The $6000 Tweet!

I've had a Twitter account for a few months and never really used it. I couldn't get into Twitticisms like “I'm enjoying my delicious Eggo now” that seems to be Lingua Franca of the Twitterverse. So my Twitter ID sat unused like my gym membership and my blog for most of the year until January 19th.

That night while watching the "Haiti: How Can I Help" telethon hosted by Larry King on CNN it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try some celeb Tweeting. I mean they even had a Tweet Suite for chrissakes (puns are big in the Land o' Twitter) to read viewer Tweets on the air. Maybe amongst Jennifer Lopez, Paula Abdul, Jared Leto, Maria Bello, Ryan Seacrest, Nicole Richie, Joel Madden, Snoop Dogg, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Ben Stiller, Mick Jagger, John Mayer, Jeff Probst, Ashley Judd, Kobe Bryant and others I could find someone (or their assistant) to at least Retweet one of my requests.

My chance at fame and fortune! Or at least a way to kill some time on the Tweekend. (Clearly my life is boring but we've discussed that before--see all blog posts here, 2009 and most of 2008).

Going for the low hanging Tweet I sent a message to Larry asking him to auction off a pair of his suspenders. I followed that up with the same Tweet to Ryan Seacrest and Jeff Probst.

@Jeff_Probst Larry King CNN Telethon Jeff please ask Larry King to auction off his suspenders at the end of the auction.

Twaiting for about an hour, am I hearing this right? Pay dirt! Jeff Probst read to Ryan Seacrest my Tweet on air. My Tweet was displayed in the background in HDTV. I'm in Twittercal mass!

Except Jeff got my name wrong.

Herbal.

HERBAL!

Some sort of combination of my first name with my fancy frenchified last name.

HERBAL??? Was that a Tweetsult? Had I been Twittsed?

Thanks Jeff. Or JeffPro!

Immediately I started getting emails—"Was that you, Herbal?" My FaceBook account also lit up like Herbs on fire. Even the French challenged Jeff Probst Tweeted me back:

"Jeff_Probst @herble Dude, look what you started. already at $1000 because of your idea"

Jeff Probst called me DUDE! Srsly! Okay, maybe I could forgive him for calling me Herbal.

I'm now King of the Twitterati as my Tweets bounced around the Twittosphere!

Soon we learned that it was Jared Leto who had purchased the suspenders for $1000 outbidding Ryan Seacrest.

Next Ben Stiller bought another pair of Larry's suspenders for $1000 and I'm feeling Twittastic!

Total: $2000

Auction momentum builds as Sean "Diddy" Combs announced that a caller buying a pair of Larry's suspenders was also going to pay $1000 for Diddy's sunglasses. Twitterphoria!

Total: $4000

In the below video Sean "Diddy" Combs ups the ante and said he has a doctor on the phone that would pay $2000 for a pair. Meanwhile I'm twitterpated!

Total: $6000



Diddy said the next 5 pairs would go for $5000 and the 5 after that for $10,000. I'm not sure if any of those sold at that price but regardless I'm Twitterific! Shortly thereafter the telethon ended and viewers saw Jared Leto leave carrying Larry's suspenders. Fortunately the world was spared from seeing a Larry King wardrobe malfunction.

Did I tell you that Jeff Probst called me “Dude?” What a Tweetheart!

Maybe I'm tweet-dropping here but I'm happy to say that my little Tweet raised at least $6000 for Haiti Relief! I'm not even Twittish that the news media thinks this was Ryan Seacrest's idea.

My name is Herbal, I'm a Dude and yes, I'm a Tweetaholic!


















Jared Leto leaves the CNN Studio with his new $1000 suspenders.