“Michigan really is a good time,” Barrett said. “[Good Time] is a fun, vibrant ong that matches the energy of the state.”

After their success with the “Grand Rapids Lip Dub,” the two wanted to take the

Courtesy of Shannon O’Berski

idea and recognize the entire state. When Barrett and Bliss contacted Pure Michigan about making the video, they agreed, on the condition that the two traveled across the state in just one week, visiting 50 cities on the way. Status Creative did just that.

“I always wanted to do something that showed off our state and I felt this was the most natural way to express it,” Bliss said. “The song and video show how much Michigan has to offer.”

With “no sleep and a fast car,” the two completed the trip and filming from Aug. 19 through 26, according to Bliss. After six weeks of planning, Status Creative teamed with local convention and visitor bureaus each place they went, making the production process run smoothly with most places set and ready to film when they arrived.

The plans allotted an hour to each location, according to Barrett. Visiting everywhere from Mackinac Island to Detroit and even Frankenmuth, one of the team’s stops was close to home.

Part of the video features Meadow Brook Hall, with people dressed in black tie apparel, holding champagne glasses at a dinner party and singing along. Shannon O’Berski, marketing and communications manager for Meadow Brook Hall, played a big role in the planning and execution.

After being contacted by Bliss about participating, O’Berski became project manager and sought out local talent, including staff and many members of the community. Emerald City Designs provided décor for the mansion room, while President Tuxedo of Rochester dressed the participants.

The day of filming, everyone arrived at 8 a.m., and though it was a little overwhelming at times, everyone was very enthusiastic, according to O’Berski. Bliss and Barrett had a vision in mind and finished filming in about an hour.

“It was exciting to be a part of the Pure Michigan Campaign,” O’Berski said. “Rob and Jeff were great to work with. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from both the community and people involved.”

It was Barrett’s first time visiting the mansion and he liked what he saw.

“It was so cool to visit Meadow Brook,” Barrett said. “Rolling up the driveway and stepping into the mansion is like walking into a period film. It’s in a nice area and was one of the coolest experiences of our project; I definitely want to go back sometime.”

The video has already reached over 150,000 views as of Monday, Sept. 10 and was recognized by many people, including the original artist, Owl City, who tweeted, “I LOVE YOU MICHIGAN,” sharing a link to the video and attributing it to the Pure Michigan campaign.

“We really just wanted to show how diverse Michigan is,” Barrett said. “This video shows almost all of the state. When people ask where you’re from, this gives a deeper background than just pointing at your hand.”

See the full story here

Grand Rapids Lip Dub creators Jeff Barrett and Rob Bliss stopped by the CBS 62 studio in Southfield to get a segment of CBS 62′s Chief Meteorologist Jim Madaus singing for their newest viral video project.

Bliss and Barrett are the duo who created the Grand Rapids lip dub video which had nearly five million views.

The project involves an ambitious plan to visit 50 cities in seven days to film people singing a line from “Good Time” by Carly Rae Jepsen. The video, which will be three and a half minutes in total, will be posted on YouTube on Sept. 5. It is intended to tell the story of Michigan as a wonderful place to live, work, play and build a business.

We posted this when we first heard Jim would be part of the project.

We've heard our own @JimMadaus will be involved in the @robblissgr, @BarrettAll #PureMichigan Roadtrip. Story > cbsloc.al/P0GBYo

—
CBS Detroit (@CBSDetroit) August 16, 2012

CBS 62′s Senior Videographer / Editor Paul Pytlowany was shooting behind the scenes video and snapped some photos for Twitter.

The crew http://t.co/EVuXjPbB

—
Paul Pytlowany (@PytlowanyCBSTV) August 22, 2012

Jim Madaus singing http://t.co/UolCbDVt

—
Paul Pytlowany (@PytlowanyCBSTV) August 22, 2012

Jim Madaus getting ready for his state wide sing along line...with Rob Bliss and Jeff Barrett http://t.co/eJ31dZUx

—
Paul Pytlowany (@PytlowanyCBSTV) August 22, 2012

Musical Theater: We do it all on this blog

So there I was in Michigan. I had made it to my destination, but the place turned out to be much weirder than I expected. I wanted to go back home to the South, but I was stuck. This being Michigan, the last tire store had moved out-of-town. Little people dressed up as football players were singing and dancing. The Wolverine one began punching the Buckeye one. The Spartan then began to punch the Wolverine. Yet it was all in jest, so they claimed. I was being told to go on a silly journey through the “mitten” to find some Wizard, and I was being told this by Tim Allen who was dressed in fairy wings. “Clearly I must be dreaming” I thought. But then again it was the North, and it was Tim Allen; and we know Tim Allen never turns down a role. On top of it all Michael $#@%ing Moore was on my case about killing the environment and voting Republican. You know, all in all the kind of stuff that happens every time I go up North.

