Miranda Sings

"Miranda Sings" at VidCon 2014 in California

Miranda Sings is an Internet character created in 2008 and portrayed by American comedian, actress, singer and YouTube personality Colleen Ballinger.[1] Ballinger displays videos of the comically talentless, egotistical and quirky character on her YouTube channel under the username Miranda Sings. In these videos, the character sings and dances badly, gives inept "tutorials", recounts her daily activities, discusses current events that she often misunderstands, collaborates with other (often reluctant) YouTubers, and rants about her critics, reading examples of hate mail directed at the character on social media; she responds to them with her catchphrase: "Haters Back Off!".[2]

Ballinger created the character as a satire of the many bad but arrogant singers who believe that posting their videos on YouTube will lead to them breaking into show business. As of January 2015, the Miranda Sings YouTube channel had surpassed 440 million views and 3.8 million subscribers.[3] Miranda has been ranked the 7th "most popular" YouTube personality by Daily American[4] and the channel was ranked No. 38 of all time by NewMediaRockstars.[5] The character also has an active presence on other social media.

Since 2009, in addition to her internet videos, Ballinger has regularly performed live comedy acts, in character as Miranda Sings, at cabaret spaces and theaters in New York, London, and other cities in the US, UK, Europe, Canada, Australia and elsewhere. Her acts include Miranda's signature off-key singing of show tunes and pop music hits, with introductions focusing on the character's backstory. Her delivery is full of malapropisms and spoonerisms, and the acts often incorporate giving a "voice lesson" to, or singing a duet with, Broadway or other musical celebrities, reading hate mail, interaction with audience volunteers, and singing while being stabbed through the neck in her "magic trick". The character has appeared in web series, in radio and internet interviews, and in an episode of the TV show Victorious. In 2014, Ballinger was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for her performances as Miranda Sings. The same year, she guest-starred on an episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee with Jerry Seinfeld and appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Grace Helbig Show.

Description

YouTube videos

Since January 2008, Ballinger has posted more than 400 videos, as the character Miranda Sings, on the YouTube channel of the same name.[6][7] The character is a satire of the many YouTube videos featuring mediocre or even bad, but egotistical, singers who film themselves singing in hopes of breaking into show-business, despite the realistic or cruel comments of "haters" regarding their videos.[8][9] Miranda is supposedly a home-schooled young woman who lives with her mother and uncle. She believes that she is famous and is obsessed with show business fame.[10]

In the videos, the Miranda character sings in a comically off-key, yet plausible, voice and covers show tunes and pop music hits, with introductions focusing on the character's backstory. Sometimes she discusses current events, which she usually misunderstands, or gives inept mock-"tutorials".[11] She uses spoonerisms and malapropisms, is irritable, ludicrously self-absorbed and self-righteous, socially awkward, and has a defiant, arrogant attitude.[12][13][14] The Times describes the character as "self-obsessed and immune to criticism".[8] To viewers who take the videos seriously and offer criticism, she responds with the catchphrase, "Haters back off!",[2] telling these critics that they are "just jealous" and that "haters make me famous".[15]

The character displays facial traits such as unusually active eyebrows and a crooked smile[13] described as a "side smirk".[11] Her head is cocked to one side, and her pronunciation quirks include an emphasis on the use of a prominent hard 'g' (in such words as 'singing' and 'song').[10] In place of lyrics that she cannot remember, the character "scat" sings.[16] She wears bright red lipstick drawn beyond the borders of her lips, dresses in mismatched out-of-style clothing (such as a men's shirt buttoned to the neck with red sweatpants), and often dances stiffly to the music she is performing.[17][18] Miranda's views of society and morality are politically incorrect, and she displays a strong aversion to anything risque, which she calls "porn".[19][20] Some of the videos show Miranda duetting with well-known singers[21] or instrumentalists.[22] Since 2013, Miranda has frequently collaborated on videos with other YouTube personalities that are shown on their channels, often accumulating millions of views.[23] Until March 2013, her YouTube audience had been relatively modest, but in that month, her channel's audience reached 150,000 subscribers[24] and began to expand far more rapidly.[25]

Live comedy act, early years

Miranda at The After Party, Laurie Beechman Theatre, early 2009

Since April 2009,[26] in addition to her internet videos, Miranda Sings has performed her one-woman live comedy acts at first at cabaret spaces and later theatres in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Sydney, Dublin, Edinburgh and other cities in the US, UK, Europe, Australia, Canada, Norway and elsewhere.[27][28][29] In 2009, BroadwayWorld.com called her "the hottest, freshest and oddest breakout star in the musical theatre/cabaret scene".[30]

In the live comedy acts, Ballinger begins the show as herself and then transforms onstage into Miranda.[31] Miranda typically sings pop hits and some musical theatre songs in her signature off-key style (one reviewer called this "deranged versions duly delivered with gawky, gurning panache"[32]); gives "voice lessons" or acting lessons to Broadway or West End stars, such as Sutton Foster, Andrew Rannells, and Shoshana Bean,[33] to Broadway casts of shows such as Billy Elliot (to which cast she also gave dance and acting "lessons") and Rock of Ages,[10] and to pop stars such as Ariana Grande,[34] in which she is hypercritical of the stars' performances, often telling them that they should leave show-business; sings one or more duets with established (and bemused) musical theatre singers;[35] indignantly reads hate mail (bleeping out any profanity) that she has received on her YouTube channel and other social media; interacts with audience volunteers; uses projected presentations containing terrible spelling; and sometimes improvises a song based on audience suggestions. The act has autobiographical elements from Miranda's backstory.[2][36][37][38] In her holiday act, in addition to some of the above, Miranda has recreated the Christmas story "complete with the Three Kings, the Drummer Boy, and Santa Claus, as well as a shockingly dissonant 'Carol of the Bells'" and other Christmas songs.[39]

