"MAKE ME LOOK PRETTY!"

"MAKE ME LOOK PRETTY!"

Sally Struthers can dump flies in the eyes of every child in Africa, and Sarah McClachlan can sing 100 more sad songs directly into the swollen anal glands of abandoned puppies, but the fact is, nothing opens people’s wallets like kitschy references to 80s movies.  See? Hollywood movie execs are just like us.

The Detroit Robocop statue, which started as a joke tweet to the mayor, but soon became a real fund-raising effort, has already surpassed its $50,000 goal.  That’s enough to get it built on the cheap, but fundraising will still continue until the planned deadline of March 29th, with all future money going to MAKING IT LOOK EVEN MORE BADASS.  I love America.Deal-with-it-cat-sunglass-cat-cabbage

With 1,500 donations and hundreds pouring in every day at www.detroitneedsrobocop.com, the group plans to continue raising money until the March 29 deadline to make the statue of “as big and good as possible,” said Detroit artist Jerry Paffendorf, who is helping raise donations.

“This could be a multi-hundred-thousand-dollar KickStarter,” Paffendorf said, referring to the online service hub for ideas looking for funding. “It’s remarkable.”

Once the price tag is determined, a team of skilled sculptures, including a team that worked with Bjork’s husband, Matthew Barney [lolwut?], will build the sculpture from any number of materials. The group is working with the Mayor’s Office to consider public spots, such as areas near Comerica Park or a downtown park.

Supporters of the statue got a big boost Tuesday when San Francisco businessman, Pete Hottelet, donated $25,000.

“Despite everything, we live in a great country, and every day, there’s an opportunity out there to do something awesome,” Hottelet, owner of Omni Consumer Products [UPDATE: Whose company name is based on the corporation from Robocop*], told the Free Press. “You just have to find it.” [DetroitFreePress]

…Hottelet said while shoving a retarded beggar kid with his gold cane.  But what will they do with all the extra money they get between now and March 29th?  I hope they bring on Michael Bay as a consultant.  “Flames, definitely flames.”