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Tag: parody

  • Netflix Makes Fun Of Apple With ‘Netflix Watch’

    Netflix Makes Fun Of Apple With ‘Netflix Watch’

    After Amazon unveiled its Prime Air drones in 2013, Netflix released a parody video showcasing its own vision for drones, which would see the devices delivering DVD envelopes.

    Now, Netflix has a new video lampooning the Apple Watch:

    Like the Netflix drones, the Netflix watch also makes an appearance in the restroom.

    I guess Netflix doesn’t envision the Apple Watch or other smart watches as the ideal devices for watching its content. We’ll see if people agree. Apparently they do want the drones.

    Image via YouTube

  • ‘Too Many Cooks’ Gets an American Politics Parody

    CNN just put out a six-minute parody of Too Many Cooks, the incredible, surreal video that captivated the internet last November – and it accomplishes a couple of things.

    First, it’s a pretty good backdrop to lampoon the absurdity of American politics. Second, it reminds people of the greatness that is Too Many Cooks.

    I’d usually have some disparaging remarks to throw at CNN for doing something like this, but you know what, I’m going to let this one go – if for nothing other than the Demon Sheep. You’ll get there.

    It’s not the best parody, but it features some pretty amusing clips of politicians looking idiotic. We can all appreciate that. Plus, this is better than anything Wolf Blitzer’s ever said or done. So there’s that. Check it out:

    And while we’re here, let’s never forget the Demon Sheep.

    And of course, the video that started it all:

    Image via CNN, YouTube

  • 90s Facebook Ad Is Hilarious Parody of Early AOL Ad

    If Facebook would have come around in the mid-90s, you would’ve been burning through free trial discs like Fruit by the Foot. I know I would’ve.

    From comedian Brent Weinbach comes this damn-near-perfect parody of those old internet ads – but for a mysterious new product called “The Facebook”.

    Simply ship a few photographs to The Facebook, they’ll cover the postage, and an operator will set up your profile!

    Here’s what an ad for Facebook would’ve looked like in 1995:

    Wondering why this feels so familiar? Well, it’s pretty much a remake of this old AOL commercial, which you’ll probably remember if you’re near 30 or older.

    Ah. What a time to be alive.

    Image via YouTube

  • Amazon’s Echo Device Quickly Parodied

    On Thursday, Amazon unveiled Echo, its new $200 cylindrical device that listens to you and tells you stuff. Okay, it does more than that, but that seems to be the gist of what most people are taking out of it.

    As you might expect, someone has already put out a video parody based on the promo Amazon released. Honestly it’s not really that funny, but I doubt this will be the last one we see. Either way, it already has nearly 70,000 views.

    We’ll just have to wait and see if this one draws as much comedic interest as the original promo for Google Glass.

    Via Uproxx (and probably reddit).

  • House of Cards Gets the Fallon Treatment in ‘House of Cue Cards’

    With a little help from Ellen Barkin (as Claire) and a special guest star I won’t spoil for you, Jimmy Fallon turned a pretty good Kevin Spacey impression into a new original short for The Tonight Show.

    It’s called House of Cue Cards, and it takes us behind the scenes of the premier late night show to demonstrate how the world of NBC production is kind of like Washington. Well, kind of.

    There’s the on-screen text conversations, the exaggerated southern drawl, the BBQ, and the window smoking – all the things we know and love about Netflix’s hit original series.

    Check it out:

    And part 2:

    Image via The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, YouTube screenshot

  • City, Mayor Sued Over Arrest of Parody Tweeter

    The ACLU has taken up the case of a Peoria, Illinois man who is suing the city and its Mayor for violation of his First and Fourth Amendment rights.

    29-year-old Jon Daniel is suing Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis (shown above), the city manager, the assistant city manager, the city’s chief information officer, the former chief of police, and two detectives.

    You may or may not remember the story that led to this lawsuit. We reported on it back in mid-April, after police raided Daniel’s home following a weeks-long investigation.

