The “viral video of the week” features everyone’s childhood friend, Fred Rogers. Symphony of Science’s mash up artist John Boswell put together a remix from Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood to create a far-out song featuring the refrain, “Did you ever grow anything in the garden of your mind.” The video is an official production of PBS Digital Studios.
Even if you already thought Mr. Rogers had a psychedelic side, check out the video below.
The YouTube website promises that this video is the first of PBS icon remixes that will be released.
What PBS icon would you like to see remixed? Leave your two cents in the comments.
One of the highlights of NBC’s America’s Got Talent show this season so far was this week’s appearance by Andrew De Leon in the Austin, Texas auditions. As De Leon explains below, he has been treated as a bit of an outcast for his Goth looks and had never before sang in front of anyone. When he first opens his mouth to sing, the sound is so unexpected that you do not know whether it is going to be terrible or not. But then you realize that the guy can sing. Check out the video below (after a short commercial).
If you are wondering what he is singing, it is “O mio babbino caro” (“Oh My Beloved Father”) a soprano aria from the opera Gianni Schicchi (1918) by Giacomo Puccini. You may read a short description of the context of the aria on NPR’s website, which also has an audio performance by opera singer Amada Squitieri.
As for De Leon’s performance, it is always a nice surprise when someone does something unexpected. As you can see in the video, judges Howie Mandel, Howard Stern and Sharon Osbourne all voted for De Leon to stay in the competition, so we will be seeing him again.
June 27, 2012 Update: After De Leon stumbled a bit from nerves in Las Vegas, the judges voted to eliminate him from the competition. I think the judges blew it. What do you think?
August 22, 2012 Update: He’s back! Howie Mandel brought De Leon back for the Wild Card show, where the judges brought back contestants for a second chance. De Leon delivered, and America voted for him to continue in the competition.
What did you think of Andrew De Leon’s performance? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Millions of people have seen this funny video of Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” with comedian David Armand (who sometimes goes by the alter ego Johann Lippowitz) acting out the words. But in case you are like me and had not seen it, check it out.
Imbruglia started out as an actress in her native Australia and then went on to score a huge hit in 1997 with the song, “Torn,” which was actually a cover of a song by Ednaswap, an alternative rock band from Los Angeles that also recorded an excellent version of the song.
Inbruglia’s single was huge around the world even though it originally was released only as a single and was not on an album. The song was eventually included on Imbruglia’s debut album, Left of the Middle, and climbed up the charts in the US and UK.
More than a decade later, Armand helped make “Torn” popular again with his comedic mime routine to the song. Then, in the above video, Imbruglia was a good sport and sang the song live with his routine, all for a good cause, at Amnesty International’s The Secret Policeman’s Ball (2006).
Make sure you watch toward the end when Imbuglia joins in the fun. Armand has done similar mime routines for other songs. Although Imbruglia has yet to match her success with “Torn,” she continues to record and is reportedly working on her fifth album. What do you think of the mime version of “Torn”? Leave a comment.
Last night, Pres. Barack Obama joined Jimmy Fallon to slow jam the news on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. In the periodic segment on the show, someone reads the news while Fallon and his band The Roots riff on the straight news. So for our funny video of the week, check out Pres. Obama, Jimmy Fallon, and The Roots slow jammin’ the news.
For the most part Pres. Obama played it straight delivering campaign lines addressed to the college crowd at the show’s taping at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Still, “the Preezy of the United Steezy” was a good sport for participating in the funny segment. “Oh yeah.”
What did you think of the President going on the late night talk show? Leave your two cents in the comments.
As the summer movie blockbuster season approaches, it is a good time to look at the trailer for the movie that incorporates the biggest actors and the biggest scenes. The Movie: The Movietrailer debuted on Jimmy Kimmel Live and features stars such as Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron, Martin Scorsese, George Clooney, Gabourey Sidibe (“Once you go black Hitler you never go back Hitler”), Chewbacca, and many more too numerous to mention.
If you want more, there is also The Making of “Movie: The Movie.”
