As part of the 2012 hennemusic Rock News Awards – recognizing the biggest rock news stories and artists of the year - hennemusic is counting down the Top 10 Rock News Artists of the year.
Finalists for the 3rd annual hennemusic Rock News Awards are chosen by readers: winners are determined by the combined total page views of the top 50 hennemusic rock news stories of the past twelve months.
The 2012 hennemusic Rock News Awards winners will be announced on Friday, December 21 at hennemusic.com.
Rock News Artist Of The Year - TOP 10
#07 – MOTLEY CRUE
#08 - AEROSMITH
#09 – SLASH
#10 – QUEEN
Rock News Artist of The Year - #6 – JIMMY FALLON
Jimmy Fallon’s inclusion in the Top 10 speaks volumes about talent, timing, and the power of viral video in 2012.
Although he created a huge volume and variety of video work this year, Fallon reached the Top 10 with a single rock-related clip.
In the midst of the NFL playoffs in early January, Fallon debuted a new character, “Tebowie,” a mix of then-Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow and early-70s David Bowie.
Tebow’s last-minute on-field heroics, combined with his demonstrative religious posing, made the quarterback something more than a fan favorite as he crossed over into mainstream American pop culture. It wasn’t long before Tebow’s prayer pose itself went viral with tribute videos while inspiring players in other sports to mimic the move.
Having already established his ability to perform uncanny impersonations of music legends, Fallon’s Tebowie video capitalized on the huge media presence and public support of the player as his team entered the playoffs.
In the process, Fallon expertly combined a new pop culture hero with a long-established one: David Bowie.
Jimmy took Bowie’s classic “Space Oddity” and worked new lyrics to create the Tebowie character, reinforcing the package by dressing as Bowie’s own character, Ziggy Stardust.
Fallon went on to fill out 2012 with a huge number of impersonations, but Tebowie captured a moment in time and brought some humor to the new football hero’s place in pop culture.
Tebowie also placed Fallon as the #7 Rock News Story Of The Year (here).
