Balloon Boy: A nation turns its lonely eyes to you

When you woke up this morning, did you think you'd be riveted by the story of a Fort Collins kid who may or may not have floated away in a silvery balloon? And if so, are you being treated for assorted ailments at the Capitol Hill Medicine Shoppe? At this...

By Michael Roberts

October 15, 2009

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When you woke up this morning, did you think you'd be riveted by the story of a Fort Collins kid who may or may not have floated away in a silvery balloon? And if so, are you being treated for assorted ailments at the Capitol Hill Medicine Shoppe?

At this point, none of the reporters with the approximately seven gazillion media outlets covering this bizarro tale know what the hell's going on, including our colleagues at the Village Voice, who've been breathlessly updating each development, from the revelation that the Heene family at the center of this drama recently appeared on the TV series Wife Swap to the fact that the missing boy, named (naturally) Falcon, can be seen in the YouTube video above rapping about "pussification." Oh yeah: There's already a website up called WhereIsBalloonBoy.com. And thus, a legend was born -- or something like that.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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