4B - Thursday, February 3, 2011 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.corr MISTAKEN FAME From Page 3B the same occurrences are a sta- ple of events among the "Pot- ter" fandom. But what struck me was that for the first time, I was removed from the fan interac- tion, watching the events from an outsider's perspective. And from that perspective, it was some pretty weird shit. Tom and I were nonplussed by the attention we got. Though unrecognizable to the hundreds of people packed into the pub, we were presumably famous enough to be selling CDs and chatting with John. We were treated differently by virtue of this implied eminence. One fan mistook me for a famous YouTuber; another took a picture of me, Tom and Lex selling merch. Some talked to us, about everything from the University's StarKid to John's books to puppy-sized elephants. I was mistaken for someone who was someone, a celebrity in my own right just for knowing the event's hosts. In the days that followed, I'd find pictures of John tagged in my Facebook feed with my face in the back- ground. What sets Nerdfighters apart from other fan groups is this: Only in the age of YouTube could people like John, Hank, Charlie, Alex, Tom, Ed, Rosi and Lex become celebrities. They're not athletes, actors or models ... they're just a bunch of nerds who make videos for us. The purpose of vlogging is to help users talk about their interests. Making them "Internet-famous" was just a side effect. I couldn't help wondering: Do my "Harry Potter" friends and I look like this to other people? Does being a fan of someone from the Internet really appear this crazy? The answer is yes. I spent my own time hero-worshiping people from "Harry Potter" bands and websites, if only to grow out of it and just enjoy the show. People call it many things: fangirling, idolatry ... but it's the same thing we experience daily with "real" celebrities, a phe- nomenon we learned about in Comm. 102 called "pararelation- ships." Basically, the human brain isn't designed to get to know people through a screen - be that a movie screen, television or computer. We develop a one-sid- ed relationship with the people in those screens without them ever knowing a thing about us. What's unique about YouTube is that the celebrities are ordinary people who never bargained for fame. It's bizarre. With that in mind, the rest of my surreal experience at Ice Father Nation doesn't seem so strange. Even though my friends and I still struggle to put the night into words, I can't imagine it going any differently. In fact, all the singing, selling, signing and being mistaken for someone who's YouTube-famous seems normal. This is the new era of celebrity. Don't judge the new medium and fan culture. If this is our generation's way of fur- thering entertainment, then so be it. JACOBS From Page 3B Modern malls have been around for maybe a century with their departmental gender breakdowns. But civilization has spent millennia in disagree- ment over which kinds of cloth- ing get the label of sugar and spice and which we'd rather associate with snips, snails and puppy dog tails. So ifSIsay I belongin the "Girls" depart- ment, then I do by the very puppy dogs on my unisex Old Navy tee. Jacobs plans to wear kohl and kilts now. To see pictures, e-mail her at shacobs@umich.edu. GAMING From Page 3B of commands per minute. Everyone was excited to watch each other play and provide feedback. "My goal for the team is not just to win, but to have as many play as possible," Liu said. The gaming communities at Michigan may be under the radar, but both strive to be as inclusive as possible. Though it's clear all the players in these groups are talented and deter- mined gamers, both communi- ties enjoy the social aspect just as much. They come for the competition, but they stay for the camaraderie. 0 GOING VIRAL From Page 1B options of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. StarKid actors who held key roles in the wizard musicals are recognized for their beloved characters, which Richter said still surprises him. "It happens at the strang- est times," Richter said. "I was walking to Angell Hall once and it happened. It always catches me off guard, but it's great that it happens. I'm happy that peo- ple have seen the musicals and enjoyed them. That's what's so cool about it." MT&D senior Devin Lytle, known for her role as Cho Chang, was recognized multiple times during her study abroad program in England this summer and has been picked out at many coffee shops around campus. MT&D senior Brian Rosenthal - the show's bumbling professor Quir- rell - has experienced personal requests from customers asking for him to visit their table at the restaurant he works at. Since its popularity was born online, it would make sense for the majority of StarKid's fan- base and fan interaction to exist online as well. Group members often receive an unmanageable amount of Facebook messages, friend requests, photos, online fan art and fan-created websites honoring both them as people and their onstage personas. Many of the actors have also received fan fiction stories writ- ten about the characters they play - and sometimes even based on their fans' perception of them as people. The messages Richter receives exceed the typical adoration and appreciation for his work. A few messages have even have shown concern for his well-being. "I got an e-mail once of some- one telling me that they thought I was going to die," Richter said. "They had a dream or had some way of knowing that something bad was going to happen so they kind of said, 'Be careful when you're driving on ice,' or what- not. That was the weirdest one I received." Last summer Richter and a few other of his co-workers went to the Infinitus convention in Orlando, Fla., a large "Harry Potter" gathering for fans of the series. "The conference was amaz- ing," he said. "We witnessed mass fandom all around us. We signed autographs, got inter- viewed - it was a blast. We had a line that was practically wrapped around the corner of the convention center and lasted for two straight hours." StarKid productions aren't the only popular YouTube videos started by University students. Just as "Harry Potter" was one of the main inspirations for the StarKids, for the G-Men it was "The Lion King." Back in Dec. 2007, the G-Men uploaded a live performance of their a cappella version of the "Lion King Medley." All clad in blue jerseys and jeans in the video, the members bring to life the well known songs "Circle of Life," "I Just Can't Wait to be King" and "Hakuna Matata" as they occa- sionally act like the beloved ani- mal characters. This video, along with a few others done by the group, is now at roughly 200,000 hits. As in the case with the "Very Potter" musicals, networking sites aided in its spread. LSA senior Chaz Cox said he realized just how popular "The Lion King" video had become when his boss at his summer internship found it and shared it with the entire company. Though the group posts vid- eos of its performances after every live show, the ones that have received the most praise and attention are the 2007 "The Lion King" medley, its Nick- elodeon medley, which was recorded the same year and has roughly 180,000 hits currently; and a "Billie Jean" cover, which was recorded the following year and now has approximately 250,000 hits. "When it first started hap- pening, a cappella, though not necessarily a new thing ... was becoming more mainstream and something that people were see- ing on YouTube more," Cox said. "It's a very interesting art form, so going to YouTube and look- ing for a cappella videos initially is what sparked interest in those videos." Somehow, though, interest in the videos exploded from there. Nowadays, people who watch videos like the "Lion King Med- ley" are introduced to the world of a cappella through YouTube videos, instead of discovering the videos through a prior pas- sion for their subjects. Team StarKid reiterates this idea. Though its musicals were originally marketed toward "Harry Potter" followers, fans of the production company's other musicals found themselves grav- itating toward the "Very Pot- ter" series as well, uniting these two unlikely audiences into one definitive fan base. But that's the virtue of viral- ity: It can unite completely dif- ferent demographics together. Wrapped up in the web Going beyond live perfor- mances that started on campus and flourished on the internet, LSA senior Danny Lysz has pro- duced, sketched or been part of hundreds of videos on YouTube through a variety of partnerships. Many of the videos he's worked on are parodies - like an alternative take on an Axe com- mercial and a spoof of "Man v. Wild." The Axe video features Lysz putting deodorant on in the mir- ror - but instead of being bom- barded with skimpily dressed women, like in the original com- mercial, he finds himself sur- rounded by a few shirtless men. Lysz described the video as one that draws on the anything-goes mentality of college, as he acted out the mannerisms he portrays in it. Though he doesn't give much thought to the actual people watching videos he's worked on, Lysz is fascinated by how many people around the world have seen his work.. His creativity and never-end- ing supply of material have led him to the creation of his new company, University Studios. The company is planning to offi- cially launch at the University this semester and later expand to other Big Ten schools. The biggest problem in the media world is attaining some form of representation to get you through the door - it's some- PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DAILY STAFP LSA senior Chaz Coo started in the 0-Men's "Lion King" sides.- LSA senior Danny Lysz's parody oftan Axe commercial has accumulated over 140,000 hits on YouTube. Fantastic February @ Universpity Unions February 8,15, 22 Gleek Out @ Pierpont - Glee watching party at Commons Corner TV Lounge 7-9pm February 9 MI Favorite Comic Finals - League Ballroom, 8-10pm February 11 UMix Late Night - Michigan Union, 10pm-2am February 11, 14 Special balloons and sweet treats to give your Valentine available in front of U-go's in the Union February 14 Share a Heart 2 Heart at Beanster's at the League - 2 Sandwiches or Salads, 2 Soups and 2 Beverages for $20.001 February 14-18 M Healthy Week at UUI Get in shape for Winter Break[ Free healthy tastings from 11am-1pm and daily specials all week at Beanster's, Bert's, Mujo Caf6, Commons Oaf6 and U-go's. February 17 Performance Showcase - Images of Identity 0 League Underground 8-11pm February 18 Open Mic Night - League Underground, 8:30-10:30pm UMix Late Night - Michigan Union, 10pm-2am thing that usually takes many connections to achieve. Lysz's company aims to solve that problem by giving University students the all-access pass to entertainment representation through viral video fame. People who want to get this representation have to first upload their video to Lysz's web-r site and have it approved by him and his team. "We don't want to be a You- Tube," Lysz said. "We don't want to be something where there is such a magnitude of crap up there that you can't find anything worthwhile. Our goal is to have' a smaller amount of videos, but only for people that are gearing towards being in the business." The Internet provides a lim- itless medium for ideas and thoughts, and it's only growing with each passing day and next big thing. Lysz thinks his site could be next. "The Internet is usingtwo per- cent of its potential right now," he said. "We have all this ability to link things together and we're just not doing it. (My website) could be one of the first steps to really understanding that. It's bridging the whole nation and even the whole world together." Having access to the Internet truly makes a small world even smaller, connecting you to peo- ple you'd probably never meet walking the streets of Ann Arbor. Rackham student Ben Saunders was connected through Twitter to thousands of Netherlanders who believed him to be a beloved pop star from their version of "American Idol." Every Friday, Saunders received more and more Twit- ters followers, as his name-twin grew in popularity on the reality show. Once people in the Nether- lands started to realize Saunders was not the pop sensation they thought him to be, things got even more complicated for him. "A lot of random people start- ed complaining that I was pre- tending to be this guy," he said. "They said I was trying to get some of his Twitter fame, which is sort of silly, since all my posts are in English, and it's a label on my account that I am an Ameri- can student - not a reality show singer." So, who's the real Ben Saun- ders? The semi-famous Neth- erlander covered in tattoos and clad in glasses and hats, or the brunette and brown-eyed gradu- ate student you might see walk- ing around campus? Saunders even received Inter- net messages from the rising star about his frustration over the situation. "Which is crazy because he has many thousands of followers and I had a couple hundred," Saun ders said. "I don't think he has anything to worry about. Whe is the official person though? Os? his Twitter he has the 'official Ben Saunders,' which is strange because I have that name toOp Who gets the claim of some offi- cial status on the Internet?" '- Viral fame can give a plat form to people with a voice and opinion dying to be heard. Uni- versity alum Lauren Herskovic who graduated in 2006, created such a space - College Candy; an online lifestyle magazine especially designed for college women. Besides Herskovic, there are two writers for the website who currently attend the Uni- versity. Before the website started up, there was a pronounced gap between magazines for the love- sick teen and the city-dwelling, career-driven woman. There was Seventeen - with a large appeal to high school students - and Cosmo - with a large appeal to working women. But what about the women caught in between? There seemed to be a void when it came to college- specific concerns, like finals, dorm life, senior year, sex and relationships. "We want girls who are stu dents," she said. "That's what makes College Candy differ- ent. We're not some 40-year-old women who haven't been in col- lege for 20 years. We have girls who are living it. Their problems are your problems, and what you're learning, they're learn ing." To get your voice heard a mere 10 years ago, you had to have a way into the media - a close connection to the celeb- rity world. Now, with the vast- ness of the Internet, as long as people are willing to find a space to speak, they will find an audi- ence for it. "Alotofpeoplethinkthemedia and written word is dying," Her- skovic said. "But there's infinite space online. It used to be an elite group of people that could voice their opinions via magazines and newspapers. Now, if you know what you're doing and you say it well, you can be successful. It's really inspiring." So, what's the next big thing to peruse through or chat about during boring lectures? As long as you have a bit of luck and just the right elements, it could easily be something you created. February 25 - March 6 Winter Break!