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November 03rd Tuesday Top 10 Viral Comedy hero images 2009
Viral videos have become modern cultural landmarks -- memories, for better or for worse, that we will forever associate with specific times in our lives. And what better way to gauge a year than with the moments that made us laugh the most?
We've tracked down the top 10 viral comedy videos of 2008, as gauged exclusively by number of worldwide views -- including both official versions and pirated copies of the videos that may be floating around the Net. The viewing data were collected throughout the year by online video analytics firm TubeMogul and compiled specially for this presentation.
10. Sexy! Flashy! Wonky! Super Obama Girl!
She makes male hearts beat faster than a speeding bullet and racks up video views with the power of a locomotive. Tilting the scales at 7.3 million views is Amber Lee Ettinger, better known as Obama Girl, with her clip, "Sexy! Flashy! Wonky! Super Obama Girl!"
The video, showing Obama Girl flying through various adventures in a tiny top and bikini bottom, didn't take long to become a phenomenon in 2008. Ettinger had already gained public attention with her "I Got a Crush ... on Obama" debut in '07. Partnering once again with humor site Barely Political, the scantily clad Obama Girl turned her further adventures into an action-hero parable that made the race for the White House instantly more interesting.
9. 'Star Wars' According to a 3-Year-Old
Childhood innocence can be oh-so-charming -- charming enough to grab 9.5 million video views and the No. 9 spot on our list. As its title suggests, this video consists of a little girl explaining the plot of the original "Star Wars" movie, as she understands it.
The video drew more than 17,500 comments on YouTube alone. The parents of the unwitting star insist that they never coached or prompted, and that the video is simply the product of an organic toddler-style conversation. The parents also posted a blanket statement declining all business offers and agent representation, giving the ninth-most-watched clip of the year an even stronger aura of authenticity.
8. Miley Cyrus '7 Things' Spoof
Hannah Montana may be topping the teen music charts, but in the world of viral comedy video, a spoof of her shtick stole the show. Coming in at No. 8 is the parody of Miley Cyrus' song "7 Things," performed by solo parody artist VenetianPrincess.
The revisionist lyricist takes Cyrus' song recounting all the things she hates about her ex-boyfriend and twists it into a tune that enumerates all the things girls do that "straight guys don't realize." At least in VenetianPrincess' case, those things include creating an Internet sensation that snagged more than 11 million views.
7. How to Be a Nerd
In a year filled with countless antics of the Seth Rogen/Michael Cera school, it's hardly surprising that a homemade instructional video on "how to be a nerd" became a smash hit. Accumulating close to 12 million views, the clumsily edited clip shows two young boys who demonstrate all sorts of nerd-friendly moves.
Suffice it to say, Dwight Schrute would be proud. Actually, he'd probably scoff and launch into a detailed explanation of why "nerd" is not an appropriately descriptive term. But you get the point.
6. Smosh: Beef 'n Go
A phony commercial for a liquidized beef product was just what the world craved in 2008. The No. 6 spot on the year's popularity chart goes to "Beef 'n Go," the tasty ad created by video humor site Smosh. The commercial spoof was received so enthusiastically that it spun off its own follow-up video featuring a full Beef 'n Go theme song.
5. Fred Loses His Meds
Whether or not you can comprehend the reason for his popularity (for what it's worth, I can't), the squeaky-voiced character "Fred" is one of 2008's biggest breakout Internet stars. In "Fred Loses His Meds" -- which attracted nearly 12.2 million views -- the little guy forgets to take his medication and goes a bit haywire. (He's evidently supposed to be 6 years old.)
4. Fred Goes Swimming
Fred's back at No. 4 with his neighborhood swimming video. Somehow, the clip managed to draw about 12.5 million viewers desperate for anything that sounded vaguely like the kids in "South Park" or the rodents in "Alvin and the Chipmunks." Am I the only one who doesn't get it?
Click below if you are so inclined. I, for one, would rather watch an amped-up miniature gerbil work out on a rusty exercise wheel for three minutes.
3. Kibe Loco: Dança do Quadrado
It may not be in English, but this workout video spoof from Brazilian humor site Kibe Loco spoke to audiences worldwide. The third most viewed comedy video of 2008, "Dança do Quadrado," attracted an impressive 12.6 million views.
What's the appeal here? Evidently in the world of YouTube the opportunity to watch people with unusual physiques -- ultrasmall stature, for example, or incredibly thin legs -- is simply irresistible. The best thing about it is that there's no Fred. My verdict: I'll be darned if the exercising miniature gerbil doesn't win again.
2. Frozen Grand Central
A grand stunt at Grand Central Station captures the second-highest spot on our list. Public performance group Improv Everywhere persuaded 200 people to walk into the New York hot spot and freeze in place, thoroughly confusing all of the regular passers-by.
