Pranks

The SEA Lab is a small aquarium in Redondo Beach that about 20,000 schoolchildren visit each year to look at the fish. Sometimes they even get the chance to touch them. But over the weekend, someone went a lot further than that by stealing two 30-pound California halibut and more than 20 spiny lobsters from the outdoor tanks. A pool of blood was found next to the 5,000-gallon halibut tank, presumably from injuries the fish suffered. Brent Scheiwe, the SEA Lab's program director, said there was no evidence of a break-in.

The call went out on a website and over Twitter, and hundreds of 20- and 30-somethings, tired of being cooped up, gathered in Washington's northwest quadrant Saturday for a little restless indulgence. Snowball fight! People squealed as they hurled balls of snow across the largely deserted road. Then, a snowball or two slammed into a Hummer. The driver, a plainclothes police detective whom Washington police refused to identify, got out, drew his gun and exchanged angry words with revelers, according to video footage and witnesses.

What do you get for the tech geek who has everything? How about the Coffee Talkie, an insulated travel mug with a built-in digital two-way radio for conversations on the way to the office? Or maybe, if the recipient is into golf, the wearable Birdie Belt, which is a GPS range finder that not only gives the exact yardage to the hole but also has random text tips from pros and a storage rack for tees. Or for mornings, there is the Wake & Bake, a bedside digital-alarm-equipped griddle that starts breakfast in the morning and then wakes you up. Just one problem.

If the stodgy old Yankee Stadium was the House that Ruth Built, then the glistening new ballpark next door is the House the Three Stooges Inhabit. Because in addition to changing addresses this season, the team has changed attitudes thanks to the winter additions of free spirits A.J. Burnett, Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira. And that, more than anything else, may be the best explanation why the newly relaxed Yankees find themselves a win away from their first World Series in six years.

A mischievous honor society at USC caused a brief stir on campus Wednesday when it distributed fliers warning students and faculty of a potentially dangerous airborne pathogen and asking them to report to a treatment tent near the Tommy Trojan statue. USC spokesman James Grant said the Skull and Dagger society, which stages an annual spring prank, was behind the hoax. He said officials asked the group to dismantle the tent and stop the prank about 9 a.m. after receiving calls from a number of worried students and faculty.

Sarah Palin mistakenly thought she was speaking with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Saturday when a pair of well-known Canadian comedians managed to get her on the telephone. The prank call was made by Marc-Antoine Audette and Sebastien Trudel, who are known as the Masked Avengers. Audette, the Sarkozy imitator, discussed with Palin the state of her campaign and said that one day he could see her as president.

USC football practices sometimes attract actors and other entertainment personalities, but Thursday saw the biggest Hollywood production of the Pete Carroll era. A stuntman fell from a platform, another ran across the field on fire. Both were "saved" by actor Will Ferrell, who wore a mask, half an Ironman costume and a Speedo-style swimsuit as Captain Compete. "Just a little Halloween spirit," Carroll said of the post-practice stunt. "Have a little fun."

Britain's media watchdog said Tuesday that it was investigating a series of lewd prank calls made by two celebrities on a BBC radio show. The calls, by comedian Russell Brand and television personality Jonathan Ross, were broadcast on Brand's radio show. Brand, who hosted the MTV Video Music Awards last month, has built a career on his outlandish image and risque routines, but his calls to 78-year-old actor Andrew Sachs have sparked thousands of complaints and drawn condemnation in Parliament.