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Not Actually Winning: Belfast student's claim a prank

Belfast student’s claims that he had won an internship with controversial actor Charlie Sheen were an “audacious stunt”, he claims.

Updated: Wednesday 7.45am

AN IRISH STUDENT who claimed he won a worldwide contest to become Charlie Sheen’s social media intern has admitted he was pulling what he calls an “audacious stunt to hold up a mirror to the absurdity of the cult of celebrity”.

UTV reported yesterday that Campbell, a design student in Belfast, had been given the job of managing Team Sheen’s Twitter account and social media profile.

The University of Ulster student yesterday told UTV Live it would be “quite a ride” to work with the star for the eight-week paid internship, which was advertised by Sheen on Twitter three weeks ago. ”The first round had 100,000 people who applied and after that it dwindled down to 77,000, then it dwindled down to 250. At that stage we had to submit a video – that was Friday,” Campbell said.

The student had tweeted earlier in the day to reveal his “victory” in the internship contest:

This was the application that, he claimed, helped him see off the competition:

But eagle-eyed viewers – and people with far too much time on their hands – will have noticed that frames of his video application, when taken together, read: “March 29. I will. Lie. And. Say. #jonnycampbell. Have (sic). Won. Charlie Sheen’s #internship.”

Among Campbell’s online activities are the pranky habit of pasting QR codes to posters outside a local cinema, which – when scanned – send the user a spoiler telling them how the movie ends.

Despite his strong views on the “absurdity of the cult of celebrity”, Campbell admits that he would still really like to be Charlie Sheen’s intern.

Additional reporting by Gavan Reilly and Jennifer O’Connell

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    Mute Chicinho
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    Mar 15th 2018, 7:37 AM

    Any chance of some balanced journalism and report on the siege by Turkey and its head hacking allies in Afrin?

    Indiscriminate bombing? Check
    Civilians being massacred? Check
    Lots of kids being blown to bits? Check

    Maybe it’s too real and the status quo is afraid Call it for what it is, 100 years since the Greek and Armenian genocide, the Turkish establishment haven’t lost their Mongol slaying instincts

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    Mute Nigel O'Neill
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    Mar 15th 2018, 7:49 AM

    @Chicinho Hear Hear!!! But balanced journalism doesnt fit the US led Neoliberal western agenda..

    88
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    Mute JimmyMc
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    Mar 15th 2018, 9:08 AM

    @Nigel O’Neill: It’s actually a Neo-con agenda being delivered by neo- lib reporters who are owned by Neo- cons. You couldn’t make it up.

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    Mute Tommy Roche
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    Mar 15th 2018, 11:23 AM

    @Chicinho: The lack of media coverage of what’s going on in Afrin is disgraceful. It’s been under bombardment for weeks now, and has had no water for over a week since Turkey shut of supply from a nearby dam and treatment plant. All we hear in MSM is Turkey’s version of events. And it’s not like the US are nowhere to be seen as their allies are slaughtered. They are actually watching from a few Km’s away and not lifting a finger to intervene. Disgusting.

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    Mute Denis McClean
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    Mar 16th 2018, 1:19 AM

    @Chicinho: Not to mention Zionist Israel getting the US to fight a proxy regime change war to install a puppet president. The UN previously recognized Assad’s Syria until Israel and the US decided he should go. Putin is no saint but I’m glad he stuck in there because otherwise they would have establish anew front in Iran and that would not be nice for anyone.

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    Mute Joseph Rooney
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    Mar 17th 2018, 7:01 PM

    @JimmyMc:
    Don’t forget Fake News RTE.

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    Mute John003
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    Mar 15th 2018, 8:16 AM

    Goal are really taking sides in this complex 6 year civil war….Seeing things from the Sunni Jahadi side…..Many of the 400000 civilians in Ghouta don’t support the Sunni Jahadi and wish they would take up the offer from Syrian army to surrender and safe passage to another rebel held area to fight on…..Saudi Arabia and Qatar have armed and trained many of these rebels in Saudi proxy war against Iran…..Whatever about been democratic moderate rebels at start of conflict as John Kerry and Joe Biden called them….For many years they are Sunni Jahadi similiar to IS…..Very wrong of Goal to support them…

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    Mute Jamie Thornton
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    Mar 15th 2018, 8:57 AM

    @John003: well said

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    Mute Sean Conway
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    Mar 15th 2018, 11:46 AM

    @Jamie Thornton: ‘Sunni jihadists similar to IS’. and backed by the US of course. why can’t journalists report it like it is? because they are owned by corporate greed who have no concept of people suffering.