This bold bit of nonperformance art garnered a round of applause and an international vote of approval, with more than 14.5 million view
1. Pojemna Paszcza
A guy with a seriously gigantic mouth won the world over, collecting more than 16.7 million views and the distinction of being 2008's hottest viral comedy video. "Pojemna Paszcza" simply shows the man opening his massive piehole, stuffing some sort of sandwich into it, then flapping his lips around in a startling and truly disturbing display.
So a big mouth ends another big year for viral comedy videos. If you're feeling nostalgic for "Numa Numa," "Chocolate Rain" and the other Internet superstars of years past, fear not. We recently caught up with some of the Net's best-known sensations to see what they've been up to since
October 02nd Friday Hedgehog joke wins comedy prize
Comedian Dan Antopolski has won a prize for the funniest joke of this year's Edinburgh Fringe.
The funnyman, who has previously been nominated for the Perrier award, picked up the trophy from TV channel Dave.
Nine comedy critics sat through thousands of jokes before choosing 27 for viewers to vote on.
The winning joke was a one-liner from 36-year-old Antopolski's show Silent But Deadly - "Hedgehogs. Why can't they just share the hedge?"
The Londoner proved popular with critics and viewers and another of his jokes made the top 10 list.
The Top 10 jokes were judged to be:
• 1) Dan Antopolski - "Hedgehogs - why can't they just share the hedge?"
• 2) Paddy Lennox - "I was watching the London Marathon and saw one runner dressed as a chicken and another runner dressed as an egg. I thought: 'This could be interesting'."
• 3) Sarah Millican - "I had my boobs measured and bought a new bra. Now I call them Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes because they're up where they belong."
• 4) Zoe Lyons - "I went on a girls' night out recently. The invitation said 'dress to kill'. I went as Rose West."
• 5) Jack Whitehall - "I'm sure wherever my dad is; he's looking down on us. He's not dead, just very condescending."
• 6) Adam Hills - "Going to Starbucks for coffee is like going to prison for sex. You know you're going to get it, but it's going to be rough."
• 7) Marcus Brigstocke - "To the people who've got iPhones: you just bought one, you didn't invent it!"
• 8) Rhod Gilbert - "A spa hotel? It's like a normal hotel, only in reception there's a picture of a pebble."
• 9) Dan Antopolski - "I've been reading the news about there being a civil war in Madagascar. Well, I've seen it six times and there isn't."
• 10) Simon Brodkin (as Lee Nelson) - "I started so many fights at my school - I had that attention-deficit disorder. So I didn't finish a lot of them."
The judges sat through an average of 60 comedy performances each before creating a shortlist of 27 jokes.
More than 3,000 comedy fans voted, with almost 18% choosing Antopolski's one-liner.
Antopolski said: "I'm delighted to get the prize. Although I have won things before at the Fringe, this definitely means the most to me and that it should unite my loves of hedgehogs, comedy and Dave makes this prize very special."
The judges also listed some of the worst jokes at this year's Fringe.
• Carey Marx - "I'm not doing any Michael Jackson jokes, because they always involve puns about his songs. And that's bad."
• Frank Woodley - "I phoned the swine flu hotline and all I got was crackling."
• Alex Maple - "Michael Jackson only invented the moonwalk so he could sneak up on children."
• Phil Nichol - "She's got a face like a rare Chinese vase - minging."
• Alistair McGowan - "I've just split up from my girlfriend, which is a shame, because it was a long-standing arrangement. Perhaps if we'd sat down a bit more..."
When news presenters come unstuck: Top 10 comedy newsroom bloopers
1. This news presenter makes a terrible error when previewing an up-coming news feature.
2. Instead of saying ‘cop’ Fox News anchor Jane Skinner says ‘co*k’. Twice.
3. The mug shot in this news clip surely can’t be correct? Can it?
4. It’s refreshing to see that serious news presenters aren’t so childish as to laugh when presenting a feature on vasectomy. Eh? Oh.
5. The injury suffered by the presenter in this clip doesn’t actually look that painful, but you wouldn’t know it from her blood-curdling screams.
6. Rule number one when working in a newsroom, make sure you know when the camera is live. This Aussie presenter clearly didn’t know she was on air when she started slating her hubby.
7. Maybe this anchor is suffering from the disorder he’s trying, and failing, to read a story about?
8. It’s not always best to reveal on live national TV what your kinky sexual preferences are.
9. This BBC newsreader really ought to get to grips with punctuation, pauses, breathing, that type of thing.
10. If you’re presenting the news as part of a double act, it’s a good idea to remember the name of your co-host.
