The biggest media pranks of the year were also some of the biggest news stories of the year, so maybe we should all just pray for a swift and painless apocalypse. But what's baffling is that the perpetrators of these clever pranks did so with the only reward being the hope of getting on a reality TV show (or worse, getting back on a reality TV show). That's like climbing Mt. Everest just for the privilege of being peed on by Ryan Seacrest.
Thankfully, Amish in the City was left untouched by pranks
Here are our picks for the Top 3 Media Pranks of 2009:
1. The White House Gate Crashers
For sheer balls and ingenuity, this one rates a "10." For motives, it ranks about a minus 4 billion. Let's see, you manage to penetrate layers of security, sneak past the Secret Service to a state dinner with a sitting president and the Prime Minister of India, all so you could maybe get on a crappy reality show? WHAT THE Frost IS WRONG WITH YOU?
[For those of you who are living in your parents' basement, counting down the minutes until Miley Cyrus turns 18, read the full story here.]
They could have done anything: brought the plight of starving Americans (such as yourself) to his attention; petition the President for your much-needed breast implants as part of Health Care Reform; or ask the Prime Minister of India for a piece of Tandoori bread. But Tareq and Michaele Salahi pulled off this super bad-assed, James Bondian prank so the bulimic princess could be a cast member on the "Real Housewives of DC" series.
Really thinkin' big, and shootin' for the moon, guys.
Here's a word about "How Life Works," folks. Voicing a character on the Shakespearetiest cartoon ever -- say, being the voice of Pikachu's retarded cousin on "Pokemon" -- is way cooler than being the star of any reality TV show. Because if you're the dominating presence on any of those shows -- think Johnny Fairplay, Puck, or Omarosa -- it means you're a world class douchebag. And now everyone in America knows it.
2. Balloon Boy
While America waits for a frozen boypop ... Division of Social Service waits to break up sick family
Having subjected his family to not one, but two traumatic horrifications with appearances on Wife Swap -- a show designed to make even his docile Japanese mail-order bride feel insecure -- Richard Heene's lust for more TV face time led to this demented balloon scheme. Heene pretended to "accidentally" launch a UFO-shaped helium balloon into space with his six year-old tyke on board. [Watch the video here.]
When all was said and done, and little Falcon confessed it was "for the show" to creepy ol' Wolf Blitzer, then hurled on his dad on the Today Show (with slo-mo of puke), Dad and Mom both received jail sentences, 90 days for Dad, 20 days for Mom. Both parents face fines of up to $500,000 and will be on probation for four years, during which they cannot earn any money related to the stunt, which means no books, movies or -- heaven forbid -- reality TV deals.
But there's still hope. Richard Heene may just be on a segment of MSNBC's Ramrod Romance: Love Behind Bars during his incarceration.
3. Kanye West's Taylor Swift Prank
What do you mean a "prank"? Why, Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards was just a show of bad taste! [Relive the moment here.] MTV wouldn't lie to us, would they?
Actually, MTV are the masters of the shock-stunt. Without something really stupid or disturbing (like an allegedly drunk and allegedly fat Britney Spears stomping around and forgetting how to lip-sync in 2007), there would be no reason to have the VMA's.
That's supposed to be drunk and "fat"? Well, helllooo Mrs. Plankton!
Remember the "spontaneous" Madonna/Britney Spears kiss at the 2003 MTV VMAs?
Remember when Bruno "accidentally" teabagged Eminem at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards?
Remember the Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction" which was produced by -- you guessed it -- MTV?
Listen: you can't always count on an Axl Rose, Eminem, or Amy Winehouse to bust out of detox, crack pipe aflame, Jack Daniels bottle in tow, and storm the stage with an incoherent blast of mindlessness. MTV executives know this, and therefore leave nothing to chance. So who better than Kanye? How can anyone forget his famous (non-prank) statement, "George Bush doesn't like black people," at the Katrina fund raiser?
So here it is: Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift was one of the year's best publicity stunts. [Read the compelling argument here.]
Remember: If it looks like a prank, smells like a prank, and tastes (yuck!) like a prank, it probably is.
Did we miss any of the biggest media stunts of 2009? Let us know below!
|
|
799 
5 
Share on your site:
34,425 
10
