Gawker: craig stevens

YouTube "Star" "Janine" Unmasked!

Richard Lawson — Wed, 28 May 2008 14:16:00 EDT

Remember Craig and Janine, the seemingly completely clueless Southern couple (a geigh and his beard) who just moved to New York to pursue their acting dreams and who document their struggles on YouTube? Yeah, well, we've lots of good information over time that they were, in fact, fakes. Brilliantly done (if at times a tad too over the top) fakes. And now a helpful critter has pointed us in the direction of the real Janine, a young actress and recent NYU grad named Lauren Marcus. And, heh, she went to the same high school as our dear friend Julia Allison, née Baugher (and Charlton Heston and Donald Rumsfeld). I gotta hand it to you Lauren, it's really a virtuoso performance. The daffy, dimwitted, shrieky Janine is both irritating and likable, relatable and ridiculously silly. Brava! See some of "Janine"s best work after the jump.

When Craigy Met Xenu

Richard Lawson — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:40:00 EDT

Because it's a lovely spring Friday (with birds and sun and loud, thumping reggaeton) and because I'm on a never-ending quest to ruin this website, I thought I'd post another video blargh by everyone's favorite Broadway nut, Craig Stevens. Yeah, yeah. I know. He's a made-up character named after a voice teacher at NYU, but whatever. The videos are funny and depressing. In this installment the lil' diva recounts adventures at Spamalot, worries about work, gushes about some warbly Wicked actress, and reveals that (unbeknownst to him) he was hoodwinked by rascally Scientologists. Enjoy it after the jump. Or go outside.

Jamming Out With Craig and Janine

Richard Lawson — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:56:00 EDT

Perez Hilton made out with John Mayer. Perez Hilton made out with John Mayer. Perez Hilton... Kmart definitely Kmart... Johh Mayer - Oh hi there! Didn't see you. I was just bumbling down a shame spiral, still reeling from this hideous (maybe a stunt?) news. It's been a tough morning already, so let's take a little breather. You all love videos of crazy jam-out drummers, right? And I know you love aspiring Broadway diva Craig Stevens, our possibly-pretend geigh friend from the northern wilds of Inwood who started video blogging his New York adventures three short weeks ago. Though, I almost think that girlfriend Janine ("I ate a lot of Subway!") may be the real star here. She's funny and pleasant and, as far as I know, didn't make out with Perez fucking Hilton. Soothing videos after the jump.

Craig Stevens is Three Times a Lady

Richard Lawson — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:35:00 EDT

Not sure if anyone cares but me, but our dear friend Craig Stevens, (possibly fake YouTuber, Broadway aspirant, and unwitting homosexual) has posted a singing video! He says of the hot clip: "Hey guys...so this is my first attempt at a pop song. I LOVE THIS SONG it's so pretty. Don't hate, I'm learning how to riff! I'm singing this at an open call for Altar Boy(z) on Tuesday!!!!!" The pop song he so dearly loves? The Commodores' 1978 jam "Three Times a Lady." Dedicated perhaps to girlfriend Janine? Watch in reverent awe after the jump. It will remind you of parking at lovers' lane with your special someone, or of sharing a milkshake down at the malt shop, or of the soft mewling of a cat stuck in a hurdy gurdy.

Craig Stevens in Bed

Richard Lawson — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:48:00 EDT

Craig Stevens, our (or just my) favorite potentially fake theatre geigh, has put out another video blog. This time, tantalizingly, he's lying in bed with Miss Saigon and talking about his craft. He's taking singing lessons! Good for him. Sadly girlfriend Janine isn't there (he must have shaved. Get it??) Again, any info you can provide on this fellow will satisfy a shameful need that is buried somewhere in my miserable soul. Video after the jump.

Trouble For Craig and Janine?

Richard Lawson — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:52:08 EDT

Craig Stevens, the clueless, probably fake aspiring Broadway actor, has a new video blog up. Girlfriend Janine is back, talking about her weight loss and displaying a strange, mysterious (and a bit fake-seeming ) sadness about living in New York ("It's tough"). But Craig totally loves the city, so far. Will this drive a wedge between the two? (More than his latent homosexuality already does?) And, more importantly, is this even real? Our crack research team can't find a matching Craig Stevens on Facebook or MySpace, and a Googling for "Craig Stevens Tidewater Community College" yielded nothing. Nothing! Someone please provide definitive proof. After the jump, watch the lovely couple say "super" and "you guys" a lot. Plus "EASTER!"

Is Craig Stevens the Most Clueless Boy in New York, Or Just Made Up?

Richard Lawson — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:53:12 EDT

Everyone, meet Craig Stevens. Craig is a recent college graduate from Murfreesboro, Tennessee who's just moved to New York City to pursue his dream of becoming an actor in Broadway musicals. He's brought along his girlfriend Janine. (But they're far away! He lives in "a part of Manhattan called Inwood" and she lives out near Coney Island.) In the four YouTube videos he's made so far, Craig seems like a nice boy , innocent and wide-eyed as he applies for jobs, goes on an audition, and navigates the bewildering wilds of, well, mostly just Times Square. He's charming in a rube-ish kind of way. Though, there are few details that are a little... suspicious.

First off: girlfriend Janine. She does, in fact, exist. She's shown, shrieking things, in the third video. Despite being proven "real," she still remains a bit Bonnie St. Clair-esque. Something about Craig's constant raving about Broadway starlets ("Sieerrra!!") seems a bit out of keeping with his, you know, having a Janine. Other suspicious tidbits: their favorite restaurant is TGIFriday's, he works at a store called Broadway Babies, while she toils at the merchandise counter for The Little Mermaid. Oh, and then he talks about going on an audition for The Lion King (as non equity? How often can/does that happen?) But, oops! The call was for Young Simbas. They let him sing anyway, but it was still super embarrassing. That can't possibly be true, can it? I mean, um, aren't all the Simbas black? And why would they let a 22-year-old sing at all? Doesn't this all seem a bit too convenient, too hilariously and gently tragic? I honestly can't tell! Thing is, I've known actual living, breathing people like this. And even they seemed made up. As commenter MCCreighton says on one of the posts, "If this is fake, you are a genius." Indeed. Watch the videos (two of which I've posted here) and decide for yourselves.

The First Video, March 11

The Janine Video, March 17