Well, now. We almost let the new year get away from us without a year in review wrap-up. That wouldn’t do!
2012 was a big year for Rumors on the Internets. We had over 165,000 views this past year, an increase of 60% over 2011 and 100% over 2010. Thanks for continuing to visit, friends! Your patronage is truly appreciated.
Our most popular article this year was The Ultimate Dance Party Playlist, which we created just in time for summer wedding season to help all those folks out there trying to be their own DJ. Over 10,000 people checked that one out and many people subscribed to the accompanying Spotify playlist — which I continue to update on a regular basis to reflect the latest in dance floor glory.
This was the year we launched our podcast, Fortnight on the Internets. With my amazing cohost Alison the Business Casual, outstanding contributors led by Jeni Sue, and an army of bold Likers, we made the information superhighway a more fun place to dwell. From Kony to Psy, we tackled every huge meme and viral trend to arise in 2012, culminating in the Best of the Internets competition and an epic two-hour podcast in which we revealed the winners. Soon, we’ll unveil the inaugural class of the Internets Hall of Fame! (You can subscribe to our podcast via iTunes, among other sources.)
Even when the mics were turned off, we posted some articles reflecting on the latest memes, like the amazing collection of horse mask photos added by Amazon.com users. We also got fooled by an environmental hoax campaign masquerading as a Shell Oil corporate website overrun by pranksters. Damn you, tricksy hippies! And we enjoyed DATE-A-MAX, the video dating service that time forgot.
One of my favorite new topics was our coverage of the Back Talk section of the Lowell, MA Sun, where grouchy, Fox-News-watching olds write or call in to whine about the poors and coloreds. Gems included: “Why is there always a double standard for women? If I was a woman, I’d steal all sorts of things. You’ll never go to prison.” and “Looking back, television was clean and good. Today, it’s so filthy and serious. They should be ashamed.” We’ll keep monitoring Back Talk for more amusement.
Off-beat celebrity coverage has always been a staple of our offerings here at ROTI. In the popular article “A Porn Star, An Elf and Two Crooners,” we enhanced and/or ruined many people’s enjoyment of popular HBO shows by revealing the cheesy or tawdry pasts of some of the pay channel’s most prominent actors. We noted that Katy Perry’s divorce song would have worked a lot better if it was more straightfoward. Finally, we returned to the Hollywood Stock Exchange to once again play the StarBond market for fun and profit.
We also periodically dropped in with an edition of This Month in GIF, with C. Dave providing key assistance. My favorite GIF moment of this year was “Shaq’s Trip.”
Thank you again for reading. I hope you’ll return in 2013 for more posts, podcasts, jams, GIFs and articles — I’m hoping to step up our output in the coming year and would love to have you along for the ride.
Fortnight on the Internets is preparing for our epic 2012 finale, in which we will count down the Top 20 Internet items of 2012! In this quest, we seek the assistance of our wise Likers! That’s right, YOU are being invited to cast your vote to determine the ultimate in web magic for what will undoubtedly be considered the authoritative countdown that all others will pale in comparison to. Many of you weighed in when we called for nominations, and still more lent your wisdom to us throughout 2012 in programming the podcast from which we culled so many of these gems. We thank you humbly for your support! Now it’s time to vote. All nominees are outlined below with links and other goodness to refresh your memory…
The meme that keeps on giving. Find the full story at Know Your Meme.
Epic Rap Battles of History (Season 2)
So hard to pick just one, but Bill Gates’ first verse is FIRE (but of course I think that, this podcast is made on a PC). Check out all the ERB hits here.
As discussed on episode 12 and everywhere around the muh’fuckin globe. (Though I will note that we went deep on this jam a few weeks before it hit SNL, a month before my downstairs neighbors started cranking it after a night at the club, and at least 8 weeks before my middle aged co-workers started asking me if I’d heard of “gag-num style”?) A K-pop cut by an artist completely unknown in the West that racked up a mind boggling NINE HUNDRED MILLION Youtube views off a crazy, hilarious viral video and went to #1 on the Billboard charts. I don’t want to unfairly bias the balloting any more than I already have, so I will just leave it at that.
