Urban Legends - The Art of the Prank

July 3, 2009December 15, 2023

Celebrity Death Hoaxfest

From David Emery’s About.com Urban Legends, June 30, 2009:

art.spears.200 It was a bumpy weekend for the rich and famous, with the entertainment industry mourning the loss of three pop culture icons even as the Internet churned out one hoax after another declaring more celebrities dead.

The hoaxfest was triggered by mid-week announcements confirming that Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson had died. By Thursday afternoon the Internet was rife with false reports claiming that actors Jeff Goldblum and Harrison Ford had died as well. Death announcements for Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Ellen DeGeneres, Louie Anderson, P. Diddy, Natalie Portman, George Clooney, and Rick Astley “” all bogus “” followed in quick succession.

Pranksters used a variety of tactics to promulgate the rumors, including generating fake news stories on the Web, vandalizing Wikipedia pages, and hacking celebrities’ Twitter accounts. Despite their rapid dissemination, all were debunked in fairly short order. Continue reading “Celebrity Death Hoaxfest”

June 1, 2009December 15, 2023

Mars or Your Anus — Which is Bigger?

Mars will be NOT be huge this August
NewsTimes.com
May 29, 2009

c068mars-atmosphere2-200 Can an urban myth be galactic in its silliness?

Meet the story of giant Mars, coming this August to a night sky near you.

The myth appears in an e-mail that is circulating around the Internet like a comet. It promises that on Aug. 27, Mars will be so close to Earth it will look as big as the full moon. It will be the night of two moons — one white and one red.

“Share this with your children and grandchildren,” the e-mail message says. “NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN.”

Astronomers, hearing this or reading this, can only sigh. They’re confronting the celestial version of the story of how Mikey of the Life cereal ads exploded after eating Pop Rocks and drinking soda. It’s an urban legend. Continue reading “Mars or Your Anus — Which is Bigger?”

May 15, 2009December 15, 2023

Montauk Monster-Makers Strike Again

The Return of the Montauk Monster?
AOL News
May 14, 2009

Will the Montauk Monster mystery finally be solved?

The remains of a mysterious creature, said to have been photographed on New York’s Long Island last weekend, have renewed speculation about monstrous creatures — or monstrous tricksters — lurking near Montauk.

Photos of a similar carcass allegedly found in the area became a global Internet sensation last year. Those remains were said to have disintegrated before they could be examined, according to Montauk-Monster.com, which has documented the finds in detail. But the site says the newly found monster is on ice.

“The beast smelled like a mix of low-tide and rotten garbage,” blog author Nicky Papers wrote on the site. “It really smelled horrific. I couldn”t help but take numerous pictures of it and video clips.” Papers said that it doesn’t matter if the new beastie turns out to come from mundane origins, as long as this time, the world learns what it really is.

thanks Linda

January 8, 2009January 15, 2019

Superman # 660 – The Art of the Prank

From Comicvine.com:

Superman # 660 – The Art of the Prank is a comic book issue published by DC that was released on 3/2007, last edit – 06/06/2008

Plot Summary (May contain Spoilers)

The Prankster is visited by an up-and-coming new gangsta in Metropolis by the name of Nitro G. He has the power to produce nitroglycerin and make things explode. In order to make more of a name for himself and his crew, he needs Prankster to distract Superman so he can rob a bank. Continue reading “Superman # 660 – The Art of the Prank”

January 4, 2009January 15, 2019

Freaky Fish — You should have seen the one that got away!

From David Emery of About.com: Urban Legends

Freaky Fish Found on a Tampa Bay Beach

Summary: Emailed photos show the carcass of a very strange fish with monstrous teeth allegedly washed up on a beach in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Circulating since: July 2006
Status: Fake

Identified in some versions of the email as a “Devil Fish,” the gruesome specimen in the preceding photographs doesn’t really exist. It’s a fine example of what is called “gaff art” “” the manufacture of sideshow artifacts or fake oddities out of the preserved body parts of real animals using taxidermy and prop-building techniques. It was first sighted in an eBay auction dated May 2006, where it was described as a “mummified sea monster corpse.” The winning bidder paid $637.

It was created by Florida artist Juan Cabana, who was also responsible for the creepy “merman or mermaid carcass” allegedly found washed up on beaches from South Africa to south Florida. Continue reading “Freaky Fish — You should have seen the one that got away!”