This has got to be the best April Fools’ prank I have read about. Yes, even better than Opera web browser’s new Face Gestures feature.
Improv Everywhere is, in my opinion, the greatest prank organizers in the world. They have staged various events, from the MP3 experiments to high-five-ing people riding up the escalator. They’re usually outrageously fun and I really don’t mind participating if given the opportunity!
However, reading about the latest prank gave me a bit of the heebie-jeebies.
When I read that they actually crashed a funeral, I didn’t know whether to laugh or to be mortified. Apparently it was done to “spread a little joy to the saddest place of all“. A bunch of actors just walked up to a small funeral, making it as though the deceased had a lot of mourners. So as to make the grieving family have a little comfort knowing that their loved one has had a lot of friends.
Wierd! But luckily, it was just another April Fool’s joke!
UPDATE: This mission is fake. Everyone involved is an actor. Happy April Fool’s Day 2009.
I sure was fooled! But that wasn’t the best part. Apparently, some news team got wind of this supposed prank by Improv Everywhere, and thinking that the funeral crash was real, made an actual report on the evening news! The website also showed the story but was taken down soon after. Lucky for us, the Improv Everywhere team managed to grab a screenshot.
CW 11 featured Improv Everywhere’s “Best Funeral Ever” mission on their 10 PM news tonight. Problem? They thought it actually happened! They think the prank is on the family (who were just actors with Improv Everywhere) when actually the prank is on THEM.
This is top notch journalism. Just watch a video on YouTube and the cover it as NEWS on your broadcast. They didn’t bother to email Improv Everywhere, call the cemetery, or try to get a quote from the “family.” They just watched the video and threw it on TV. Great reporting!
Super Self-PWNED!!
By the way, I would be so super-stoked if Improv Everywhere were to come to Singapore! However, knowing the attitudes of Singaporeans, I think I will be the only one participating. 
Update on 15th Apr 2009:
Youtube has taken down the video due to “copyright infringement” by Tribune, which interestingly enough, is the parent company of the news company, CW11. This is from an alternative video sharing site.
Tags: april fools, improv everywhere
?? what if the joke was on the people who watched the news?? maybe improv planned it with the news..
Usually, all fake news on the internet is updated as an April’s Fool joke after April 1st. The article on the news company’s website was taken down with no acknowledgment whatsoever.
Plus Improv Everywhere cited the news article after April 1st, where one can no longer behave like a fool.