Over the course of today, I've seen three heartwarming and inspirational videos. Grab some tissues and give them a viewing. (Warning: watching all three in a row may have an adverse effect due to over-elation.) The first was this - the rescue of a baby elephant from a watering hole in Kenya by people with Amboseli Trust for Elephants. Hard to watch at first, the end really pays off.
Not a big fan of Katy Perry but have to admire her doing this and how much it obviously meant to her. And Jodi DiPiazza is just... amazing.
And finally... all I'll say is watch this ENTIRE video. And think about the argument.
I've been taking improv classes with Automatic Improv, a talented group of performers that work out of Relapse Theater in Atlanta. (My Level 3 class graduation show is tonight.) And I wanted to share these videos with everyone, not just my fellow students, for two reasons.
First, improv has been a lot of fun while learning to better myself. It teaches you to think on your feet, listen better and improve your public speaking skills. I've also met some incredible people through this last eight months. And any time you get the chance to surround yourself with interesting, hilarious, creative people in this life, you should do it.
Second, this video shows you the basics. In it, improviser/actor/writer/director J.D. Walsh works with high school kids learning improv techniques. It's a good introduction - or reminder for those of us studying - to the ideas behind the art form. The concepts are what you rely on as an improviser and they are, inevitably, ones will tend to forget occasionally.
No need to watch all 38 minutes of videos if you don't want - Walsh covers all of the basics in the first ten minutes. But it is interesting to see how he works with and develops these kids as new players.
BTW: I looked up J.D. Walsh because he created a great series on Hulu called Battleground. I can suggest watching it, especially if you like TV series like The West Wing or The Good Wife.
I've always been fascinated by scientific principles and how they show the interconnectedness of life and matter. Here's some of my favorites.
Theoretical physicist Brian Cox now does a lot of TV work, trying to garner interest in the sciences and expanding people's understanding of how things work in this reality. I found this clip (from BBC's "A Night with the Stars") via the science and science fiction web site io9.
Get ready to dance and sing... it's another Music Monday!
My niece likes to play a game in the car called "Favorites." Someone choses a category and everyone says what their favorite is. Favorite song came up this week. This was my pick.
Genki Sudo was originally a talented and entertaining mixed martial artist. I became a fan, not only of his creative fighting style but because, at the end of each match he won, he would hold up a banner that read "We Are All One." The banner also had flags from scores of countries around the world.
After retiring, Sudo took to the world of music and dance, continuing his message of world peace. With a dance group he named after his first single, this is the first release, "World Order." (I particularly like the kids that show up toward the end.)
You couldn't have told me before seeing it but "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" is an incredibly good movie. It's about a transgender rock singer who is following her former lover, a hugely successful rock star, around the country to confront him about stealing songs she wrote. The music runs a gamut of styles. I can only say, if you haven't seen this, treat yourself to a night of good music and a moving story.
Dana Gould is one of the most talented guys in comedy. He is a wonderful stand-up, an incredible writer and a precise improviser. He took up this incredible challenge from John Hodgman.
Lee Zachariah knows more about film than you ever will. He also makes them better than you ever will. Don't be disheartened. He's extremely talented and lives in Australia so, if you are an aspiring director, he's not much of a threat to you - yet. (All bets are off if he ever gets to Hollywood.)
With Shannon Marinko, the two created the Bazura Project (clips of which are available on YouTube), the best public access show I've ever seen. It featured movie spoofs, news, history and reviews, all while being hilarious. Someone in Australian television finally pulled their head from under a rock in the Outback and recently gave Lee and Shannon a series, also called the Bazura Project, which covered different subjects of film - violence, sex, money, profanity, drugs and fame - again in a humorous fashion. I highly recommend watching it. (And you know me, I never underline anything.)
This is a funny short film Lee made exploring a world where Woody Allen was the Director of "Taxi Driver."
Here's comedy legend John Cleese answering a few questions from us commoners. (I love he has no idea who Jeff Dunham is - as it should be - and his interesting take on stupidity.)
And a bonus:
"Conan" staff writer Jose Arroyo has a new comic book out, "Seething with Joy," described as "24 pages of comedy and aggravation." I haven't read the comic but I've seen many of the individual pages he's posted and they are funny, funny, funny.
See his blog for sample pages. And if you want to buy the comic, you can get it at Indy Planet, if not your local comic retailer.
Me and Takota in the Bus School on the Wanderlust set
Just a reminder: Wanderlust comes out today and you might see me in it. I've seen myself in a couple clips and trailers. It should be a fun movie. (Warning: There is some nudity [not on my part] and sexual situations [I wish on my part] so, if easily offended, go anyway because it's a funny movie.)
Here's a few sites and videos that I've enjoyed recently. (Don't judge me!)
If I felt this dog were suffering in any way, I wouldn't link to it. I do think is this is the best-behaved dog in the world. I also think this is hilarious!
For more wonderful pictures of the most patient dog in the world, go to the Food On My Dog blog.
For this video, I will only say this because I know we are all monitored here on the Internet:
Skynet is here.
I wouldn't mind if this happened to me... I mean, if I wakesurfed... and if I could stand more than 15 minutes in the sun... and if I weren't scared of dolphins...
And as a bonus : I call this a Bad Day at the Circus. A motorcycle daredevil. A misplaced wire. A massive fall. (Note: The guy wasn't seriously injured.)
