The "pimps" at Marvel Studios may have finally closed the deal that pulled the last inch of Iron Man's blockbuster rug from beneath Terrence Howard, but a radical group of franchise purists are fighting his ouster with the new petition "Terrence Howard as War Machine in Iron Man 2." It seems a legal impossibility at this point, with Don Cheadle locked in as Col. Jim Rhodes, but! As the scrappy revolutionaries in Audrina Patridge's neighborhood showed us on Tuesday, there is no affront that can't be corrected with a surge of Democratic fervour — and maybe some fanboy earnestness to spare:

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Remember how the My Chemical Romance fans ("DON'T CALL US EMOS!") were going to march on the offices of The Daily Mail in a show of support for their favourite band, so often dubbed a "suicide cult", and they'd show those meddling tabloid journos a thing or two?

Well, they did, only it probably wasn't as exciting or impressive as it possibly could've been.

Particularly since, you know, they didn't actually make it to the offices.

Most of today's demonstrators were young girls, who chanted: "Don't blame MCR (My Chemical Romance)."

Some dressed in typical emo fashion - tight black jeans, studded belts, dyed black hair - and heeded organisers' website requests to "consider dressing to suit the day ... Don't try to dress stereotypically."

Accordingly, some fans wore homemade T-shirts with slogans such as "Think happy thoughts".

The teenagers had initially wanted to march to the Daily Mail's offices off chic Kensington High Street, but police quashed that idea because of security concerns.

Instead the main protest took place at the Marble Arch monument, next to Hyde Park, as smaller groups were allowed to protest outside the offices.

Really, you would've thought the power of Facebook could've made this the protest to end all protests - perhaps they should've bought Corey Worthington a packet of black LiveColour and let him organise the day?

You'll recall a week or so ago we drew your attention to the frankly idiotic treatment the Daily Mail gave a story about the suicide death of a teenager who also happened to be a My Chemical Romance fan. Naturally the paper decided that MCR's album about "The Black Parade" was all about the "nickname for the place where Emo fans believe they will go when they die."

Well, the fans have had it up to here with the media's treatment of their favourite band - rightly so, really - and have decided to gang up and march to the Mail's headquarters in protest.

The march, to be held on May 31, will begin at Hyde Park's West Pond and end outside the offices of The Daily Mail.

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Melbourne residents, only just recovering from the mass taxi driver stripathon late last month which led to the city's cabbies having their list of demands approved by the State Government, have again had to endure an eyeful of flesh, with another bunch of protesters who figure a shirts off approach to demonstrating is the best way to get their point across. Hands up those of you who have been secretly longing for Family First spunk Stephen Fielding to get his gear off? It's your lucky day!

Photo: Angela Wylie

Angry pensioners and a Family First senator have stripped off and stopped traffic on one of Melbourne's busiest intersections in a protest against a lack of support for seniors in this week's Federal Budget.

Up to 200 elderly people stood at the corner of Swanston and Flinders Streets this morning.

It was inspired by topless taxi drivers who won safety concessions after a city centre protest rally two weeks ago, was organised with the backing of Family First senator Stephen Fielding.

Mr Fielding stripped off his shirt in support of the protest, while two elderly women wore only their bras.

Highlights of the sexy but serious protest include -

- 'John', 69, who ran off into the intersection and stripped off to his underpants, said the budget was a "slap in the face" for pensioners.

- Another woman stripped down to her bra and longjohns during the protest.

According to the article, "traffic returned to normal after about 15 minutes" - but the visual picture will no doubt stay with witnesses for the rest of their lives.

We thought those of you who were entertained by the slow and sensual strip show protest staged by Melbourne's taxi drivers yesterday would like to know that their bare-chested protestations didn't go unnoticed, and all but two of their demands will be met by the State Government.

Maybe the teachers' unions should start looking into massed nudity?

Pre-payment of fares between 10pm and 5am -- a key demand from drivers to deal with the frequent problem of passengers who "do a runner" without paying -- will be introduced in the next few months.

Drivers will estimate the amount of the fare before the journey and then the difference, if there is one, will be paid by either the driver or passenger.

The State Government will pay 50% of the cost of introducing safety screens, with the balance to be paid by taxi operators.

The screens, worth $1000 to $1200, will be removable, allowing drivers who do not want them to store them in the boot. At first the installation will cover about 75% of Melbourne's 3800-strong taxi fleet.

Now, if they could just work on the taxi drivers who, upon one's entering the cab and requesting one's destination, turn around looking slightly frightened and as, "Do you know how to get there?" we'll all be laughing.

We should preface this piece by making it clear we support the Melbourne cabbies' protest and think that taxi drivers really get a bum deal these days (excluding the ones who actually don't know where anything is/have the heater on 43 degrees and windows up/smell like Don Skinless Franks).

However, we couldn't help but laugh in a somewhat bemused fashion at the following highlights from this morning's reportage of the cabbie strike in Melbourne's CBD. We've underlined the best bits, just in case you miss them in your first scan:

Taxi drivers blockading a major intersection in Melbourne's CBD have started to remove their clothing and have released their demands, saying they will not move until authorities meet with them.

Several hundred drivers are sitting and standing in a circle around the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets in central Melbourne, holding up placards and protesting against violence and abuse of taxi drivers.

The protest started yesterday evening and has continued overnight. One of the organisers, Indian-born taxi driver Jazz Randyboy, said the protest had been peaceful.

Seriously, is this a hack? Why are they stripping? Are they protesting by unleashing such a torrent of taxi-bound sensuality that the CBD grinds to an orgasmic halt, thereby greatly reducing productivity and sending the economy into a tailspin?

For god's sake someone tell us what is going on!

UPDATE!!

Are you ready for this jelly? The Age has a photo of the bare-chested cabbies' protest. Over the jump for all the righteous sexy you can handle!

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Remember, remember the ... 10th of February? There were no spectacular fireworks flying out of the Hollywood Scientology Center set to Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" yesterday afternoon, but there were an awful lot of folks in Guy Fawkes masks protesting the somewhere-in-the-Pacific-Ocean-based organization. It was one of several such demonstrations held throughout the world yesterday. For those out of the internet-meme-activism loop:

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Pass us a spliff and give us an inspirational slogan to yell, because we're all a-flustered about the young man who crashed John Howard's morning tea.

A Speedo-clad protester, a man wanting more ethnic diversity in government advertising, and a handful of Your Rights At Work campaigners have done their best to disrupt Prime Minister John Howard's low-key tour of a key marginal seat.

But Mr Howard has brushed off any security concerns after a man dressed only in swimming briefs, a bathing cap and goggles and yelling about climate change came within touching distance of the prime minister.

The man, with the words "Climate Change Ski Team" emblazoned on his bare chest in pen, repeatedly told Mr Howard that there was "no snow" as security staff quickly bundled him into a nearby toilet at the Bega RSL during a community morning tea in the NSW south coast town.

Down with climate change! Down with Speedos!

(We don't know why we're being so shamelessly sexist. We apologise. It may have something to do with nicotine withdrawals.)