Oddity Central |
- Man Decides He Can’t Get a Real Woman, Settles for Realistic-Looking Dolls
- Interviews Before Execution – China’s Successful Death Row Show
- A-Team Fan Spends $50,000 to Convert His Van into Iconic Transport
| Man Decides He Can’t Get a Real Woman, Settles for Realistic-Looking Dolls Posted: 14 Mar 2012 04:41 AM PDT
55-year-old Everard Cunion, from Dorset, UK couldn’t seem to be able to get a real woman, so at one point in his life he decided to get an artificial one. He had always been fond of shop mannequins, but since they’re as hard as rock, he decided to go for something that looked as good as that, but was more flexible. He now lives with nine realistic dolls… Everard bought Rebecca, his first artificial woman, in 2000. It wasn’t until 2004 that he decided to get his second doll, not because he had been trying to stay faithful to his first, but he simply couldn’t afford to buy another one until then. In fact, the man admits that when he first saw the price tags on these things he almost fell off his chair, but he goes on to say that this kind of dolls are the best things that you can buy, for any amount of money. Still, the £5,000 he paid for his first dolls was a little steep. But what’s important is he didn’t let a trivial thing as money come between him and his third doll, Louis, which he bought in 2005. Photo via News.at Mr. Cunion is very passionate about his dolls. Even before he buys them he makes up his mind about their skin tone, makeup, hair, and buys them dozens of uniforms. He likes to role-play with his dolls, dressing them up in all kinds of uniforms and then taking pictures of them… It all sounds a little bizarre, but the man really likes his life the way it is. He admits his dolls may not be as good as the real thing, but says they are good enough for people who really can’t get real women. Before love dolls were available, people like him used to live without female company, and says a lot of people don’t understand that that makes life pretty much worthless. Plus replacing women with dolls eliminates the possibility of divorce. I know having all these realistic dolls seems a bit weird, but let’s face it, Everard Cunion isn’t the only one with a thing for artificial women. Just last year we wrote a story about Bob Gibbins, a man who shares his home with 240 love dolls. But unlike Gibbins, who is happily married, Cunion has had only one (unsuccessful) relationship with a real woman, in the mid 90s. But that hasn’t prevented him from experiencing the joys of marriage. In 2008, he tied the knot to his beloved Caroline, a plastic bride.
But alas, the match made in silicon heaven didn’t last very long. The Daily Star reports that Everard Cunion has gotten married again, this time with a blonde doll. He set up a ceremony and everything, and was spotted riding around with his bride in a white horse-pulled carriage, in his native Christchurch, Dorset. An eyewitness said that “he was grinning from ear to ear, but I didn’t see the bride smile once!” Man Decides He Can’t Get a Real Woman, Settles for Realistic-Looking Dolls was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| Interviews Before Execution – China’s Successful Death Row Show Posted: 14 Mar 2012 03:21 AM PDT
A creepy show capturing the last moments of criminals on death row – that might sound like the worst kind of reality TV, but "Interviews Before Execution" has been hugely popular in China, where it was first aired on Henan Legal Channel on 18th November, 2006. After over 5 years, the show ended last Friday. As a part of the reality show, journalist Ding Yu would interview a person on death row every week in almost cruel detail. So yes, every person featured on the show was a hardened criminal, whose fate had already been sealed – in death. Sometimes, the criminals were recorded speaking just minutes before their execution, many describing the details of their crimes, displaying remorse and even begging for forgiveness at times. It sure does sound like an unnecessary exploitation of people who are about to die, but the creators of the show have a different perspective. Lu Pejin, the director of the Legal Channel says that the purpose of the show was to warn audiences. "If they are warned, tragedies might be averted. That is good for society." The show may no longer be on air in China, but worldwide networks like PBS and BBC are interested in the phenomenon it has managed to become. After all, in its prime, Interviews Before Execution had a whopping 40 million viewers per broadcast, and skyrocketed Ding Yu to fame. The best ratings in the show's history were for this one episode that featured a gay prisoner, who after murdering his mother, violated her dead body. BBC is now planning to air a documentary coming Monday on the Chinese program, called The Execution Factor. PBS will soon follow suit with another documentary called Dead Men Talking. What's really interesting is the role played by Miss Ding on the shows. It must have been a life-altering experience to talk to so many hardened criminals in the last moments of their lives. Just like the show's creators, she did not believe that they were exploiting convicts. In fact, she believed that they actually wanted to be heard. Ding is recorded to have said, "I feel sorry and regretful for them. But I don't sympathize with them, for they should pay a heavy price for their wrongdoing. They deserve it."
"Some criminals I interviewed told me: 'I'm really very glad. I said so many things in my heart to you at this time. In prison, there was never a person I was willing to talk to about past events,'" she goes on to add. Ding has certainly become a popular figure in China due to the show, and has come to be known to many as "Beauty with the Beasts." via BBC Interviews Before Execution – China’s Successful Death Row Show was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
| A-Team Fan Spends $50,000 to Convert His Van into Iconic Transport Posted: 14 Mar 2012 03:03 AM PDT
A 40-year-old businessman, Tag Majid, has done something that will make A-Team fans the world over both proud and jealous. He's actually spent $50,000 to convert an old and bashed-up 1985 GMC Vandura Van into a replica of the legendary vehicle driven by B.A. Baracus on the show. It took him over eight months to complete the project and the vehicle is now decked out in all the colors and features of the original show van. Of course, there are a few of the latest conveniences added as well. Majid, from Dudley, West Midlands, owns a car rental firm called Just For Hire West Midlands. He actually started the renovation of the van over a year ago, and spent a good amount of time just searching the internet for parts. He wanted to make sure that every detail down to the wing mirror, wheels and even the aerial was exactly the same as on the original. He also added a 26-inch LCD TV, a DVD player and a sound system, to play the A-Team theme tune on loop. It blares out through a speaker behind the front grille. Photo via Express & Star The A-Team replica van was unveiled recently, and Majid says that the reaction has been amazing. "We always get people shouting 'crazy fool' at us as we drive about town," he says. His eldest daughter is crazy about the van too, and loves being dropped to school in it. According to Majid, the reaction at the school gates is awesome, everyone stops and stares. Having grown up watching the show, he calls it a timeless classic and he's not really surprised at the popularity of his van. Photo via Express & Star Now Majid has acquired a license that allows him to hire out the van for special occasions, so everyone can enjoy it. And it's already been booked by 24 brides to be taken to their weddings, and another 26 are in line for next year. Brides and the A-Team sure do make a strange combination. But Majid's not complaining. "To see people's reactions when you turn up to collect them for a wedding and just driving around has been just great," he says. via Express & Star A-Team Fan Spends $50,000 to Convert His Van into Iconic Transport was originally posted at OddityCentral.com  |
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