Before viewing the YouTube Gangnam Style video for the first time, I was told “This will change your life, FOREVER!” Yes, it was a fun video… that I then had to watch over and over and over… and over again and share with everyone I knew, but “…change my life?”… and “…FOREVER?”
Anyone who knows me a bit, knows I can get a little OCD once a tiny idea enters my head. THANKS A LOT Connect-Bridgeport.com, for announcing your Gangnam-Style video contest! Yay…something new to OBSESS about! (Can you sense my sarcasm?) Well, I just knew that 5 year-old son could easily win the $500 award, that is, if I could CONVINCE him to perform his Gangnam-Style dancing, the cutest dancing anyone has EVER seen, in front of my flip video camera! This would be a challenge. After a little negotiating (involving Skylander’s Giants), he agreed! My brain had been taken over, there was no hope for recovery until 11:59pm, February 15, 2013, AKA the deadline for video entries!
But when news spread among our household, my 8 year old daughter and my 2 year-old son also wanted a piece of that $500. I thought with the 3 of them together, we had do do something different… I wanted to recreate the video, but since the theme of the contest was “Around Town”, I also wanted to make it about Bridgeport. YEAH!, YEAH!, that’ll generate votes and possibly win appreciation from Connect-Bridgeport.com! I got some t-shirts, iron-ons and sunglasses and off we went.
We started filming at the Bridgeport High School Stadium and ended at the Simpson Creek Covered Bridge, with a few other historic and easily recognizable places in between. Unfortunately, Bridgeport doesn’t have a covered parking lot and my son refused to do the elevator scene (this was agreed upon during initial negotiations), so we made do. And after a few tantrums and (I’m ashamed to say)”Honey-Boo-Boo Mom” moments (“JUST DO IT!”), here it is:
Sad to say, I (oops, I mean, “they”) didn’t win, but the competition was pretty tough! “The GFWC Woman’s Club of Bridgeport went Gangnam-Style with Class,” not to mention some mighty “YOUNG” moves by some “SENIOR” ladies (one using a walker!). Then there was the clever and SUPER FUN St. Mary’s Catholic School that involved a teacher dancing behind her students’ backs vs. another class of students dancing behind the teacher’s back, with nun and priest participation, too! Although St. Mary’s got the award-winning votes and snagged the $500, my kids are HUGE WINNERS in my eyes, and I’m not just talking about the originally agreed upon Skylander’s Giants figure! They each received an awesome “BEST EVER Gangnam Style Dancing” trophy, awarded by MOM!
And what does “MOM” win for all of her HARD WORK videoing, choreographing, ordering, yelling, torturing (I’ll stop there)????? My OCD was satisfied (only thanks to the deadline) ANNNNNND, I will have this wonderful video to keep, yes that’s right… “FOREVER!” Thanks Mel, for introducing me to this “life-changing” video!
