April Fools Day Sweeps the Web and Google Dan Koelsch, April 1, 2010June 12, 2010 In case you weren’t aware, today is April Fools. The day actually has some horrific beginnings (as seen here), but in the 21st Century, it’s a great way to mess with people on the Internet. Check out some of the bigger and best April Fools pranks on the web this year. We’ll try to focus mainly on movie/tv news-related pranks, but there are definitely some great pranks in other categories. Obviously, the Google prank is going to be the first many see. The site has been renamed “Topeka” after the Kansas town that renamed itself Google last month. Personally, I find it kind of lame and transparent, but at least they decided to create a complete backstory based in reality. Some of the funnier fake film news stories today include Tim Burton and Johnny Depp teaming up for a Mister Rogers movie and a LOST Dharma Initiative alarm clock and Monolith action figure from 2001: A Space Odyssey for sale. Unfortunately, some stories sounded too real, like the rumor that Hugh Laurie (House) might play J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man reboot. I also wish the iPad Arcade Cabinet was real, as it actually makes a lot of sense. Some websites really got into the fun, with Film School Rejects turning their entire page retro by making it seem like it was 1980. Funny or Die got taken over by Justin Bieber, becoming Bieber or Die. Check out one of the videos for that below. Bieber After the Dentist from Justin Bieber It’s still early, so there’s bound to be much more out there. Let us know what websites and articles you found hilarious, too real, or just plain bad. I’ll leave you with this link. Features Viral News April Fools DayDharmaDharma InitiativeGoogleGoogle DoodleiPadJustin BieberLOSTMister RogersTopeka
Viral Video: World Cup’s Affect on District 9 July 14, 2010July 14, 2010As to be expected, we have yet another FIFA World Cup and District 9 mash-up video, this time courtesy of Disinformation. In the video, seen below, we find out that the MNU are moving the aliens in order to build the World Cup soccer stadium. Read More
Fan Made Work Check Out the Sci-Fi Short Film “Somnolence” January 7, 2011January 9, 2011Especially with social media today, short films are a great way for filmmakers to promote themselves and ideas to the world. Patrick Kalyn, an Emmy-nominated visual effects animator who has worked on films such as District 9, has done just that with his short film Somnolence, a cool sci-fi thriller… Read More
Viral Video Of “Devil’s Due” Marketing Campaign Scares New York To Death January 14, 2014Once again, New York City was struck by some sort of supernatural event created by a viral marketing team that just loves to scare people. Following in the footsteps of the Carrie telekinetic coffee ship viral campaign, comes a new scare tactic that is actually a promotion for the upcoming… Read More