How The Family Circus Confronted the Web
Tuesday cartoonist Bil Keane died at the age of 89 — and one webmaster fondly remembers how Keane gracefully confronted unauthorized parodies on the internet.
Keane was a good sport about fake Amazon reviews that gushed about supposedly hidden literary themes in collections of his newspaper comic strips, and he once even drew his own characters into a “guest appearance” in a Zippy the Pinhead strip. But in 1999, Keane’s syndicate threatened legal action against the “Dysfunctional Family Circus” site, which had been re-captioning Keane’s cartoons for over four years.
Heading off a “free speech” showdown, Keane resolved the situation with a friendly phone call to the webmaster, who ultimately decided to voluntarily remove the images just because “He’s actually a nice guy.”
Louis C.K. on George Carlin (Video)
A future master praising a past (and always remembered) master:
Brokers With Hands On Their Faces
In need of a pick-me-up? The Tumblr Brokers With Hands On Their Faces offers an unending stream of more-pleasing-than-lolcats shots of Wall Street brokers smooshing and contorting their faces in their hands as they “find out the latest numbers” or some such. I like to think that they just realized that money is an imaginary social construct and can scarcely believe what fools they’ve been.
____________
Video: President Obama Says It’s ‘Time To Be A Dick’ (Parody)
With news of President Obama’s frustration with the debt talks, here is a parody from Funny or Die of what Obama may really want to say. As he said about the debt talks:
“I have reached the point where I say enough,” and added “I’ve reached my limit. This may bring my presidency down, but I will not yield on this,” according to the Republican aide. After leaving the debt talks, Obama said this confirms the totality of what the American people already believe” about Washington politicians who are “too focused on positioning and political posturing.” (RawStory)
BBC Scotland Shows You Hitler’s Weather Forecast and a Strange Looking Rudolf Hess (Video)
Disinfo.com site note: New video link, thanks to commenters below.
Foghorn Leghorn Speaks On Matters in Wisconsin
Is it possible to channel a fictional character? Specifically, the Southern-gentrified blowhard from the Warner Bro.’s 1960’s “Foghorn Leghorn” franchise? Based upon experiments performed over the weekend, I can report a firm and conclusive “yes”. But the ritual requires copious volumes of an obscure Sri Lankan stout called “Lion“. And Mr. Legohorn seems to have quite a bit to say about Wisconsin people and places . . . .
“The behavior on display before us in this instance constitutes a perfect SCANDAL in the eyes of our sacred parliamentary traditions. This method of proceeding cannot call to mind words any loftier or more noble than “poltroon” and “knave”. I understand that the accepted standards of comportment may not be all they could in some of the darker corners of the great state of Wisconsin, but I see no reason to drag them into the sacred halls of our legislature.”
—Regarding the extraordinary violation of…
Of Course I Take Pictures Of My Penis And Send Them To People
Congressman Anthony Weiner
Weinergate inspires a parody by John Kenney in the New Yorker:
Why wouldn’t I?
It’s my penis. And as a great man once said, it’s meant to be photographed. Though I have no idea who that great man was.
Where some people have photos of their families on their desks at work, I have photos of my penis. My penis on vacation in the Bahamas. My penis in Madrid, on a business trip, the Prado in the background (slightly out of focus). My penis receiving an award for Outstanding Employee of the Month.
At birthdays and holidays I like to send photographs of my penis to friends and family. My in-laws, Marge and Walter, say they always look forward to getting my penis Christmas card.
Someone asked me recently when I started taking pictures of my penis and sending them to people, and I honestly couldn’t remember. College, maybe? All I know is…
Music Video Parodies Weiner Scandal
Rep. Anthony Weiner announced today that he did indeed tweet the lewd picture of himself, as well as engage in various inappropriate conversations with other women. (Read more about his press conference at The Hill) As you sit and contemplate the use of social networks in political scandals, here is a music video about Weiner’s ‘accidental’ Twitter post in the parody form of SNL’s “Dick in a Box”:
Dildo Sport – The First Strap-On Athletic Accessory That Helps You Play Hard And Win Big
I really have no comment on this…
Dildo Sport from Paulilu Productions on Vimeo.