So the adventure began, just me and Julep the dog at first. More on that later. My RV tire being busted and no replacement in site, and being creeped out by the Little Ten Kins, I decided to follow the flat and straight road across the state. As long as I stayed out of Detroit, what was the worst that could happen?

Singing…that was worse. Or rather lip synching to singing. As Julep and I began to walk down the road we heard a song. I could have sworn it was to the tune of Don McLean’s “American Pie”. Yet the Little Ten Kins were not singing the song. No, they were marching behind us, some waving, some dancing, some playing the guitar and doing other mundane things. And as I said they were lip synching. It was being filmed too for Little You Tube. Apparently word got out that I thought their town sucked for having nothing but chain restaurants and not one auto parts store. So they decided to make a”lip dub” video as both a farewell to me and a self-affirmation of their town’s greatness.  So yeah, we couldn’t wait to leave Grand Rapids.

The weird thing was the song they were lip syncing to was about me and my journey. How they recorded it and then choreographed a lip dub to it in such a short time was beyond me. But it was the Midwest and it appeared they had done these sorts of things before.

The words went:

The Day the Documentarian Dies

So bye-bye magic heroes from the sky

Flew your trailer thru the “tornader”

And the Leftist did die.

And Little Ten Kins were eating chicken pot pie,

Singing “this is the day the documentarian dies”

“this is the day the documentarian dies”.

And “so long” we say, so sad you gotta go,

But you’ve got to follow that flat and straight road,

From Grand Rapids to the Center of the Mitt.

And when you beat the Leftist of East,

That fat filmmaker, that ugly liberal beast,

You will get your wish….from the Wizard of Mich.

So farewell ye go ye Southerners of lore,

And go slay the Dragon Michael Moore,

And you will be back to your Dixie home on high…

The day the documentarian dies.

So bye-bye magic heroes from the sky

Flew your trailer thru the “tornader”

And the Leftist did die.

And Little Ten Kins were eating chicken pot pie,

“this is the day the documentarian dies”

“this is the day the documentarian dies”.

Choreography: It's replaced manufacturing as the number one employer in Grand Rapids

I have to admit, it was a catchy little tune, and anything that speaks of the demise of Michael Moore is a hit with me. “But wait” I thought “how was I supposed to take down Michael Moore?” and furthermore “who was this Wizard of Mich?”. I thought about it more and more as Julep and I began walking east. Out of the blue and without warning I broke out into a ditty. It went something like this…

The Wizard of Mich

Oh I’m off to see the Wizard the Wonderful Wizard of Mich,

Whoever he is, I’m sure he is, the only one that can grant my wish,

This trip is more than I bargained for, it’s too cold here, it’s quite a bore,

The frost , the frost, the frost, the frost, the frost the frost,

All because of a bet I lost!

Oh I’m off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Mich.

Clearly Michigan was having an effect on me. Maybe it was the winged helmet. I didn’t know. What I did know was my quickest chance to get back home was to find this Wizard and get the Winnebago fixed. I was simply told to follow the road east but I still wanted to know where I was. I looked down on my mitten and guessing that I was 14 stitches southeast of Grand Rapids I must be getting close to Battle Creek.

I walked through the nearly empty streets of the town and approached a city park. Sitting alone on a bench I saw a scruffy looking Baby Boomer. He was dressed in a 1990s business suit jacket with a t-shirt underneath. Garish, I know. He was also wearing black motorcycle boots and black jeans. He looked like an over-the-hill rocker who would play the county fair or local Holiday Inn back home. Just as I began to smirk at the idea, I had a suspicion that my little joke was all too real. As I walked closer to the figure I began to make out who it was…I thought…”Oh no it’s…

“Bob Seger’s the name!” said the man on the bench. “Looks like you and your dog there are heading against the wind.” “Yes, I guess we are” I said as I began to walk briskly away. I was followed. “Looks like you two are trying to turn the page” he said. “Yes Mr. Seger” I said…”we are, but do you have to speak in your lyrics?” “I don’t know what you mean” he said. “No, life’s been tough for me ever since people stopped taking my old records off the shelf, but thanks for asking”. I didn’t ask. He continued. “Yep, you’re right. I did out sell the Beatles in Michigan. I was big”.  ”Okay…nice talking to you” I said but before I could continue. “Yep, one day you’re big and then the night moves and you’re at the bottom. Maybe my old friend the Wizard of Mich could help.”