Miranda with former "boyfriend" Cheyenne Jackson in 2009

As an example of the character's delusional arrogance, Miranda stated in her early acts that she expected to perform the role of Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway. During 2009, as part of her act, she announced that she planned to date Cheyenne Jackson (who she did not realize is openly gay) or to find another boyfriend, who must be talented and famous. She was photographed and videotaped together with Jackson at Broadway on Broadway 2009, confronting him about their "relationship", and finally receiving a "first kiss" from him.[40] In 2010, she stated in her videos and comedy acts that Jackson is no longer her boyfriend (because he never called her for a date), and so she was seeking a new, famous, talented, handsome boyfriend, such as Zac Efron[41] or Justin Bieber.[42] In July 2013, Miranda began "dating" former Amazing Race competitor[43] and YouTube host Joey Graceffa, whose last name she cannot pronounce,[44] but she maintains several other "boyfriends".[45]

In 2009, Miranda proclaimed that she was not just a "triple threat" entertainer, but a "four threat", because she is also a model, as well as a singer/actor/dancer.[8][46] Since 2010, she has asserted that she is a "five threat" talent, adding "magic" to her list of skills, and in videos she has combined inept magic tricks with singing.[47][48] A regular part of her live comedy acts since 2010 includes a "magic trick" where Miranda sings while appearing to be stabbed through the neck by a sword, sometimes by magician Christopher Ballinger or her "assistant" Rachel Ballinger (Colleen Ballinger's real-life siblings). The joke is that she sings better when the sword is inserted through her neck.[49] In 2012, Miranda Sings was one of the headliners at the Out of the Loop Fringe Festival, presented by WaterTower Theatre in Addison, Texas.[2][50] Miranda's May 2012 Birdland cabaret act was filmed by Seth Rudetsky and appears on his site www.SethTV.com.[51][52]

Live comedy act, 2013 to present

As the popularity of the character increased, Ballinger has been able to book longer sell-out runs of her live comedy acts, at larger and larger venues, including, in 2013, a six-performance run at the Leicester Square Theatre in London,[53] seven performances in Australia,[54] and, in 2014, a performance at the Best Buy Theater in New York City[55] and, among other theatres, three shows in London's Cadogan Hall.[32] A Buffalo, New York reviewer explained the shows' appeal: "Miranda's stage show – a quixotic blend of melodramatic pathos, lightning-speed wit and cultural literacy – is no mere ... reproduction of her Internet channel. It is as theatrical as it is musical, comedic as it is inspirational."[14] A London reviewer concurred:

Miranda [is] hilarious, and I was struck on several occasions by what an accomplished creation the character is – with her own vocabulary, idiosyncrasies and bizarre (not to mention increasingly sinister) backstory, you've never seen anything like her, and the commitment with which Ballinger embodies this strange, strange girl is nothing short of admirable. Bridging both personas, the moment she transforms into Miranda, on-stage and mid-song, is an absolute joy – I'd struggle to recall hearing an audience erupt to such an extent, and I couldn't help but join in.
—BroadwayWorld reviewer Kevin Sherwin[56]
Rachel Ballinger, Miranda's "assistant"[57]

In her 2014 "Selp Helf" tour, she instructed her (mostly young, female) audience on how to get a boyfriend by being more Miranda-like.[55][58] "To break up the horrendous musical numbers, Miranda incorporated a series of segments that took the four daily concepts of porn, bullies, love and 'haters' and transformed the subject matter into ... comical banter that relied heavily on audience participation ... she worked off everything the volunteers said and did, improvising and creating punchlines on the spot. ... Ballinger, the genius behind Miranda, is so convincing in the role, you ... will likely forget that there is a normal person behind the red lips".[59][60] Miranda's more risque stage business is performed "in a way that will have parents laughing and children oblivious."[61] "There was some great physical comedy. Miranda's alternative to twerking has to be seen to be believed and her recreation of her own birth ... was a hoot. As she told us, she was always famous, it's just that everyone else knows it now."[62] "But [the show] is deeper than it initially appears. ... She is funny and a strong role model, with a healthy disdain for pop’s oversexualisation. .... The satire is not exactly mindblowing but the message is undeniably positive. Plenty of interaction keeps everyone interested and lends proceedings an inclusive feel ... when there was an appeal for volunteers almost every hand shot straight into the air."[32]

Ballinger gave Miranda shows in 57 cities in her 2014 "Selp Helf" tour.[63] Her 2015 tour is a "Miranda 4 Precident" tour; the concept is that Miranda was born to be President and is running for election again in 2015 "to help the whole world".[64] She discusses various "issues" and illustrates how she is more talented than her opponents.[65]

Genesis of the character

Miranda's creator, Colleen Ballinger, based the character partly on young women that she knew in the performance department of her college, Azusa Pacific University.[10] She told The Times of London, "There were a lot of cocky girls who thought they were really talented, and they ... were so rude and snotty, it drove me nuts. Then I saw all these girls trying to make a career out of putting videos on YouTube [of themselves singing in their bedrooms] ... clueless to the fact that they were terrible."[8][66] Ballinger said: "I thought it was so stupid, because I didn't think anybody got famous off of YouTube."[67] At first, the "Miranda videos were meant to be an inside joke" among Ballinger's friends.[68][69] Ballinger's YouTube channel received little traffic for more than a year, but in March 2009, she uploaded a video called "Free Voice Lesson" that quickly became a sensation.[66][70] The video consists of advice to use, and demonstrations of, techniques that real voice teachers would warn students to avoid, delivered in Miranda's arrogant, off-key way.[10][67] Miranda's videos drew predictably sharp criticism on YouTube, and as they became popular, Ballinger modified the character in response to the negative comments, adopting the catchphrases "Haters Back Off" and "Haters Make Me Famous": "People would make fun of my hair, and I made it worse. ... I took what people hated and exaggerated it more in the next video."[18][71]

