Ok, I admit it. I'm a fan of the show "American Idol". For those of you who don't follow the program, it's basically a singing competition in which professional talent scouts and industry insiders choose dozens of "would-be" singers and then they have a singing competition over the course of several weeks.
Slowly but surely, the kids are critiqued by the judges (some of them rather harshly) and are voted voted out of the competition by the viewing audience who calls in for their favorite singer.
William Hung was eliminated in the initial talent search when he sung the song, "She Bangs" totally off-key. He was an Asian American that had the look of a science class nerd, but a sincere heart of gold. He instantly became a favorite topic of the internet crowd and was swept into cult-status within weeks for his 2 minute tv audition appearance.
Now, he has gotten a record deal and just released a cd full of classic tunes sung in his off-key style including his audition favorite, "She bangs". He has a music video out and is enjoying his 15 minutes of fame while he is an engineering major in college. Pretty funny if you saw him sing.
So....if you could garner world attention and have a brief period in the spotlight...what would it be for? Let's keep this humorous if possible....
Posted by Michael Boone (Member # 308) on :
politics
Posted by Sheila Ferrell (Member # 3741) on :
I never watch that show and the other garbage like it because I hate processed, imitation, set-up, shock-culture, pretend ad-lib, does'nt-this-look-unplanned?, "reality TV"
. . . . and because I do not have cable, lol
Besides, I thought TV was for escaping and avoiding stuff, lol.
When we watched cable at my Dad's I prefer real reality TV like the history, discovery or biography channels or the Planet's Funniest Animals... now THERE'S un-planned events.
My 15 minutes of fame would be to write a best seller. . . . or have one of my songs bought and done by someone "big" . . . . or to travel all the way around the US on bike or horseback . . . . . . . .to have my own talk-radio show . . . . . . . . to do a prominent mural . . . .
See, the more things you wanna do or can do the more likely you are at succeeding in doing something that will really last more than 15 minutes ... and . .. OOPS! You said keep it humorus . . . .aw'rite.
My 15 minutes of fame would be to have my dog featured on the Planet's Funniest Animal's . . . Posted by Bob Stephens (Member # 858) on :
My fifteen minutes of fame came when we completed a Guinness world record skydive. A two point 118 way sequential formation skydive.
My second fifteen minutes came when we set a South American large formation skydiving record at the 80th anniversary air show for the Venezuelan Air force in front of thousands of spectators. Little kids who spoke no English wanted our autographs and each of us were mobbed by the kids. For the first time in their lives, they got to meet a real hero even if just for a few moments. That’s a big deal to poverty stricken kids in a third world country.
Then there was the television interview on Fox with Nancy Alexander. She’s one hot little firecracker! I did great on air and for weeks people kept coming up to me saying hey I saw you on tv!
Then there was the time at Ringling Brother Barnum & Bailey Circus in Florida...You should have seen the look in my kids eyes when they watched their dad climb up a 30' ladder to the top platform of the trapeze! Back flips in the air in front of those people. Talk about a blast!
I’ve had countless opportunities because I was willing to take risks that most people wouldn’t dream of. I’m sure glad I did and will continue to do so till the day I die.
One thing you will never see me do is sing on national TV! Now that could be dangerous.
Posted by Jon Butterworth (Member # 227) on :
I'm a little bit older than Bob, skydiving-wize. I hold Licence #D7 in New Zealand
June 15 1970 we put together the first 10 man star ever made in the world outside California!
The shock waves in the skydiving world were enormous!
I went on to instigate, organise and compete in the World's first International Relative Work Competition. A 10 man speed star Event at Masterton, New Zealand. 7 teams from USA,Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The Californian team won
Sign-wise: Probably the interview on National TV after I completed my first large mural project. Gave the confidence to go bigger and better.
[ May 01, 2004, 05:26 PM: Message edited by: Jon Butterworth ]
Posted by James Donahue (Member # 3624) on :
I just hope it would be something good, not a spectacular mishap. (Man single handedly causes record setting pile-up).
