WEIRD NEWS: Man Leaves Toddler in Car While Visiting Strip Club

In California, a father left his two-year-old daughter in his truck for several hours while he went into a strip club.

Santos Barillas is now facing child endangerment charges after the little girl was discovered by authorities after several 911 calls were phoned in about the child.

When police finally arrived at the 7557 Club, they found Barillas passed out with the child in the backseat of the truck.

Barillas was brought into the police station and charged – and the kid was taken to child services. (Los Angeles Times)

LINDSAY LOHAN: More Tax Trouble

Lindsay Lohan has more tax trouble -- this time with the state of California.

As you may recall, Linds has already had run-ins with the IRS over her 2009 and 2010 federal taxes -- and that she used that $100,000 gift from Charlie Sheen to pay off the 2009 bill. But now comes word that she owes California $57,000 for income in 2011. 

The state has filed a lien against Lindsay. If they need to track her down, they just need to wait until Friday, when she's due in court for her probation case.

Source: TMZ

WEIRD NEWS: Drug Dealer Bagged

A New Jersey man is going to have a tough time backing out of a felony narcotics charge ... after cops discovered 100 bags of heroin hidden in his rear.

Rasoul Speight, 32, was driving on the Palisades Interstate Parkway when he was pulled over during a routine traffic stop. Cops detected the smell of marijuana and asked permission to look in the car. Although investigators found “nothing of evidentiary value” inside the vehicle, Speight and his passenger Gary Sylak, 25, were both arrested due to outstanding traffic warrants.

While Speight was being processed at police headquarters he “was found to be in possession of 100 bags of heroin which were hidden in his anus.” Speight was jailed in lieu of $38,500 bail on a pair of felony drug counts. (The Smoking Gun)

STUDY: Many Americans Drink Too Much

According to a new study, on any given day in the United States, 18 percent of men and 11 percent of women drink more alcohol than federal guidelines recommend.

Beyond that, 8 percent of men and 3 percent of women are full-fledged "heavy drinkers."

In case you were wondering, the government advises a limit of two drinks a day for men and one for women.

Leave it to us Americans to overachieve and take things beyond healthy limits – even with our booze.

STUDY: Parents Better Off Not Admitting They've Tried Drugs

According to a new study, parents are better off not admitting they’ve tried drugs when talking to their kids.

If you want your kids to avoid getting into booze, cigarettes and drugs, the best strategy is to deny, deny, deny.

Researchers found that stories about past substance use – even if they’re about REGRETTING that use – still give kids a green light to try stuff themselves.

The same goes for parents who claim not to condone drinking – but then offer to give them safe rides home from parties, or who only allow their children to drink under their supervision. (TheAtlantic.com)

WEIRD NEWS: Finger Lickin' Gone

A Virginia woman made no bones about wanting to press charges after she said someone flew the coop with a chicken that she had stewing in a crock pot while she was away from her house.

The woman, whose name was not released, called 911 to report that someone flipped her the bird by stealing the chicken, but leaving the vegetables and cooking liquid behind in the slow cooker. Cops initially thought a pet might have been involved in the caper, but after grilling the woman, they found that she lived in an animal-free home.

A spokesperson for the Arlington police department said, "We suspect 'fowl' play." (Huffington Post)

WEIRD NEWS: A Big Hand for the Fire Department

 A British woman had to call in emergency responders to give her a hand – after she got hers stuck in the glove compartment of her car.

The 49-year-old, whose name was not released, said she was reaching into the compartment to fish something out when she got trapped and panicked, resulting in the call. A fireman who arrived on the scene said he was able to remove a watch from her wrist, allowing her to wriggle free without harm.

A fire department spokesman said, "We don't train for something exactly like this, but we will always be able get get people free somehow." (Mirror U.K.)

BACKSTREET BOYS: Nick's Engaged!

If marrying Nick Carter was on your "to-do" list, you're out of luck -- he's announced that he's tying the knot with gal pal Lauren Kitt.

The Backstreet Boy broke the news to People magazine, saying that he proposed on a visit to a Florida Keys resort that his family frequented when he was a kid. He says, "I had the ring in my pocket for two weeks. I was like, 'I don't want it anymore!' It was driving me insane. I just wanted to get it out of my hands and on to hers. She said, 'Yes,' and I'm, like, 'I don't know what to do.' She said, 'You're supposed to put it on my finger.' So I did. I was in shock."

Nick and the rest of the Boys will be back in Florida in October to set sail on a cruise marking the Backstreeters' 20th anniversary.

QUVENZHANE WALLIS: The Onion's Satire Crosses the Line

The satirical website The Onion is coming under tremendous heat after taking a shot at nine-year-old Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis last night. Tweeting during last night's awards, The Onion said of the Beasts of the Southern Wilds star, "Everyone else seems afraid to say it, but that Quvenzhané Wallis is kind of a [C-word], right? #Oscars2013."

• The Onion quickly removed the tweet, but the Twitterverse still erupted in outrage. Wendell Pierce of The Wire wrote, "@TheOnion: Identify the writer. Let him defend that abhorrent verbal attack of a child. You call it humor -- I call it horrendous."
• Chelsea Clinton called the tweet "a disgraceful attack on a nine-year old. Unacceptable for any child to be so characterized."
• R&B star Estelle wrote, "Sometimes it's best to ignore ignorance and lies. Lets not allow #QuvenzhaneWallis's night to be mired by dumbasses. #Shineonemanyway, lil' mama!"

INTERNET FIND

Sometimes, the best life advice we get comes from the machines we operate. Check out LifeAdviceFromMachines.tumblr.com for some tips for your life.

TRAIN: Ready for Some Football

Train is hoping to score with a video for the new single "Mermaid," which stars a slew of National Football League players alongside Pat Monahan and the band.

