A bizarre story out of Fresno, Calif., is putting KMPH reporter Jessob Reisbeck — and a homeless hitchhiker who travels with a hatchet named Kai — in the spotlight.

Kai was hitching a ride with Jett Simmons McBride when McBride intentionally ran his car into a black PG&E worker. He got out of the car and grabbed another woman, reportedly claiming he was Jesus Christ and shouting racist epithets. Kai got out of the passenger seat and hit McBride in the head with the blunt end of his hatchet, saving the woman’s life.

“I f—ing ran up behind him with a hatchet — smash, smash, smash!” Kai told Reisbeck (video above).

Reisbeck’s interview with Kai has gone viral, with the unedited version (which is more than five minutes long and features some very creative NSFW language) notching more than 360,000 YouTube views since it was posted yesterday. Watch it after the jump. continued…

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We’re now hearing from the host of that chaotic New Year’s Eve special last week on an independent TV station in LA. Actor/comedian Jamie Kennedy talks with the New York Times about the special on KDOC, which was once part-owned by Pat Boone and once included shows hosted by televangelists.

Last Monday, KDOC viewers were treated to poorly produced TV at its best, including profanities, innuendos and a fight. By nearly all accounts, the special went horribly awry. But Kennedy says it was supposed to be that way. (Watch the highlights above, if YouTube hasn’t already yanked this version too).

Kennedy tells the New York Times‘ Dave Itzkoff the special “was totally supposed to be like that.”

Q: So, did the special turn out the way you wanted?

A: We wanted to make almost an anti-New Year’s Eve show, and the recipe calls for unexpected. We had an open bar for our guests, we were unrehearsed. It was not glamorous. We shot at the apex of craziness on Hollywood Boulevard on New Year’s Eve, in front of one of the most highly visible places, the Chinese Theater, and it was more like a block party type of feel.

Q: The online reaction to the special has been very polarized and in many cases extremely negative. Does that bother you?

continued…

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This week, Oklahoma City NBC-affiliate KFOR posted a photo sent in by a viewer on its Facebook page that showed a collection of street lamps that had been melted by extreme heat.  The image quickly went viral and the consensus was that record high temperatures in the area had melted the lamps.

It turns out, though, that the melting was actually caused by a recent dumpster fire that occurred underneath the lamps. continued…

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A strange video from WTVR popped up online recently in which weathercaster Aaron Justus delivers an apocalyptic forecast for the Richmond CBS-affiliate. In addition to a volcanic eruption and a super hurricane, Justus’s forecast includes Godzilla (video above).

So where’d the video come from? continued…

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Sensing that the image would inevitably go viral, Houston NBC-affiliate KPRC recently posted a screenshot on its Facebook page of a man who appears to be taking a leak in the station’s weather garden, feet behind chief meteorologist Frank Billingsley.

“Since this will go viral any way, we might as well let you know it’s not what you think,” KPRC wrote on its Facebook page, posting the above photo. “That guy is an electrical contractor stringing wires in our weather garden. In case you’re wondering, yep, we’re mortified and laughing at the same time and we picked this frame specifically because Frank’s pose is just the cherry on top of it all.” continued…

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In an apparent parody of “Kony 2012″ director Jason Russell‘s naked meltdown in San Diego last week, actor Jason Biggs stripped down in the hallways of WGN after doing an interview with entertainment reporter Dean Richards.

According to Richards, Biggs got naked while his entourage filmed the scene for a web video. WGN security cameras captured it all on tape and the station posted it online, in addition to playing the footage during its newscasts. continued…

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In a story that’s sure to gain national attention, Fresno ABC-affiliate KFSN basically uncovered the real life “21 Jump Street.”

As FishbowlLA reports, KFSN’s Jessica Peres recently sat down with 22-year-old Alex Salinas, a police officer who went undercover at a local high school to help take down a drug ring.

Perhaps the funniest part of the story is how Salinas, a C-student when he was in high school, had to scale back on his homework when he started getting A’s. Video inside… continued…

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Katie Davis

Davis was interrupted by a rooster chasing her out of the barn and pecking at her leg. “That’s the first time I’ve been attacked by a rooster at work!” Davis exclaims.

“What’s it going to be like on YouTube?” her photographer asked.

WJAR posted the viral video on the station’s Facebook page and website. “That rooster actualy chased me 3 or 4 times,” Davis wrote. “We thought he went back into the chicken coop, when suddenly he suprised me! Ironically he was the smallest rooster in the farm. The big guys couldn’t care less that we were there!”

Watch it after the jump (warning: video plays automatically). continued…

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The fourth grader’s epic thank you letter (inside) recently went viral after Ramon posted it on his Facebook page last week and then a KVUE producer’s sister posted it on Reddit. continued…

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KRDO meteorologist Rachael Plath has seen an outpouring of  viewer support this week after video of her exclaiming “son of a bitch!” in the middle of a forecast (video above) aired live on the Colorado Springs ABC-affiliate.

“Thanks for being human and don’t sweat it,” one fan wrote on her Facebook wall. “You are great in my book.”

“I think it’s great to know you’re human. Thanks for being real,” another comment read.

Plath — who noted that the viral moment was the result of a wrong clip airing and “not a moment of frustration live” — gamely thanked viewers for their support, responding individually to many of the messages. continued…

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Original Story: It was a long night for many covering the Super Tuesday results and it appeared that Fox News correspondent Doug Luzader had a little trouble rebounding for his early morning appearance on Austin Fox O&O KTBC today (video above).

KTBC anchor Joe Bickett gamely tried to rouse Luzader, who was appearing via satellite from Washington, D.C. (and may have been unable to hear Bickett), before ducking out of the segment. An hour later, Bickett was able to talk about the Republican primary results with Luzader, who appeared fully alert. continued…

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A student who was apparently shadowing KLKN chief meteorologist Kevin Coskren for a career education class, got stuck following Coskren a little too closely.

When KLKN went to Coskren for a live weather update at the top if its 6 p.m. newscast, the kid was sitting right behind the meteorologist.  Realizing that they were live, the kid slowly slides out of the frame (video above). continued…

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In a video that’s now been posted a few times on YouTube, WJET‘s Craig Smylie appears to flub his sports update during the ABC-affiliate’s morning newscast.

“Son of a bitch,” Smylie exclaims in the video (above), shaking his head.

The gaffe likely wasn’t a case of an anchor letting a bad word slip on live TV, though.  It looks like someone in the control room played the wrong taped segment during the newscast. continued…

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It just wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without someone proposing on-air. In this case, that someone was a WTWO production assistant named Zach, who popped the question to his girlfriend during the Terre Haute NBC-affiliate’s late newscast on Tuesday.

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WXII‘s Bill O’Neil was reporting live from a sidewalk cafe when a woman walked into the shot.  Conscious that the WXII crew was filming, the woman attempted to duck out of the frame, but didn’t have much luck.  [Via BuzzFeed]

(Note: You can also watch the video on WXII’s YouTube channel here).

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