Colleen Ballinger, creator and alter ego of Miranda Sings, in 2012

After this first viral video, Ballinger was briefly unsure what to do with her newfound internet fame. In April 2009, Jim Caruso invited her to perform as the character at Cast Party, a weekly show at his Birdland jazz club in New York City. Ballinger recalls, "I went from making a minute-and-a-half video in my bedroom to doing an hour-and-a-half live show".[68] Members of the Broadway theatre community had quickly embraced the Miranda videos and were eager to be a part of Miranda's live comedy acts.[68] Frankie Grande, who was then in the cast of Mamma Mia!, invited Ballinger to join the cast as Miranda at the Minskoff Theatre in the 2009 Broadway Cares Easter Bonnet competition charity benefit.[67][72] Later, Broadway celebrities like Lin-Manuel Miranda performed in videos with Miranda.[73] Ballinger was also invited to perform in London. At the Leicester Square Theatre in 2010, Miranda taught "voice lessons" to, and performed with, such West End theatre stars as Leanne Jones, Scarlett Strallen, Daniel Boys, Julie Atherton, Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Anna-Jane Casey, Jon Lee and Noel Sullivan,[74] and the London casts of Naked Boys Singing, Wicked and Les Misérables.[75] Since the summer of 2009, Miranda Sings has also been featured in radio, television and internet interviews where the interviewers explore the personality traits of, and play along with, the character.[12][76][77]

The Miranda character receives negative comments to her videos from viewers who are fooled by the character and believe that they are watching a serious video by a bad entertainer. Ballinger told Back Stage: "It's sort of like an Andy Kaufman thing. You wouldn't believe the hate mail. ... You would never say that stuff to someone's face, but you can type anything online."[1][10] TheaterJones commented that "perhaps because the Internet is some crazy postmodern distortion of reality, people ... felt it was their duty to point out how woefully untalented [Miranda] was, in the most horrific ways. ... Her hate mail, which she reads some of on stage, is an art form all its own."[2][11] Ballinger noted: "The whole reason Miranda went viral is because people were making fun of how stupid it was. If I didn't get hate mail, I wouldn't have a job."[66] The online critics were so harsh that Miranda became a "hero of the anti-bullying movement".[2][78] Her young fans have told Ballinger that they find the character empowering.[79]

The Times commented, "there is another, sweeter side to her travails. Miranda loves singing and, despite – or perhaps because of – the satire, becomes an evocation of something all humans love to do and have done since before we discovered language. The very act of singing, however dire the sound, makes us feel good."[8] Ballinger noted that the TV show Glee (to which Miranda submitted an "audition" in 2010)[80] is causing a resurgence of interest in singing in schools: "Everyone is talking about Glee and choirs and musical theatre, igniting a flame that has been dimmed for a long time. ... Live performance and musical theatre were almost a lost art ... people need to be reminded that it takes a lot more effort to sing than just watching movies or TV shows." Miranda followed up on this idea, saying: "Since I became so famous ... everyone is watching more music and singing more – because everyone wants to be more like me."[8] As the Miranda character matured, its popularity grew especially with younger audiences of the Glee generation, with most of those attending her concerts being teenagers or in their twenties.[81] Ballinger says that she gets the most satisfaction from her live performances.[82][83]

Other activities

Magic trick: Miranda sings while being stabbed through the neck; this boosts her "self isteam", as noted on the projection behind her.

In December 2009, Ballinger released a Christmas EP entitled "Christmas With Miranda Sings".[84] In 2010, she appeared as Miranda at the Nightlife Awards,[85] and Miranda was a presenter at the CYT Directors' Choice Awards in La Mesa, California.[86] Later that year, at the Rose Center Theater, Miranda co-hosted a benefit concert, "Broadway Memories" (which included a Sutton Foster "voice lesson"), for the Alzheimer's Association and the Capistrano Center for the Performing Arts.[87] The same year, Miranda appeared in an episode of the web series Apartment Red.[88] Also, from 2010 to 2012 Ballinger posted video blogs to a second YouTube channel, Mirandavlogz, where Miranda gave mock-tutorials, offered ridiculous opinions and participated in internet challenges like the cinnamon challenge.[89] Miranda is heard in character on two tracks of the 2011 album Self Taught, Still Learning, by Chris Passey.[90] The character also appeared in a 2012 comedy film, Varla Jean and the Mushroomheads.[91]

Miranda Sings appeared in a Season 3 episode of the Nickelodeon television show Victorious, a one-hour special titled "Tori Goes Platinum", which was first broadcast on May 19, 2012. In the episode, Miranda is one of the auditioners for an awards show, singing "Freak the Freak Out".[92][93] She also "interviewed" Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy.[94] Also in 2012, Miranda gave a "master class" at the Boston Children's Theatre, followed by a talk by Ballinger about how to use social media to promote yourself as a performer.[95][96] The character appeared in episode 6 of Dr. Fubalous, a 2012 web series that featured Ballinger as nurse Royal Bobbin in a cast that included Donnivin Jordan, Flava Flav, Danny Trejo, GloZell Green and Lindsey Stirling.[97]

