practical joke - The Art of the Prank

April 4, 2009December 15, 2023

Ann Coulter and the NASCAR Prank

Political Animal
by Steve Benen and Featuring Hilroz
Washington Monthly
April 2, 2009

nascar_6968-200 Who among us would fall for the NASCAR prank?…. It probably seemed, at first, like an amusing idea of an April Fools’ Day prank. Car and Driver magazine “reported” that President Obama told Chevrolet and Dodge this week that they would only be eligible for federal aid if they pulled out of NASCAR events. The move, the “article” said, would save more than $250 million.

The prank caused quite an uproar, the magazine apologized, and editors later acknowledged the joke went “too far.” The parody piece has since been pulled from the Car and Driver website.

The funny part, as it turns out, is seeing who fell for the prank.

In her April 1 column, Ann Coulter fell for a fake April Fools’ Day article by Car and Driver magazine that claimed that President Obama has ordered General Motors and Chrysler to cease their participation in NASCAR because it is an “unnecessary expenditure.” Coulter wrote, “If Obama can tell GM and Chrysler that their participation in NASCAR is an ‘unnecessary expenditure,’ isn’t having public schools force students to follow Muslim rituals, recite Islamic prayers and plan ‘jihads’ also an ‘unnecessary expenditure’?” Continue reading “Ann Coulter and the NASCAR Prank”

April 2, 2009December 15, 2023

Fox TV Whoops It Up on April Fools Day

Video: FOX’s April Fool’s Day Pranks on ‘Bones’, ‘House M.D.’ and Others
AceShowbiz
April 02, 2009

Here are some of the April Fool’s pranks and stunts that were played on the FOX sets of their primetime series. Visit here to see and read more.

April 2, 2009December 15, 2023

Happy April Fools’ Day from Improv Everywhere

Follow-up submitted by Josh Jasper, April 15, 2009:

News reporter makes vague legal threats on company’s blog, claims it’s his version of “performance art”

Local News station uses IE clip from You Tube, then claims copyright infringement for IE putting up the news clip on You Tube

From Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere:

30 Improv Everywhere agents found a random funeral in the obituary section of the newspaper and turned it into the best funeral ever. We picked a man who had very few surviving relatives and then showed up to his funeral to make it truly awesome

Edited by Matt Adams:

Go here more info, pictures & commentary.

April 2, 2009December 15, 2023

All the Twit that’s Fit to Print

Happy April Fools’ Day from Tim Jackson:

Twitter switch for Guardian, after 188 years of ink
by Rio Palof
The Guardian
1 April 2009

Newspaper to be available only on messaging service

Experts say any story can be told in 140 characters

presses200 Consolidating its position at the cutting edge of new media technology, the Guardian today announces that it will become the first newspaper in the world to be published exclusively via Twitter, the sensationally popular social networking service that has transformed online communication.

The move, described as “epochal” by media commentators, will see all Guardian content tailored to fit the format of Twitter’s brief text messages, known as “tweets”, which are limited to 140 characters each. Boosted by the involvement of celebrity “twitterers”, such as Madonna, Britney Spears and Stephen Fry, Twitter’s profile has surged in recent months, attracting more than 5m users who send, read and reply to tweets via the web or their mobile phones.

As a Twitter-only publication, the Guardian will be able to harness the unprecedented newsgathering power of the service, demonstrated recently when a passenger on a plane that crashed outside Denver was able to send real-time updates on the story as it developed, as did those witnessing an emergency landing on New York’s Hudson River. It has also radically democratised news publishing, enabling anyone with an internet connection to tell the world when they are feeling sad, or thinking about having a cup of tea. Continue reading “All the Twit that’s Fit to Print”

April 2, 2009December 15, 2023

1993: China Declares “April Fool’s Day is Liar’s Day”

Editor’s Note 4/2/09: This article, which we posted a few days ago, is from material originally written by Alex Boese of Museum of Hoaxes and titled “The Top 100 April Fool’s Day Hoaxes of All Time.” Thus, this appears to be a non-attributed adaptation by Examiner.com. Apologies to Alex!

Here, also from Alex’s site, is a collection of some of this year’s April Fools Day pranks.

Famous April Fools Day jokes around the world 1919 – 2008
by Kelly Shannon Kelly
Examiner.com
March 26, 2009

The entire world becomes a stage on April Fools Day. Read on for historic practical jokes that have occurred around the globe. Makes you wonder what will happen this year…

penguin_flying_200 Antarctica – Flying Penguins
2008: The BBC announced that camera crews filming near the Antarctic for its series Miracles of Evolution had captured footage of Adélie penguins in the air. A video clip of these flying penguins became one of the most viewed videos on the internet. The narrator explained that how these penguins flew thousands of miles to the rainforests of South America where they spent the winter basking in the tropical sun. A follow-up video explained how the BBC created the special effects of the flying penguins.

syndeyiceberg_200 Australia – The Sydney Iceberg
1978: In Sydney Harbor, a barge appeared towing a giant iceberg. Dick Smith, a local millionaire businessman, said that he was going to carve the berg into small ice cubes, which he would sell to the public for 10 cents each. These cubes, fresh from the pure waters of Antarctica, were promised to improve the flavor of any drink they cooled. Local radio stations provided excited blow-by-blow coverage of the iceberg slowly making its way into the harbor. The berg”™s secret was revealed when it started to rain, and the firefighting foam and shaving cream that it was really made of washed away, uncovering the white plastic sheets beneath. Continue reading “1993: China Declares “April Fool’s Day is Liar’s Day””