mercyrule
08-31-2010, 02:16 PM
'Bed Intruder' songster turning fame into a future (http://www.rr.com/entertainment/topic/article/rr/9006/20067891/Bed_Intruder_songster_turning_fame_into_a_future)
Antoine Dodson's angry, head-shaking TV interview about an attempted rape against his younger sister in her bed has turned into a chart-topping iTunes song and YouTube hit and made the 24-year-old Alabama (http://www.rr.com/home/topicdl/dlt/039L2kba9oe8D/Alabama) college student an Internet sensation.
Dodson plans to use the money from the "Bed Intruder Song" selling for $1.29 a download and T-shirt sales to move his family out of the Lincoln Park housing project where they say the attack happened. But in an era when a viral video clip can rocket anyone to stardom, some suggest that Dodson and his family are being used and that his online rant plays to racial stereotypes.
To think so is to sell Dodson short. He said he is determined to be empowered, not exploited.
"Blessings come in disguise," Dodson said. "This is a golden opportunity for us. I'm gonna take it and run with it."
A typical day for Dodson now includes checking in on his thousands of Facebook (http://www.rr.com/news/topicdl/dlt/05JL6FV5UE0eh/Facebook) fans, photo shoots, pondering a small movie role and juggling media interviews. And while he enjoys the limelight, he is still seeking justice for his sister and a better life for his family.
"We're still struggling," Dodson said. "We have a hit on iTunes (http://www.rr.com/home/topicdl/dlt/099R2030H7dfI/iTunes), but we're still in the projects."
Two months ago, Dodson was a student at Virginia (http://www.rr.com/home/topicdl/dlt/00ezgrPacV7xi/Virginia) College in Huntsville, majoring in business management and hoping to one day own a hotel or a hair salon. He'd worked since he was 16 as a housekeeper and janitor.
He was thinking of moving back to Chicago (http://www.rr.com/home/topicdl/dlt/07X746h6AI4bp/Chicago), his hometown, to start a new life with his 22-year-old sister Kelly and her 2-year-old daughter.
Antoine Dodson's angry, head-shaking TV interview about an attempted rape against his younger sister in her bed has turned into a chart-topping iTunes song and YouTube hit and made the 24-year-old Alabama (http://www.rr.com/home/topicdl/dlt/039L2kba9oe8D/Alabama) college student an Internet sensation.
Dodson plans to use the money from the "Bed Intruder Song" selling for $1.29 a download and T-shirt sales to move his family out of the Lincoln Park housing project where they say the attack happened. But in an era when a viral video clip can rocket anyone to stardom, some suggest that Dodson and his family are being used and that his online rant plays to racial stereotypes.
To think so is to sell Dodson short. He said he is determined to be empowered, not exploited.
"Blessings come in disguise," Dodson said. "This is a golden opportunity for us. I'm gonna take it and run with it."
A typical day for Dodson now includes checking in on his thousands of Facebook (http://www.rr.com/news/topicdl/dlt/05JL6FV5UE0eh/Facebook) fans, photo shoots, pondering a small movie role and juggling media interviews. And while he enjoys the limelight, he is still seeking justice for his sister and a better life for his family.
"We're still struggling," Dodson said. "We have a hit on iTunes (http://www.rr.com/home/topicdl/dlt/099R2030H7dfI/iTunes), but we're still in the projects."
Two months ago, Dodson was a student at Virginia (http://www.rr.com/home/topicdl/dlt/00ezgrPacV7xi/Virginia) College in Huntsville, majoring in business management and hoping to one day own a hotel or a hair salon. He'd worked since he was 16 as a housekeeper and janitor.
He was thinking of moving back to Chicago (http://www.rr.com/home/topicdl/dlt/07X746h6AI4bp/Chicago), his hometown, to start a new life with his 22-year-old sister Kelly and her 2-year-old daughter.