    This big crime that led to that search was the operation of a parody Twitter account (@peoriamayor), the target of which was Mayor Ardis. The city managed to get Twitter to suspend the account, but still pursued its creator (Daniels). When they finally raided his home in April, the story went national.

    The First Amendment violation allegations stem from the police investigation into Daniel’s identity, and the Fourth Amendment violation came when police raided his home as part of the investigation.

    At the time, we noted that the account was relatively small – having only a few dozen followers and even fewer tweets. The tweets made outlandish, and often profane statements about the Mayor, supposedly as the Mayor.

    But not really, of course. Not only was it a clear parody account, but profile was updated to explicitly state that fact – presumably to clarify things for the 50 people following the account who thought that the Mayor was actually tweeting about bitches and coke.

    At the time of our reporting, police had yet to release the details about the Twitter account holder. According to the ACLU, in the weeks following the raid that resulted in a good amount of seized property, Daniel was arrested and detained (and then released after lawyering up).

    “The joke of the account was to have my fictional mayor saying things that no one would possibly think that Mayor Jim Ardis would say,” according to Jon Daniel, the plaintiff in the lawsuit against the City. “If the Mayor was concerned, all he had to do was tell the public that his was not his account and not his words, rather than involving the police.”

    That probably would’ve worked. Or, you know, let it go because adults (and Mayors especially) have better things to do than worry about parody Twitter accounts.

    Anyway, Ardis and his officials decided to go all shock and awe – and now they’ve pissed off the ACLU.

    “Political parody is a great tradition in the United States — from Thomas Nast to Jon Stewart,” said Harvey Grossman, legal director for the ACLU of Illinois and the lead attorney representing Mr. Daniel. “In a number of public statements, the Mayor and Peoria officials have been unapologetic about their activities. The only way to hold these government officials accountable is to have a federal court rule that their actions violated the fundamental constitutional rights of our client.”

    Daniel and the ACLU are asking for and admission of right violation, and injunction against future First Amendment violations, compensatory damages, punitive damages, and fees. You can read the entire lawsuit here.

    Image via PeoriaGov

  • WhatsApplebee’s Is Your New, Exclusive Chat App for Brewtus Lovers

    The problem with most social networks is that they aren’t exclusive enough, and they don’t center on specific interests. Same goes for some messaging apps. What if you only want to talk, anonymously, to people that share your love for, let’s say, Fiesta Lime Chicken and a Brewtus? What if you only want to talk to someone sharing your love for the Brewtus right now?

    We’re living in a golden age, kids. Right this second, if you’re so inclined, you can download the most exclusive messaging app around. It’s called WhatsApplebee’s, and it’s a networking app that caters to Applebee’s diners. Current Applebee’s diners.

    You see, WhatsApplebee’s only works if you’re actually inside an Applebee’s restaurant (or very, very close to one). If you attempt to enter the chat from your house, for instance, the app will let you know that “You’re not at Applebee’s!” and prompt you to find the nearest location.

    “WhatsApplebee’s uses iPhone location services to limit access to those currently inside an Applebee’s. We enforce this strictly, unlike other chain restaurant-based messaging services such as T.G.I. Friendster or Olive Grindr,” says the app’s homepage.

    WhatsApplebee’s, much like its obvious inspiration WhatsApp, is a messaging service. It’s bare bones, only allowing for totally anonymous communications with simple text and timestamps–no usernames or anything. Unlike WhatsApp, however, WhatsApplebee’s doesn’t support multimedia messaging. Bummer, I know.

    The app was created by developer Mike Lazer-Walker (real name), who tells Engadget that he built the app as a joke. Basically, he says that app culture is already a parody of itself, so he thought he’d make something so ridiculous that it might just come out the other side.

    Lazer-Walker is also the creator of the “Literally” browser plugin, which turns improper uses of the word “literally” into the grammatically correct “figuratively.” As he says, it’s literally all it does. So one could say he’s killing the game right now.

