keith_xyz

I'm writing this review in 2023, where there's plenty of streaming subscriptions available. (I only subscribe to Netflix and AppleTV+ so far.) & also in the social media age, YouTube and TikTok are the go-to websites & apps for videos. "World's Funniest Videos: Top 10 Countdown," which is on Laff, a channel I don't pay for, is a sad, moldy relic of a TV show about funny videos. First of all, to compare this to the vast availability of online videos, where people can just type in "cute puppies" or "prank fails," the difference between online videos & this series is that the TV show bleeps out cussing & is narrated by Mark DeCarlo, the guy from "Studs" & "Jimmy Neutron." Also the show's videos don't get social media attention meaning the TV show owns it & doesn't pay royalties to those who submitted the videos. Compare that to the videos on TBD, another free channel, where the videos on that network's shows like "Best of the Week" can be licensed, meaning I think those videos' owners get royalties. Second, to compare this to other notable video shows like "America's Funniest Home Videos" & "Funniest Pets & People" (also seen on Laff), this show pales in comparison. At least AFHV had funny, charismatic, & memorable hosts from the late Bob Saget to Tom Bergeron to Alfonso Ribeiro (who's actually a good host & "Carlton" is even more fun to watch on the game show "Catch 21" but I digress). Oh and also at least on AFHV those videos have a shot at $20,000 or $100,000. On "World's Funniest Videos," it's only a mere countdown of ten videos showing the same damn gag where what separates the #1 video from the other nine is it's only shown once. And keep in mind the producers & writers of this show, who presumably have Bachelor's degrees, worked long and hard to sort out what makes the ten funniest videos of, well funny zipline mishaps, not to mention the animators who presumably have Bachelor's in fine arts, who made the cartoon scenes, notably of dogs that lack movable limbs and women with small bosoms, that ain't on par with Pixar or Illumination. Oh also I'm perplexed at the title where I can't really tell if they're really the "world's funniest videos" & assume they're mostly American videos & maybe one from Asia like one elephant video. At least on "Funniest Pets & People" I might identify the "international" video by looking at the date & see that one made on August 13, 2001 is 13/8/2001. (8/13/2001 in US), & while this show had Mark DeCarlo, "Funniest Pets & People" had Rob Paulsen, a more respected voice-over actor w/ a long filmography who was on "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" & "Animaniacs." I also must point out the worst thing & the most annoying feature about the show is the "Remember That Time?" video, where DeCarlo uses a Southern accent that either sounds as strong as a Mississippian one episode or as tepid as a rural Ohioan the next. I'm guessing he evokes the "Hey Vern" commercials done by Jim Varney by saying "Hey Earl! Remember that time when...?" This also means the subject of this video has to be a male, whether he actually is named Earl or is probably Sean. The worst usage of the "Hey Earl" video is during a video of an old lady sweeping the sidewalk or something and the video was actually longer than a typical commercial break. So in conclusion, "World's Funniest Videos: Top 10 Countdown" is not a show worth paying for, & even if it's on my streaming subscriptions, I'm not gonna watch an episode. & if I do bother to watch it on TV, I'd likely watch it (on muting) while multitasking, like if I'm looking at other screens like using my phone or laptop to check sports scores or Facebook. Hell, I'd probably watch the show while I'm vacuuming.

I bought the DVD & praise Colin Firth for collecting his Academy Award portraying King George VI. As a man w/ a speech impediment, I empathized with Firth's character & the king's assistant Lionel Logue, who had an unconventional yet effective method of speech therapy. Without naming names or even dates, it's a hell of a burden for any person who's a monarch or some sorta world leader to present themselves to the public. But do keep in mind the name & date to acknowledge in "The King's Speech" is King George VI, who during the mid-20th century, particularly when Great Britain would enter World War II, did less of the dirty work as the king of England than the UK's prime minister, Winston Churchill (although Neville Chamberlin, Churchill's predecessor, was in charge during the film's setting and as history dictates, was less helpful than Winston). I'm also reminded of the scene where the royal family witnesses on media a certain man in Germany who was more eloquent and won over the people (clearly Adolf), thus urging King George (or I think Albert before he's crowned) to be more presentable to the Britons and whoever would become the Allies in the Second World War. Incidentally I think it's good that there is a film about the man who was king during Churchill's time, assuming there's been enough books & films about that prime minister of Great Britain but not the king during his administration (not to mention enough media about King George IV's successor, the currently reigning Queen Elizabeth II, as portrayed in the TV show "The Crown"). Anyway, Colin Firth & Geoffrey Rush worked wonders with their characters in a film that collected 4 Oscars on a dozen nominations, and again as someone with a stammer, this true story of a British king is very inspirational & uplifting.

I just tuned in Netflix for the hell of it. & I ain't really into contemporary Xmas movies or TV shows. But this was surprisingly very entertaining. I was kinda hoping Rudolph would participate in the reindeer games, but I think his red nose would be a plot shortcut.