Rick Astley to perform at MTV Europe awards ceremony?
Pop singer Rick Astley had a huge hit with "Never Gonna Give You Up" 20 years ago. Now he's had a second wave of fame--and according to a fan site, it will culminate in a performance at MTV Europe's "EMA" ceremony, which takes place on November 6.
The campy, hip-wiggling video for "Never Gonna Give You Up" enjoyed newfound popularity when it became the center of the "Rickrolling" phenomenon--the sharing of a link that purported to be something else but was actually a link to the Astley video as hosted on YouTube. The craze was declared "totally over" after a surfeit of Rickrolls on April Fool's Day, but it kept going strong--one of the most high-profile gags involving the song was when pranksters flooded an online poll for the New York Mets' eighth-inning sing-along with "Never Gonna Give You Up."
The EMA awards, which are the equivalent of the U.S.'s MTV Video Music Awards, feature a "Best Act Ever" award, chosen by popular vote rather than judges, and it's been well-known for a while that Astley is the front-runner. Rumor has it, per an Astley fan site set up specifically for the "Best Act Ever" campaign, that not only will the British singer accept his award at the EMA event, he'll perform as well.
Astley's official Web site confirmed several weeks ago that he had been invited to appear at the ceremony (but not necessarily perform), and that the singer would give it "serious consideration." If the more recent rumors are any indicator, that "serious consideration" has amounted to a "yes."
A correction was made at 1:47 p.m. PT on Thursday. Astley's official Web site says he was invited to appear at the ceremony, but does not mention actually performing.
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline. 
I hope he comes in on a large wooden duck rolling along the stage and sings his song.. asking that it be the last rick roll and to brign back the duck roll ( what was done before rickrolling)
- by tigger_16 October 30, 2008 1:17 PM PDT
- This Is NOT TRUE !!! You have been lied to by your sourse , his has his agenda .
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(4 Comments)But he is NOT connected with Mr Astley in any way , he's just a "wanna be " with a web site . You should check you sourses more closely.
Mr. Astley has not been asked to appear on the show !
You can confirm this with his web master at neil@rickastley.co.uk