2008 Woodie Awards
Five popular videos
James Bright
Issue date: 4/14/08 Section: On the Scene
Over the past year we have reviewed several movies, video games, CDs and concerts. However, for the last issue of the Et Cetera this semester we decided to do things a little differently and take a look at the five most popular videos on YouTube from Sunday, April 13.
Send me your Stereotypes - Queen Rania
Although this video carries a good message I don't really see why it was topping the charts on April 13. This short is a one-minute-and-thirty-second interview where Rania asks YouTubers to send in their questions regarding stereotypes of the Arab nation. I found the idea behind this video admirable, but as far as entertainment quality there isn't much to enjoy. It would be nice to see people react to the video and send in their questions though.
Blood, Sperm bank - Mammamia 1500
This is by far the worst video in the top five. It is a thirty second clip where a beautiful blonde tells a horrible joke about the difference between a blood bank and a sperm bank. The video is not inspiring, not entertaining and completely unneeded. Videos like this will turn potential viewers away from the site in hopes of finding comedy with a little more substance. The best part of this film is it only lasts 30 seconds.
Christian War on India and Africa - Hell Airways
At a running time of 10 minutes, this mini-documentary about the downsides of Christianity can seem both tedious and slightly fabricated. However, the video does provide some compelling stories from residents of India and Africa about Christian missionaries convincing them to drop Hinduism in favor of Christianity. I wouldn't recommend watching this video if you're hoping for some insightful new look at one of the world's most popular religions, but if you want to see people twisting the ideas of this religion then this video is perfect.
Obama responds to McCain and Clinton - BarackObamadotcom
A new video from presidential hopeful Barack Obama where he speaks on home foreclosures and how he is not out-of-touch with American voters. As is typical with Obama, his presence in the film exudes confidence and brings the crowd in the movie to multiple applauses and one standing ovation. It is a perfect example of why Obama's campaign has worked so far. As for film style, it seems to have been done by an amateur. The camera is shaky and at times, when the focus should be on Obama, the camera pans around the room gathering audience reactions. Even with these issues, the video is still worth watching just to grab another piece of Obama's comforting confidence.
Crybaby - Smosh
One of the few blatant attempts at comedy in the top five, this video has the occasional funny moment, but the majority of the jokes are cliché and just annoying. The video chronicles a high school student who has to take care of a baby doll for a class. When the baby won't stop crying, the kid makes up a back-story and becomes more or less obsessed with the doll. The rest of the video is a romp of poor jokes where the CPS chases the student. This video could have held promise if the authors had made an attempt to come up with some fresh jokes. But, after seeing the baby doll fall to the ground for the fourth time most viewers will be bogged down by the repetition and probably stop watching.
The top five videos on YouTube for April 13 are a varied bunch and, although I didn't care for most of them, it certainly has piqued my interest to see what is to come
Contact James at jbright@netmail.dcccd.edu
Send me your Stereotypes - Queen Rania
Although this video carries a good message I don't really see why it was topping the charts on April 13. This short is a one-minute-and-thirty-second interview where Rania asks YouTubers to send in their questions regarding stereotypes of the Arab nation. I found the idea behind this video admirable, but as far as entertainment quality there isn't much to enjoy. It would be nice to see people react to the video and send in their questions though.
Blood, Sperm bank - Mammamia 1500
This is by far the worst video in the top five. It is a thirty second clip where a beautiful blonde tells a horrible joke about the difference between a blood bank and a sperm bank. The video is not inspiring, not entertaining and completely unneeded. Videos like this will turn potential viewers away from the site in hopes of finding comedy with a little more substance. The best part of this film is it only lasts 30 seconds.
Christian War on India and Africa - Hell Airways
At a running time of 10 minutes, this mini-documentary about the downsides of Christianity can seem both tedious and slightly fabricated. However, the video does provide some compelling stories from residents of India and Africa about Christian missionaries convincing them to drop Hinduism in favor of Christianity. I wouldn't recommend watching this video if you're hoping for some insightful new look at one of the world's most popular religions, but if you want to see people twisting the ideas of this religion then this video is perfect.
Obama responds to McCain and Clinton - BarackObamadotcom
A new video from presidential hopeful Barack Obama where he speaks on home foreclosures and how he is not out-of-touch with American voters. As is typical with Obama, his presence in the film exudes confidence and brings the crowd in the movie to multiple applauses and one standing ovation. It is a perfect example of why Obama's campaign has worked so far. As for film style, it seems to have been done by an amateur. The camera is shaky and at times, when the focus should be on Obama, the camera pans around the room gathering audience reactions. Even with these issues, the video is still worth watching just to grab another piece of Obama's comforting confidence.
Crybaby - Smosh
One of the few blatant attempts at comedy in the top five, this video has the occasional funny moment, but the majority of the jokes are cliché and just annoying. The video chronicles a high school student who has to take care of a baby doll for a class. When the baby won't stop crying, the kid makes up a back-story and becomes more or less obsessed with the doll. The rest of the video is a romp of poor jokes where the CPS chases the student. This video could have held promise if the authors had made an attempt to come up with some fresh jokes. But, after seeing the baby doll fall to the ground for the fourth time most viewers will be bogged down by the repetition and probably stop watching.
The top five videos on YouTube for April 13 are a varied bunch and, although I didn't care for most of them, it certainly has piqued my interest to see what is to come
Contact James at jbright@netmail.dcccd.edu
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