Balloon boy... errr... Attic boy

10/16/2009 07:42:26 PM · #1

What the hell is going on with this balloon boy story?

I've got tears streaming down my face from laughing so much at the CNN interviews. In the first one, the father (prompted by the interviewer) asks the boy why he didn't come out of the attic... "You guys said...ummmm... we did this for the show" (followed by a groan from the father and head shaking from the mother)

Fast forward to the afternoon CNN interview where he's asked to explain what the boy meant by 'did it for the show' - The father gets all defensive and says they were promised they wouldn't have to do any more shows this week and that the boy got confused because they'd previously been on Wife Swap....

And then the family is on CNN again the following morning. This time the father is trying to convince us it wasn't a publicity stunt, that he really believed his son was up in that balloon, while at the same time the son is puking into a tupperware container. The police say they believe the father's version of events, but might interview the family again following the comments during the CNN interview.

Really, this is classic comedy TV.

Message edited by author 2009-10-16 19:43:07.

David Ey

Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8D

10/16/2009 08:19:08 PM · #2

Well, early on a radio caller had done the math on the size of the balloon and how much helium it could contain and said it was impossible for it to lift the child. I believe we were duped by the media and the parents. Why didn't our brilliant reporters do this calc? If proven so, the parents should have to pay the expenses for the search.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

10/16/2009 08:26:47 PM · #3

Yep, really, there is no doubt in my mind that this was in fact a publicity stunt. And lo, they are getting it. In fact, the controversy over whether it was a stunt is likely to raise the publicity even further, whereas if it had been a verified story with no controversy, it would have faded into oblivion quickly.
Who said it?? "Any publicity is good publicity"

abranton

Sony DSC-W7

Nikon AF-S DX 18-105 f/3.5-5.6 ED VR

10/16/2009 08:47:15 PM · #4

I have to say I feel awful for the lil boy who is throwing up, obviously sick from the stress of the situation. If the parents put their son up to this they should be ashamed.

alanfreed

Nikon Z9

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS II USM Lens

10/16/2009 09:08:47 PM · #5

I can't believe it took this long for a DPC thread to begin on the subject! I almost started one yesterday. I watched the balloon floating through the air, and I thought THEN that this was all a bit hinky. It was pretty darned obvious, I thought, that there was no way there was a kid floating in that thing in the first place.

Very strange story all around.

KarenNfld

10/16/2009 09:10:38 PM · #6

I heard that the father called a tv station before he called 911. He says he called the FAA, then a news station, then 911. The FAA said they have no record of a call from him, just from the news station.

Ivo

10/16/2009 09:27:40 PM · #7

This is the same family that was on the TV show "Trading Spouses"?

hahn23

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

10/16/2009 09:34:26 PM · #8

Originally posted by kirbic:

....Who said it?? "Any publicity is good publicity"

P.T. Barnum said, â��All publicity is good publicityâ��. And, he also said, "There's a sucker born every minute." It is generally taken to mean that there are (and always will be) a lot of gullible people in the world.

kandykarml

10/16/2009 09:36:49 PM · #9

they were on "wife swap"...

I heard him on an interview today do what I would call a slip... He said when asked if he was surprised by all of the efforts of the people from around the country that were pouring in to save what they thought was his son in this balloon and he responded by saying..

"We never thought it would get this much attention"...

When he said it, he sorta caught himself because that type of statement sorta indicates this was preplanned and they put some thought into how much media attn they would get.. He quickly went into tears and blubbering and covered it by making it seem as though he was so distraught he could no longer talk... Until the next interview of course..

robshookphoto

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM

10/17/2009 01:24:51 AM · #10

The best thing about this was the way 4CHAN and reddit handled this.

4chan ordered pizza to the house from papajohn's online and took a picture of the tv when a live camera showed the delivery car going by behind it.

Then, a someone on reddit posted that they were a neighbor of the family, and mentioned talking to a pizza delivery girl who was afraid to cross the police line.

elsmacko

10/17/2009 01:47:48 AM · #11

In fairness, if I thought my child were up in a balloon, especially depending on where I lived and the resources of my police department, I would consider calling a news station as well.

Coverage and attention = better response by police, hands down. Not to say that the police wouldn't take it seriously, but they sure as hell would once the news got involved. Also, with something that would be bound to crossing over jurisdiction lines (like, say, a floating hot-air-balloon), it would certainly get the story out and around quickly. Not to mention the fact that the TV station is going to start calling police stations as well, helping me get positive assistance that much faster.

