# Omnibus Stupid MFers in the news thread (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 5, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657 "2024-01-05T16:15:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 389
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7761 "2026-07-12T03:27:59Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > It also shows how necessary jockeys really are. I assume that was a joke and that you don’t really think the unique event of the mid-race demise of one jockey riding a frontrunner has any serious bearing on whether mounted jockeys are necessary in horse racing. If someone disapproves of conventional horse racing and thinks it ought to be replaced by some other type of riderless horse competition, of course that’s, well, a different kettle of fish. But yeah, in conventional horse racing you kind of need the jockey to do stuff like getting the horse to start and stop and speed up and slow down in strategically timed ways. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7762 "2026-07-12T15:33:00Z")
Perhaps it’s time to introduce [Robot Jockeys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_jockey) to horse racing? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7763 "2026-07-17T03:54:12Z")
William Shatner, age 95, is making his debut as a heavy metal musician Chicago’s Riot Fest this September. His concert rider is… something else. > **[William Shatner's Riot Fest Rider Demands Are Out of This World](https://consequence.net/2026/07/william-shatner-riot-fest-rider/)** > > After announcing that he'll be playing Riot Fest, 95-year-old William Shatner has unveiled a list of rider demands that puts classic-era Van Halen to shame. [![](https://consequence.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Shatner-Rider-Demands-1-scaled.jpg) ](https://consequence.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Shatner-Rider-Demands-1-scaled.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7764 "2026-07-17T07:16:53Z")
At least he didn’t want any green M&Ms. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7765 "2026-07-17T11:59:19Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > William Shatner, age 95, I would never have guessed he was 95. I mean, I didn’t think he was anywhere near that old in the first place, but I’ve yet to see a picture of him where he looks older than 65 or 70. Look at this picture from when he was 94. If you told me this was a picture of a 64 year old person, I’d have no reason not the believe it. [![](https://preview.redd.it/june-9th-2025-a-94-year-old-william-shatner-looking-v0-dwbwf9efrh6f1.jpeg?auto=webp&s=57c45f05203ab43fa9089533c9e6bc850115ef0b) ](https://preview.redd.it/june-9th-2025-a-94-year-old-william-shatner-looking-v0-dwbwf9efrh6f1.jpeg?auto=webp&s=57c45f05203ab43fa9089533c9e6bc850115ef0b) ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7766 "2026-07-17T12:35:20Z")
I dunno, I feel like this should really have been in the Omnibus Hilariously Awesome People In The News thread. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7767 "2026-07-17T12:43:22Z")
Are we sure that this isn’t a joke on Shatner’s (or someone else’s) part? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7768 "2026-07-17T12:57:46Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > At least he didn’t want any green M&Ms. Of course not, they attract little balls of fluff. ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7769 "2026-07-17T13:05:48Z")
Reads like that to me. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7770 "2026-07-17T13:08:29Z")
I agree that the rider is a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7771 "2026-07-17T13:22:12Z")
I dunno. Getting John Stamos to sign a Canadiens sweater sounds totally legit ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7772 "2026-07-17T13:26:33Z")
I know the green m&m’s is sometimes seen as entitled musical act rider, but the reality, as explained by Van Halen who added these kinds of details, was that they had a large show with some very real, very complex instrument/equipment/size needs. And they had found that some of the ones the venue thought were frivolous, or did not apply, would ignore them, causing things not to work as expected. So they started adding these eccentric, but doable, requests to ensure the whole rider had been read and complied with when they arrived at the venue. If when they arrived an in their dressing room there were not, then they knew that it had not been followed and there were likely other parts that were more crucial to the show safety or performance that were missed also. In fact, that kind of thing is now called the Van Halen Test: [Van Halen test - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Halen_test) `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7773 "2026-07-17T13:37:36Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I would never have guessed he was 95. I was just 8 when Star Trek started and he would have been about 35. So 25ish years older than me. I’m 67 now so he’s low-mid 90s now. It sneaks up on us all. I suppose it’s harder for something you (any you) only saw as reruns later. You’re seeing 35yo Shatner when you’re 8 or 10, but the show is already 8 or 10 or 20 years old by that point. Leading kidly you to misjudge his age relative to yours. And which impression of age difference sticks with you into adulthood until you have reason to research it and be surprised. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > but I’ve yet to see a picture of him where he looks older than 65 or 70. By coincidence I looked him up on wiki yesterday when writing a post in the _Dragnet_ thread. My goal was to check whether he was still alive. He was / is. But I was struck by the same thing. The pic in his wiki article is from 2026 and he looks mostly 70ish. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7774 "2026-07-17T14:06:33Z")
So he is gonna have to somehow beef up _The Transformed Man_, or what? Cool graphic, there, with flames around his head and tongue sticking out - handy little sticker to put on your bumper, or jacket patch. Or maybe the Priceline approach. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ilkcx1ulg10/maxresdefault.jpg "Priceline "Convoy" Commercial ft. William Shatner (1999)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilkcx1ulg10) ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7775 "2026-07-17T14:11:32Z")
Chicago’s most beloved meteorologist… I don’t know if there’s a consensus. I’d guess either Tom Skilling, or Cheryl Scott. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7776 "2026-07-17T14:42:50Z")
Better get both, just to be sure ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7777 "2026-07-17T15:57:48Z")
IIRC Shatner was (is?) a bit of a horndog. It’s Cheryl FTW. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7778 "2026-07-17T17:33:17Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I suppose it’s harder for something you (any you) only saw as reruns later. That reminds me of something Johnny Knoxville (Jackass) said a few years back. He’s was replying to a comment about how much older he (seemingly, suddenly) looked and reminded the person that this didn’t happen overnight, Jackass was 20+ years ago. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7779 "2026-07-17T19:00:34Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > At least he didn’t want any green M&Ms. Well, ack-shoo-ah-leeee… it was the brown M&Ms they wanted taken out. My mom’s cousin Antonio was the guy who got to eat all those brown ones (he kind of blimped out while they were on tour, and my mom - and his doctor - were relieved when he finally got to take the weight off). ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657/7780 "2026-07-17T20:08:55Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > but I’ve yet to see a picture of him where he looks older than 65 or 70. Einstein predicted that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657.md?page=388) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-2/995657.md?page=390)