In August 2012, Miranda stated, in a YouTube vlog, that she was running for President of the U.S. to offer an alternative to the two candidates nominated by the major parties. She offered a brief analysis of the presidential race in the video.[98] In an October vlog, she laid out her campaign platform.[99] Miranda appeared in the first episode of Dance Chat, an Australian web show, in 2013.[100] Miranda appeared as a lunch lady in the "Unlimited" 2014 back to school videos by Old Navy, one of which received more than 5 million views online.[101] The character has an active social media presence, where she has more than 2 million followers on Instagram, 1.5 million followers on Twitter and 900,000 page likes on Facebook.[102] BuzzFeed called her "The Queen of Twitter".[103]

Miranda guest starred on the season 5 episode, "Happy Thanksgiving Miranda", of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee with Jerry Seinfeld, released on the Crackle network on November 27, 2014.[104] Seinfeld called Miranda "a very well-developed character ... just as funny to me as ... to my daughter, who is 13. ... [The episode is] one of the best shows of Comedians in Cars we’ve ever done."[105] Mediaite agreed, writing: "In its fifth season, Jerry Seinfeld's web series continued to be one of the most enjoyable weekly events on the internet. His experience with YouTube star Miranda Sings, which carried its way onto the Tonight Show, was a particular highlight."[106] An Uproxx review compared Miranda to Andy Kaufman, calling the episode "a pretty fun experience".[107] On December 1, 2014, Miranda appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon playing Pictionary with Jimmy Fallon, Martin Short and Jerry Seinfeld.[108] Us Weekly called the segment "the most hilarious game night ever".[109] Entertainment Weekly called it "a riveting game",[110] and People magazine wrote: "It's the most wonderful trainwrecked game of Pictionary you'll see this holiday season".[111] In February 2015, she appeared in a music video for Lance Bass.[112]

Miranda appeared on The Grace Helbig Show on April 17, 2015 with Jim Parsons.[113] and is scheduled to release a book, Selp Helf, on July 21, 2015, published by Simon & Schuster. BroadwayWorld calls it a "decidedly unhelpful, candid, hilarious 'how-to' guide". It contains extensive artwork by Miranda Sings.[114] Vanity Fair calls Miranda "America's Newest Best-Selling Author".[115]

Reception

Ballinger begins a Miranda show, 2014

Since early 2009, Ballinger's character has enjoyed widespread popularity, especially (initially) among musical theatre fans.[6][18][82] Later, her fan base expanded particularly among teenagers.[28][53] Her live comedy acts have been in demand at cabaret clubs and theaters in New York (Birdland Jazz Club, Best Buy Theater),[55][116] London (Ambassadors Theatre; Leicester Square Theatre),[117] Australia (selling out every performance in her 2013 tour)[54] and elsewhere throughout North America, in Britain and Scandinavia, at venues where her teenage fans, who call themselves "Mirfandas", are admitted.[28][53][118] Since 2010, her shows have generally sold out;[119] after her 2014 performances at Edinburgh Fringe Festival and in London sold out, Ballinger quickly added a ten-stop, 11-day UK tour.[29]

In 2009, the Los Angeles Times wrote of her videos, "this footage is a major hoot",[6] and BroadwayWorld.com described Ballinger as an "Internet Superstar."[120] The Times of London commented that although Miranda's videos have made her "a darling of the Broadway musical-theatre scene ... [it] is not online but on stage that Miranda truly comes to ghastly life."[8] In 2010, a BroadwayWorld review of Miranda's live comedy act said: "Ballinger's 'Miranda Sings' persona is a very unique and original concept devised by a very creative imagination. ... Miranda is not to be missed. [As] the old saying goes, it takes talent to be that bad".[37] Another commentator wrote similarly: "It's so awful, it's brilliant."[121] Woman Around Town called Miranda "an atrocious, comedic masterpiece."[122] Perez Hilton praised Miranda's parody of the hit song "Chandelier" as "the crowning achievement of music video parodies ... utterly fantastic".[123] TheaterJones noted: "Ballinger has hit on a character that reflects the zeitgeist of our time and does it with tongue firmly planted in cheek."[2] In 2015, Playbill concluded: "Miranda Sings is a huge talent. With very demonstrative facial expressions, a unique take on makeup and wardrobe and her almost unbelievable vocal stylings, she cuts an undeniable figure in the world of online music video."[124]

In 2014, Ballinger was nominated for the Teen Choice Award for "Web Star: Comedy" for her Miranda character.[125] A 2013 BroadwayWorld feature commented, "While [Miranda's] singing might not be anywhere near pitch-perfect, the character's comedic lampooning of self-aggrandizing divas surely is. ... [O]nly a truly talented performer could make the Miranda character believable, let alone as endearing as she ends up being."[13][126] AussieTheatre.com stated: "Miranda ... creates the most successful parody of the world of YouTube ... she has created an international cult following".[127] Real Detroit Weekly calls the character "delightfully hilarious".[128] A reviewer from the Irish Independent wrote: "There is an endearing sweetness to her performance. ... This bizarre and bonkers show is somehow strangely compelling".[129] TV Guide commented: "Ironically, the character ... was created to satirize the very type of YouTube fame she's managed to cultivate."[130]