Of course, I would call the news station After the police department, but I would seriously consider calling the ne3ws as well. When it's your child/loved one/whomever up there, you're not going to worry about what it looks like, you're just going to try to save their life.

kandykarml

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100

10/18/2009 02:15:30 AM · #12

Ruh-Roh.... Charges WILL be filed... LOL... Against who??? And what charges ???? don't know.. I don't think they've even said if it's against the parents.. I doubt they will be charging the 6 yr old, but, just when I think I've seen it all....

spiritualspatula

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

10/18/2009 02:17:47 AM · #13

I live there! Funniest news story from my area EVER! Oh man I was laughing so hard.
Somebody finally put us on the map. hahahahahaha

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

10/18/2009 02:26:02 AM · #14

Originally posted by kandykarml:

Ruh-Roh.... Charges WILL be filed... LOL... Against who??? And what charges ????

Against the parents, of course, if they concocted this whole thing for publicity. Police chief says anything they do locally is gonna end up just a slap on the wrist, so he's talking to the Feds (because of FAA and military involvement) to see if they can stick some more serious charges on and make it a federal case.

This is just cracking me up, in a disturbing way: how low we've sunk, as a people!

R.

alanfreed

Nikon Z9

10/18/2009 09:40:33 AM · #15

Geez, the father seems so... so... likeable. It would be hard to file charges against someone who seems so pleasant and unpretentious. Second thought, I vote for the guillotine.

kandykarml

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

10/18/2009 04:49:29 PM · #16

Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by kandykarml:
Ruh-Roh.... Charges WILL be filed... LOL... Against who??? And what charges ????

Against the parents, of course, if they concocted this whole thing for publicity. Police chief says anything they do locally is gonna end up just a slap on the wrist, so he's talking to the Feds (because of FAA and military involvement) to see if they can stick some more serious charges on and make it a federal case.

This is just cracking me up, in a disturbing way: how low we've sunk, as a people!

R.

so, I missed any news posts on this today.. Did they say they believe the parents lied about the entire thing and di they indicate they have any proof of this ??? Just curious.. I missed the entire episode as I was at work when it was taking hold of the NATION, but I'm sure if I was at home, I would have been balling my eyes out thinking this little boy was in that balloon.. Crazy that they would force their kid to wait up in the attic for 5 hours while this played out.. I wonder if any child abuse charges will be considered too ... hmmmmmmmm

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

10/18/2009 06:35:14 PM · #17

Originally posted by kandykarml:

... I wonder if any child abuse charges will be considered too ... hmmmmmmmm

Latest report (by the BBC via NPR) suggests that they are considering charges of conspiracy and contributing to the delinquency of a minor ...

citymars

Nikon D700

Pentax DA 18-135mm F3.5-5.6ED AL [IF] WR DC

10/18/2009 10:16:36 PM · #18

Originally posted by alanfreed:

Geez, the father seems so... so... likeable.

Just to confirm, you were being sarcastic, right?

robshookphoto

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM

10/18/2009 10:39:28 PM · #19

At 0:39 in this video the kid says "we did it for the show," suggesting that the entire thing was a hoax. Basically, the dad wanted attention after his stint on the "wife swap" reality tv show went awry. Of course, Wolfe Blitzer didn't attempt to question them about this and just continued the interview, giving us more proof that CNN is as big as waste of time as fox.

fldave

Pentax K5II

10/18/2009 10:55:44 PM · #20

FOR SALE: proof that balloon boy was a hoax.

Art Roflmao

Canon EOS-6D Mark II

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

10/19/2009 04:03:02 AM · #21

I saw the Sheriff's press conference - couldn't miss it since it was covered in almost it's entirety on ALL major news stations, preempting the normal Sunday news programs - they will be filing several charges and are convinced this was a hoax / PR stunt. He said his entire team will be spending a significant amount of time pouring through seized computer files and other evidence over the next couple weeks.

Seriously? If I was a family member of a victim of an unsolved murder or rape in that county, I would be wondering where my "task force" is. Talk about a colossal waste of time on top of a colossal waste of time.

As for the press - I can see the coverage during the event - they did not know how the story would unfold - but now it should be a footnote with everything else going on.

grrr.

spiritualspatula

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100