    His WhatsApplebee’s app is currently rocking a perfect five-star rating in the App Store.

    “Finally!” says one reviewer. “As an avid Applebee’s fan, I have been looking for a way to meet like minded people at my local bees. It’s ease of use and ability to connect with people that care about nothing else than the glorious establishment, Applebee’s, are all I’ve ever looked for in an app. I’m always looking for someone to share a 2 for $20 deal! So hop on the app when you are over at the bees and lets get an appetizer sampler and enjoy the atmosphere of our neighborhood bar and grill!”

    So, if you’re struggling to finish that Bourbon Street Steak and need someone to help you out, you can snag WhatsApplebee’s from the App Store today. You know, until Applebee’s, WhatsApp, or soon, Facebook puts an end to it all.

    We’ll always have Brewtus.

    Images via WhatsApplebee’s, iTunes, and Wikimedia Commons

  • Rust Cohle Explains Time as a Flat Circle to Little Kids

    Rust Cohle Explains Time as a Flat Circle to Little Kids

    HBO’s True Detective ended its first season last month and when the credits rolled, it was clear that we had all just watched something singular–an experience that was going to have a profound effect on not only the future of scripted television, but pop culture.

    I mean, television just hasn’t ever had a character quite like Rust Cohle.

    If you watched the series (and even if you didn’t), you’re probably well-aware of Cohle’s philosophical musings. You’ve probably seen a grizzled Matthew McConaughey, sitting behind a table, drinking Lone Star beer and talking about how time is a flat circle.

    Ok, now imagine that table was tiny and Cohle was talking to kids instead of detectives.

    Comedian Ross Marquand makes this a reality in a spoof of those AT&T commercials–you know the ones. Watch out for a truly spectacular McConaughey impression.

    Image via Ross Marquand, YouTube

  • Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” Ushers in International Day of Happiness

    It appears that people all over the world are feeling a stream of joy lately-uploading funny dancing videos to YouTube and posting lighthearted tweets with hashtags #gethappy or #HappyInternationalDayofHappiness.

    So, who is to blame for all this happy fever going around?

    Well, of course music artist Pharrell Williams and his Despicable Me 2 theme song, “Happy.”

    Ever since the song has hit airplay, thousands of people across the globe have been catching on to the upbeat, funky tune.

    Williams and the United Nations Foundation recently teamed up to make March 20 the International Day of Happiness, “celebrating the happiness and well-being of individuals and communities everywhere.”

    He has encouraged fans to donate to the organization and upload their version of the song to his 24Hoursof Happiness website.

    Tons of parody videos and music covers of Williams’ song are now taking the World Wide Web by storm, showcasing a lot of happiness both in the U.S. and internationally.

    Check out Tokyo’s version of being #happy:

    Tahiti shows off their beautiful weather along with some happiness:

    A cover by the Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences singing “Happy” goes viral:

    Even our furry friends know how to be happy. Check out this rendition of the song:

    “Happy” has made such a major impact that a Virginia Pilot columnist suggested the song be adopted as the anthem for Williams’ home state of Virginia, which doesn’t have a state song.

    (And may I just add…I’m from Virginia Beach, Va., so the answer for me would be HELLZ YEA!)

    Additionally, “Happy” has held top spot on Billboard charts for four consecutive weeks now. It also ranks No. 1 in over 80 countries and is the leading song on the R&B charts.

    Nothing is quite like the original! Very entertaining and you can’t help but to feel HAPPY:

    In a February interview with the Los Angeles Times, Williams mentioned how humble he was to know that his song received such great feedback since it’s “bigger” than anything he has ever done.

    Even Chris Meledandri of Illumination Entertainment, which made the Despicable Me films for Universal Pictures, said that the tune is contagious by nature.