The Miranda Sings YouTube channel has received more than 450 million views and has more than 3.8 million subscribers.[3] At the end of 2014, it was ranked No. 38 on New Media Rockstars' Top 100 Channels of All Time list,[5] and in January 2015, Miranda was listed as the 7th "most popular YouTube personality" by Daily American.[4] As of May 1, 2015, the channel was ranked as the No. 18 comedy channel on YouTube by data compiler Social Blade.[131] Miranda's parody cover of Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" has received more than 19 million views on YouTube, her original comedy song, "Where My BAEs At?" has more than 9 million views, her parodies of Nicki Minaj's "Starships" and "Anaconda" videos each have more than 7 million views, and her comedy video "Slurpee Bath!" has more than 6 million views. A total of more than 65 Miranda videos each have over 2 million views, and more than 140 of her videos have each surpassed 1 million views.[132] The character is widely parodied on YouTube, where a parody of Miranda's "Someone Like You" video has received over 5 million hits.[133]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Haden, Tyler. "Miranda Sings to Santa Barbara", Santa Barbara Independent, March 4, 2014, accessed February 25, 2015
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Noteboom, Kris. "BooTube", TheaterJones, March 5, 2012
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Miranda Sings" most popular videos, Miranda Sings, YouTube, accessed April 30, 2015
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Elinzano, Maureen. "The 7 most popular YouTube personalities", Daily American, January 22, 2015
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The NMR 100: Our Favorite Channels of All Time", New Media Rockstars, December 31, 2014
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Ng, David. "YouTube sensation Miranda seduces Broadway", Los Angeles Times, May 11, 2009
  7. ↑ "Miranda Sings: Videos", YouTube, accessed November 5, 2014
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Eggar, Robin. "She'd like to teach the world to sing". The Times, May 2, 2010, accessed March 6, 2012
  9. ↑ "Meme Comes to Life", Transmedia Televisual Studies, FILM345, Queens University, February 2010
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Velasco, Schuyler. "Interview: Miranda Sings", Back Stage, August 3, 2010
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Collier, Cody. "YouTube Gives Fame to Miranda Sings", Guardian Liberty Voice, Clark County, Nevada, June 29, 2014
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Stage Tube: 'Miranda Sings' Visits Clevver TV", Broadway World, November 4, 2009
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Wilson, Jessica. "Miranda Sings – review", What's Peen Seen? September 11, 2013, accessed May 5, 2014
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Siegel, Ben. "Miranda shows that she’s very good at being bad", The Buffalo News, May 6, 2014
  15. ↑ "Miranda Sings! at Birdland", stubdog.com, February 4, 2010
  16. ↑ Video of Miranda scat singing in "Favorite Things", Broadwayworld.com, May 2009
  17. ↑ "Music/Cabaret Miranda Sings", San Francisco Chronicle, October 4, 2009; Bond, Nick. "Haters back off – Miranda’s coming", Star Observer, October 30, 2013
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Liberty, John. "YouTube star Miranda Sings to make Michigan debut, readies for haters", Kalamazoo Gazette, Mlive.com, December 1, 2011
  19. ↑ "The Gay Test: Miranda Sings", TheGayUK, August 17, 2012, accessed December 9, 2013
  20. ↑ Walgrove, Amanda. "Miranda Sings Covers “Starships,” Performs Magic and Introduces MirandaCon at VidCon 2013", WhatsTrending.com, August 5, 2013
  21. ↑ "Sam Harris and Miranda Sings Duet 'Too Much, Too Little, Too Late'", SamHarris.com, 2010, accessed February 10, 2014
  22. ↑ "'Timber' – cover w/ Lindsey Stirling and Miranda Sings!", YouTube, February 10, 2014
  23. ↑ Examples include "7 Second Challenge With Miranda Sings | Zoella", Zoella's YouTube channel; "How to Stop Parents from Comparing Kids (ft. Miranda Sings)", Superwoman's YouTube channel; "The Photobooth Challenge (ft. MirandaSings)", Tyler Oakley's YouTube channel; "I Dare You (ft. Miranda Sings)", Nigahiga's YouTube channel; and "Kids React to Miranda Sings", TheFineBros YouTube channel; and "The Girlfriend Tag!", PointlessBlog's YouTube channel, all accessed March 3, 2015
  24. ↑ Ballinger, Colleen. "Present for My Fans!!! 150,000 subscribers", YouTube, March 8, 2013
  25. ↑ Urgo, Jason. "Miranda Sings: YouTube Progress Graphs", Social Blade, accessed December 23, 2014
  26. ↑ "Photo Flash: 'Miranda Sings' at Birdland's Cast Party", BroadwayWorld.com, April 29, 2009, accessed May 23, 2012
  27. ↑ Blank, Matthew. "'Miranda Sings Christmas Spectacular,' With Lauren Kennedy and Frankie Grande", Playbill, December 20, 2011; Sparks, Abbe. "Mirfandas Infiltrate Highland Park from across the country for Midwest Premiere of Miranda Sings Live!", Chicago Tribune (Highland Park local), November 22, 2010