The group shot the clip in Hawaii, when the NFL's all-stars gathered there for the Pro Bowl game last month. Cleveland Browns kick returner Josh Cribbs is featured most prominently, along with Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson and Marcus Allen. The clip is set to premiere today on VH1.

Monahan tells ESPN, "I had an amazing time in Hawaii at the Pro Bowl with Josh Cribbs and all the other NFL players. The fact that we got to shoot our 'Mermaid' video there and include them made it an experience that will forever be a highlight in our careers."

BRUNO MARS, JANELLE MONAE: Going Down to Rio

Bruno Mars and Janelle Monae have joined the voice cast for the upcoming sequel to the animated smash Rio.

They'll join a cast that already includes Oscar winners Anne Hathaway and Jamie Foxx, and Black Eyed Peas mainman will.i.am. There's no word on what parts they'll voice, but Monae has said she'll also be contributing tunes to the soundtrack.

Rio Two is set for release in April 2014.

ED SHEERAN: Loopy for Lupe

Ed Sheeran is ready to say "that's a rap" on his second album -- which will feature collaborations with hip-hop virtuoso Lupe Fiasco.

Sheeran, the acoustic singer-songwriter who has temporarily relocated from England to the U.S. to work on the album, tells Germany's Nova FM radio, "We have the same A&R in America, and he just gave me about seven beats and said write choruses to all of these beats. Lupe loved one of them and is going to hop on it. I'm a massive Lupe Fiasco fan, so it's cool."

?

WEIRD NEWS: Whistle While You Walk

A man in Maine was charged with disorderly conduct for making business owners grumpy by standing around and whistling at ear-splitting volume – but not convicted after he agreed to tone down the dopey habit by not staying in one place while he whistled.

Robert Smith has been detained several times on charges of disturbing the peace with his musical "talents," which he is specifically banned from showcasing on public streets – because they're lumped into the same category as "shouting, hooting or yelling." He faced fines of up to 500 bucks per stop if he hadn't agreed to confine the whistling to moments when he was in motion.

Smith, who has a lengthy criminal record for non-whistling offenses, says, "God is showing me what I'm doing is OK. He shows me every day with laughter." (Portland Press-Herald)

WEIRD NEWS: Tattoo Gives Away Lingerie Thief

An Iowa man could've used less inking and more thinking after getting busted for breaking into a lingerie store and stripping stark naked, showing off a tattoo bearing his name, before fleeing the scene with an armful of clothes.

Jose Perales busted into the business shortly after four a.m. and walked into the manager's office, where he shed his threads and began trying on items off the racks. A surveillance video captured the distinctive body ink, as well as images of Perales walking out with a dress, a wig and a bag of other merchandise.

Cops matched the tat to images from Perales' prior mugshots and went to his house, where they found him and the stolen property. He faces a burglary charge that could net him five years behind bars. (Cedar Falls Courier)

AMAZING ANIMALS: Cat Vs. Croc

In the battle between cat and croc, cat wins. At least that’s the case for one lucky kitty that found its way into the croc enclosure at a zoo in Jaipur, India.

Onlookers captured the moment on camera when a domestic ginger-white cat came face-to-face with a crocodile that breached the surface of the water. After abrief stare-off, the cat batted its paw on the nose of the toothy reptile, causing it to retreat back into the water. The clip has generated more than 240,000 views on YouTube. (Warning: Clip contains expletives.)

JANET JACKSON: Marries for Third Time

Janet Jackson is a married woman.

She wed billionaire Wissam Al Mana in secret ceremony last year. The couple made the announcement today (Monday) in a joint statement to deny rumors that they've been planning a big wedding. It says, "The rumors regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true. Last year, we were married in a quiet, private and beautiful ceremony. Our wedding gifts to one another were contributions to our respective favorite children’s charities. We would appreciate that our privacy is respected and that we are allowed this time for celebration and joy."

This is Janet's third trip down the aisle. She was previously married to singer James DeBarge and music video director Rene Elizondo. It's also not her first secret wedding -- she kept her nuptials with Elizondo under wraps the entire time they were together.

Source: ABC News

GOING VIRAL: Gallon Smashing

We've seen so many strange things go viral on the Internet, from "Tebowing" to "Planking" to "Gangnam Style" and, finally, "The Harlem Shake." But unlike those, which are bizarre but otherwise innocent and harmless, this latest one is a bit mean-spirited in nature.

It's called "Gallon Smashing," and videos showing this stunt being performed are starting to go viral. It's a prank in which the perpetrator walks down a supermarket aisle and "accidentally" smashes two gallons of milk or juice behind an unsuspecting customer. In most cases, the customer is stunned by what just happened and offers assistance to the prankster who just had an "accident." The prank was started by three brothers, whose first YouTube video has already received millions of views. And of course, it has spawned copycats. (NY Daily News)  

DON'T TOUCH: The Germiest Places

On average, adults can touch as many as 30 objects within a minute, including germy surfaces like light switches, doorknobs, phone receivers, and remote controls.

At home, this isn’t such a big deal. Your body is more immune to these germs and it’s easy to wash your hands at a moment’s notice.

But what happens when you go out to dinner, do some grocery shopping, or visit the doctor's office?

You’re out in the wilderness and you need to be careful.

According to scientists, here are some of the germiest surfaces out there that you need to avoid – or at least protect yourself from:

• Restaurant menus
• Lemon wedges at restaurants
• Condiment dispensers
• Restroom door handles
• Soap dispensers
• Grocery carts
• Airplane bathrooms
• Doctor's offices (AARP.org)

Celebs with birthdays today: Michael Bolton, Corinne Bailey Rae, Erykah Badu, Mitch Ryder

Born on this day were Johnny Cash, Tony Randall & Jackie Gleason.