Sign of the Times

From Studio Briefing:

News Rack Playing 'Mission: Impossible' Theme Blown Up

A news rack in Santa Clarita, CA was blown up by a Los Angeles County arson squad Friday when a device on the rack, intended to play the theme from Mission: Impossible when the door was opened, dislodged and fell onto the pile of newspapers, leading a passerby to suspect that it was a bomb and call police. The Times said that about 4,500 news racks had been outfitted with the musical devices as part of a marketing campaign between the newspaper and Paramount. However, the Associated Press reported Sunday that some of the red devices, exposing protruding wires, had become dislodged and had alarmed customers.

More from WENN:

'Mission: Impossible III' Stunt Goes Wrong

Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible III publicity campaign has blown cinemagoers away - after strategically placed audio boxes singing the movie theme tune were mistaken for bombs. The promotional stunt saw The Los Angeles Times racks fitted with a digital musical device which was set to play the distinctive tune when the door was opened. However, some of the ill-fitted boxes became disconnected and sprouted wires, prompting alarmed customers to report potential bomb attacks. Officials from The Los Angeles Times said the stunt was designed to transform the "everyday news rack experience" into an "extraordinary mission." The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department arson squad, who destroyed a box, say, "This was the least intended outcome. We weren't expecting anything like this."