    “When you look at the history of songs written for films, the ones that [have] broken out to have a meaningful life beyond the film are very rare,” he said. “There’s an infectious quality to ‘Happy’ that just resonates.”

    To see some of Williams’ favorite “Happy” videos for International Day of Happiness, watch it here.

    Image via YouTube

  • Here’s Netflix’s Answer To Amazon’s Drones

    It seems a little late for a parody of Amazon’s drone video from December, but Netflix has one out. It was uploaded a week ago by Netflix’s Paul Johnson (for some reason not yet on the company’s official YouTube channel), but it’s just starting to get some attention thanks to Hacking Netflix.

    “Here at Netflix, we’re committed to cutting edge advancements in entertainment,” says Hank breeggemann, GM of Netflix’s DVD Division, in the video. “From revolutionizing the home video rental market to our industry-leading streaming service with award-winning content. Now we’re getting back to our creative roots with our groundbreaking same-day home delivery subscription service ‘Drone 2 Home’.”

    “That’s right,” he continues.”Our fleet of high-tech drones will deliver your disc to you within mere seconds of you adding it to your queue. Unlike other companies trying to rush unproven technology to market, we have literally spent days working out most of the bugs. By enabling location services on your smartphone, the disc can come right to you, wherever you may be.”

    The end of the video shows the DVD.Netflix.Com brand the company recently announced with its latest earnings report.

    According to Engadget, the video was produced for the Netflix DVD division’s annual meeting.

    Image via YouTube

  • RoboCop Gets A Crowdsourced Movie Remake

    RoboCop Gets A Crowdsourced Movie Remake

    Are you disappointed in the new RoboCop movie? Don’t like how they managed to ruin your childhood with a PG-13 rating and a very unfamiliar and overtly “modern” looking Robocop and unfaithful storyline?

    How about something more absurd?

    Our RoboCop Remake  is a crowdsourced remake of the original 1987 version of RoboCop that smushes the work of 60 scenes made by 50 amateur and professional filmmakers. The movie not only has direct shot-by-shot remakes but includes scenes of puppetry, baby actors, hand-drawn and 3D animation, drag, two musical numbers, modern dance, and a ton of re-scripting. Ten actors play the main role as the seemingly bumbling cyborg conflicted with the dealings of his humanity and the dystopian futuristic world around him.

    Despite its extreme absurdity, filmmakers followed a small outline that doesn’t completely derail from the story of the original movie.

    “Filmmakers were told which plot points to make sure they hit,” producer David Seger said.

    The following is a clip from the movie… and I warn you, it might be one of the hardest scenes you will ever watch. For those that would rather read than watch (and I don’t blame you), Robocop encounters a crime in progress: two sketchy hoodlums attempting to rape a curly haired blonde in the middle of the night. The rapists hold the woman hostage, but Robocop uses his advanced targeting technology to shoot through her dress and hit the groin of the perpetrator. It mirrors the original scene in the first RoboCop (1987) movie, but with a twist: two more damsels in distress show up along with a plethora of rapists with their danglers dangling out of their trousers; Robocop goes on a penile blasting shooting spree. It’s extremely graphic and not safe for life (NSFL):

    The movie is free to watch.

    Image via David Buceta

     

  • Dumb Starbucks: Entrepreneuring Spoof

    Dumb Starbucks: Entrepreneuring Spoof

    “I’d like a dumb venti mocha latte. And throw in one of those ‘Dumb Jazz Standards’ CDs. And some dumb mints, for my dumb coffee breath. ”

    So go the orders at a new coffee shop in Los Feliz, Calif.: Dumb Starbucks. The store opened Friday to great excitement, including a dumb line that took customers over an hour get through before the dumb store ran out of dumb supplies and had to close up.

    Here’s what you need to know: The store looks exactly like any other Starbucks you’ve ever seen, only all of the branding, including the corporate logo, has been modified to include the word “dumb” at the beginning (menu items such as “Dumb Iced Coffee,” etc.). Where did it come from? Why is it here? So far, nobody knows, but speculation as to whether it’s an artistic statement or a marketing ploy has run rampant.

