Friday's Top Five - YouTube Videos

It's a great day and age we live in when we can watch videos from people around the world and watch and laugh with absolute amazement. We can literally peek in on anyone's life at the click of a mouse button and they let us in gladly. It's either really awesome or really freaky. One of the two.

At any rate, I've been watching some videos on YouTube lately and decided to compile a list of my top five favorites. If you've seen these before, enjoy them again. If not... get ready to laugh.

5. Soundwave vs. Dollansky
Oh, those wacky Canadians! As a joke to fellow students at the University of Alberta, some girl dressed up like the Decepticon known as Soundwave (from "Transformers" - the toys/TV show, not the movie!) in order to oppose a young man named Steven Dollansky who was running for "VP External" (some comm. dept. ranking or somesuch). The debate itself is a nice mix of humorous and ludicrous. A comedy gem, to be sure!

4. History in the Making
My friend Lee is really funny. Here's proof.

3. Asian Baby Singing "Hey Jude"
Say what you will about the Beatles and the song "Hey Jude". This baby is hilarious and adorable. Simultaneously. My favorite part is the build-up to the 'chorus' at the end. Masterful!

2. Charlie Bit My Finger - Again!
British babies and finger biting. This video has been a classic for awhile now and I'm not sure that there's anyone alive who's NOT seen this video, but if you haven't, please check it out... because it is hysterical!

1. "Jesus Is My Friend"
I'm not sure when this video was recorded (sometime in the seventies or eighties, if I had to guess based on the hairstyles and apparel choices), but it definitely does not stand the test of time! This is hilarious and ridiculous and just too, too funny! Check it!

Honorable Mentions: Star Wars according to a 3-year-old, Benny Hinn: "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor", Leroy Jenkins (Parental Advisory), Buhlud, Chad Hates Aliens

What are some of your favorite YouTube movies?

'09 Oscar Party Menu

Ever since I saw a picture of someone making a submarine sandwich look like the Titanic for the 1998 Oscars, I've wanted to make a menu based around the "Best Picture" Oscar nominees. I knew I had a real winner in 2005 with my idea of doing Million Dollar Baby-back ribs and last year with either There Will Be Blood pudding or There Will Be Blood sausage. This year, though, I finally decided to not only plan the menu, but also make it. Even if it's just for me. Which it might be.

So far, I've come up with items for four of the five "Best Picture" nominees - basically, everything except The Reader (if you have an idea, please let me know - as long as it's not dessert. I've got two desserts... I think I need an hors d'oerves/side kind of idea).

OSCAR PARTY 2009 MENU

Millionaire "Slumdogs"
"Indian-style" hot dogs served on grilled flatbread with diced tomatoes, sauteed onions, fresh cilantro, and curry mayo

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Mushroom Caps
Large button mushroom caps stuffed with chorizo sausage, spinach, and Parmesan cheese

"Frost[ed]/Nixon" 'I'm Not a C[r]ookie' Cake
A chocolate chip cookie "sheet cake" topped with a chocolate ganache frosting

Harvey "Milk" Shakes
Regular milkshakes with a variety of additions (chocolate, berries, etc.)

Again, still looking for an idea for The Reader (hard to come up with a decent food idea for a movie dealing with illiteracy), so if you come up with something, please let me know!

"Lost" Episode #5.03 - 'Jughead'

A couple years ago, I started writing commentaries for my favorite shows - "Lost" and "Heroes". Despite the fact that they proved incredibly popular and increased the readership of my blog, I stopped them about a year ago (largely due to time constraints). At the behest of my friend Mandie, I've decided to resurrect them.

Basically, this is a play-by-play of my thoughts as I watch "Lost". What I'm thinking as I'm thinking it. If you want a frame of reference, you might head over to ABC.com and watch this episode as soon as it becomes available (2:00am on Thursday) and read along. Or you could just be happily confused. Either way.

I should probably warn you that there are spoilers below, so if you haven't seen this episode of "Lost" yet, and don't want to be surprised by anything, I recommend you click the above link and watch the episode first.

