I’m unabashed in my adoration of Auto-Tune the News, as I think this is the most innovative and entertaining way to use something that was developed to help untalented people. And unlike most creative endeavors, these videos keep getting better and better. This one’s got a little more of a gospel feel to it, with Hugo Chavez playing air guitar and Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) laying down a sick verse on health care.
Frankly, I don’t want ANY news unless it’s auto-tuned like this. It takes all that gloom-and-doom stuff about war and health care reform and turns it into a lively, upbeat song. Maybe the next episode will totally cheer us up about Bubble Boy.
[Buzzfeed]
So, this is kind of harmless and fun, the sort of thing that makes the Internet a place a joyous place to make fun of things: AskMen.com has ranked the top 49 most influential men of 2009, and Don Draper from “Mad Men” is #1. Number two is the world record-setting sprinter Usain Bolt. Number three is someone named Barack Obama.
The men of the Top 49 span multiple industries and countries; through their achievements, both personal and professional, they have inspired everyday guys in a variety of ways. They’re the men we look to as role models, and history will remember them as those who best embodied the way men aspired to live in 2009.
Yes, when history examines the masculine ideal of 2009, number one on the list will be a philandering fictional character two generations in the past. Number two is a dude who runs fast. Number three is the first black president of the United States. And yet… really, not such a bad list. I’m a lot more jealous of Don Draper than I am of Obama.
(full list begins here)
Here are the highlights from Barack Obama’s appearance on “The Late Show” last night. I much prefer this condensed version to the full interview, as I’m a busy man with lots of cat videos to watch. The president discusses his daughters’ summer, his busy schedule, and Jimmy Carter’s allegations that the vitriol at town hall discussions on health care was rooted in racism. Pretty entertaining stuff, and delightfully devoid of Paul Shaffer, who I’ve still yet to gut with a Ka-Bar fighting knife, although it’s on my to-do list. You hear me, Shaffer? You’re a dead man. I’m gonna make a necklace out of your fingers.
I’m kidding, of course. In the event of Paul Shaffer’s grisly death, this blog post should be considered facetious. And I’ll have you know this finger necklace was a gift.
If you happen to watch Conan O’Brien tonight, watch for telltale signs of depression. This is what qualifies as a bad day:
Leno debuted huge: Jay Leno’s new prime time comedy/talk show copped 18 million viewers… That’s NBC’s best performance in the Monday 10 p.m. timeslot since the Summer Olympics in August of 2008… 18 million people is about 6 million more than watched Leno’s glutinous final broadcast as host of “The Tonight Show” in May, and about twice as many people as caught Conan O’Brien’s debut as host of “The Tonight Show” in June.
Conan’s younger audience has flamed out: In his 14th week as host of “The Tonight Show” — the most recent for which final stats are available — Conan clocked just 1,000 more 18-to-34-year-olds than Leno had one year earlier…Just 13 weeks earlier, Conan had attracted nearly a million more 18-to-34-year-olds than Leno had snared the comparable week one year earlier.
Obama’s going on Letterman: President Barack Obama will make the first appearance ever by a sitting U.S. President on CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman on next Monday’s show. He will be the sole guest on the broadcast. President Obama has already appeared on The Tonight Show since being inaugurated in January, making a visit to the program, then hosted by Jay Leno, on March 19.
Jesus, that’s brutal. You have to figure that Obama’s going on Letterman in part to not play favorites with NBC, which makes me think: what if the president had gone on Letterman in March instead of Leno? Then Conan would have him this time, and he’d have a chance to win in the ratings for once. That Obama show will be huge, I promise you. People are gonna tune in just to yell at their TV sets.
God bless the Internet. Within hours of Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the VMAs, someone had already mashed it up with video of Rep. Joe Wilson’s “You lie!” outburst during President Obama’s address on health care reform. In case you can’t watch the clip:
Obama: The reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.
Kanye: I’d let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of ALL TIME!
[booing, disorder]
Obama: That’s not true.
Simple, brilliant, and perfectly cut. Bravo, Internet. This almost makes up for the headache of having to address the existence of the VMAs. My only question is… WHOSE RESPONSIBLE THIS?
All the hype around the “Mad Men” season premiere has taken away from my primary TV love: “The Wire.” So let’s get back on track with this anecdote about Barack Obama delivering a shout-out to Bubbles (the smack-addict snitch with a heart of gold) on his inauguration day:
[Filmmaker Anthony Hemingway] was in Washington, D.C., for Inauguration Day. And he was sitting with actor Andre Royo (“Bubbles”) and Royo’s family, about six rows back, as Barack and Michelle Obama made their way along a rope line, shaking hands.
Knowing that Obama was an avowed “Wire” fan, Hemingway urged Royo to stand up and draw Obama’s attention. Royo was reluctant, but eventually he did stand up… just when Obama was directly down front.
As Hemingway tells it, Andre Royo’s rising brought Barack Obama’s eyes up. Then Obama pointed at him and said: “You’re my dude from ‘The Wire.’ ”
“It made Andre’s life,” Hemingway told us with a laugh. Royo’s daughter was like, “Daddy, the president knows who you are!”
Granted, Obama will never be totally forgiven for liking “Entourage,” but dammit if that isn’t a cool story. I don’t think I’d be able to recognize Bubbles without his nappy hair and scabby face; the fact that Obama picked Royo out of a crowd on a day when hundreds of thousands of people were in town to see the new president is pretty impressive. It’s like the President of the United States is a good people person or something.
UPDATE: Correction! This actually happened in Prague in April.
