July 18, 2004
More great moments in headline writing

Cow in police custody linked to headless chicken case.

It's a cement cow, and a 13-foot-tall mascot of a place called Joe's Gizzard City. All I can say is that it's nice to see a story that's worthy of the headline.

Via Michael, who claims this is his second-favorite headline ever, behind the NY Post's unforgettable "HEADLESS BODY IN TOPLESS BAR". I'd have to put it in third place for me - in the fall of 1984, the San Antonio Express News ran a story about the Republican national convention that was headed "HOSPITALITY ORGY LEAVES DALLAS LIMP". I've always thought that explained a lot about Texas' second-largest city.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on July 18, 2004 to General snarkiness | TrackBack
Comments

I'm curious as to how a cow got to be a mascot of Joe's Gizzard City. To ask a more disturbing question, what exactly is Joe doing running a place called Gizzard City? ;-)

Posted by: William Hughes on July 18, 2004 9:56 AM

"Cow in police custody linked to headless chicken case."

I'm pretty sure there's a Far Side possibility in there somewhere.

Posted by: Tim on July 18, 2004 11:06 AM

The Statesman ran this charming piece yesterday:

Man Accused of Hitting Woman With Gator

Posted by: sarah on July 18, 2004 12:40 PM

My favorite headline ever was one I saw in a supermarket checkout line, in 'The Star' (I haven't seen that one around recently). It read:
"Human Baby Hatches From Egg Laid By Alien Spaceship." The multiple logical disconnects necessary to even think up that headline just fascinated me.

Sarah, I saw that story too (in another paper). Unusual choice of a weapon, I thought. Swinging a gator at someone is a good way to get yourself mangled.

Posted by: Kathy K on July 18, 2004 7:28 PM

My favorite headline is from the San Antonio Express-News circa 1987: "James Beard Sending Recipes From Beyond The Grave." This was in the Metro section, which tells you all you need to know about the SA E-N.

The most memorable (for me, anyway) lead-in to a TV news story is also from San Antonio. The anchorwoman on KSAT (I think--channel 12)was introducing a story about a man who had gotten his shirt caught in some machinery; he was pulled into the machine and mangled to death. Her intro: "They say that clothes make the man, but clothes proved to be the undoing of one local man." I sh!t you not...

Posted by: FHC on July 19, 2004 1:00 AM