• Uh... 'effritzerlonga' to you too, Desmond...
• Is that Ghostbuster's dad?
• Penny's with child?! GO, DES!
• PUSH, PENNY! PUSH!!!
• Yay! Baby boy!
• What? Was that right when they got back? 'Cuz that kid looks older than two...
• Hah! 'Great Britain'?! PSYCHE!
• Chuckie-Dubs is 'connected,' Des. Y'dig?
• Replacing Claire with Charlotte was a good move. I think Charlotte is equally attractive but with a far less annoying accent.
• Ghostbuster go boom?
• Is that Ben's childhood friend? Whassername? Annie?
• ...or not...
• Proof that Jin' not dead: Daniel Dae Kim is still in the opening credits.
• She looks and sounds like a prettier, less obnoxious Claire.
• "Check out the big brain on Brad!"
• 'Others,' eh? I love how they've not come up with anything better than that to call them yet. They don't even seem to have an official name for themselves...
• Wait... for his... what?
• *NOTE* - The girl in the brown striped sweater leaning against the wall in the background as Desmond walks onto school grounds is my friend Molly Sutherland. She and I went to Olivet together. She lives in Hawaii and got a shot to be an extra on "Lost". Whenever she runs into one of the cast members when she's out and about, she'll text me to let me know. So far, I know that she's seen/met Sawyer, Desmond, Hurley, and Jack...
  
• Uh, can't you read, Desmond? There's DANGER inside! Fumes and whatnot!
• Ooh, who's the lady, Danny boy?
• Who's the janitor working for, I wonder? (Aside from the university...)
  
• Girl in the photo, I take it?
• Ellie?
• Way to botch your own plan, Danny boy...
• Aw! How sweet! Ain't love grand?
• They speak English. You know this. WHY does she INSIST on speaking to them in Latin?
• ...Locke's kind of a pansy...
• Hurm... what's going on here?
• Experimenting with Theresa, then?
• Faraday's working for Chuckie-Dubs? Deeper down the rabbit-hole we go...
• AWW! He meant it!
  
• HA! Whatta maroon!
• Is Richard the living embodiment of the island or something? I'm beginning to wonder...
• Is that chemistry I see between Juliet and Sawyer?
• Yowza! Precarious, no?
• What, they're naming bombs after Archie characters now?
• Is she the old woman talking to Ben at the end of the last episode? It would make sense in a weird way. She's probably Daniel's mom, too...
• All roads lead to L.A. Anyone surprised? No? Didn't think so...
• He's thinking Ben's gonna make good on his promise to kill his daughter, methinks.
• "Charles"... Widmore, perhaps? Interesting...
• So, if he's Widmore, then that girl very well could be the old lady Desmond meets in the past (end of 5.02) and Daniel's mom...
• Do you smell that? It smells like Desmond's pants... ON FIRE!!!
• Aw! He named his son Charlie!
• Does she know him or does she know him?
• That explains why Richard was at the birth of John Locke...
• So, is this... past? Future? What?
• Okay... that ending was decidedly lame.

Closing Thoughts: Okay, after giving it some thought, I think that young girl "Ellie" from the island is both the old woman at the end of Episode 5.02 ("The Lie") and Faraday's mom. Let's look at the facts:

1. According to Lostpedia.org, the older woman's name is Ms. Eloise Hawking. What's a shortened form of Eloise? "Ellie".
2. Daniel Faraday's lab mouse while at Oxford? "Eloise"... after his mother, perhaps?
3. When Ellie is marching Faraday off to defuse 'Jughead,' Faraday makes the comment that she reminds him of someone he knows from a long time ago. When she comments that he's "quite the Romeo," he responds with "not quite." Why? Because she's his mother.

Game, set, match - I win!

Melodic Monday - Barenaked Ladies

Remember 1998? I do. "Seinfeld" was wrapping up, Smoke and Mirrors - a collection of short fiction by Neil Gaiman - was on the shelves, and, thanks to a little ditty called "One Week," America was being introduced for the first time to a little ensemble from north of the border (the Canadian border, that is) called the Barenaked Ladies. The irony, of course, being that all of the band members are clothed and none of them are female. Their music, however, is great.

Most people know a bit about the Barenaked Ladies. Just about everyone has heard "One Week". Many know "Pinch Me". Some might even be able to recognize tunes like "It's All Been Done" or "The Old Apartment". For my money, few bands of the last decade are as all-around fun as the Barenaked Ladies.

From early successes like the classic "Brian Wilson" (named for the lead singer of the Beach Boys, natch) and "Be My Yoko Ono" to stints on television (like donating the themes to TV shows like "Baby Blues" and "The Big Bang Theory"), the Ladies are prolific. As their style continues to evolve, their sound remains as crisp and cool as ever.

The dual vocals of frontmen Steven Page and Ed Robertson are continued evidence that the two have worked together for awhile, honing their craft opposite one another. The sheer talent and versatility of member Kevin Hearn is also both astounding and unparalleled (at least as far as Canadian bands I know of). From top to bottom, BNL is a treat for the ears.

A couple of years ago, the band came out with a new album entitled The Barenaked Ladies Are Me, showcasing a mellower BNL, but with all the wit and intelligence that one comes to expect from the group. Below is one of my favorite tracks from that album, called "Bank Job," telling the story of a group of cons robbing a bank. The story surrounding the song is well worth the listen.