“You know the Wizard?” I said. “Know him? Well me and the Motor City Madman go way back. I could take you to him if you’d like.” “That’s okay” I said “I’ll just be going about my way…”

“Yep” said Seger…”I could make it big again for the fans…for people like you, if I only had some soul”….

I was dreading what was coming next and then he broke out into song…

If I Only had Some Soul

(Seger)

It would greatly please myself

My records taken off the shelf

And they played some rock n roll.

From Philly down to Frisco,

I’d shut down every disco,

If I only had some soul.

I’d open up for Kiss,

Sing songs that can’t miss,

And every show I stole.

(Me)

Well your songs would still be campy,

Because you’re a no talent Grampy,

And you don’t got any soul.

(Seger)

Oh I could top the records,

My career’d be on the mend,

I wouldn’t look so foolish,

Spittin’ against the wind.

I’d be jazzy like Sonny Rollins,

A ladies man like Phil Collins,

And I’d finally get off the dole.

Life’d be real breezy,

if I learned to not be cheesy,

If I only had some soul.

Bob Seger: As cool as the other side of a Member's Only Jacket

“All right, you can come along” I said.

So now we had another on our journey. As much as I hate Bob Seger’s music I guessed it wasn’t too bad if he tagged along. For one thing, he appeared to know the Wizard. He called him the “Motor City Madman”. Did he mean….? And anyway if we had to do battle with Michael Moore I could always use Seger as a human shield. They might badger and annoy each other to death.

So we trudged along further east. The buildings became drab and utilitarian, similar to Grand Rapids but with academic buildings rather than chain restaurants. It looked like something out of a post apocalyptic sci-fi movie or 1970s Eastern Europe. There were protest signs, Obama 2012 posters, post-modern art, and petition drives. Several people yelled out “cool outfit”. I thought they were making fun of me…but then again…I realized it was the Midwest where everything is accepted. After the tenth compliment it dawned on me where I was. It was the home of the University of Michigan…Ann Arbor. We had to be careful because this was clearly Michael Moore territory.

As we walked through campus we thought we saw a gang of #Occupy Hipsters. These were known to be Moore’s Minions. Perhaps he was looking for us. We all decided to duck into a building. Well Julep and I did. Seger was busy trying to put up flyers announcing his 1987 World Tour. We pulled him inside.

It was dark and spooky in there. We were surrounded by recycling posters. There were “Celebrate Earth Day, Every Day” signs, and bags and bags of crushed aluminum cans. It was the campus recycling center. It was something I’ve heard about but never seen in any of the Southern campuses I’ve been to. Just as I began to plan for our next move I heard a crash. I thought the Hipsters had found us and we were about to be flash mobbed…

“AHHHH DON’T DDDDDD-DON’T RECYCLE ME…PLEASE!!!!” cried the voice. “I wouldn’t think of doing something like THAT” I replied. I looked up and saw what appeared to be a giant anthropomorphic can of Vernor’s Ginger Ale, a local swill. I would have asked how a giant soda can come to life but it was Michigan. Strange things had been happening the entire time so far, so what was one more bizarre thing?

“Are you guys going to rescue me?” he asked. “I’ve been trying to avoid detection. The Hipsters have begun a drive to collect every can on campus. They are fining any student who fails to recycle with an ‘Earth Killer’ ticket. If they catch me, I’m doomed.” I was a little taken aback by the fact that people who claimed to care so much for all of the Earth’s creatures would want to kill such a nice talking can. I wondered if Michael Moore was behind this. I was beginning to wonder if he was behind all of this.

The can continued. “My name is Vernor. I’m the oldest pop around. I have been brewed in Michigan for over a century. But now I’m considered old-fashioned. I’m losing popularity to the other brands, especially the “socially conscious” companies like Coke. They’ve changed my formula and took away my caffeine. They’ve ruined my taste and so people have stopped drinking me. Soon, me and my family will be nothing but cans…used cans to be recycled”.

“Let me guess, Michael Moore?” I said. “Yes” said Vernor…”If I saw him, I’d fight him…but I’m an old can and I need more energy. If only I had caffeine”…

“Don’t start I said…..”

If I Only had Caffeine

(Vernors)

Well I’m quite the ginger ale,

The first one ever on sale,

A fact that should be seen.

They would print it on my can,

Next to “greatest pop in the land”,

If I only had caffeine.

I’d knock out Canada Dry,

Schweppes and Seagrams’s would cry,

They’d say “this beverage’s mean!”

(Me)

Well you sing a lot of ballyhoo,

Outside of here, they haven’t heard of you,

Because you haven’t got caffeine.

(Vernors)

Oh I would beat out Coke and Pepsi,

Coffee and Red Bull too.

