Blackout (entertainer)
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Blackout (also credited in films as Michael Biggins) is a comedian. As an actor, singer, writer, film-maker, television, radio show host and comedian, Blackout is an all around entertainer with a philosophical theatre of the absurd slant. He is probably best known on the internet for his prank calls and character acting. Unlike most prank callers, Blackout usually creates long prank calls which tell a detailed story and feature multiple characters all interacting with each other in real time. He was the first person to put prank calls on the web with streaming audio in 1995 using the very fist version of RealAudio. He was also the first person to host a live internet talkradio show primarily devoted to pranks and comedy on the LYCOS talk radio network (now defunct).
He then switched to Alternacast, then Live 365, and finally got a sponsorship from Host.net to purchase his own shoutcast servers and be able to do his show unfettered by outside corporate or commercial rules and regulations. This led to a period of unfettered creativity and listenership. He was often joined by a deep-voiced sidekick, Pharris, who he would also jokingly torture in various ways on the radio show and in odd video clips and short films on the site. One of which shows Pharris attempting to drink a gallon of milk live on the air in under 30 minutes without throwing up.
Blackout got his name and made his debut on the radio station 88.5 WKPX in Sunrise, Florida. When he was first going on the air, lightning struck the transmitter antenna, blowing it in half and bringing the station down for over 6 months. Since he was the person on the air when this happened, his teachers and students started calling him the nickname 'Blackout'. Having nothing to do as a DJ during the periods that the station was off the air, he started recording original prank calls in studio B (the practice studio), and distributing them around school on tapes and then on a 1-800 number called the KOOKLINE that was a voice mail box - hence where he got the name for his show and site "Blackout's Box".
When the station finally went back on the air, Blackout's pranks and antics were already immensely popular throughout the school and on the 800 number, so he started actually putting them on the air during his show. One call, "The Rrrrrrrooksnitchzien Society" got Blackout suspended from the air because the phone company called the radio station to complain that they were getting hundreds of copycat calls to 411 each time it aired. It was at this radio station, based out of Piper High School, that Blackout met Pharris in 1988.
In addition to radio, Blackout has had many TV appearances, most notably as a host for the VH1 TV show Twentysomething, and the G4 network show Power Play. Blackout has always maintained to his fans that while he immensely enjoys prank calls - he considers them mere improv and warm ups for his true love - acting. From posts on his website, he is currently working on several independent film projects, but still finds time to do the Thursday night LIVE show when he can.
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[edit] Blackout's sketches, films, and videos
Blackout's videos have been streamed, downloaded and seen by hundreds of thousands of people if not millions, one such popular clip he produced with friend and fellow comedian/actor Flip Schultz (Comedy Central, HBO, & the movie Big Trouble) called "Smallville - the lost episide" has gotten over 100,000 views on viewtube in the short time it has been up. Blackout was streaming audio and video from blackout.com far before any of the now major sites like myspace or youtube existed.
[edit] Some of Blackout's Most Notable Prank Calls
- The Rrrrrrrooksnitchzien Society - An irate British man calls 411 looking for the non-existent Rrrrrrrooksnitchzien Society (which he is unable to spell), and tries to get the operator to roll her r's so she can say the name. As he is transferred from operator to operator, nobody can say the name or find the phone number. The ending of this call is quite frankly brilliant and rumors have it that it is after this call that 411 started switching to an automated system.
- Brad's Dirty Secret - Brad, a junior college-aged student calls a male escort service and asks about companionship. Brad's mother, played by Gladys in this sketch, picks up the phone and inquires about the call. The operator from the male escort service lies and tries to convince Gladys that her son is not gay and that they (Brad and the operator) had even gone on a date. Brad is portrayed by Pharris, Gladys by Blackout.
- The Dog Beaters - An old lady named Gladys Ridgeford calls a man, Irving, and accuses him of running over her dog with a wheelchair. Eventually the police officer John Dandell and Gladys' son get involved. This is one of Blackout's oldest calls before he had all the recording technology he has now, so it is not as clear, but it is an absolute classic and favorite among fans.
