One Year of Fake News
Fake News celebrates its first birthday on Friday, having debuted on January 1, 2009.
I had only published one or two of the stories when Trailer hopped aboard, instantly and dramatically improving the series. In the past year, Fake News has put us on The Tennessean and Washington Post websites, and, on more than a couple occasions, in front of the eyes of the featured artists themselves.
Now, a hundred articles later, we’re set to begin another year. First, though, let’s take a quick look back at 2009 in Fake News.
The 10 Most Read Fake News Articles
The three entries from the second half of the year (PB&J, Aldean, Underwood Militia) caught fire right from the outset, while most of the older ones owe their ranking to months of steady search engine traffic.
- In Lieu of American Saturday Night, Brad Paisley to Release Piccolo Album (link) – 3/27/09
- Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood Going Solo (link) – 4/10/09
- Julianne Hough and Chuck Wicks: “We’re Pregnant!” (link) – 5/8/09
- Lorrie Morgan’s Ex-Husbands to Form a Band (link) – 2/23/09
- Peanut Butter, Jelly Go Separate Ways (link) – 8/11/09
- Aldean to Release Country Remix of “She’s Country” (link) – 7/22/09
- Martina McBride Covers Danzig (link) – 3/12/09
- Taylor Swift Named Greatest Country Singer OMG Like Ever (link) – 3/31/09
- Carrie Underwood Militia Declares War on Poland (link) – 9/3/09
- Martina McBride Removed From Flight for Drunken Threats, Disorderly Conduct (link) – 3/31/09
The 10 Least Read Fake News Articles
Only one entry in this section didn’t come from January or February, months when our Fake News output was at its highest. Okay, we get it: you like balance. These articles may have gotten lost in the flood the first time around, but they’re well worth revisiting now that things have settled down a bit.
- Rascal Flatts Crowd Unruly at Houston Show (link) – 1/27/09
- Uncle Kracker Can’t Wait for Next Chesney Tour (link) – 1/31/09
- Busy Day After All Nashville Area Grandfathers Die (link) – 2/10/09
- There’s Something Different About Darius Rucker (link) – 1/20/09
- Rich’s Answer to Snider: Freedom Homo (link) – 1/19/09
- Despondent, Old Blue Chair Drowns Self in Caribbean Sea (link) – 2/12/09
- Congress Asks Taylor Swift for a Bailout (link) – 1/23/09
- Darius Rucker on Going Gold: “That’s Nice” (link) – 2/26/09
- Tim McGraw Hurls Tomahawk at Chattering Fan (link) – 1/29/09
- Self-Identified Willie Fan Actually Just a Pothead (link) – 10/13/09
The 10 Most Commented Fake News Articles
Here are the stories that provoked the most discussion, sometimes due to the involvement of fan clubs.
- Carrie Underwood Militia Declares War on Poland (link) – 9/30/09 – 29 comments
- Kristian Bush on Vocal Rest; Sugarland Tour Unaffected (link) – 9/9/09 – 25 comments
- Bucky Covington Injured in Orange Juice Mishap (link) – 3/4/09 – 24 comments
- Troy Gentry Catches Possible Alabama State Record Bass (link) – 2/2/09 – 19 comments
- Axl Rose Recording Country Album (link) – 10/20/09 – 17 comments
- Chad Brock to Compete on Dancing With the Who the Hell Is That Guy (link) – 6/16/09 – 16 comments
- Leann Rimes Issues Incomprehensible Statement (link) – 1/7/09 – 15 comments
- Study Finds All Music Critics Jealous of All Singers (link) – 5/12/09 – 14 comments
- Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood Going Solo (link) – 4/10/09 – 13 comments
- Taylor Swift Named Greatest Country Singer OMG Like Ever (link) – 3/31/09 – 12 comments (TIE)
- Martina McBride Won’t Stop Cracking Dead Baby Jokes (link) – 7/14/09 – 12 comments (TIE)
- Oddball Songwriter Pens Song By Himself (link) – 7/9/09 – 12 comments (TIE)
C.M.’s Honorable Mentions
Basically, articles I thought were especially good that didn’t make it on any of the above lists.