    “I hope it’s an art thing vs. a business thing,” Jeffrey Eyster, 43, said, adding that he’d like to see “dumb” versions of similar chains like McDonald’s and Cheesecake Factory. Eyester, who had been waiting in line over an hour and still hadn’t made it near the front door was loathed to add, “They’re definitely not serving at Starbucks pace.”

    Inside, two baristas were doing their best to tend to curious customers, but inquiries went largely unanswered. Instead, they referred questions to an FAQ pamphlet that claimed that the store was a fully functioning business but had to pretend to be an artistic statement so as to use Starbucks’ trademarks legally under the fair use doctrine.

    It’s a legally dubious position, to be sure, and Starbucks’ attorneys are on the case. Megan Adams, a spokesperson for the company, said that they were aware of the situation and were “looking into it.”

    There’s certainly one thing that’s not dumb about the store: the prices. On opening day, all the coffee was free.

    Image via YouTube

  • Facebook’s Look Back Videos, If They Were At All Genuine

    Well this is pretty funny.

    Like most things on Facebook, those packaged “Look Back” videos that everybody has been sharing in honor of Facebook’s 10th anniversary are annoyingly ubiquitous. Sure, it might be interesting to you to see your most-liked posts and how you were 25 pounds lighter back in 2005 – you. Interesting to you.

    Anyway, the real problem with the look back videos is that they are in no way an accurate representation of the average person’s Facebook history.

    You know what is? This. This is perfect.

    Image, Video via Stephen Parkhurst

  • VGX 2013 Gets The Parody It So Rightly Deserves

    On Saturday night, Spike TV and GameTrailers hosted VGX 2013 – a rebranded video games awards show born from the VGAs of years past. Hopes were high this year as the network promised a show that would focus on the games and developers instead of advertisements and celebrity appearances. We got just that, but it somehow ended up being worse than before.

    Over the span of three hours, we were treated to game reveals and new trailers for previously announced titles. The games that were announced ranged from boring (Tales from the Borderlands) to this is too good to announce at a show like this (No Man’s Sky). In between all that, gamers got to experience banter between a Joel McHale that obviously didn’t want to be there and a Geoff Keighley that was trying to keep it all together.

    As you might expect, such a show is rife for parody and that’s just what Matt Lees at VideoGamer has done. Just like his past E3 press conference parodies, he takes the worst from VGX 2013 and gives us a reason to legitimately laugh at the latest attempt to capitalize on a gamer audience that’s tired of being treated like shut ins who still live in their parents’ basement.

    If you didn’t get a chance to watch this year’s VGX show, you’re probably better off just watching the above video. The only thing I can recommend is that you check out the debut trailer for No Man’s Sky. It was quite literally the only redeeming moment from the entire show.

    [Image: VideoGamer]

  • Waiting In Line 3D, The Worst Video Game Ever?

    Can’t wait to get your hands on the latest videogame? Do you like shooters like Doom and Duke Nukem 3D? Why not try Waiting in Line 3D, a first-person punching game about a man waiting outside in a queue. There are no enemies in the game, but in the long wait of what’s to be anticipated, the player must stay awake by punching themselves in the face. Punch yourself too often, and you’ll die – too little, and you’ll ultimately fall asleep. The goal is to stay awake.

    The game’s style is similar to that of Wolfenstein 3D, Road Rash, and other 90’s games that took heavily pixelated pictures of real world settings and overlaid them to create a virtual reality. You’ll notice that the level design looks similar to early PlayStation games.

    The game is made by Rajeev Basu, an interactive artist from London, known for having humor being “a big part of” his “work.”  He’s made such pieces like a brash set of “greeting” cards that were rejected from various card publishing companies, as well as a concept album called EEP EEP EEP EP, which is composed entirely with alarms. Appropriately, Basu copyrights his game circa 1991.

