"We have a new American idol," says Kathleen Parker in The Washington Post. And his name is Antoine Dodson. After Dodson thwarted a very "unfunny incident" — an attempted sexual assault on his 22-year-old sister in their Huntsville, AL, housing project — he rocketed to internet superstardom when his furious, fed-up, "hilarious" interview with a local news station went viral. His fame rose to greater heights when an "auto-tuned" remix version became one of the summer's hit songs (see below). From the song's proceeds, Dodson has earned enough to move his family out of the projects. But unlike other instant, not especially skilled celebrities, writes Parker, "we don't begrudge [Dodson] his moment of fame because, among other things, he made us laugh. He also expressed a rage that most feel but don't express." An excerpt:
Sometimes we don't know quite who we are or what we're made of until forced into action by circumstances. Tsunamis and hurricanes reveal heroes and expose monsters. A would-be rapist and a television crew bring out the beautiful and, yes, hilarious fury of a brother in the throes of his own Howard Beale moment.
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