Rebecca Black's Traumatic "Friday" and the Blessings of Second Language

Rebecca Black, the 13-year-old attractive Selena Gomez-looking eighth grader, had gone viral in Bieber fashion: unknown and barely talented now racking publicity via two million hits and counting in YouTube in the most train wreck fashion. Exactly what her newbie studio planned. Or probably what they had almost planned.

However, any kind of publicity is still a publicity and the studio may not have planned for their work to be touted as a �whole new level of bad� by Time magazine. For security's sake, I won't mention the new Hollywood-based online network and record label's name whose vision is to empower teen pop, but I will say that many are questioning the network and record label's ability to give good product.

Rivalling the tsunami searches being done online, Rebecca Black started with barely 4,000 hits on Friday with the song by the same name. Now boasting more than two million viewings, "Friday" is obviously going nowhere except maybe to ringtones and iTunes. The chipmunks already paid homage to her song with Wikipedia opening an account for Rebecca Black urging anyone to start writing anything about her.

Touted as the worst song ever, it was first posted with the headline �Songwriting Isn't for Everyone� via Comedy Central's Tosh.0 blog. After that, it's been enjoying free publicity rides on Facebook, Twitter, and countless blogs all trying to share, chroncicle, and decipher what makes "Friday" stink.

Since available blog topics include Japan quake, tsunami, and nuclear leaks, a viral video may be a last resort to write about.

Initially faced with a ton of words preceding the video, I had no choice but to start playing it right away. Which I did. And which made me think towards the end after realizing my mouth was open, �What the...?�

It's not that I thought it was bad. There wasn't time for my brain to even think it was that bad. I never got to process, digest, nor even accept what just happened right in front of my eyes.

Dear Lord. No wonder this came close to what happened to Japan. Maybe it's the age difference, but these days, when even mere kids' heroes in cartoons get the best of treatment via 3D with award-winning actors playing them, a mere third grader could've conceptualized and even shot the video of "Friday" himself. I would admit, though, that a grown-up with an eye for color would've helped in the costuming since color coding in scenes takes a practiced eye.

References say it was that bad. Some even put in writing "Friday's" dreadful lyrics.

I'd say thankfully as far as I know nobody dared published the whole thing. I'm sure it's going to be another third-grader masterpiece.

For someone like me who is a second speaker of English, a song's video usually precedes and leaves more of an impression at first sighting than its lyrics unless of course the song is really, really good.

In a situation when technology and language barrier can hinder one from fully comprehending what a native speaker is saying or even singing about, I'd say being a second speaker of English does have its blessings.

Still, I cannot get over the video and Rebecca's voice, which would make anyone wonder how she really sounds without sound amplification, beautification, alteration (whatever) technology, "Friday" as a product has, obviosuly, as its foundation.

Rebecca Black is now a teen sensation in less than a hundred hours. As to what kind of sensation it doesn't take much of an imagination.

What a thing for her record label put her through. It is traumatizing. To her. To us. To the world at large. Makes you wonder and reflect what on earth could we have done for all of these to all happen all at the same time.