For NHL games where an American team faces off against a Canadian one, it’s customary for both country’s national anthems be performed. When the Anaheim Ducks visited Edmonton to play the Oilers in Game 3 of their Stanley Cup playoff series, Canadian country music star Brett Kissel stepped to the mic to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in honor of Edmonton’s American guests. But the mic didn’t cooperate.
So Kissel decided to lead the most unlikely of sing-alongs. He raised his hands in the air to call on the 18,000 Canadians to do the singing for him, confident enough that the crowd would know the words and melody to America’s anthem. And the Oilers fans didn’t disappoint, belting out a rousing version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Yesterday’s sing-along brought back echoes of the 2006 playoff series between these two teams, which first made Edmonton fans famous for singing an anthem. That year, when the Ducks and Oilers played in Anaheim, American fans actually booed the Canadian national anthem during its Stateside performance. So, when the series went to Edmonton, the Oilers fans responded, not by booing, but by showing respect for their neighbor and pride in their country. When “The Star-Spangled Banner” was performed, they cheered. Then singer Paul Lorieau sang the first few lines of “O Canada,” and as he sensed the crowd was singing along full-throated, he hoisted his microphone above his head and let the fans take over for him. The moment became legendary in Canada, and it turned into a tradition for the Oilers. Throughout the rest of the 2006 playoffs, the crowd sang the anthem, fueling Edmonton’s improbable run to the Stanley Cup Finals, where the team hadn’t been in 16 years.
The Oilers fans may have helped get their opponents too pumped up yesterday though, with the American team winning the game 6-3 to take a lead in the series. Let’s see if Ducks fans practice up on “O Canada” to sing it when the series returns to Anaheim.
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TikTok shocked by 15-year-old unhinged viral clip of kids performing Scarface in school play
Think about the most outrageous film that could be adapted to the stage. Now, imagine the cast of that theatrical production is entirely children, ranging in age from 7 to 10. Now, film it and let the world react.
That’s what director Marc Klasfeld had in mind when he held auditions with professional child actors for a shocking video, meant to look like an elementary school production of the cult film-favorite Scarface. In a now 15-year-old interview with Entertainment Weekly, when asked why he thought this was a good idea, Klasfeld admits, "I thought this would be a nice fit into the kind of YouTube arena of viral videos. And I was right."
The result? Kids yelling “mother-fudger,” piles of popcorn meant to look like cocaine, and outrageous, lengthy scenes of children pointing Super Soakers at one another.
Marc, mostly known as an accomplished commercial and music video director, later adds, "I enjoy making provocative art. I like stirring debate and causing conversation. You're going to get two sides of the coin no matter what you do. People are going to love and hate everything. People loved and hated Avatar. People loved and hated the Jennifer Aniston movie. And people love and hate this. I guess that's a part of having something that's successful out there. There’s got to be certain people that hate it for people to love it."
Once they got their perfect cast, it didn’t take long to put together. He shares, "It was a one-take, so it was pretty much just choosing the right take. About a month altogether."
People sure did react, as it acquired millions of views and comments from all over the Internet. Some were horrified, some were outraged, and many thought it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen. But Marc emphasizes that the kids in the video were not scandalized. "They’ve heard the f-word. They’ve seen more violence in their everyday lives for as long as they can remember. So for this, they’ve seen worse things than this all the time. So this wasn’t that big of a deal for them."
Enter TikTok. The clip (which just popped up again recently on Facebook) was reposted a few years back, and, once again, the comments continue to run the gamut from indignation to full praise. One TikTok user exclaimed, "Bro, I can’t even remember my grocery list, how the fudge did these kids memorize this whole scene lol?"
Others expressed confusion: "I'm not sure whether to be angry or amazed." Some chose anger: "Just imagine, you know these kids watched the movie to get the characters right. And the parents cheering? Yeah, yeah."
Many commenters believed it was a real school play and commended the production for "keepin' it real": "That school keeps it real. Nowadays, kids know so much about guns and drugs, might as well teach them that bad choices don’t end well."
Yet another enjoyed it but was concerned that the parents of the children would not. "Love the tray full of popcorn. But my God, I would hate to see the hell these parents probably raised."
For the most part, the reviews were glowing. Many complimented the acting, and one claimed they definitely would have "preferred this play over their own school production of Macbeth."
And perhaps the biggest compliment? "Al Pacino will be proud."