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    Mute raymond grehan
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    Mar 15th 2018, 8:18 AM

    The official policy of the west – ‘Regime change’ for Syria has been stymied by Russian military intervention. This policy of Regime change, has involved Britain, the Us and and their allies arming and promoting ‘ moderate rebels’ to destabilize the Syrian Government and destroy the country and it’s people. These moderate rebels are terrorists. The west, for all it’s talk of freedom and Liberty and morality, has descended into a pit of double standards, lies and murder. Everyone who has backed the west’s narrative is also in this pit of blood and shares responsibility – this includes the media here in Ireland and around the world esp. state propaganda outlets like RTE and the BBC.
    It is no wonder there is huge anti Russian sentiment at the moment as they have ruined the complete destruction of Syria for western and Israeli geopolitical goals.

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    Mute John003
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    Mar 15th 2018, 8:29 AM

    @raymond grehan: This is not in interest of Israel ….Obama administration did train and arm the rebels in early days of conflict….It was in Jordan not Israel….This Syrian civil war has been a disaster for Israel …. Iran’s proxy army are now on their border with Syria as well as in Lebonan….Israel are close to the Druse in Syria who support Assad….Jews are not stupid supporting a Sunni Jahadi takeover of Syria with one of the main groups Al Nusra in charge would be disaster for Isreal….One of the few things Sunni and Shia agree on is destruction of Israel….Only group Israel support are the Kurds in Northern Syria….

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    Mute Jamie Thornton
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    Mar 15th 2018, 8:32 AM

    @raymond grehan: well said

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    Mute Nigel O'Neill
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    Mar 15th 2018, 10:06 AM

    @Raymond well said and to add also that this is in Black n white, its not a conspiracy theory. Go check out the white paper named ‘Project for the new American Century’..it tells you all you need.

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    Mute Jamie Thornton
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    Mar 15th 2018, 7:33 AM

    Sounds like another Whitehelmet story.
    work is going well to cleans the Islamic terrorism when you here this propaganda.

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    Mute Nigel O'Neill
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    Mar 15th 2018, 7:48 AM

    @Jamie Exactly. Have you ever wondered why there are none such articles with inside stories from people in Yemen ?? They have been under constant bombardment by US backed Saudi forces for months and months now and theres a humanitarian crisis underway. I recall a funeral of a family member killed by a dropped bomb and then they blew up the funeral home while all the mourners were there, as one example

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    Mute Jamie Thornton
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    Mar 15th 2018, 12:50 PM

    @Nigel O’Neill: I know nigel its a sad state of affairs in Yemen at the moment and will be for a long time as long as the UK USA are backing the slaughter.

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    Mute Joseph Rooney
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    Mar 15th 2018, 7:04 PM

    @Nigel O’Neill:
    May and the British have blood on their hands. They are arming the Saudi killers.
    That’s why I can’t take their self-righteousness about the Rusian guy seriously.

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    Mute Walt Jabsco
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    Mar 15th 2018, 7:23 AM

    In the future the world should look back in shame on events in Syria, which were utterly preventable.

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    Mute Nigel O'Neill
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    Mar 15th 2018, 7:46 AM

    @Walt the events are awful but whi exactly should be ashamed for what exactly?

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    Mute Matt Connolly
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    Mar 15th 2018, 7:52 AM

    @Nigel O’Neill: the apathy

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    Mute TheJeff
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    Mar 15th 2018, 8:12 AM

    @Walt Jabsco:

    Yes because getting involved in regime change has work out so well in the past.. #Iraq

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    Mute Mick O Donoghue
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    Mar 15th 2018, 8:16 AM

    @Walt Jabsco: don’t know what to believe anymore. The American paid “rebels” fight on, and the Syrian government drops bombs. I’m sure it’s awful, but the dripfed white-helmet type nonsense doesn’t get attention anymore. No Twitter in Yemen it seems.

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    Mute Joseph Rooney
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    Mar 15th 2018, 6:20 PM

    These people are trying to drag us into their war. If they want to stop the violence, they should call on their jihadi buddies to leave Ghouta, and to set the civilian population there free.
    I’m sick of all the chancers that have spring up–Whiite Helmets etc. A few months back I saw video of the White Helmets (they took off the helmets) cutting off the head of a Palestinian kid. I have no sympathy for them now.

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    Mute Dessie Deratta
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    Mar 16th 2018, 2:39 AM

    Goal are an extension of the US foreign policy nexus…always have been.

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