Friday, August 7, 2009

Friday Dance Party: Viral Video


Well, the "JK Wedding Entrance" has gone viral, which I think means everybody in the world with Internet access has seen it. So, you won't be seeing it here. Those Youtube clips which suddenly catch the attention of the world are usually worth watching once, but I can't sit through them more than that. Even Susan Boyle's video grew tiring, didn't it? And that one actual DID become viral, as apparently it was the first step toward the poor lady having a nervous breakdown. And the Peanuts gang singing along with The Police, that one's pretty fun, too. But how often can you watch it, once the joke's been played?

As for Jill and Kevin's wedding video, which featured the wedding party dancing down the aisle to "Forever" by Chris Brown, that clip has made the happy couple famous. They even recreated the entire thing on the Today show, a poor choice to make, as a repeated viewing reflected the fact that most in the wedding party could not dance worth a nickle. There is a reason they didn't put white people on Soul Train. But whatever, they get to be famous for a while.

There has been a backlash to the popularity of that video, due to the couple's choice of entrance music. Chris Brown recently plead guilty to beating his girlfriend Rihanna (Full Disclosure: I had never heard of either one of them until he beat the crap out of her...that's how slow I am to pick up on current pop culture). Brown received a suspended sentence and community service (you have to REPEATEDLY break the law here in the US, before it's considered really a crime). But the popularity of the wedding video featuring Brown's song has increased the popularity of the song itself, boosting digital downloads of the tune from a mere 3,000 to an astounding 50,000 in a matter of days. That's an increase of 1,721% from the previous week. This, of course, puts lots and lots of royalties into the pocket of felony assaultist Brown. The wedding couple, of course, have created a website, because that's what newlyweds do as soon as they get married, and have requested that people donate some money to an organization dedicated to ending violence against women and children.






I guess they never considered actually removing their wedding video from YouTube.




As with all videos which "go viral," there have been some responses and some parodies. For this week's Dance Party, here's a fun one, reflecting Jill and Kevin after 6 months of wedded bliss: