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| 5/24 |
| 2004/5/19-20 [Politics/Domestic/Election, Politics] UID:30311 Activity:high |
5/19 http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040519/234/726q1.html Would someone who's older than me please explain Andy Kaufman? \_ I'm not older, but I think he's nuts. \_ It's a press release, not news. I think it's a complete hoax. \_ http://Snopes.com on the case: http://csua.org/u/7dn (Uploaded 5/20) \_ Everything I know of Andy Kaufman, I got it from watching Man on the Moon. How accurate is it? \_ not sure, but I found him to be a totally annoying opinionated bastard and I don't care if he's dead or alive \_ Not completely accurate (but what biopic is?). Kaufman had an odder sense of humor than most, but it was wasted on people who never understood the absurdity of it. In retrospect (and when it was spelt out for people in MotM), people now appreciate his brand of humor. Back then though... in terms of today's comics, his fame varied between Robin Williams and a half-step above Carrottop and Gallagher. |
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| news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040519/234/726q1.html featureXpress Andy Kaufman Returns After 20 Years Wed May 19, 9:00 AM ET New York City, NY (PRWEB) May 19, 2004 -- Twenty years ago, on May 16, 1984, most of the world believed that we had lost a comedic legend forever. This has turned out to be what will inevitably be known as the greatest comic prank ever conceived. Andy Kaufman, by all accounts, is alive and well at age 55 and is now living in New York City on the upper west side. To his loyal supporters and fans, Andy says "sorry about faking my death," in a recent interview with ABC News at his apartment. In order to reach legendary comic status and seal his place in the history of performance art, he said it was "necessary to go away for twenty years." com/ Even though he has technically returned, Andy says that he plans to maintain his low key lifestyle that he has led for the past twenty years. Fearing the possibility of this scenario and the potential for another hoax, Kaufman's family has contracted with independent auditors Ernst & Young to determine if this in fact the real Andy Kaufman. He has subjected himself to medical examination and submitted DNA, hair, blood and fingerprint samples to the auditors. Ernst & Young and the Kaufman family report that with a 99% probability, this is indeed the real Andy Kaufman. In 1999, a new crop of Kaufman fans were born after Jim Carrey starred in the hit film Man on the Moon. "Andy's bizarre mix of comedy and performance art will inspire fans and comedians alike for generations, especially after this stunt," says Jim Carrey. Kaufman was famous for pulling this stunt with the Tony Clifton character, sometimes played by good friend Bob Zmuda. Andy says fans should tune into his website for ongoing updates to his adventures in life. As always, Andy's stage has been the world, testing the boundaries of our beliefs, our sources of information, and our perception of reality. Andy Kaufman on eBay Find Andy Kaufman items at low prices. With over 5 million items for sale every day, you'll find all kinds of unique things on eBay - the World's Online Marketplace. |
| csua.org/u/7dn -> www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/kaufman.asp New York City, NY (PRWEB) May 19, 2004 -- Twenty years ago, on May 16, 1984, most of the world believed that we had lost a comedic legend forever. This has turned out to be what will inevitably be known as the greatest comic prank ever conceived. Andy Kaufman, by all accounts, is alive and well at age 55 and is now living in New York City on the upper west side. To his loyal supporters and fans, Andy says "sorry about faking my death," in a recent interview with ABC News at his apartment. In order to reach legendary comic status and seal his place in the history of performance art, he said it was "necessary to go away for twenty years." Click Here would be hard-pressed to think of any other entertainer who sowed as much doubt about his true character than comedian Andy Kaufman did in the 1970s and 1980s. He adopted multiple personas and stayed in character even when he was off-stage. He staged tantrums and altercations so convincingly that audiences were left wondering whether his flare-ups were rehearsed routines or genuinely spontaneous outbursts of anger. In the end, he blurred the division between Andy Kaufman and Andy Kaufman's comic creations so thoroughly that much of the public was no longer sure which was which. But the end did come -- on 16 May 1984, a 35-year-old Andy Kaufman died of lung cancer at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. His remains were returned to New York for interment at Beth David Cemetery. And all of this screams of being a very un-Kaufman-like publicity stunt. The "celebrity-died-young actually faked his own death to drop out of the public eye" rumor has long since been milked for all its worth. Every decade sees it applied to at least one prominent entertainer -- James Dean, Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley, Tupac Shakur. That someone issued a press release proclaiming Andy Kaufman to be alive signifies nothing other than an attempt to capitalize on the confusion his bizarre performance style sowed during his lifetime. blog now disclaims that, contrary to details provided in the press release, he was not interviewed by ABC, and the alleged DNA testing was not conducted by the auditing firm of Ernst & Young. said, during a 1999 interview: "The hoax and the practical joke are lost art forms." But did Andy Kaufman pull one last stunt on his deathbed at age 35? While Kaufman tinkered with the idea, tells Zmuda, he never brought it up again. If the real Andy Kaufman were back, his story would be picked up by every major news service in the US and a good many abroad, not merely a single "anybody can submit a story" free publicity service. And if the real Andy Kaufman genuinely wanted to demonstrate he was still alive, just one public appearance would serve that purpose far more convincingly than an unverifiable DNA test. Most important, if the Andy Kaufman I remember -- the brilliant, unpredictable, erratic, and unique comic genius -- had finally emerged from hiding twenty years after faking his own death, I have no doubts that he'd find a much more imaginative way of revealing his return than a free press release and a rather ordinary blog. |
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