Prank calls

A prank call, also known as a crank call or hoax call, is a form of practical joke committed over the telephone. As with all practical jokes, there is a thin line between humor and harassment, and the person receiving the call is not likely to find it funny. Prank calls range from annoying hang-ups to false calls to emergency services or bomb threats. Prank calls that waste the time of emergency services are a criminal offense in most countries. One such hoax call occurred in Perth, Australia, on New Year's Eve 2002, when a drunken teenager called the new anti-terrorist hotline to report a bomb threat against the New Year's Eve Fireworks celebration. The threat was taken seriously, and the celebrations were about to be canceled, when police discovered that no such threat existed. The teen was arrested for deliberate false reporting. Some performers such as the Jerky Boys have produced albums of prank calls. The television show Crank Yankers is a series of real-life prank calls acted-out by puppets. The group Prank Machine had nearly 200 calls available entirely free to the public on their site before it was closed as the result of legal action put forth by one Emilia Seldon. This was considered to be the first major action of its kind. Some of the more controversial calls can still be found through various sources, and the site has since reopened at a new location, although the content and format have been drastically altered, presumably due to legal constraints. Even very prominent people have fallen victim to prank callers, as for example Queen Elizabeth II, who was fooled by a Canadian DJ posing as Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, asking her to record a speech in support of Canadian unity ahead of the 1995 Quebec referendum. Two other particularly famous examples of prank calls were made by the Miami-based radio station Radio El Zol. In one they telephoned Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and spoke to him, pretending to be Cuban president Fidel Castro. They later repeated the prank, except that they called Castro and pretended to be Chavez. They were fined by the FCC. In the United States of America, the Telecommunications Act makes any prank call a misdemeanor with penalties of up to a year in prison and a fine of $10,000 (depending on severity). However, such penalties are rarely carried out. As an example, the Chicago, Illinois shock jock Erich "Mancow" Muller, after being criticized for the extensive use of prank calls on his radio show, broadcast the following sarcastic remark: Reality check for you people - Chicago's the murder capital of America. The police don't care if you get a prank call. Examples Some examples of well-known prank calls are: Caller: Do you have Prince Albert in a Can? Receiver: Yes, I do. Caller: Then you'd better let him out!! Caller: Hello! Is your refrigerator running? Receiver: Yes, it is. Caller: Then you'd better go catch it! Caller: Hello, is there a man named Al there? Last name, Coholic. Receiver: Hold on, I'll check. Hey everybody! I'm looking for an Al Coholic (Alcoholic) !!! Is there an Alcoholic here??? Wait a minute... (The first prank call was aired in Family Guy in the Episode "Fifteen Minutes of Shame," where Stewie and Brian prank call the show "Diane" when the rest of the Griffin family were on stage. The second one was parodied on The Simpsons, with the response being "as a matter of fact, my refrigerator wasn't running! Your timely phone call saved me from a great deal of unnecessary spoilage! Thank you, anonymous young man!" In addition, the first two prank calls were used on episodes of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, the latter one in Partying Is Such Sweet Soireé, and the second in Bloo's Brothers.) The third prank call was popularised in The Simpsons, with Bart's calls to Moe's Tavern asking for some name that is completely non-existent. When Moe shouts loudly asking for someone named Jacques Strappe (jock strap), Ivanna Tickle (I wanna tinkle), Heywood U. Cuddleme (hey, would you cuddle me?), Amanda Hugankiss (a man to hug and kiss), Mike Rotch (my crotch), Al Coholic (alcoholic), Bea O Problem (B.O problem), Anita Bath (I need a bath), or for a Homer Sexual (homosexual), the bar erupts into laughter and Moe threatens violent revenge. One backfire on this formula was a call to "Hugh Jass" (huge ass), as there turned out to be a person in the bar named Hugh Jass. This was attempted by the Plutonians in an episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, asking the Moonanites for one "Michael Hunt." Oglethorpe, still finding humor despite his mistake, didn't realize he was supposed to ask for Mike Hunt (my cunt). It is possible that Caller ID will bring an end to the prank call. However, people find ways to avoid the caller ID and *69 by respectively using *67 and using calling cards. There is a small but lively prank call community. Some of it is around a SHOUTCast radio station called "PCU: Prank Call Underground Radio". The radio station plays a stream of various prank calls. There are also several live shows run by people known as KDK, Zolar, Sean Ward, Billy Mira, Carlito, Reclude, and others. Also, Michael Biggins (whose real unpreferred name is Michael Bigansky) has a website known as Blackout's Box -- the name comes from a combination of two events from his earlier exploits: when Michael was in a high school radio station's recording studio, lightning struck and caused a blackout, in turn giving Michael the nickname Blackout; and later in his career before he started the show, people would leave him pranks on his voice mailbox. The website is devoted to prank calls, other forms of entertainment and discussions on philosophy. Biggins hosts a radio show on Thursday nights dedicated to these pursuits. See also Celebrity prank call List of prank call comedians The Simpsons (specifically, Moe's Tavern) Obscene phone calls PCU Prankcall Underground Radio Prank call scripts on Wikicomedy External links Crank Yankers Prank Calls Prank Call Underground Radio Blackout's Box Phone Pride World Wide ~ Bobby Pyn Calls ja:迷惑電話 Search Term: "Prank_call" Categories: Practical jokes

Man accused of prank calls charged in auto burglary