- The Quanicles - A teenager (Matt Cheddar) impersonating the voice of Shredder from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles makes collect calls and threatens an Asian man named Quan. John Dandell, the police officer, gets involved when Matt accuses Quan of prank calling him doing the Shredder voice. Blackout claims that this is the most ridiculous prank callof all time and that he doubts he could ever top it. It runs for about a half and hour and a full storyunfolds with Blackout playing 4 different characters at the same time in a 'phone court' session. The characters are Matt Chedder, Master Shredder, Joahna the dull Southern Operator, and John Dandell, the dimwitted cop who can't figure out what's going on and is suspicious of everyone.
- Christian Slater Prank Call - In an epic series of calls that took place the night Paris Hilton had her T-Mobile Sidekick information published on the Internet, Blackout assists actor Christian Slater, whose phone number was leaked online, to avoid further prank phone calls. Using the characters John Dandell, Gladys Ridgeford, and Hector Rodriguez, Blackout poses as employees of a cell phone company, leading Slater through an elaborate series of tasks to change his cell phone number. Blackout casually moves between helpful employee and overenthusiastic fan, continually asking Slater about his work on Pump Up the Volume. The prank was mentioned on the Howard Stern radio show.
[edit] Some of Blackout's Characters
- Gladys Ridgeford - An alcohol-drinking foul-mouthed older woman, who has a German Shepard named Tripod (he lost a leg in a wheelchair accident). Gladys loves drinking bourbon and will frequently pause during a call to pour herself a shot. The most famous prank featuring Gladys is "The Dog Beaters", in which Gladys calls a man accusing him of hitting her dog with a wheelchair. Gladys is the most frequently used character and is the star of a number of pranks.
- John Dandell - A police officer character. He often will threaten to come down and bring the call victim in to the station, even when all evidence points to the victim's innocence. He frequently uses his police radio during calls. In calls with Gladys, John is the one that usually tells her to stop interrupting and let the victim speak.
- John Blackman - An African-American man who is prone to making threats and has a girlfriend named Laquisha. Made famous in the call known as "Buttworm".
- Malinda - A young girl character. In one call, she poses as the granddaughter Jaclyn who lets her grandmother know of the drugs that her mother has given her and the pornography tapes that she has found in her mother's bedroom.
- Master Shredder - The voice of Master Shredder from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, who Blackout convinces his victim is being done by a teenager named Matt Cheddar.
- Mikey Christopher Lewis - An aspiring singer and dancer who calls a talent agency and sings to them on the phone so they know how talented he is.
- Hector Rodriguez - A Spanish-speaking man who has played a number of roles. In the call "Take Your Medicine", he plays an obnoxious pharmacy assistant who tells his victim that if she doesn't pick up her pills she'll go "looney-bin crazy".
[edit] Awards and Press
Blackout has won numerous awards and media coverage. He was featured 4 years in row in the print edition * Harley Hahn's Internet Yellow Pages -the highest selling internet book ever with over 2 million in print- in the number 2 spot in humor with this mention: "Every time I visit Blackout's Box I end up laughing and laughing out loud. This Web site features crank phone calls made by a wonderful, talented actor. These recordings are, by far, the funniest such calls I have ever heard. If you need a good laugh right now, you know what to do."
Blackout was also the *2003 cover story for South Florida's NEW TIMES magazine. As well as many local and national newspapers. The day of the Blackout in New York, his site was swamped with hits with people looking for more information on Blackout's, and he put up a fake terrorist map that showed how he had removed power and demanded a slice of "good, thin, non slimey New York pizza where the cheese stays on the pizza when you pick it up. Provide this, and maybe you'll get your power back on."
[edit] Categories
[edit] External links
- (Blackout's Box) - Official Website of Blackout
