value.

The impact of the Olympics has added a small bump to the Chinese - though the proportion of the economy tied to the Games is small - meaning a post-Games slump might not materialize, though Olympian improvements are all investments in China for the future.

Is the recently criticized country now strong enough to point fingers? Was China right to criticize the US on its handling of the economy?

Source

Not Just Your Typical Dinner and a Movie

DearSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 08:00:00 -0700

The other day I overheard a woman complaining to one of her girlfriends that once you hit a certain point in a relationship, dinner and a movie just don’t cut it as date night anymore. But wanting more (or needing to spend less) from the typical date night is truly a common complaint for everyone in a relationship or couples just starting out. To check out the suggestions I’ve come up with to add some pizzazz to your date night, read more

Go for a hike and have a picnic. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy hiking gear, but search trails in your neighborhood online, pick one around three miles long, throw on your tennis shoes, and get walking and talking!
Go to the farmers' market or another food mart and taste away! Not only will all the people-watching give you plenty to talk about, but finding out what he likes and dislikes is a great way to get to know him better.
It seems like the traditional invite for a home cooked meal has gone out of style, but there’s nothing more thoughtful than preparing dinner in your own home for someone else to enjoy. Kitchen disasters are just fodder for good date night banter.
If you want to be a traditionalist and go the restaurant dinner route, at least find the kitschiest place in town. There are tons of great old-fashioned diners or mom and pop Italian joints everywhere that are usually more exciting and less expensive than your typical date night dinner locale.

It only takes an Internet search or two to find out about any events in your neighborhood - from an art show to an improv show - so start looking now, and next time it’s date night, you’ll have plenty of ideas to choose from.

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