SURVIVOR Around the World - 1 - Bulgaria

Welcome to a new series! This is inspired by this article I came across this morning, talking about how huge a hit the Israeli version of "Survivor" is in Israel. I started watching the opening segments of various international versions of the show and found it fascinating to see the similarities and differences between our culture and other cultures. Most of them were merely interesting until I got to this one, and this guy in particular.



It's Rasputin! He's on Survivor Bulgaria!


Here's the rest of the intro segment. I'll post a new one each day this week.

Zeroes - The Auditions

Turns out this was all part of an NBC promo guy's marketing plan. One that he came up with on his own. Check out this interview.




Anyway, great job. We close out the week with an audition video for Zeroes. It's not as funny as the other videos, but it allows you to have gotten the FULL Zeroes experience.

Zeroes - The Trailer

They put together a little trailer for the first four episodes of Zeroes. Some funny stuff still to be mined from this concept. Especially the guy that can do the stomach thing.

Zeroes - Episode 4

It's too bad this one just sort of ends. Except for an audition video (coming Saturday!) it doesn't appear they've produced any more videos in this series, which is a shame. I've laughed out loud consistently at these videos.

Good job!




Coming tomorrow, the Trailer for this show that has some additional Zeroes in it that haven't been featured in the show yet.

Zeroes - Episode 3

The guy with the art powers has become my favorite character. His drawings are brilliant and the way it parodies the real Heroes is fantastic.

Zeroes - Episode 2

I wish I could claim credit for these videos. They're everything a good viral video series should be. Short, concise, witty, and very well-made. I love the small touches.

Zeroes - Episode 1

Stumbled upon this a few days ago and was highly impressed. Nice production values, decent acting, funny ideas, all extremely well executed.



I laugh every time the black guy uses his power. Great stuff.

Join me here every day this week for a new episode, and an amusing trailer at the end of the week.

Are you a fan of Heroes (or a former fan, like myself)?

Long Lost Video - Kermit the Frog helps write "Yankee Doodle"

Wow. I thought I'd never see this video again. I remember watching it when I was a wee lad. It was hilarious when I saw it 30-odd years ago, and all these years later, it's still pretty good. It's fun watching old Sesame Street things and seeing the adult touches that Jim Henson and Frank Oz and the rest managed to slip in. Nothing bad, but just stuff that would go over the head of a kid.

What's most interesting is that the majority of this skit isn't at all like I remember. But the ending and final version of the song is almost word for word as it is in my memory. Weird. Anyway, here it is, Kermit the Frog, deconstructing "Yankee Doodle" and helping the songwriter rewrite it to make it make sense.

Terry Tate - Office Linebacker - Part 7 - "Greatest Hits"

Fortunately, someone went and did a compilation of all the great Tate hits.

Enjoy

Terry Tate - Office Linebacker - Part 6 - "Streaker"

Short and sweet.

Terry Tate - Office Linebacker - Part 5 - "Sensitivity Training"

They were starting to run out of steam a bit with this one, but it still brings the funny.

(warning: Mildly Not Safe For Work)

Terry Tate - Office Linebacker - Part 4 - "Office Athelete of the Century"

As always, it's the little details that put these videos over the top for me.

"Like many children, Terry was born."

Terry Tate - Office Linebacker - Part 3 - "Vacation"

This has some good moments in it. My favorite is the guy photocopying his butt on the copy machine. He's just enraptured.

Terry Tate - Office Linebacker - Part 2 - "Draft Day"

The first Terry Tate video was perfect.

"The restroom's a privilege, not a right, PUNK!"

And the re-enactment of the classic NFL "helicopter hit" was a brilliant touch.

Well done, gentlemen....

Terry Tate - Office Linebacker - Part 1 - "Terry's World"

Ah... Terry Tate... For me, this was the first true "Viral Video", in that it was easy to find, and easy to send to other people. And it was hilarious. And looking back on it now, I can even see some of the tone that would ultimately turn into "The Office" (disclaimer: I'm not sure which one came first).

The number of brilliant touches to this video can't be counted. But "You kill the joe, you make some mo'" became a fun catchphrase for a while.

Enjoy...

(warning: Mildly Not Safe For Work)

Seinfeld / Superman team-up. Part 7 - "Behind the Scenes"

I believe this is one of the videos on the official website, but here it is for your easy digestion. Fun stuff...

Jerry Seinfeld & Superman - AmEx Commercials - Behind The Sc
Uploaded by joecool85

Seinfeld / Superman team-up. Part 6 - "Saving Lois"

I'd never seen this commercial before. From the looks of it, they got a different animation house to do Superman. It lacks most of the Curt Swan/Superfriends charm of the other spots. But it still has Seinfeld and Patrick Warburton, so it still works.

Seinfeld / Superman team-up. Part 5 - "The Today Show Interview"

I'd never seen this until today when I was searching for all the commercials. Pretty good stuff, even if Matt Lauer plays it up just a bit too much. I'm curious to see if Patrick Warbuton was actually on the couch and they just animated over him, or if Matt and Jerry were acting to empty air.

Anyway, enjoy!

Seinfeld / Superman team-up. Part 4 - "Oh Yes, Wyoming!"

And somehow, after all of the brilliance of the videos, the website gave us this nugget of goodness-- The full version of "Oh Yes, Wyoming!"

Click on the image below, and once the flash animation of the screen setting up finishes, you'll see the Playbill cover below. Click on that, and you'll be rewarded with the catchiest show tune you ever did hear!

(update: 8-8-08 Flash page seems to not have sound.)

Here's a new link to the song.

Here are the lyrics if you'd like to sing along.


Oh Yes Wyoming!
With the tress and the horses and the rocks and the sheep

Oh Yes I’m Going!
Through the plains and the trails and the streams and the hills

Oh No Nebraska!
Is there a plainer state I ask ya

Oh Yes Wyoming!
There’s no place I’d rather be roaming

With the geysers and the canyons and the watering holes
With the geysers and the canyons and the watering holes

Oh Yes Wyoming!
With the mountains and the lakes and the plentiful fish

Oh Yes I’m knowing!
This land will fulfill my every wish

Oh No Dakota!
Doesn’t interest me one iota

Oh Yes Wyoming!
There’s no place I’d rather be roaming

[spoken]
Hey Zeke!
What is it Antelope Joe?
You know I love them girls back in Wyoming
I heard you like the geezers too
It’s geysers and anyway that’s just a rumour
I’m talking about my special girl Daisy
I call her ol’ faithful
I heard she ain’t that faithful
She sure is old though
Ha ha ha ha

Oh Yes Wyoming!
With the cabins and the camping and the bakin’ beans

Oh Yes I’m Glowing!
With the bison and the banjos and the wily raccoons

Oh No Ohio
I can hardly wait to say goodbye-oh

Oh Yes Wyoming!
There’s no place I’d rather be…
Ends with m-i-n-g…
Shout it out loud with me
W-Y-O-M-I-N-G

Oh Yes!



Join us next time for the final chapter of this retrospective, as we bring to you a little-seen Today Show interview with Matt Lauer, Jerry Seinfeld, and the Man of Steel himself.

Seinfeld / Superman team-up. Part 3 - "It's the Green Lantern!"

This one's a shorty, but it's still pretty good. It's a payoff to some content from the website.

On the flash website, there's some other phone messages you can listen to (click on the phone), but here's the fun followup teaser commercial.