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Category: 08-August

August 29: Carol Burnett Show – Star Trek Parody

This is from the short lived 1991 comeback after the original series ended, and if you missed it then, you’ve got good reason to be surprised that you didn’t see it. The clip circulated around Facebook for a bit, which is how I found it.

If you haven’t seen this yet, time to swallow the drink, sit back, and enjoy scenery-chewing where no scenery-chewing has gone before. Or since.

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August 28: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ~ I Have a Dream

We interrupt the highlights of comedy to bring you something deadly serious.

1963 was important to me (aside from being my birth year) because the year represented a major turning point in our path to modern history. The March on Washington was of such significant historical importance that no matter which version you meant, Wikipedia redirects you to here;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_on_Washington_for_Jobs_and_Freedom

I  believe it’s true. All the other marches on Washington pale in comparison to this massive, human show of support for a movement that was over 200 years in the making. Dr. King’s speech that summer day marked a milestone on the path to freedom and equality for everyone in this country.

Whenever you look up the term Equal Opportunity, you will find the concept inextricably linked with the speech Dr. King gave at 3pm in front of the Lincoln Memorial that day. There were other speakers, there was music, and there were hundreds of thousands of people, but none of the activities struck more of a chord than what Dr. King had to say that day.

We have come very far since then, but we have a long, long way to go before we truly can say that everyone is equal in this country and that all are treated fairly and with respect.

This version, with far fewer hits (and likely fewer problems with viewing), has Close Captioning for the hearing impaired.

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August 26: “Charo” on the Carol Burnett Show and Charo on the Jerry Lewis Telethon

I wish this was the original skit. Unfortunately it’s gone, though not with the wind. Ahem.

In its place, here’s a clip of Carol Burnett AS Charo.

Followed by Charo herself, doing the other thing for which she is famous.

I remember seeing the original when it first aired (Sep 22, 1973 on CBS). Tim Conway and Lyle Waggoner costar with Carol in that skit. If it ever returns, I’ll fix the link.

If you haven’t seen these, or it’s been a while, swallow the drink.

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August 25: Carol Burnett Show ~ Norma Desmond: The Eulogy

Well, dang.

Carol Burnett has an official YouTube channel, and a lot of the older clips I highlighted are gone. “Simba” is one of them. First airing November 23, 1974, in the eighth season, this spoof of the movie Born Free is representative of the lengths Tim Conway had to go (not far, really) to crack up his co-stars.

You’ll have to live with Norma Desmond instead. I think you’ll survive, if you don’t crack a rib laughing.

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August 24: Carol Burnett and Roddy McDowall

From 1967 to 1978, Carol Burnett and her gifted co-conspirators wove together some of the funniest, most iconic moments in the golden age of television. 

Originally aired Monday, March 16, 1974 on CBS, in Season 7, this is a perfect segue between last week’s sort of random surprise comedy and music, with Carol and her amazing show.

The clip below is from the beginning of the show. Stick all the way through (not just because it’s funny but because you will see what Roddy had to go through to do this performance). Hilarious AND educational!

In March, I got the chance to watch PBS’ American Masters highlighting Carol’s career. The show, CAROL BURNETT – A Woman of Character ~ PBS – American Masters, aired after their feature about Mel Brooks, which I missed by that much. I’d seen it once, but couldn’t turn it off.

Carol was in my house every week, first during the original run and later in reruns. I adored watching the show. Today’s television is such a wasteland, it’s a shame there isn’t more of this. I wonder how much better our world would be with a lot more humor and a lot less “reality.”

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August 23: Sonny & Cher ~ “Silly Love Songs” + Shields & Yarnell skit

According to comments, this clip is from the start of the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour’s second season. The episode originally aired September 26, 1976. The opening song is dripping with post-divorce irony.

But it’s not the former singing duo’s relationship that caught my attention. I’m rolling up to classic comedy again, with a whole week devoted to Carol Burnett and her crazy crew of regulars, and this seems to be a decent transition piece (not because it’s Carol Burnett, but because there were other variety shows on air and this was one of the ones I watched.)

If you want to skip the song, jump to 2:16 on the video.

I may have mentioned that I spent a lot of time watching TV when I was a kid. Shields and Yarnell were an off-beat mime team. Their characters, The Clinkers, became something like regulars on the show (for certain levels of “regular”), and I loved to watch them. This episode predates their own variety show, which aired in 1977.

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August 22: Doctor Who: 45 Years and Beyond Widescreen

Moving on from video games to…Dr. Who? Well, yes. Because that’s how I roll.

This isn’t viral (probably won’t ever be – doesn’t have the snap of a real viral video – but it’s fun to watch.

They make some fascinating connections between each Doctor. Back in the late ’80s, I took part in a fan-shot Dr. Who commercial for our local PBS station. Fan video has been around since forever, I think.

The music is styled like the official music because the BBC has fits if you use the real thing.

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August 21: T-Mobile Angry Birds Live

Yes, yes, yes.

It’s a commercial. For a game about which I am completely ambivalent. And you know what? It doesn’t matter.

Why?

Because…Angry Birds LIVE!

I’m not the only one who feels this way. Almost 18 million people agree with me.

So how’d they do that?

And now you know.

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August 20: OSUMB Video Game Half Time Show PLUS Script Ohio TBDBITL Ohio State vs. Nebraska 10 6 2012

Clearly there aren’t enough people who’ve seen this video, so I’m sharing. This isn’t the only show they’ve got on YouTube, either. It’s really, REALLY awesome. Listen to the crowd and see how many video games you recognize.

Thanks to my buddy Craig for posting this in the first place on Facebook. I’d never have known, otherwise.

Just in time for the new school year…

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August 18: Daniel Radcliffe sings Tom Lehrer’s “The Elements”

Viral video, I’m coming to realize, has to have appeal beyond a very narrow audience, or has to be shared by people with a lot of friends. This one’s up over four million hits, because Harry Potter sings!

(No, I know. Daniel Radcliffe is a terrific actor who will rise above his first roles and make a name for himself beyond the franchise.) He does a respectable job with this, too.

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August 16: Nick Pitera ~ Medley: One Man Les Miserables

Two more entries for Les Miz, because I can.

Today’s was pointed out to me by a friend who’s found things to share because of this project. If you want me to keep going at the end of the year, feel free to point out your nifty stuff, and I’ll roll through December.

Meanwhile, enjoy this one-man take on a HUGE modern musical.

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August 14: 9pft

This should be viral, but isn’t (yet). I think that’s because each of the 600 people told their nine people, but the nine didn’t pass it on.

From the video’s description:

“600 words, 600 friends and 1 music video for “Nine People’s Favorite Thing” from the original Broadway musical [title of show].”

[title of show] is on my short list to produce someday. I’ll get there, I hope.

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