“I Just Want to Ride Bikes With You” by Jacqueline Richey Krieger
As discussed on episode 14. Deleted from Youtube, but thankfully preserved by Gawker. I still maintain that taking this down was a huge strategic error for this would-be web celebrity.
As discussed on our very first episode! Yeah, I probably should have linked the original (94 million views and counting) KONY 2012 video but let’s face it, Jason Russell’s naked meltdown on the streets of San Diego was the amazing apex of this carnival of horrors that featured such terrible people as a crew of evangelical Christians trying to change the world, the gay-bashing Ugandan government, and Joe Kony and his army of child soldiers.
Krispy Kreme
The basement-dwelling rapper who we originally dissed before seeing the error of our ways through the intervention of Liker Doan. Although Krispy isn’t really an Alabamian dumbass (he’s actually a valedictorian from Michigan), the track above is one of the greatest rap tracks of 2012. TRUTH.
Les Miserables Wedding Surprise
Are we SURE this isn’t extremely devious viral marketing for the movie? After all we’ve learned this year about the tricksy ways of the Internets, it definitely should not be ruled out.
“Look At This Instagram”
An amazing parody by CollegeHumor that actually manages to rehabilitate a Nickelback sludge-anthem. The vocal production is outstanding.
McKayla Maroney Is Not Impressed
As discussed on episode 11.A gold-medal winning meme that went all the way to the top of our nation’s org chart and made the world’s best vaulter (silver medal notwithstanding) an all-time Olympic legend in our hearts.
Amazing photos of long-forgotten Hollywood romances (like Brooke Shields and Liam Neeson, above). We talked about this on episode #0, our never-released pilot. Maybe some day it’ll come out in a 25th anniversary box set.
An inspired campaign by David Thorpe, aka @arr, which we discussed on episode 8 while it was still underway. Well, it succeeded, and the internet prankster who forced the Cuban-American rapper to travel to the frozen north was compelled to accompany him on the journey — as captured in this hilarious article.
Sex House
As discussed on episode 18. An absolutely brilliant webseries from The Onion that starts as your basic reality show parody and spirals to darker and weirder worlds. The last two episodes are sheer perfection.
“Shit Girls Say”
Yeah, this dropped in December 2011, but it was certainly a 2012 phenomenon. Another item from our never-released pilot, in which Alpine revealed that he found the star of this video kind of attractive in drag.
Stingray Photobomb
Well, this certainly hasn’t gotten old for me. You?
“Reading Rainbow” feat. DMX
As discussed on episode 13. This is so funny, you can just explain it to somebody without even showing it to them and they will start laughing.
Rom Com 2012
This brilliant tumblr mixes awkward Romney headshots with romantic comedy movie posters. More well-conceived than the man’s presidential campaign!
“Driving in Russia” (Car Crash Compilation)
A recent find that led our Liker Christine to exclaim, “This is the most unreal thing I have ever seen in my entire life!!!”
As mentioned in episode 17. This series appears to have stalled out in the mid-20th century, but it was truly inspired while it lasted.
Sweet Brown (“Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That!”)
It’s hard to believe that this is real…but reality is stranger than fiction, especially on local news.
Tard the Grumpy Cat
What a glorious scowl!
Texts from Hillary
As discussed on episode 3. A pool photographer’s photo inspired a tumblr that grew so viral, the Secretary herself submitted an entry, whereupon the creators dropped the mic and walked off stage. If only all internet memes could end with such gracious closure.
The Wire! The Musical
As discussed in episode 7, with music composed by friends of the podcast. This Funny or Die joint featured tons of actors from the best show ever, but what made it truly sing was the audacity to stage an ingenious takedown of a sacred cow.
Seems I’ve been putting these out once a season, instead of once a month. My apologies…but regardless, enjoy this supersized portion of GIF! I warn you, this session is so packed with goodness that it might take a while to load.
As usual, thanks to C. Dave for his assistance. Now, let’s get going!
Huge warm weather thunderstorm poppin' off right now. Boston expats on the west coast, eat yer hearts out! 1 week ago
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