The Smarmy Carny

Either way, I don't care what happens with Michael Jackson. I have always compared him with the problem child who always acts up to get attention. When you're a has-been that has had two huge successes (the Jackson Five, and then the solo career), I guess you just get used to all the attention and fame.

What else could explain some of Jackson's eccentric behavior? Why would you wave your baby around outside a window in front of reporters and cameras?

I'm shocked that there's not a Michael Jackson reality show out there yet.

That dude has issues, and I think the solution is to ignore him. It's the media's fault that we even had to hear about this fodder every day throughout the entire trial.

For a great song dedicated to Michael Jackson, give a listen to Ookla the Mok's "F. People," or at least just read the lyrics.

If the sequined glove does not fit, you must acquit.

Pie Hole

Here's a fun little flash animation by Norboto titled "Pie Hole." It's fun.

I always enjoy a nice little "this sound plus this sound plus this sound equals a song." Maybe that's why Fruity Loops (now called FL Studio) is so much fun.

I'll be posting another flash animation in a few days that uses a similar technique.

This article has been re-posted at Idle Idols, the site for the funniest American Idol auditions.

Numa Numa Dance

Countless people have imitated the Numa Numa Dance video, but few compete. None truly compare. It is this precise reason why I have not mentioned any of them, until now.

Take some time to check out this Flash animation of Gary Broslma on American Idol. It's not so much a lame imitation, but more of an artistic representation of the Numa Numa Dance on American Idol. The artist behind this has also gone to some trouble to draw the male AI contestants.

Still, this item pales in comparison, but it is worth watching if you have the time, and especially if you watch American Idol on a at all this season. (In my defense, I normally would not have seen any of the non-audition episodes of AI, but several people at work have the television tuned for the full show.)

If you haven't seen the original "Numa Numa Dance" (a.k.a. "Mya Mya," "Mya Hee, Mya Haa," "Hilarious Dude Lip Syncing," and many other things) video yet, you simply must take the time to watch it. It's basically a guy lip-syncing to a song titled Dragosta Din Tei by O-Zone.

Read my original post about the Numa Numa Dance, too!

Free iPods

Have you signed up for your free iPod yet?

Status:

5 referrals obtained!

I received my free iPod!

By this time, most everyone has heard about the "free iPod" deals out on the internet.

The intelligent people who hear about this deal immediately dismiss the entire plan as a scam. The gullible people who hear about this deal end up with free iPods. Go figure.

The most popular site offering free iPods has caused quite a frenzy. First, there was a flurry of people claiming that they really did get a free iPod. Then there was a flurry of people saying they qualified for a free iPod, but they were still waiting to get theirs, and they were pessimistic. Then there was a flurry of people saying they finally got their free iPod. Then there was a flurry of people saying they finally believed the second generation of free-iPod'ers, and had finally decided to join up and go for the gold. This is precisely where I entered the story.

You've got questions? Of course you do? Still skeptical? Of course you are. Here are some answers for you:

• Is this really for real?
  What . . . you mean that just because you read my blog entry, you don't believe it's legit? Fair enough. I wouldn't believe a random blog entry, either. Read an article on the free iPod deal at Wired.com. Even they admit it's legit.
• How does it work?
  Basically, you sign up and complete an "offer." You can pick from various offers. Right now, there are items such as "Join the Columbia House DVD Club and get 5 DVDs for $.49 each," "Start your free trial of Appéra tooth whitener," "Get a free 7 Day Trial of Trimlife Trio," "Sign up for a free 30-day trial at eFax," etc. My personal advice is to go with one of the free trials and cancel near the end of the trial, unless of course you were already thinking about getting involved with one of the deals (like Columbia House). Then, get five friends (or even enemies or strangers, if they are willing) to sign up using your referral link and complete an offer themselves. Once this is all done, they ship you an iPod!
• How can they make money off of giving away free $200+ iPods?
  Apparently the company behind this deal gets money for sending people (prospective customers) to the specified sites. If they give an iPod to a person, that means they fulfilled the obligation and had five people sign up under them and complete an offer. So, five referrals costs them one iPod . . . and not everyone who completes an offer bothers to get all five referrals, and never picks up an iPod. Easy money for the company.

Just to recap, here's information from the site about how to get your free iPod:

To get your free item is simple:

1. Join our website.
   You create an account with our website by filling out the simple form on our main page. Give us your email address and create a password, and hit next. That's it!
2. Click and complete an online offer from our website.
   These are special online offers that our advertisers are offering, and can be found once your are logged into your account, and on the "Complete Offer" page. You will simply have to choose 1 (one) of these offers which you are interested in, and complete the necessary steps. Offer instructions will pop up once you click on that offer, just make sure you have disabled any pop-up blocking software.
   You will receive credit for this offer, once you have completed all of the necessary steps, and we have received confirmation of credit from that offer provider.
   You can see the status of this credit on the "Check Status" page of the website. You are also free to try more than one offer.
3. Refer people who also create an account, and complete an offer.
   You will need to refer new people to sign up with our website by having them click on your referral link. They must click that exact link in order for you to get credit. Once they have joined, they must also complete one online offer from their account. Once you have the appropriate number of referrals who completed an offer, and once you yourself have completed an offer, you will then be eligible to receive your free product.

I'm not going to lie to you. After reading the post, I'm sure you are well aware that the links above all head to referral URIs. You're helping people by getting them closer to a free iPod, and I'm helping you by informing you about the whole deal. Of course, you could chop off the referral portion of the link, but then you'd be helping no one . . . except for Freepay. These referral links are not for me, as I have already received my free iPod! Read here about my free iPod!

This article has been re-posted at Idle Idols, the site for the funniest American Idol auditions.

The only episodes of American Idol that I watch (or half-watch, to be accurate) are the audition episodes. Psychodiva Mary Roche (aka Mary Guilbeaux and sometimes written "Mary Roche") was the final contestant shown on last night's show. Basically she acted a little strange (a bit Canadian, if you ask me) and did some standard awful singing, self-described as "pop rock meets broadway meets jazz and R&B". The judges then hand it over to Simon to explain to her that she is one of the worst they have ever heard. This prompted Mary to later say "The fact that they said that . . . that doesn't make me want to pursue any kind of singing career." I really don't think she understands that this really was their goal.
Read the rest of this entry »

Numa Numa Dance

I know I'm a bit late to this particular internet phenomenon, but I figured it was worth sharing anyway, since many have never seen this . . .

If you haven't seen the "Numa Numa Dance" (a.k.a. "Mya Mya," "Mya Hee, Mya Haa," "Hilarious Dude Lip Syncing," and many other things) video yet, you simply must take the time to watch it. It's basically a guy (Gary Brolsma) lip-syncing to a song titled Dragosta Din Tei by O-Zone.

You can watch the video here. I suggest clicking "View without subtitles" to see the best version in all its glory. You can also watch a larger version of the same video here, but that version also has dumb pictures interspersed throughout the video. I prefer to watch the weird guy the entire way through, thank you very much.

Uber-Update: Watch the New Numa Dance, too!

Update: I decided to add this link, since some people apparently want the info. Read the Dragosta Din Tei lyrics in both Romanian and English. If you're interested in buying the song, grab the single at Amazon. This import single includes the Original Romanian Version, the Original Italina Version, the Dj Ross Radio Mix, the Dj Ross Extended Remix, and the Unu In The Dub Mix. What more could you possibly want?