Betty White on SNL, and 6 Other Internet Victories That Changed the Outcome of Pop Culture

Should we be a little scared of the internet now? Online fans of Betty White somehow realized a long-held dream of seeing her host a now-mediocre variety program, installing the actress on Saturday Night Live tomorrow night through sheer force of Facebook clicks. High-profile though the victory may be, it isn't the first time that internet petitions and online movements have helped to change the face of popular entertainment. Here are 6 other victories that were mostly organized with the click of a mouse:

Snakes on a Plane

Snakes on a Plane was perhaps the first, best example of how the internet could put pressure on a mainstream production. When the online audience learned of the film's title, a veritable subculture sprung up dedicated to its ridiculous nature -- so much so that Snakes went back for reshoots so that star Samuel L. Jackson could utter the internet-demanded line, "I have had it with these motherf**king snakes on this motherf**king plane!"

Outcome: Snakes underperformed estimations on its opening weekend, pulling in just $15.25 million. The title may have been an instant classic, but the actual movie was anything but.

Rachel Ray's scarf

When scratchy-voiced talk show host Rachel Ray shot an ad for Dunkin Donuts, some enterprising costumer thought he'd outfit her with a very on-trend scarf. Then, right-wing blogger Michelle Malkin complained that Ray's scarf looked too much like a keffiyeh, "the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad."

Outcome: The conservative blogosphere pressed the issue until Dunkin Donuts caved, pulling the ad. Never again would Rachel Ray try out an ethnically ambiguous Williamsburg look on that company's dime!

Jericho

"Save our show" campaigns aren't a new invention, but few were brought off as well as the one orchestrated by fans of this Skeet Ulrich apocalypse drama. When it failed to burn up the ratings in its first season and was canceled by CBS in 2007, viewers sent 20 tons of nuts to network, echoing a phrase from the season finale.

Outcome: CBS reconsidered and picked Jericho up for a shorter second season, but the show did even worse in the ratings and was eventually snuffed. Still, producer Jon Turtletaub promised fans that he would try to mount a version of the show for the big screen.

Chuck

Unlike Jericho, NBC has never actually canceled Chuck, and the spy comedy's got a rabid fanbase to thank for that. Chuck wasn't pulling in great ratings during its second season, so fans took the preemptive measure of mounting a two-month "Save Chuck" campaign that involved blog retitling, candy sending, sandwich purchasing, rallies, and a media blitz.

Outcome: If that's what happens before the show gets canceled, imagine what the outcry would be like after? NBC did, and avoided the issue by granting Chuck a season-three renewal. And wouldn't you know it: the show's actually doing not too bad!

Rage Against the Machine vs Simon Cowell

In the U.K., nabbing the number-one single over the Christmas holiday is a cause for bragging rights, and it's a victory that normally goes to a bland, overproduced pop idol. Last year, it looked like X-Factor champion Joe McElderry would easily nab that laurel, until grassroots group Across the Atlantic came up with a scheme to install Rage Against the Machine's 1992 single "Killing in the Name" in that position instead.

Outcome: The group prevailed, and "Killing in the Name" outsold McElderry's single by 50,000 copies. Rage guitarist Tom Morello called the internet victory "a crushing defeat for bland pop music."

Spider-Man 4

We feel a little responsible for this one. When Movieline broke the news that Sam Raimi had two villains in mind for Spidey 4 -- the Vulture and the Vulturess -- the internet caterwauled, complaining that the Vulture was too lame and old to be a primary villain. Little did they know that Sony executives felt the same way, and used the reaction as leverage to convince director Sam Raimi that the Vulture should be junked.

Outcome: Raimi (who'd already met with the same studio resistance when he tried to put the Vulture in Spidey 3) left the production after the creative impasse, and Sony decided to reboot the series with a new director (Marc Webb) and a new cast.