Internet Fame Is Cruel Mistress for Dancer of the Numa Numa (funny video of kid singing)

NY Times ^ | 2/26/05 | ALAN FEUER and JASON GEORGE

[Cableguy]

There was a time when embarrassing talents were a purely private matter. If you could sing the Star Spangled Banner in the voice of Daffy Duck, no one but your friends and family would ever have to know.

But with the Internet, humiliation - like everything else - has now gone public. Upload a video of yourself playing flute with your nose or dancing in your underwear and people from Toledo to Turkmenistan can watch.

Here, then, is the cautionary tale of Gary Brolsma, 19, amateur videographer and guy from New Jersey, who made the grave mistake of placing on the Internet a brief clip of himself dancing along to a Romanian pop song. Even in the bathroom mirror, Mr. Brolsma's performance could only be described as earnest but painful.

His story suggests that the quaint days when cultural trinkets, like celebrity sex tapes, were passed around like novels in Soviet Russia are over. It says a little something of the lightning speed at which fame is made these days.

To begin at the beginning:

[speed_addiction]

Be Careful, sometimes letting it ALL go can end up being rather painful!

All I have to say to that is:

Miya Hee! Hiya Hoo! Miya Haw! Miya Ha Ha!

[Mongeaux]

WHat we have here is a YOUNG John Candy! The article said he's been making amusing videos for years - This kid needs a shot on "Saturday Night Live" maybe he can resuscitate it.

Can't you see him doing that dance on the show?

He's a talented comic. Norm Michaels - hire him!

[Slings and Arrows]

Oooh, a bad girl who knows her image encoding formats - I'm in love!

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Too late.

So sad to see such a senseless injury inflicted. If you had only been wearing a cup.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

He's a talented comic. Norm Michaels - hire him!

Thats the very reason Mr. Michaels wouldn't hire him. When you go from feeding the masses steak to feeding them tripe, you don't toss a sirloin in front of them. They would only get confused.

[Boazo]

I love this kid. He's adorable and the world can see it.LOL



I Agree

[Lady Jag]

middle or end of next week I'll have a recital.

[arasina]

LOL! A hairbrush makes a good microphone. I'm a 'let it go' person myself. I can actually relate to this kid. Hiya HA HA!

[sully777]

Re: Gary's core issue is not the Numa Numa dance, it's The Burning.

---

Seinfeld “The Burning”
Episode no. 172

Kramer and Mickey are back at Mt. Sinai.

Dr. Wexler: Alright, and here are you ailments for this week. By the way, Mr. Kramer, you were excellent.

Kramer: Oh, thank you.

Mickey: Cirrhosis of the liver with jaundice! Alright I get to wear make-up! What did you get?

Kramer: Gonorrhea? Excuse me, I think there's been a mistake, see, I had
gonorrhea last week.

Dr. Wexler: Oh, it's no mistake. We loved what you did with it.

Kramer: I don't believe this, I'm being TYPECAST.

[Axenolith]

New tag!

[F16Fighter]

"A hairbrush makes a good microphone."

STILL doing that?? Are you looking in a mirror too while you belt out Carly Simon's 'Anticipation'? ;-)

[SlowBoat407]

I just downloaded the song from iTunes Music Store. My wife wants to use it on her iPod when she's at the gym. By the way, she thinks the guy is a hoot, too, and it's great that he can express himself so wonderfully.

Please, someone, hire him and reward this kind of joy that he showed!

[arasina]

Carly Simon? YECH!

My whole family does impromptu singing and dancing. Not ONCE has it ever been a Carly Simon song. LOL

[bd476]

Agree with you Deb. He is as least as talented as John Belushi in skits from SNL parodying a Samarai swordsman. It's sad that the media is making it look as if he should be ashamed.

He has rhythm, he has great facial expression and good comedic timing. He should take a trip to a Groundlings type theater, or any large city where they have improv classes. He has a gift.

[F16Fighter]

"My whole family does impromptu singing and dancing."

Do ALL of you sing into hairbrushes when you do?

[speed_addiction]

Please, someone, hire him and reward this kind of joy that he showed!

I had a friend who died wadding up his motorcycle a couple of years ago, and this kid reminded me of him. When ever we went to a Kareoke place, he would tie his t-shirt up just below his chest and go on stage and sing "It's Raining Men!" He would do it with the same abandon and joy as this kid. Funny thing is, he was completely straight and would do this as a joke.

R.I.P. Felix. I still do a wheelie or two in your honor, Bro!

[Mongeaux]

We need to start a petition for SNL to hire that kid! ANybody organized out there?

[arasina]

Of course not! We use candlesticks, peanut butter jars, a broomstick...whatever's handy.

[F16Fighter]

Wait a minute..."Singing AND dancing"??

Now I'm envisioning one of those Moe, Larry and Curly society bashes where Curly is twirling all the women around...

In case you're wondering, ALL American males over the age of 40 worship the Three Stooges due to genetic experiments by American scientists during WWII.

[NoCmpromiz]

He is probably a load of laughs to have a beer or two with.

However... it says he is only 19, and if I remember correctly, in most (if not all) states, having a beer or two with a 19 year old, while it might be fun, entertaining, friendly, and all that, could end up costing you more than it's worth (especially if you were the one buying the beer!)