Jon Stewart Destroys Donald Trump (Video)
Via The Daily Show:
Donald Trump disrespects New Yorkers by taking Sarah Palin to a pizza chain and eating his stacked slices with a fork.
Is Ron Paul The New Chuck Norris?
International Business Times reports:
Move aside, Chuck Norris, Ron Paul Facts is now in.
Ron Paul, a Texas Congressman and 2012 presidential hopeful, has inspired a fiercely loyal following around the country with his straight-talking Libertarian approach.
The Federal Reserve? End it! … Income taxes? Don’t need it! … Troops abroad? Send them home! … The UN and NATO? Pull out of them!
On the Internet, Ron Paul is king. Back in the 2008 Republican presidential primaries, he became known for winning virtually every single internet and text message poll. This ardent online support in has spawned the “Ron Paul Facts” in 2011.
Below are some “facts” about Ron Paul, taken from the Ron Paul Facts website.
Ron Paul has no alarm clock, but instead wakes every morning to the call of freedom.
Ron Paul doesn’t go the gym. He stays fit by exercising his civil rights.
Ron Paul delivers babies without his hands. He simply reads them the Bill…
Let’s Punk the Rapture
Fun idea from MLKSHK that Gizmodo is making a contest out of. Mat Honan writes on Gizmodo:
A lot of people think the Rapture is coming May 21. It’s not. But assuming your pets are okay, here’s a prank we’d like you to pull. We call it Rapture Bombing.
On May 21, get a bunch of your old clothes in full sets of pants, shirts, and shoes. Bonus points if you leave accessories like an old watch or sunglasses to go with them. Lay them out as if people have suddenly disappeared, leaving only the clothes behind. Be creative.
Take pictures. Post them on our Facebook page, or tweet them with the hashtag #rapturebomb.
We’ll run the best ones; our favorites will win prizes. (Don’t get too excited—we’re talkin’ iPhone cases and shit.) And if you make your local news? You’ll be Giz’s hero for the day.
Here are some more post-”Rapture” photos.
Lord Vader Says: Obi-Wan Kenobi Is Dead
Den Dhur and Hallis Saper write on the Galatic Empire News:
CORUSCANT— Obi-Wan Kenobi, the mastermind of some of the most devastating attacks on the Galactic Empire and the most hunted man in the galaxy, was killed in a firefight with Imperial forces near Alderaan, Darth Vader announced on Sunday.
In a late-night appearance in the East Room of the Imperial Palace, Lord Vader declared that “justice has been done” as he disclosed that agents of the Imperial Army and stormtroopers of the 501st Legion had finally cornered Kenobi, one of the leaders of the Jedi rebellion, who had eluded the Empire for nearly two decades. Imperial officials said Kenobi resisted and was cut down by Lord Vader’s own lightsaber. He was later dumped out of an airlock.
The news touched off an extraordinary outpouring of emotion as crowds gathered in the Senate District and outside the Imperial Palace, waving imperial flags, cheering, shouting,…
President Bush Kills A Gopher (Video)
Via Funny Or Die:
Barack Obama sent Navy Seal Team 6 to take out Osama Bin Laden in Abbottabad and made a statement confirming it on Sunday night. Former President George W. Bush finally responds to who and what has been terrorizing him for years.
Obama’s Birth Address Is Middle Of Highway
The White House thought it had us all fooled with today’s long-form Hawaiian birth certificate release, but that was until the latest revelation emerged. Enter 6085 Kalanianaole Highway, the supposed address of Obama’s childhood home, into Google Street View, and the red arrow points to ground in the middle of a freeway! Nice try, Barack Hussein, we’re too smart for you!
Update: this was intended to be humorous. But, apparently, it’s not too far off from actual “birther” arguments.
Via The Cheat Sheet tumblr:
Conan O’Brien Unveils The New ‘Nicolas Cage’ Terror Alert System (Video)
Man, yes, that Wicker Man remake was a crime against nature.
