CEREGHINOLOGY: AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, RICK IS STILL ROLLING!!!

If you ever ask me what was the first album that I bought with my own money, I will PROUDLY say WHENEVER YOU NEED SOMEBODY by RICK ASTLEY.

It was a warm saturday afternoon, a week before Christmas of 1987. I spent the only 9 intis (peruvian currency of that time) that I had in my piggy bank on this LP that was displayed on the window of a DISCOCENTRO store on Larco Avenue.

More than 20 years after the release of his debut album, Rick Astley has won the 'Best Act Ever' award at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards.

Following a massive internet campaign by fans, Rick won the award in Liverpool but when I found out that the other nominees for this award were U2, Green Day among other mega stars, this definitely sounds like a big joke.

Let's say that I'm happy por him and trust me, whenever the topic is the life and music of the british pop idol, I'm a sucker for him!!

The 42-year-old polled 100 million votes – more than all the night's other winners combined – to snatch the ultimate honour. The event had been well and truly "rickrolled".

For those whose grasp of internet argot begins and ends with the word "google", Rickrolling is the name of the phenomenon that rescued Astley from obscurity and transformed him into an unlikely icon. After years in self-imposed pop exile, the crooner from the Stock Aitken Waterman hit factory found he had a new fan base when pranksters started tricking internet users into watching the video of his 1987 hit 'Never Gonna To Give You Up' by clicking on more enticingly-labelled links.

For example, a surfer exploring a celebrity gossip site might click on a link for Britney Spears' new video and find themselves watching Astley bopping around in a beige trench coat or in over-sized sun-glasses. Since the rickrolling trend began last year, the video has been viewed more than 20 million times on YouTube.

Astley has kept his dignity intact by neither complaining about the prank nor taking his new-found popularity too seriously.

Though ostensibly grateful to those who voted him in, Astley shows signs of tiring of their mischief-making. He refused to attend the awards, leaving gossip blogger Perez Hilton to accept the trophy on his behalf.

Rick has become a lovely joke, but at least, it seems the joke is beginning to wear thin.

As for me, I feel no shame on being fan of an 80's cheesy pop star here. I will definitely Never Gonna Give You Up...