Prank News - The Art of the Prank

February 25, 2008January 15, 2019

Jimmy Kimmel is F*cking Ben Affleck

From Slashfilm.com, February 24, 2008:

Earlier this month Sarah Silverman recorded a music video announcing to the world that she”s F**king Matt Damon (see below). Damon has long been the punchline of a running joke in Silverman”s boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel”s sign-off (“Apologies to Matt Damon, we”ve run out of time!”).

As a retaliation, Kimmel has recorded a music video himself, announcing that he”s F**king Ben Affleck! The video features cameo appearances from Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford, Cameron Diaz, Joan Jett, Macy Gray, Robin Williams, Don Cheadle, Pete Wentz, Perry Farrell, Benji and Joel Madden, Lance Bass, Huey Lewis, Josh Groban, McLovin, Meatloaf, and former announcer and Mighty Mighty Bosstones frontman Dicky Barrett.

Sarah Silverman: “I’m F*cking Matt Damon” on Jimmy Kimmel, January 31, 2008

February 13, 2008January 15, 2019

The Influencers 2008: The Talk Show You Won”t See on TV

Editor’s note: ArtofthePrank.com editor Joey Skaggs appeared at the 1st Influencers event in 2004. You can check it out here.

Eva and Franco Mattes aka 0100101110101101.ORG and Bani present:

The Influencers, a free three day event, Thursday, February 28 – March 1, 2008, at the Centre de Cultura Contemporà¡nea de Barcelona (CCCB), dedicated to imaginative subversion of contemporary mediascape. Focusing on the first hand testimony of some of the protagonists of the international scene, the festival is a selection of the most subtle, elegant and visionary proposals of parallel narratives in the realm of media and global popular culture.

The Influencers explores controversial forms of art and communication guerrilla, presenting independent projects that play with global popular culture, infiltrate the mass media, and transform fashions, consumption and technological fetishism.

The key to The Influencers is found in its guests and stories: impostors, pseudo-totalitarian musicians, conceptual hackers, deviant geographers, anarchitects and actors from invisible theatre. In these three days they are going to present their work, show known and less known material and speak with the public about challenges, goals and strategies.

See you all in Barcelona!

January 10, 2008January 15, 2019

Paper Tiger Hoax, Made in China

Paper Tiger a Roaring Hoax
The Epoch Times
January 8, 2008

Three months ago, few in China had heard of hunter Zhou Zhenglong, but he now has the dubious reputation of being at the centre of a monumental public hoax.

The Shanxi Province peasant’s photo of a critically endangered South Chinese Tiger in the wild””the first in 30 years””sparked a furious debate between those who believed and those who didn’t. Billboards were erected, dissenting officials were punished and a special conservation area was designated.

But the furious exchanges between the “strike the tiger” and “defend the tiger” camps shuddered to a halt when six experts independently declared that Mr Zhou’s tiger was, as the famous saying goes, a paper tiger.

Two weeks after Mr Zhou produced the photo on October 3 last year, the Shanxi Province forestry branch held a press conference, proclaiming that the South Chinese Tiger had been discovered anew.

The South Chinese Tiger is one of the world’s 10 most endangered animals. Wild populations are estimated at between 20–30 individuals, but many doubt there are any left at all.

Zhou’s tiger made shockwaves around the country, and officials of Zhenping County, where the photo was taken, could hardly conceal their excitement. Continue reading “Paper Tiger Hoax, Made in China”

January 8, 2008January 15, 2019

A Predictable Prank

From Rose Fox:

A UK celebrity deliberately publishes his bank account information to prove that it’s safe, and then is surprised when someone uses it to donate £500 to charity.

Clarkson stung after bank prank
bbc.co.uk
January 7, 2008

TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has lost money after publishing his bank details in his newspaper column.

The Top Gear host revealed his account numbers after rubbishing the furore over the loss of 25 million people’s personal details on two computer discs.

He wanted to prove the story was a fuss about nothing.

But Clarkson admitted he was “wrong” after he discovered a reader had used the details to create a £500 direct debit to the charity Diabetes UK. Continue reading “A Predictable Prank”

December 10, 2007January 15, 2019

Hoax Satirizes Selling Yourself Short

As reported by Alex Boese of The Museum of Hoaxes, December 4, 2007:

Sell my DNA

SellMyDna.com offers to help you sell a sample of your DNA to a research company, New Line Genetics, who will then obtain a patent for it. They pay $5000!

Better yet, you can even sell your friend’s DNA, because once a cell leaves their body, it no longer belongs to them. From their website:

SellMyDNA.com does not condone the patenting of other”s DNA without their permission. However, what better way to surprise your loved ones for a birthday or holiday event than giving the gift of $5,000 and the knowledge that their genetic material is helping to enhance scientific research!

However SellMyDna.com is not a real company, as you can find out if you dig deep enough into it’s site and come across the disclaimer: “these sites are a satirical “what if” pertaining to something that, for all intents and purposes, could be a reality in the not-so-distant future.”

Wired’s science blog reports that SellMyDna.com was created by Anthony Martin, whose myspace profile states, “I am striving to make the world a better place and usher in the new era of human evolution with the use of accelerated genetics techniques.”