Idolator: fools and their foolishness

People Really Will Do Anything For Radiohead Tickets

Maura Johnston — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:50:39 EST

And that "anything" includes recreating not-all-that-hilarious videos of people being mistreated while under arrest featuring someone "sexy" in the mistreater's role! Yes, Tampa-area radio station 97X gave its wheelchair-bound listeners the "opportunity" to be dumped out of their wheelchair and into a pile of bubble wrap, Orient Road Jail-style—and if the chosen listener made it through the whole thing, he'd get a pair of tickets to see Radiohead. I have to say that the one thing that bums me out the most about the Howard Sternization^* of radio is this insistence on performing stunts that probably wouldn't even make the "deleted scenes" menu on a Jackass DVD... over the radio, so only the people laughing their asses off in the studio can actually see what's going on. Which is to say: Of course there's video of it, and it's after the jump.

I can't decide whether or not this is worse than that hands on a hard Hannah Montana body thing, if only because that particular stunt involved people giving up entire days of time.

Radiohead Fan Flips Over Chance For Free Tickets [reax magazine]

^* Mind you, I don't really mind Stern all that much. I actually think he can be quite funny. But a lot of his "made-for-TV" schtick doesn't really translate to radio all that well, even through satellite's crisp airwaves.

Man Lays His Hands On Hannah's Hardbody ... For Six Days

mjohnston — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 16:20:20 EST

Do you have 144 hours to spare and an unquenchable desire to see Miley Cyrus in person? If you were in Tampa, Fla., you could have taken on 35-year-old Jody Powell in yet another contest designed to give away tickets to a Hannah Montana concert to the person most willing to take a lot of time off of work for unexplained "personal reasons":

Twenty contestants started Nov. 8, placing a hand on the 400-pound statue in the parking lot of radio station WFLZ-FM, the contest's sponsor. They were allowed 12-minute breaks every three hours and got catered meals, but weren't allowed books, cell phones or iPods.

Powell was declared the winner Wednesday afternoon when the other remaining contestant, Lara Padgett, became distracted and let go.

"That sun really got to me today," said Padgett, who later was checked out at a hospital because she wasn't feeling well. "I took my hand off the fur-lined boot."

Oh, cry me a river, Lara. You got 12-minute breaks every three hours! If I were your daughters, I'd be questioning your commitment to Miley Cyrus up and down and all over the place.

Man Hangs On, Wins `Hannah Montana' Tix [AP]
[Photo via 93.3 FLZ]

Jay-Z Fan's Loyalty Questioned After She Refuses To Go Thong-Free For Ticket

mjohnston — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 11:05:53 EDT

The Chicago Reader's Miles Raymer is reporting that this morning's radio follies on Power 92, the local hip-hop station, included a woman calling up to beg for tickets to Jay-Z's show at the Chicago House Of Blues next week, which unsurprisingly sold out instantly. While the station wasn't giving away tickets at that moment, the host did say that if the woman engaged in some reverse sexual harassment, she'd be a winner, sort of.

A girl just called in to Power 92 looking to beg for tickets to Jay-Z's sold-out-in-a-minute show at the House of Blues next week. It wasn't ticket giveaway time yet, but Donnie Devoe offered to give her a ticket if she'd go up to her boss—she was at work—and slap him across the face with her thong.

The one she was wearing at the time, presumably, and not the spare one she no doubt keeps in her desk for "special occasions." Anyway, the woman declined, which I'm actually sort of surprised by, but maybe that's because I've seen so many people lining up to humiliate themselves for the few shows that actually sell out these days. What I'm more shocked by is the way the station would only give her one ticket if she engaged in the thong-slapping. What on earth would she have to do to get a plus one?

Would you do it? [Crickets]

Americans Rush To Humiliate Themselves For Hannah Montana Tickets

mjohnston — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:35:12 EDT

Tonight marks the kick-off date of the Hannah Montana tour—the official Hottest Ticket Of The Year, especially among attorney generals—and in their last-minute scramble to prevent their eight-year-olds from having week-long tantrums, parents across America are lining up for the chance to make complete asses out of themselves (and their employees):

With the 54-date "Best of Both Worlds Tour" kicking off in St. Louis, Missouri, on Thursday, local radio station Y98 offered dads the chance to be their daughter's hero by putting on heels and racing 50 yards to win four tickets.

"We got a couple of hundred phone calls from people asking questions about where to get high heeled shoes big enough for husbands and about 150 men turned up in high heels," Mark Edwards, director of programming at Y98, told Reuters.

He said the field for the "high heel derby" was narrowed down to 50 runners and won on Wednesday by Matt Austin, who was competing on behalf of his boss who has a young daughter.

Competing on behalf of his boss? Wow. That guy deserves a raise. But really, Y98 missed out on an amazing cross-promotional opportunity by not forcing the be-heeled men to engage in a line-dancing contest; now that would have stoked a lot of embarrassment in the hearts of all the girls whose fathers were losers!

Parents go to extremes for Hannah Montana tickets [Reuters]
[Photo: AP]