Or would that be INfamous??? Posted by Lotti Prokott (Member # 2684) on :
It would be cool to save someone's life. Preferably in some sort of heroic act. (Ok, people, get yourselves into trouble so that I can save you)
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Ok, here's mine....some poor elderly woman mistakes the gas peddle for the brake as she approaches a hairpin turn in Florida...she guns the car by mistake and drives off the road right into a runoff retaining pond. I see her car sinking, so I pull off the road, jump in the water and wrestle a nine foot alligator swimming toward her. I poke him in the eyes and he takes off.
Then I bust the windows and pull granny out just as a news chopper flys overhead getting it all on tape.
I swim her to the bank and start walking to my car to get a blanket to warm her up when I notice a patrolcar writing me a ticket for being illegally parked. The irony of it all!
I'm interviewed by all the networks. People are so p o'd about the traffic citation that checks come pouring in to cover my fee. I recieve 2.3 million dollars by the time it's all said and done.
Now that would be a cool 15 minutes of fame. Hehehehehe. Ok, back to reality again.
[ May 01, 2004, 08:54 PM: Message edited by: Todd Gill ]
Posted by Myra Grozinger (Member # 327) on :
I have some infamous 15 min. a few times a year when I write a letter to the Editor in my local paper on a subject of interest. they no longer even call me to verify if I wrote it. Usually local or other politics. Then the phone rings a lot with ditto head commentary, or a day or so later I get anonymous mail with scary scary threats using words I am familiar with but do not use myself.
What I would prefer is the fame of having become a serious fine art artist, and winning acclaim in competitions or exhibits.
Actually I submitted 2 screen prints in a competition many years ago. Of 400 entries 40 were hung and both of mine got in and one won 3rd place . That was a wonderful 15 minutes of blue ribbon fame.
Posted by Karen Sartain (Member # 241) on :
I've already had my 15 minutes of fame (ok..so it took a total of 3 hours and 42 minutes of labor combined) when I gave birth to my 2 boys. They are intelligent, thoughtful, kind, funny, talented, honest, open-minded, generous, loving, and are working hard in their lives to make the world a better place each and every day. What more fame could I ask than to be known as their Mom?
Posted by Donna in BC (Member # 130) on :
If you ever want to feel famous, have a 4 yr old along side you. They ask for you constantly, need you for everything, never let you out of their sight! And the odd time, you're even told, "I didn't want to go with Dad because I'd miss you."
Seriously, when in elementary school, I won a blue ribbon for a poster I drew. It was hung up in a window among others on mainstreet in town with a big fat blue ribbon beside it. I can still remember the feeling!
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Great stories everyone....guess I was looking for a more humorous, creatively odd comedic fantasy type "15 minutes of fame" scenario.
Kind of like, being the one that eats 100 hotdogs from a backpack while base jumping off the eifel tower.....something like that. Hehehehe.
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
or maybe putting on ice skates and nothing else then streak-skating around the ice rink at a "Stars on Ice" show....culminating in a triple axle before the security guards get you...hehehe
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
Sitting in with Aerosmith during a live performance.
Setting a color to be packaged as "flesh tone" for One Shot paints. (hey, if Dr. P.H. Martin's can do it for comic books, why not us?)
Packaging whatever it is that Bill Riedel has that makes him such a babe magnet. Rapid
[ May 03, 2004, 01:15 PM: Message edited by: Ray Rheaume ]
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Now we're talking...hehehehehehe
Posted by Mark Fair Signs (Member # 289) on :
i guess mine would be getting one of my tunes recorded by country artist Kathy Mattea on her "Willow in the Wind" album and receiving a gold record from her record company, Polygram records, then being invited to music row in nashville and meeting her with all the other songwriters who were on her past albums. what a nice lady!
plus kathy perfomed the song live on ralph emory's "nashville now" tv program on TNN and my name was mentioned as writer.
another is getting my first sign photo published in "signs we've seen", SignCraft magazine.
oops, i misread your post todd, this actually happened.
[ May 03, 2004, 10:55 PM: Message edited by: Mark Fair Signs ]
Posted by Steve Burke (Member # 2674) on :
My 15 min of fame would be for sneaking into Parliament and giving Jean Chretien a wedgie in front of the whole country...
My second 15 min of fame will come when I expose Barney as a founding member of Metallica before he went on to do kiddie shows.
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
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