    Basu told Wire.co.uk that it’s an “anti-game”, which means it “deliberately undermines the very idea of what a game is meant to be”.

    Basu teamed up with Alex Anderson (AKA ManCub), a musician based in Denver Colorado who incorporated his first single, “Friends Listen” in the game. Anderson’s tracks match the echoic distant sound and feel of the 90’s – a kind of new age and experimental music style that sounds like a more upbeat version of Moby’s early work combined with Jesus Jones. Basu said that he and Anderson “shared a similar kind of thinking,” adding that both of them liked “creating things that are a bit ‘off’ and messing with people.”

    “The game isn’t interesting, exciting or fun.”

    “I think we succeeded.”

    And yet, despite the game being so mundane, there have been “tens of thousands” of internet users playing Waiting in Line 3D with a total of 48 hours. While most players only last for a couple minutes, one player managed to stand in line for 27 minutes.

    Go and give it a shot at WaitingInLine3D.com.

    (Pictures via Rajeev Basu, WaitingInLine3D.com)

     

  • WATCH: Sesame Street’s Homeland Parody “Homelamb”

    Sesame Street has created an awesome parody of Showtime’s hit television show Homeland, the aptly named “Homelamb”. The parody swaps out the human characters with various farm animals, as I’m sure you can imagine.

    In “Homelamb” a group of sheep government agents are on a mission to find the Big Bad Wolf, who is currently “on the lamb”. Check it out for yourself below:

  • Funny Or Die’s “Apple iPad Announcement Parody” Nails It (VIDEO)

    Earlier today Apple unveiled the new iPad, the iPad Air. As the name implies, this latest iPad is thinner and lighter than previous models. It’s 7.5mm thin which Apple claims is 20 percent thinner than previous models. It also weighs 1 pound, which Apple claims is the lightest full sized tablet in the world.

    One thing you can always count on when it comes to Apple, they’re going to have an announcement video… and it’s going to look just like all the others.

    This was the idea behind the latest Funny or Die Apple parody video. It takes aim at the classic white background and everyone looking off-camera, a little bit above and to the right. You can check it out for yourself below:

    (Image: FoD)

  • ‘Orange Is The New Black’ Gets ‘New Inmate’ By The Name Of ‘New Hamsichusettes’

    Don’t worry, it’s not real. It’s just Taryn Manning, who plays Pennsatucky on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, appearing on VH1’s Best Week Ever in a “New Inmates of Orange is the New Black” segment, playing Pennsatucky’s evil twin sister.

    As far as we know, this isn’t a planned spinoff. Manning, however, has been promoted to series regular for the upcoming second season, which is currently in production.

    Lead image: VH1 (YouTube)

  • Tinder Gets Its Own ‘Social Network’-Inspired Creation Story

    Swipe-focused dating app Tinder is apparently helping people find the loves of their lives. Some have argued that the app has even solved the problem of online dating for women. I bet you were dying to know the story – the real story – behind one of the hottest matchmaking apps around.

    No? Ok. That’s good, because this is just a parody. But I’d like to imagine that the creation of Tinder was full of all the same dramatic tension, foreboding establishing shots, and whiny rich kids that made up The Social Network.

    via Bad Weather Films
    Image via YouTube

  • The iPhone 5DS Is Gonna Blow Your Mind

    Apple parody videos are everywhere these days – I mean, Apple’s promotional videos are just so damn parody…able? Yeah, that’s it. Everything is always sooo revolutionary and the backgrounds are always sooo white. The products are sooo amazing.

    Meet the newest in the line, the iPhone 5DS. it stand for iPhone Double Screen, and it’s exactly what you imagine.

    “We know that this is some groundbreaking crazy ass shit, so that’s why we here at Apple developed it for you.”

    Strangely enough, the part where two people are playing games simultaneously? Genius. Get on it, Jony Ive.

    Image, Video via Udetto, YouTube