Boom Goes the Dynamite - From Ball State to Oscars Glory Feb 23, 20093:10 PST

If you watched the Oscars last night, you may have noticed Will Smith flub his lines from the teleprompter. Before snapping out of it, he made fun of the moment with a reference to Boom Goes the Dynamite. Some of the audience noticed it, but many others just laughed with the herd or missed the reference altogether. In case you missed the biggest Oscars moment of Will’s career, check it out:

This may seem like a throwaway line. But sports fans and the tech savvy recognized this line immediately thanks to the painful telecast of Brian Collins–an undergraduate at Ball State at the time. If you missed this piece of internet gold somehow in the past 3 or 4 years, prepare to cringe:

Smith’s reference is not the first adaptation of the line. It’s just the most recent and definitely the highest profile to date. Since Brian became internet-famous, the first adopters were the anchors on ESPN’s Sportscenter, where Scott Van Pelt uses the phrase all the time while giving highlights. It’s become so trivial that you can hear it on any given morning.

But sports can be a culture unto itself. Brian went viral online, and sports fans picked it up years ago (especially college students). It would be another step altogether before Boom hit the mainstream. Enter Family Guy:

Since Family Guy, it’s been on Veronica Mars:

After Veronica Mars it was on How I Met Your Mother (Season 4 Ep. 3 - “I Heart NJ”):

Finally, Stephen Colbert caught the fever last October during his “Sport Report” on The Colbert Report:

So now you know what everyone was laughing at. But what about poor Brian? Turns out he has the last laugh. After graduating from Ball State with a degree in Telecommunications, Brian Collins went on to become a reporter for KXXV in Waco, TX. Expect to see Brian and his catchphrase as he rises the ranks of the media, either giving basketball highlights or covering terrorist attacks.

Weekly Viral Roundup #4 - All Around Nuttiness Feb 20, 20092:27 PST

The Weekly Viral Roundup sums up the best stupid web finds of the week each Friday. Make sure you vote for your favorite–we will revisit the winner later this year!

This is the fourth Viral Roundup and this week our VIP voter pwns one of the funniest sites on the internet. Ethan Jaynes runs PWNEDVideo.com with daily updates. The name is self-explanatory. Ethan avidly follows SEC football and runs SEC Football Blogger, as well as another sports blog, NESW Sports.

Ethan’s pick: Crazy Woman at the Airport - “I saw it and thought it was an instant classic, then my wife asked me if I saw it, then Conan O’Brien talked about it on Late Night. The best part about this vid is that everyone can now do a “crazy woman at the airport” impression.”

Daily Viral Dose - Well Fed Feline Feb 19, 200912:28 PST

Wilford Brimley Cat prevents diabeetus by licking his pawz, thanks to the kit he ordered from Liberty Medical:

Daily Viral Dose - Zain Verjee Is Thinking About Nuts Feb 19, 200910:43 PST

Zain Verjee has a lot on her mind. It’s understandable when you have a stressful job covering the news. Your mind starts to wander when your body yearns for peni..er, peanuts. Enter the Freudian slip. Twice:

Daily Viral Dose - New Simpsons Opener Feb 18, 20091:33 PST

I was ostracized as a heretic by my friends when I got bored with The Simpsons and called them old. That was in 1998. After I stopped paying attention, I heard they had a movie or something recently. Now, they have a new opening sequence and fresh internet buzz.

Yeah, hate me. I’m the only guy in America who doesn’t watch this show. I exaggerate a bit. I did see the movie.