I tell you it’s no joke,

I’d be peppier than Mountain Dew.

My commercials would be trendy,

They’d be serving me at Wendy’s,

I’d be drunk by king and queen.

No one would “out-ran” me,

life would be quite uncanny,

if I only had caffeine.

Needless to say I was getting tired of people breaking out into song. But he hated Michael Moore and activism so he couldn’t have been too bad. So he explained more of his story and I invited him to come along with us to see the Wizard of Mich. Seger asked him if he personally knew “New Coke”. I was beginning to wonder if Seger also thought Reagan was still president. I guess in that case it isn’t too bad to be Bob Seger.

Remember Kids, Recycling Kills

So now we were four. I was beginning to remember an old children’s movie I had seen and thought that this whole thing seemed eerily similar. I knew Midwesterners loved their musicals but this was getting ridiculous.

The other thing it was getting was more barren and desolate. As we marched further east we were heading deeper and deeper into the Realm of the Loony Liberal of the East, Michael Moore. The activist posters of the Midwest turned into graffiti. Academic buildings turned into empty houses. I even saw a mouse mug a squirrel. Yep we were in Detroit.

If I remembered right I landed some time during the weekend. For an abandoned city there seemed to be a lot of hustle and bustle. I heard the sounds of cheering and then booing which got louder as we got closer to town. All of us were scared and grasped arms and chanted “Lions, and Tigers, and Red Wings, oh my, Lions, and Tigers, and Red Wings”. Then a Lion jumped out in front of us!

“ROOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!!!” he said “I WILL CRUSH YOU….I WILL KICK YOU IN THE FACE….ROOOOOOOAAAAR”. He made a threatening gesture and then Julep ran up and bit him. He sat down and cried.

“I’m sorry” he sobbed. “I didn’t mean it….I never do. I can’t help it.” It was Ndamukong Suh of the Detroit Lions, the most penalized player in the league. He had just gotten kicked out of the NFL game for making a tackle. I know…a tackle. Clearly I was sympathetic.

He then told me that recently the league had been fining players for making tackles and stopping the other team from scoring. There was a new NFL rule that players could only two-hand touch. An offensive player could yell “BASE” at any time and be allowed unfettered access to the endzone. It was all done to make the game “fair”. Could this also be the work of Michael Moore?

Suh the Penalized Lion then began to say how he wished he didn’t have so many penalties, that he’d be allowed to play ferocious on the field. Then he wouldn’t have to go around scaring people outside the stadium. He looked at me and paused. Then I sighed and said “go ahead…”

If it Wasn’t for Penalties

(Suh)

I’d kick butt at Training Camp,

And end up Super Bowl Champ,

QB’s would pay dental fees.

Sunday Night Football’d de-lay,

‘cause they’d be showing my replay,

If it wasn’t for penalties.

I’d be better than Singleterry,

Butkus, and William Perry,

Yes, I’d be greater than all of these.

(Me)

But these are Bears you all are citin’

That’s the team you’re always fightin’

When you’re getting penalties.

(Suh)

I tell you I’d be on all the commercials,

They’d say “this guy is real swell”

I’d be a hero to all the children,

If it wasn’t for Roger Goodell.

Like lightning I’d be striking,

Cause terror to every Viking,

I’d make offenses freeze.

I’d send home Packers cryin’,

I’d be the pride of these Lions,

if it wasn’t for penalties.

When he finished I told him to come along. He was a big guy and clearly would be able to take out any Hipster Minions that dared cross our paths.

It's hard being a Penalized Lion

So with that, we became a singing quintet. We were off to see the Wizard of Mich whoever he was, all five of us: A displaced Southern blogger, an intrepid dog, a forgotten rocker, an anthropomorphic can, and a would-be NFL star. It was already the journey of a lifetime, albeit an annoying theatrical one, but this being the North, I knew more strange things were bound to happen.

Was Michael Moore really this all-powerful? What did he mean when he was “going to get me”? Why were people so afraid of him? I always thought he was an annoying yet harmless loser. Were we in trouble? Had Michael Moore really destroyed this once proud state? Would I ever get home? Would Bob Seger find his Old Time Rock n Roll again? Would Vernor’s make a comeback? Would we ever see defense played in the NFL again? Could the Wizard of Mich help us?…………

Danger Lurks

Starting today, and hopefully every Wednesday to follow, I will be posting something cool or interesting that I found on the web. I’ll be calling this weekly post Web Wednesday. I know. I’m super creative.

Today’s find is one that isn’t really new but I only recently stumbled upon it. Check it out. Make sure you have time to watch the whole thing because it’s nearly ten minutes long.