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Miranda Sings Australia schedule, November 2009; Newcastle Herald, November 26, 2009, p. 45; Michelin, Lana. "How (not) to sing great". Red Deer Advocate, January 14, 2011; Bell, Matt. "Marketing Lessons from 'Miranda Sings'", Standing (inn)ovation, November 14, 2013
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Dessau, Bruce. "UK Tour Dates for YouTube Star Miranda Sings", Beyond the Joke, September 4, 2014; DeSimone, Evan. "Miranda Sings Kicks Off Ten Date UK Tour", NewMediaRockstars.com, November 5, 2014
  30. ↑ "'Miranda Sings' Returns to Rrazz Room October 9". BroadwayWorld.com, October 2, 2009, accessed July 23, 2010
  31. ↑ Donaldson, Brian. "Miranda Sings: Colleen Ballinger performs deft, tone-deaf character comedy at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe", The List, August 17, 2014; "Swapping her sparkly dress for a pair of baggy red tracksuit bottoms, an oversized man's shirt and kicking off her heels for a pair of Crocs, the transmutation was completed with a severe centre parting and a smear of lurid red 'listik'." Burakowski, Leon. "Review: Miranda Sings, Wulfrun Hall", Native Monster, November 6, 2014
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Dessau, Bruce. "Miranda Sings, Cadogan Hall – comedy review", London Evening Standard, September 22, 2014
  33. ↑ "Miranda Sings teaching Shoshana Bean how to sing", October 12, 2009, accessed October 5, 2014
  34. ↑ "Miranda Sings with Ariana Grande", YouTube, June 21, 2011, accessed November 25, 2013; Ballinger met Grande in 2009, and the two have been friends since then. See Hasaka, Amanda. "My Day. My Life. With Colleen Ballinger!", Teen.com, September 8, 2013, accessed June 12, 2014
  35. ↑ Miranda "death scene" at Birdland, September 2009
  36. ↑ "Miranda Sings Plays 'Broadway At Birdland,' 10/12". Broadwayworld.com, October 13, 2009
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 "Photo Flash: Miranda Sings at Cabaret at the Castle". BroadwayWorld.com, April 21, 2010
  38. ↑ Bullen, Bob. "My very gay weekend: Valley of the Dolls at Music Box Theatre (with special guest Patty Duke) and Miranda Sings", Chicago Theatre Addict, November 21, 2010, accessed April 17, 2014
  39. ↑ "Miranda Sings Christmas Karols for Broadway at Birdland", BroadwayWorld.com, December 16, 2012
  40. ↑ Video of Miranda at Broadway on Broadway, including her meeting with Cheyenne Jackson, beginning at 3:35
  41. ↑ Miranda Wants To Date Zac Efron! on YouTube ClevverTV segment from January 3, 2010, available on YouTube. Retrieved on March 4, 2010..
  42. ↑ Baby by Justin Beiber on YouTube (At 1:00 in video clip) Retrieved on September 17, 2010.
  43. ↑ "The Amazing Race Cast: Joey and Meghan", CBS.com, accessed November 26, 2013
  44. ↑ Ballinger, Colleen. "My First Date! (With Joey Graceffa)", YouTube, July 15, 2013; Ballinger, Colleen. "The Boyfriend Tag: Joey Graceffa & Miranda!", YouTube, November 25, 2013; and Ballinger, Colleen. "Planning Our Wedding!", YouTube, September 4, 2014
  45. ↑ Ballinger, Colleen. "Where My Baes At? – Original song by Miranda Sings", YouTube, July 3, 2014
  46. ↑ Miranda's announcement of her "modelling career", YouTube, September 2, 2009
  47. ↑ Ballinger, Colleen. "Contest! 'Magic' by Miranda Sings", Murphy's Magic Community, 16 October 2010
  48. ↑ Miranda's creator, Ballinger, says "I think the cheesiness of amateur magic combined with the Miranda character just fits." See Bullen, Bob. "Haters, back off: an interview with the gal behind YouTube sensation, ‘Miranda Sings’", Chicago Theatre Addict, November 17, 2010; and Miranda Sings magic promo, YouTube, 2010, accessed November 7, 2013
  49. ↑ Zwiebach, Elliot. "Miranda Sings", CabaretScenes.org, May 5, 2012, accessed June 6, 3013. See also "Think of Me" – "magic trick" video, YouTube, February 25, 2011; and Chicago cabaret "magic trick" video YouTube, November 22, 2010
  50. ↑ Lowry, Mark. "2012 Out of the Loop Lineup Announced", TheaterJones.com, January 18, 2012
  51. ↑ Rudetsky, Seth. "Everything's Up to Date in Kansas City, Plus Kate Wetherhead and Andrew Keenan-Bolger", Playbill.com, June 4, 2012
  52. ↑ Rudetsky, Seth. "Seth Is On Demand as Andrea Martin Opens a New Window", Playbill.com, July 2, 2012
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 53.2 Sherwin, Kevin. "Miranda Sings, Leicester Square Theatre, September 9, 2013", BroadwayWorld, September 10, 2013; Moore, James. "Review: Miranda Sings (Leicester Square Theatre)", So So Gay, September 10, 2013; Sims, Samuel. "Review: Miranda Sings", A Younger Theare, September 10, 2013
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 Bell, Matt. "Marketing Lessons from 'Miranda Sings'", Standing (inn)ovation, November 14, 2013
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 55.2 "Miranda Sings - Best Buy Theater Marquee – January 11, 2014", FreeNewsPos.com, January 12, 2014
  56. ↑ Sherwin, Kevin. "Miranda Sings, Leicester Square Theatre, September 9, 2013", BroadwayWorld, September 10, 2013
  57. ↑ Rachel is Colleen Ballinger's sister. She appears in the live Miranda shows and actually is employed as Ballinger's assistant, running Miranda's onstage video and organizing the meet and greet sessions.
