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:

[Doctor Raoul]

Could have been worse, Paris Hilton could have been signing backup.

[socal_parrot]

I wonder if a video clip of a middle aged chubby white guy doing the dance routine from Britney Spears' "Oops I Did it Again" video would make someone famous?


Just asking.

[Freedom2specul8]

Please add me to your list too.... This guy is a cutey!

[Slings and Arrows]

You're added - subtraction, multiplication, and division are out of this listowner's jurisdiction.

[Psycho_Bunny]

Yes....it cool in the same way as that feakin Tunak Tunak Tun song is.

You don't want to like it but once you hear it.....

[KimmyJaye]

for later

[Slings and Arrows]

Try associating .swf files with Internet Explorer. You may get a security warning when you try to play it, but if so just click on the play-it-anyway (or whatever it's called) button.

[Deb]

If William Hung can get a record deal, this kid should be able to get something. The Groundlings is a great idea.

[Freedom2specul8]

LOL And a big thank you bump!

[lilmsdangrus]

bump

[rwfromkansas]

Collegehumor.com occassionally has videos of people dancing.

Just hilarious stuff!!!

[rwfromkansas]

This is a funny one: http://www.collegehumor.com/?movie_id=109526

Starts dancing at about 4:10 or so.

[Grzegorz 246]

Interesting, thanks.

[bootless]

And for some reason, that animated Kenya song popped into my head:

"We got tigers in Kenya..."

[Coleus]

poor kid couldn't take the fame, too bad..

I guess he'll think twice before he does something like that again...

He could have seized the moment, and made a fortune like that Asian dude who can't sing or dance.

[lainde]

bttt

[1rudeboy]

Try associating .swf files with Internet Explorer.

I forgot how to do it, and I still cannot get this to play from my hard drive. I'm mystified.

[wtc911]

btt

[finnman69]

He could kick the ass of the Star Wars kid.

[finnman69]

This was funnier than SNL last night.