‘The Artist’ Jean Dujardin sleeps on everyone and everything in new Internet meme

Every so often an Internet meme comes along that just defies explanation. Nobody quite knows where it came from, how it became so popular, or even what makes the meme so funny, but the in-joke just keeps snowballing anyway.

Such is the case with the new Tumblr blog Jean Dujardin Sleeping on People, a collection of doctored images featuring "The Artist" star Jean Dujardin resting his tired head on assorted people, places, and things. With online buzz like this, Dujardin is almost guaranteed the Best Actor Oscar! That's how the Internet works, right?

The original photo of Dujardin was from the recent Oscar luncheon in which Academy Award nominees assemble for a photo op and meet-and-greet. Dujardin was posing for a picture with fellow Best Actor nominee George Clooney when Dujardin pretended to fall asleep on the actor-director's shoulder. The rest, as they say, is Internet history. Here are some of the highlights:

The owners of the Tumblr are two friends from Brussels, Belgium. Jonathan and Roberto saw the Dujardin luncheon photo and immediately knew that it had great meme potential. The pair quickly got to work digitally altering the French actor into various situations and the meme took off from there.

It seems like the Internet may have dodged a bullet,though. If actor/meme Ryan Gosling had snagged a nomination for "The Ides of March" or "Drive," the web would now be embroiled in a meme battle of epic proportions. Uh-oh, too late!

You can see many, many more sleepy Dujardins at jeansleepingonpeople.tumblr.com.

Also on Yahoo! Canada Movies:
"The Artist's" Jean Dujardin gets his own "Funny or Die" video
Dujardin's SAG Award win makes the show lively, unpredictable
France's Jean Dujardin plays down Hollywood success

http://ca.movies.yahoo.com/news/streeps-thatcher-williams-monroe-among-acting-guild-awards-121603229.html