Downton Arby's - Royals, Ruses, Roast Beef

I think the title says it all.

(Hat Tip to Paul for sharing this video with me.)

The Shallow End - Angry Goose Attacks Man

An empty sidewalk, an innocent man, and an incredibly angry goose. The guy's co-workers laughing in the background make it even better. Nothing redeeming here - just rock solid entertainment.

Viewing Tip: Click the title bar at the top of the clip to view in a larger window.

Thanks Al Gore, The Internet Really Does Kick Ass

Back in the 1960s when Al Gore first invented the internet, he said this new technology would change the way we live. Al Gore was right. There must be 15 or 20 different things you can do online. It's crazy. And they add something new every week or two. Best of all, as we have grown as a society and as a people, so has the internet.

First, we sent emails. Next, we Googled. Then there was Facebook.

And pictures of kittens in laundry baskets.

Soon after, we had planking.

And meme after meme...like First World Problems.

Now, we have the Cinnamon Challenge. Watch the video (wait for the cloud).

Oh yeah, and now we have blogs.

Okay, I confess. That video makes me laugh out loud every time, and it's the only real reason for this entire blog post. Hat tip to popular "online personality" Tyler Oakley for the weeks of entertainment he has given me, and for his absolute wussy-ness in eating a tablespoon of cinnamon.

President Obama and the Extreme Marshmallow Cannon

At the White House Science Fair today, President Obama marveled at 14 year-old Joey Hudy's extreme marshmallow cannon.

Unable to let any Presidential activity go unchallenged, GOP candidates weighed in with their perspectives on the device.

• Mitt Romney - "When I was governor of Massachusetts, we developed a similar but less European-socialist marshmallow shooter."

• Ron Paul - "The federal government has no place telling you what you can or can't do with your marshmallow launching mechanism."

• Rick Santorum - "We simply cannot allow Iran to develop extreme marshmallow cannon technology."

• Newt Gingrich - "Mmmm..marshmallows."

The Shallow End - Bad Lip Reading with Rick Santorum

You're not a legitimate Republican presidential contender until the folks at Bad Lip Reading target you in one of their videos. I think they may finally have "jumped the shark" with this Rick Santorum edition, although there are still enough winning lines to make this share-worthy.

Mr. Santorum....it's your turn, sir.

 Here are a few of my personal BLR favorites in case you missed them.

• Bad Lip Reading with Mitt Romney
• Bad Lip Reading with Rick Perry
• Bad Lip Reading with Ron Paul

The Shallow End - Backflips For All Seasons

Sam the backflipper collecting his
winnings from the wager with his dad.

Millions of people can do backflips, right?

A backflip every day for a year? Okay. 

Capturing your daily backflips on video? Pretty cool.

Filming a backflip every day, staging them in incredibly creative and novel locations (like the Brooklyn Bridge, inside Barnes & Noble, or at an airport), and using a wicked variety of props? I'm impressed, as was Sam Morrison's dad, and 500,000 other people who saw this video on YouTube.

Viewing Tip: Click the title bar at the top to view the video in a bigger window.

Bad Lip Reading with Newt Gingrich

It's been a few weeks since we posted anything from the folks at Bad Lip Reading (BLR). They've just published the Newt Gingrich edition of their video gimmickry, and at the risk of Newt overload on the blog today, it's too funny not to share.

BLR videos work best when you are not familiar with the voice of the candidate, so I fully expected this one to be lame since we all know how Newt sounds. But as soon as I saw Newt say - "I will strip for wildflowers and a basket of peaches" - I knew it was going to be just fine.

Enjoy the Newt video here.

The Shallow End - Hitler's Rant About Tebow

I ran across this ridiculous funny video on YouTube today. It's a little outdated as Hitler is expressing his outrage over Kyle Orton getting the Broncos QB starting job over Tim Tebow, but in light of Tebow's ongoing newsworthiness I decided to share it anyway.

