Everybody always says how amazing Andy Warhol's 15-minutes-of-fame prophecy was. Poppycock! Here's 25 people whose antics wriggled their way into the public consciousness and, for better or for worse, made them famous for like, at least an hour.
1. Tay Zonday
Image courtesy of YouTubeTay Zonday's original song
"Chocolate Rain" gained massive popularity due to his epic voice and conspicuous breathing technique. Its earnest message about racism probably did not play a large role. He's since put his recognizable voice and likeness to use in numerous commercials, a Weezer video, and an episode of "Robot Chicken".
2. Paul "Bear" Vasquez
Image courtesy of YouTubeIn the summer of 2010, Vasquez, a permanent resident of Yosemite National Park, reacted strongly to a prominent Double Rainbow outside his home. Bear had already established himself in 2008 to be Jimmy Kimmel's boyfriend, and his late-night lover linked to the video on his Twitter page. The video exploded and called attention to Vasquez's odd life, in which he has been a cage fighter, a fire fighter and puppy breeder. He re-appeared on his boyfriend's show as an internet legend.
3. Justin Halpern
Image courtesy of the LA TimesThis self-employed comedy writer started a twitter feed called
Shit My Dad Says after moving back in with his parents in 2009. Being driven into your childhood bedroom by a recession is a drag, but Justin made the most of it - thanks to the amazing quality of the aforementioned shit that was said, his tweets led to
a book and then an
awkwardly retitled sitcom starring William Shatner, which receives monster ratings.
4. Antoine Dodson
Image courtesy of YouTubeDodson is the first in a category which will appear several times on this list - those whose memorable appearances on local news led to national attention with the help of the internet. Like many success stories, it starts with the attempted rape of his sister. His forceful
monologue on Huntsville, AL's WAFF 48 was turned into a
hit song by master music editors Autotune the News. He's gone on to appear on Comedy Central's
Tosh.0 and has a
reality show in development. And he looks fabulous.
5. Ghyslain Raza
Image courtesy of Business Insider/YouTubeI kinda feel bad including this guy since he was emotionally devastated by the distribution - against his consent - of his acclaimed 2003 Star Wars Kid video, in which he is fat and awkwardly plays with a golf ball retriever. Basically every comedy show of the '00s parodied his video.
He's since recovered from the humiliation, and is earning a law degree in his native Quebec - perhaps spurred by the thrill of suing and coaxing a cash settlement out of his high school tormentors.
6. Gary Brolsma
Image courtesy of YouTubeBetter known as the
"Numa Numa guy", Brolsma danced his way into our hearts on webcam while lip-syncing the song "Dragostea din tei", by the Moldovan band O-Zone. (Any interaction between Moldova and and music is
definitively hilarious.) He currently runs the
NewNuma network on YouTube, a collaboration with his comedy buddies.
7. David DeVore Jr.
Image courtesy of YouTubeDavid is the young chap whose humorous reaction to the effects of dental anesthesia has generated over 80 million YouTube views. His family's share of the ad revenue the video generates and merchandising have provided a nice little windfall for the DeVore family - which they'll need to pay for David's rehab bills, now that he's seen the massive popularity that comes with being on drugs.
8. Melissa Sander
Image courtesy of oddculture.comSander, a reporter for Atlanta's local Fox affiliate, was providing light-hearted coverage of a nearby grape-stomping competition when she
suffered a serious fall off a three-foot platform. The fall - and the indisputably goofy noises she made while in tremendous pain - appealed to YouTube's baser "America's Funniest Home Video" comedy instincts and made her a sensation. The video basically destroyed her fledgling light-news career, and she had to suffer the indignity of having her fall
used on "Family Guy" in a manner that was totally justified within the context of the plot and showed brilliant comedic thinking. *cough*
9. Chris Crocker
Image courtesy of TheHollywoodGossip.comChris Crocker is a person with extraordinary capacity for compassion and about a dozen Catholic saints' worth of empathy. He just wanted people to
leave Britney alone. He really wanted people to. It's doubtful Britney Spears herself was as upset. He's just so lovable, though, even if his flagship video might have the most dislikes of any on YouTube. He appeared in the execrable film
Meet the Spartans, parodying himself, and continues to run his
YouTube channel.
10. Tommy Slate
Image courtesy of YouTubeBetter known by the name
Epic Beard Man, Slate is a 67 year-old homeless war veteran in Oakland, CA whose confrontation on a bus in 2010 took the internet - particularly its 4channy underbelly - by storm. His fans kept up with his
TV appearances throughout the summer and created artful
parodies of his one-sided fist fight. Really, though, the love was driven by the Epic Beard. And the "I Am a Motherf---er" t-shirt.
