Unless you've been living under a rock this week, you've no doubt heard about the Kitchen Nightmares-inspired social media meltdown of Arizona restaurateurs (and noted crazy people) Amy and Samy Bouzaglo of Amy's Baking Company.  I confess, I really enjoyed watching these two nutcases wage war against the Big Bad Internet.  When people start yelling at their "fans" on Facebook, it's time to make  some popcorn and crack a beer, because that's just good quality entertainment, right there.

It all started like this:

It escalated quickly, and of course, soon some excellent memes hit the web:

See all the best memes to come out of this mess (so far) here.

Because I'm here to help, here's a complete summary of this cringe-inducing but hilarious spectacle, along with some tips on how to avoid becoming the butt of a massive internet joke.  Here's a hint: It helps if you're not batcrap crazy.  That's a good start.

Having spent the first decade of my career working in live television production, I've seen my fair share of "OOPS" moments hit the airwaves.  Most of these moments become legendary among newsroom staffers; a private joke to be shared over pints after the dust has settled at the end of your shift.  All that changed, however, when YouTube made every second of digital data available 24/7.  Nowadays, a reporter cannot stumble over a word without having the clip circulate around the web faster than the common cold in a kindergarten classroom.

Which is good, because that is some funny stuff!

I put together a list of some of the greatest news bloopers to go viral in the past few years; everything from the rookie anchor who didn't know his mic was on when he let loose a stream of curse words on his first (and last) day on the job, to the one that most closely resembles my own goofy production antics:

Yes, that's a full-screen graphic with a hamster as the suspect, and yes, it was aired live on television a few years ago.  But I swear, this isn't my handy work... even if it is the sort of stuff we used to get into back in the good old days.

See the whole list here!

Last week, a charismatic man named Charles Ramsey hit the web like a much-needed ray of sunshine.  Not only did Mr. Ramsey perform an act of heroism that resulted in the release of three women who had been kidnapped and held hostage for over a decade, but he then told the story to news reporters with such flair, such enthusiasm, and such honesty, that he instantly became "internet-famous."

This phenomenon is not without precedence.  Without TV news interviews such as these, we never would have been introduced to Sweet Brown ("Ain't nobody got time for that!"), Antoine Dodson, or Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker.  I think it's natural for the internet to find humor in even the darkest of stories.  There is literally nothing funny about the fact that these women were held hostage, abused, and utterly victimized for so long, and finding levity in Mr. Ramsey's recounting of their rescue is fine -- as long as we all agree that we are not laughing at him, we're laughing with him.

As Cheezburger Network CEO Ben Huh said, "The Internet likes to celebrate our heroes.  In our own way, this is our celebration of Charles Ramsey."

See the interview that started it all here.

Last week I blogged about hip hop superstars Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, and how their hit song "Thrift Shop" has been causing a web sensation with parody videos popping up every day online.  Turns out, the duo is not a one-hit-wonder when it comes to spawning web humor: these mofos are certifiably hilarious.

Image via: Know Your Meme.

I stumbled upon this Funny Or Die video these two made about getting a (fictitious) record deal, and I literally LOL'ed. Then I found the interview they gave Stephen Colbert, and laughed some more.  Not just that, but "Thrift Shop" memes have started appearing on all of my favorite humor sharing sites.  I put together a gallery of my favorites here.  Enjoy!