  58. ↑ O'Donoghue, Anna. "Introducing 'so famous' voice coach, model, magician - Miranda Sings", Irish Examiner, September 24, 2014
  59. ↑ Sklar, Sam. "I went to a Miranda Sings show and became a 'Mirfanda'", The Badger Herald, April 15, 2014
  60. ↑ Burch, Cathalena E. "Review: YouTuber Miranda Sings blends comedy, corny", Arizona Daily Star, August 24, 2014
  61. ↑ Greenwood, Douglas. Edinburgh Festival Fringe Review – Miranda Sings, The Edinburgh Reporter, August 14, 2014
  62. ↑ Burakowski, Leon. "Review: Miranda Sings, Wulfrun Hall", Native Monster, November 6, 2014
  63. ↑ Ballinger, Colleen. List of cities for 2014, colleenb123, Instagram, November 23, 2014
  64. ↑ "Miranda Sings Houston 2015 (pt2)", YouTube, January 11, 2015
  65. ↑ "Miranda Sings Live Show Houston, First show of 2015!", YouTube, January 11, 2015
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  67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 67.2 Ballinger, Colleen. "Miranda Sings at the Lobero in Santa Barbara", Lobero.com, January 10, 2014
  68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 68.2 Sims, James. "Colleen Ballinger Talks YouTube Character Miranda Sings", Broadwayworld.com, August 27, 2010, accessed October 30, 2013
  69. ↑ Flair, Justus. "More than red lipstick", The Daily Iowan, April 10, 2014
  70. ↑ Linton, Shannon. "Miranda Sings . . . Terribly: An Unlikely Rise to Stardom", APU Life, Spring '12 issue, May 30, 2012
  71. ↑ Roberts, Kayleigh. "America's Got No Talent". Highland Park Patch, November 18, 2010; Turi, Sean. "Sean Turi Features Colleen Ballinger & Miranda Sings", YouTube, April 1, 2013
  72. ↑ "BC/EFA Easter Bonnet Performance Part 2 – Miranda at the Easter Bonnet Competition", BroadwayWorld.com, May 4, 2009, accessed September 2, 2014
  73. ↑ "Miranda/Miranda Audition ... The Word of Your Body". YouTube video, May 23, 2010, accessed February 4, 2012
  74. ↑ "Miranda Sings with WOS Winner". WhatsOnStage.com, June 4, 2010; and "More Miranda Line-up: Strallen, James-Ellis & Lee". WhatsOnStage.com, May 25, 2010; and "Miranda Sings London 2012 Highlights", YouTube, September 24, 2012
  75. ↑ "Miranda Sings with Naked Boys Singing – Part 4: Finale, YouTube, Summer 2009, uploaded March 29, 2010; 'Miranda Sings Live – 'Defying Gravity'", YouTube, June 24, 2009; and Miranda Sings with cast of Les Misérables, YouTube, June 22, 2009
  76. ↑ First London interview of Miranda by Mark Evans, June 21, 2009, accessed December 2, 2014
  77. ↑ Cathey, Joel. "Miranda Sings on GooCast", Joel Cathey's Blogasaurus, October 26, 2009; "Singing up a Storm with Miranda Sings" Andy & Adrian show, JOY 94.9FM radio in Melbourne, Australia, 18 November 2009; Kane, Conleth. "Conleth Kane interviews Miranda Sings" in Ireland, YouTube, September 13, 2010; Guerra, Joey. "Miranda Sings talks Houston, hip-hop and Harry Styles", Houston Chronicle, October 8, 2013, accessed October 5, 2015; and "Miranda Sings X Me (Interview)", Will Manning Show, The Hits Radio, July 20, 2014
  78. ↑ Anichini, Amy Jones. "Is Miranda Sings a Champion for the Oddball Inside All of Us?", Baffle that Bully, July 10, 2014
  79. ↑ McLaughlin, Rhett james and Charles Lincoln Neal III. "Ep. 25 Colleen Ballinger (Miranda Sings)", Interview of Ballinger at 54:20 and 58:30, Ear Biscuits, Soundcloud.com, March 31, 2014
  80. ↑ Ballinger, Colleen. "GLEE AUDITION – don't stop believing", YouTube, March 16, 2010, accessed November 17, 2014
  81. ↑ Hemley, Matthew. "At last, a Miranda who’s funny...", The Stage, September 2013
  82. ↑ 82.0 82.1 Klein, Jessica. "YouTuber Colleen Ballinger Loves Performing Live Even More", Thevideoink.com, April 1, 2014
  83. ↑ "Ep. 25 Colleen Ballinger (Miranda Sings)", Interview of Ballinger at 46:10 and 50:00, Ear Biscuits, Soundcloud.com, March 31, 2014
  84. ↑ "YouTube Sensation Miranda Sings Releases 4 Holiday Tunes", BroadwayWorld.com, December 8, 2009
  85. ↑ Fox, Jena Tesse. "BWW Reviews: The 2010 Nightlife Awards", broadwayworld.com, February 4, 2010
  86. ↑ "CYT Directors' Choice Awards 2010", Christian Youth Theatre official website, accessed July 24, 2010
  87. ↑ "Photo Flash: Broadway Memories Fundraiser". BroadwayWorld.com, accessed January 21, 2011
  88. ↑ "Miranda Sings Does Dublin", Apartment Red, YouTube, September 17, 2010, accessed October 4, 2014
  89. ↑ See "Cinnamon Challenge (Miranda Sings)", YouTube, February 20, 2012; and "Audition Tips for a Broadway Show", YouTube, September 22, 2010. See Ballinger, Colleen. Mirandavlogz, YouTube, accessed November 2, 2014
  90. ↑ "Self Taught, Still Learning – Chris Passey (Album Review)", Polly Browne's blog, November 15, 2011, accessed January 22, 2012
  91. ↑ "Varla Jean and the Mushroomheads (2012)", RottenTomatoes.com, accessed December 13, 2013
  92. ↑ "Miranda Sings Talks About Guest Starring on Victorious", Nickutopia.com, May 18, 2012, copy from Wayback machine accessed June 12, 2014
  93. ↑ Miranda Sings on Victorious, The Slap, May 18, 2012; and "Miranda Sings on 'Tori Goes Platinum'", May 2012, accessed June 12, 2014