- God Requests That He Not Be Thanked for CMA Awards (link) – 11/10/09
- Song About Country Pride to Be Released (link) – 9/4/09
- Steve Earle Writes Song About Sugarland (link) – 7/17/09
- Months Later, Steve Holy Still Terrified of Foosball (link) – 6/23/09
- Rodney Atkins Spotted at Trader Joe’s (link) – 6/10/09
- Jamey Johnson Gets Lucrative Snuggie Sponsorship (link) – 5/18/09
- Alan Jackson Previews New Clarence Carter Covers Album (link) – 5/8/09
- Tool Dresses As Kenny Chesney to Attend Kenny Chesney Concert (link) – 4/9/09
- Ray Price Excited to Hear More from Gloriana (link) – 3/10/09
- Bush, Nettles Sustain Minor Injuries in Comically-Oversized Hamster Ball Collision (link) – 1/12/09
All the articles linked above comprise only about 2/5 of the Fake News archive, so there’s lots more to explore for those who are new to the series or haven’t followed it religiously over the past 12 months.
Thanks to Trailer for all the concepts and stories he has contributed to the series so far. This would be a lot less fun without his involvement, and I think we’re both only getting better, so here’s to the next hundred.
What were some of your favorites from 2009?
Prefer email? Nothing wrong with that!
I can’t believe you wrote 100 Fake News posts. Was that your intention from the beginning? I read them over the course of three days, and I’d say I laughed at all of them, but my favorites are also in your list of Honorable Mentions, with “God Requests That He Not Be Thanked for CMA Awards” still cracking me up. Of the least read Fake Newses (how do you make news plural?), I especially remember “Busy Day After All Nashville Area Grandfathers Die,” “Darius Rucker on Going Gold: ‘That’s Nice’ ,” and “Self-Identified Willie Fan Actually Just a Pothead.”
I appreciate how you capture the voice of the fake quotees–I’m thinking of “Orange Woman Mulls Reunion with Porcelain Mother.” I can believe that Kellie Pickler, Cledus T. Judd, and Dolly Parton all commented exactly as you wrote them.
The nice round number was more an accident than anything else, but having experimented with different paces, a hundred per year (averaging ~2 per week) seems about right. So I’d be happy to hit that mark again in 2010. Already got some doozies in the pipeline!
Thanks for the kind words, everyone.
Of course, I love this clever series. My favorites actually include the Paisley and Peanut butter/Jelly articles. I somehow missed the Rich/Snider one. It’s no wonder you guys have been mentioned all over the place.
Well-done! Here’s to another healthy dose of Fake News in 2010.
I love the fake news posts. They are funny. I think you should do one on bloggers – namely, Alison Bonaguro. Something like “Alison Bonaguro Writes A Post that is Intelligent and Not a Transparent Attempt to Stir Up Controversy Over a Trivial Matter.” Something like that, but funny. You know how to make jokes, I don’t. What I do know is Alison Bonaguro’s posts seem ignorant and manipulative. She is worse than Jason Aldean, Bucky Covington and all the other B-list country stars combined. Surely there could be some humor in mocking Alison Bonaguro. She deserves all the vitriol sent her way, and more.
Congrats! These are always funny, the Underwood militia is probably my favorite.
So which were read by the original artists?
That’s classified information, except in the few cases where artists have publicly referenced their articles: Chad Brock, Big Kenny, and Gretchen Peters. There have been a handful of others, but if they’re not saying anything, neither should I. They are out there, though, so watch yourself. ;-)
Seriously? Big Kenny has referenced his article? Do tell.
http://twitter.com/BigKennyTV/status/6504903717
That’s pretty cool.
Hard to believe how many people take them seriously still.