Now that Tebow has proven Hitler right (only with respect to the starting QB job, just to be clear), I am hoping there will be an updated video.

Viewing Tip: Click the title bar at the top of the clip to view in a larger window.

Muppets Steal Jason Segel's SNL Monologue

Jason Segel, Miss Piggy, and Kermit on SNL

SNL monologues are hit or miss, but you can't go wrong when you mix sweetly funny Jason Segel with some of your favorite Muppets and a clever piano ditty. It's also particularly enjoyable to see the Muppets perform when they are in an "adult" venue like Saturday Night Live, where they can push their humor a little further toward the grown-up end of the spectrum.

Here's your Hulu video link, and my apologies for the 15 second commercial you have to watch. (I guess we can only get so much for free on the internet.)

The Shallow End - Bad Lip Reading with Ron Paul

Another funny video clip from the folks at Bad Lip Reading. This time, it's Ron Paul's turn

 

The Shallow End - Oscar The Very Weird Handstand Peeing Dog

It's been a tough and uncomfortable news day. Swim down to the shallow end and treat yourself to 45 seconds of lightness and laughing. The title of the blog post kind of says it all.

Viewing Tip: Click the title bar at the top of the clip to view in a larger window.

The Shallow End - Bad Lip Reading with Herman Cain

Maybe I'm the only one (okay, with 100K YouTube views I'm probably not) but I can't get enough of the Bad Lip Reading videos. My favorite lines from this clip:

"Breathe on, biscuits ain't for jam."

"Women have a special feeling though, they got extra fatal lady shimmer, of no maximum strength."

Viewing Tip: Click the title bar at the top of the clip to view in a larger window.

The Shallow End - Bad Lip Reading with Mitt Romney

The folks from Bad Lip Reading take on Mitt Romney. Funniest 2 minutes of my day. I particularly liked Mitt's strategy of forcing "spiders and badgers on the enemy."

Viewing Tip: Click on the title bar at the top of the clip to open the video in a larger YouTube window.

SNL's "What's Wrong With Tanya? " Skit

You can't count on Saturday Night Live to be consistently funny any more, but every now and then the show still delivers.

SNL usually does well with game show parodies, and last night's Lifetime Network Game Show was a respectable effort.

Bill Hader is disturbing and hilarious as usual.

The Shallow End - Instructions for Baby Tossing

Who has time to read those long childcare manuals? I prefer a baby with easily understandable "care and handling" instructions printed right on his clothes.

Wyatt Arnold, son of Anthony and Jen Arnold (Charlotte, NC)

The Shallow End - Try Not to Bite the Interviewer

With today's pending Senate vote on the American Jobs Act, this helpful job interview follow-up letter from McSweeney's seemed particularly timely.

I thought the "no biting during the interview" message might also be helpful to my many ex-Borders friends who are actively involved in the job search process.

The Shallow End - The Lighter Side of Home Invasion

Art mirrors life in the new Nicolas Cage film "Trespass" where he and his family are home invaded. Oddly enough, in his real life Cage was once awoken by a naked stranger eating a Fudgesicle in his bedroom.

The Shallow End - Orangutan Kicks the Smoking Habit

In light of our collective need for post-9/11 anniversary smiles, I'm adding another not-too-serious animal story today (the previous post was a video of a very talented canine balancing doggy biscuits).

I suppose this story of a captive orangutan who has been allowed to adopt a cigarette smoking habit could actually upset a few folks (it kind of pissed me off at first), but relax and think of it this way - now, she's kicked the habit!

The Shallow End - You Think Your Dog Has Skills?

This dog has mad balancing skills and more discipline than most people.
Viewing Tip: Click on the title bar at the top of the clip to open the video in a larger YouTube window.

The Shallow End - Hurricane Irene Auto-Corrects

It's low-brow, but damn these are funny. Click the link below and don't be ashamed to laugh.

Hurricane Irene Auto-Corrects