  94. ↑ "Jennette McCurdy Interview with Miranda", YouTube, August 9, 2012, accessed October 6, 2014
  95. ↑ Jarvedon. "YouTube Sensation Miranda Sings Visits BCT!", BostonChildrensTheatre.org, July 20, 2012
  96. ↑ Shanahan, Mark and Meredith Goldstein. "Woman behind Miranda Sings a real character", The Boston Globe, July 11, 2012
  97. ↑ Winn, Scott and Jason Alexander. "Royal Bobbin", Dr. Fubalous, Hip Hop Doc, LLC, 2012; Miranda in an episode of Dr. Fubalous at 6:33, Dr. Fubalous, 2012
  98. ↑ Ballinger, Colleen. "Im Runing (sic) for President!", Miranda Sings channel at YouTube.com, August 30, 2012
  99. ↑ Ballinger, Colleen. Presidential Debate!", Miranda Sings channel at YouTube.com, October 4, 2012
  100. ↑ "Dance Chat Episode #1 with Miranda Sings, Sam Wasson & Marko Panzic", YouTube, November 21, 2013
  101. ↑ "Unlimited", Old Navy, YouTube, September 30, 2014
  102. ↑ "MirandaSingsOfficial", Instagram, accessed April 7, 2015; "Miranda Sings", Twitter.com, accessed April 2, 2015; and "Miranda Sings", Facebook, accessed February 24, 2015
  103. ↑ Wingfield, Katie. "19 Reasons Miranda Sings Is the Queen of Twitter", BuzzFeed, September 18, 2014
  104. ↑ "Jerry's Next Guest is Miranda Sings": trailer, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Crackle, November 24, 2014
  105. ↑ Hyman, Dan. "Jerry Seinfeld Talks to YouTube Star Colleen Ballinger About Why the Internet Is Better Than TV", Vulture, New York Magazine, November 27, 2014
  106. ↑ Wilstein, Matt. "The 10 Best TV Shows of 2014 That Aren't Really TV", Mediaite.com, December 19, 2014
  107. ↑ Roberts, Andrew. "Jerry Seinfeld Takes a Torturous Ride with YouTube’s Miranda Sings and Finds Out How to Be Famous", Uproxx, December 1, 2014
  108. ↑ "Pictionary with Martin Short, Jerry Seinfeld and Miranda Sings", The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, NBC, December 1, 2014
  109. ↑ Boardman, Madeline. "Martin Short, Jerry Seinfeld Play Hilarious Game of Pictionary With Jimmy Fallon", Us Weekly, December 2, 2014
  110. ↑ Highfill, Samantha. "Martin Short, Jerry Seinfeld, and Miranda Sings play Pictionary on 'Fallon'", Entertainment Weekly, December 2, 2014
  111. ↑ "Watch Martin Short and Jerry Seinfeld Play Holiday Pictionary on The Tonight Show", People magazine, December 2, 1014
  112. ↑ Roth, Madeline. "Frankie Grande & Miranda Sings Lip-Sync for Their Lives in Lance Bass’ New Video", MTV, February 3, 2015
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  114. ↑ "Stage Tube: Miranda Sings Quits Youtube; Announces Book Plans!", BroadwayWorld.com, February 25, 2015
  115. ↑ Lawson, Richard. "This Is America's Newest Best-Selling Author", Vanity Fair, February 27, 2015
  116. ↑ "Miranda Sings at Birdland", BroadwayWorld, September 18, 2009, accessed December 28, 2011; "Photo Flash: Miranda Sings and More Spend the Holidays at Birdland", BroadwayWorld, December 28, 2011; "Photo Flash: Miranda Sings, Joshua Ledet, & More Visit Birdland!", BroadwayWorld.com, May 29, 2012; and Gans, Andrew. "Star-Filled Jim Caruso's Cast Party Plays Town Hall", Playbill.com, February 17, 2011
  117. ↑ Paddock, Terri. "Miranda Sings with Jones, Atherton, H & ... You?", What's on Stage, May 11, 2010, accessed April 14, 2014; "Miranda Sings at The Ambassadors Theatre", UK Theatre Web, accessed 16 November 2009; "Miranda Sings with WOS Winner". WhatsOnStage.com, June 4, 2010; and Levitt, Hayley. "Are You the Next Miranda Sings?", TheaterMania, August 22, 2013
  118. ↑ Erickson, Anne. "Evening Magazine: Miranda Sings", King5 TV, King Broadcasting Company, March 28, 2014
  119. ↑ Patel, Sahil. "Miranda Sings Joins Big Frame", The videoink, August 13, 2013, accessed October 8, 2014; Hicks-Logan, Gemma. "Miranda Sings, Theatre Royal Brighton, New Road, Sunday 9 November", The Argus, November 10, 2014
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  121. ↑ Moss, Caroline. "13 Super Young YouTube Stars That Are Making Millions and Becoming Household Names", Business Insider, October 8, 2014
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  123. ↑ Hilton, Perez. This Chandelier Spoof Is the Crowning Achievement of Music Video Parodies!", PerezHilton.com, August 12, 2014
  124. ↑ "Miranda Sings ALL of Into the Woods", Playbill, January 12, 2015
  125. ↑ "Sarah Hyland to Co-Host Teen Choice 2014 Sunday, August 10, Live on FOX", Teenchoiceawards.com, August 1, 2014
  126. ↑ Allen, Matthew. "Miranda Sings Brings Her Bizarrely Wonderful, Must-See Show to Actor's Express", Atlanta.broadwayworld.com, June 20, 2013
  127. ↑ Allen, David. "Miranda Sings is coming to Australia – haters, back off!", AussieTheatre.com, November 5, 2013
  128. ↑ Bartle, Gary. "Miranda Sings: Behind the Sings With Colleen Ballinger", Real Detroit Weekly, April 30, 2014
  129. ↑ Sweeney, Eamon. "Comedy Miranda Sings: Vicar St, Dublin", Irish Independent, September 25, 2014
  130. ↑ "Our Favorite YouTube Stars", TV Guide, accessed July 19, 2014
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  132. ↑ Ballinger, Colleen. Most Popular Miranda Sings Videos, accessed May 1, 2015
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