Apparently these people put the video together in response to an article, NOT written by Newsweek, that stated it was the 10^th U.S. city “most in decline”. I believe these people beg to differ.

I personally really love this video. I love that they were able to find so many people willing to be a part of it. It’s refreshing to see this many people have as much pride in their city as they do.

After watching it though, I have to wonder, what do you have to do to make a web video stand out? What do you have to do to be that one fluorescent pink video in a sea of gray? I believe you have to come up with something no one has seen before. If you can’t, you have to work really, really hard to top what’s already out there. There are so many mediocre videos and very few amazing ones.

With regards to viral videos, what kind of person are you?

Love them?

Hate them?

What are viral videos?

But when we dive into it, the lip dub was a fabrication of hometown hero Rob Bliss. Bliss, 22,  is an artist who works for a local TV station, and appears to spend his free time creating elaborate stunts, like launching 10,000 paper airplanes off the top of downtown buildings or handing out 30,000 pieces of chalk for locals to create instant art. The guy goes big, and the lip dub is no exception.

Bliss’s video has been picked up by all sorts of outlets, including Newsweek and Mashable. The Detroit Free Press wrote a great article about Bliss and what he’s all about.

I expect we should keep tabs on this guy. No doubt we’ll be hearing more about him, and probably very soon. In the meantime- if you haven’t seen it already- here is the insanely popular Grand Rapids Lip Dub:

Details on how this video came about below.

From ABC News:

When Newsweek.com listed Grand Rapids, Mich., as one of America’s top-10 dying cities, the community came together to show the world it is full of life.

Grand Rapids responded to the unflattering distinction with a 10-minute music video featuring 5,000 people set to Don McLean’s song “American Pie.”

“I took great exception to Newsweek’s characterization of a dying city,” Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell said. “We’re a city that’s young, that’s vibrant, that’s alive, that’s growing. It’s a fun place to be.”

The video, which was published on YouTube May 26, has nearly 1.9 million views. It is one continuous shot and features a little bit of everything. There are fire trucks, police cars, cheerleaders, dancers, football players, politicians and news vans. There is even a wedding, a concert, a marching band and a helicopter.

From the Toronto Star:

In Grand Rapids, Mich., they’re calling him a hero, the kid who saved the city from ignominy after Newsweek’s website carried a report that named Rob Bliss’s hometown one of America’s “dying cities.”

Bliss created a nine-minute, single-shot movie, set to a live audio recording of Don McLean performing his 1971-72 hit “American Pie,” and involving as many as 3,000 Grand Rapidians singing along and taking part in a constantly shifting series of 26 scenarios, all of them written, choreographed and directed by Bliss.

The video, titled “Grand Rapids LipDub,” was uploaded to YouTube on Memorial Day weekend, and quickly went viral. As of Friday, the moving, uplifting and strangely eerie epic, depicting Grand Rapids as a lively, healthy and cheerful community, had been viewed 1.9 million times.

“The Grand Rapids LipDub Video was filmed May 22nd, with 5,000 people, and involved a major shutdown of downtown Grand Rapids, which was filled with marching bands, parades, weddings, motorcades, bridges on fire, and helicopter take offs. It is the largest and longest LipDub video, to date.

This video was created as an official response to the Newsweek article calling Grand Rapids a “dying city.” We disagreed strongly, and wanted to create a video that encompasses the passion and energy we all feel is growing exponentially, in this great city. We felt Don McLean’s “American Pie,” a song about death, was in the end, triumphant and filled to the brim with life and hope.” – Rob Bliss, Director & Executive Producer

This $40,000 production was entirely financed by the generosity of local sponsors. So far the video only has 310 hits, but seeing as it uploaded today, we’ll keep you posted on its success:

So cold… but so fun!

Saturday morning the girls and I headed downtown for the GR Lip Dub rehearsal where we froze our buns off! Apparently our weather apps were big fat liars that day.

The Lip Dub, a Rob Bliss creation, aims to expose Grand Rapids as a city full of life – something we Grand Rapidians already knew. However, after the national press released a story naming GR as a ‘dying-city’ Bliss felt we needed to highlight our attributes in a fun way to others… and the Lip Dub was born.

Above: The girls over looking Monroe. 

On May 15th at 10am Bliss and his crew will be capturing one consecutive take of Grand Rapids lip syncing to, ‘American Pie’ by Don McLean. The girls and I will be dressing up as 1940s girls and waving from atop the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel balcony. Look for the white hankies!

For more information on the GR Lip Dub… check out: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=136521999750440.

Above: Over looking the cross street of Lyon and Monroe from the Amway balcony. Excellent veiw!