What delights do we have in the news-ish viral video chart this week? Top, a criminally over-scripted eight-year-old preaching (somebody else's opinions) about how religion starts all wars, etc etc etc. This is all aimed at Fox News host Bill O'Reilly, who apparently thinks sending kids to church is preferable to letting them listen to rap. I'm feeling nauseous already.
It doesn't get much better at number two. See: self-righteous consumer rights geek winding up incompetent customer services department over discrepancies in his mobile data bill. "Is there a difference between 0.0002 dollars and 0.0002 cents?" And so on.
How did these make it into a news chart? Because people put them in the 'news' category on YouTube and MySpace, that's how. Otherwise we get purple hippos in thongs.
The chart continues in a similar style until we get to Henry Rollins, who can at least command an audience. He takes no prisoners. That said, I did find my attention tailing off as I wondered what exercises he had to do to make his neck thicker than his head. If he doesn't scare you off, stick around until the end - he wants to tell you about how the Bush administration wants the internet "contained, regulated and thrown in a cell in Guantanamo Bay".
"The internet is perhaps responsible for the most substantial shifts in culture in the last few decades. There is so much freedom and potential on the worldwide web that one is barely able to get one's head around it."
[Insert neck gag here.]
Zooming up the charts (come back Fluff - all is forgiven) is a clip from a Chilean TV reporter doing an admirable job of reporting from a pro-Pinochet demonstration despite being pushed, shouted at and spat on by a man that seems to have some kind of objection to, at a guess - democracy and free speech? That would be fitting.
I couldn't be bothered to watch an hour and half of 'America Freedom to Fascism'. Sorry, but after 30 seconds I'd still only got to the year 1913 and I've got things to do. Can someone let me know if the goodies win?
I could be bothered to watch the tribute to Steve Irwin, bless 'im. This is rather sweet - pasted together pics by a fan in his bedroom with a soppy sountrack but hey - at least he's being creative. Could be worse - he could be going to church or listening to rap. (Joke.)
1 The coolest 8-year-old in the world talks about O'Reilly Precocious young actress plays political pundit in an ad for band The Bastard Fairies
2 VcentsVerizon customer service rep seemingly confused about the difference between a dollar and a cent. (Audio)
3 Really Cool Experiment in Resonance and fractal geometry Experiment claiming to display "the effects of wave probogation (sic) in the audio spectrum". 4 Henry Rollins: "America is under attack." Henry Rollins tells it like it is.
5 Bill O'Reilly takes on YouTubeOutraged response to The Bastard Fairies' ad.
6 Una corresponsal de TVE en Chile fue agredida en directo TV reporter attacked live on air.
7 Loose Change: 2nd edition re-cut 9/11 documentary. 8 The fighting first family How the Bush family's recruitment-eligible generation is winning the war against "Godless Islamunistofascism".
9 America freedom to fascism: authorised version Director's cut of Aaron Russo's documentary 10 cqc y los pinochetistas 08/12/06 - chomsky vids My Spanish isn't up to this.
11 Google Finance launch Spoof animation about new features launched by Google Finance.
12 How can an elected Congresswoman encourage assassinations? US Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen calls for people to assassinate Fidel Castro.
13 Barack Obama - Monday night football US Senator from Illinois backs his team.
14 Rosie Ching Chong O'Donnell Michelle Malkin takes on Rosie O'Donnell.
15 Think Equal Ad #2: "Check Equal" Think Equal campaign for marriage equality.
16 Boat hits bridgeBridge closes too early causing ship to crash into it.17 In memory of Steve Irwin (Crocodile Hunter) Still being mourned.
18 Water as fuel for cutting torch, car and other things Water allegedly being electrolysed into a combustible gas, HHO. 19 How cocaine is made A hit at all those rock'n'roll Christmas parties. Not.
20 Fox reporter butted by drunk "You've just made your debut on YouTube". Yep.
Source: Viral Video Chart.
The chart sometimes shows the same clip more than once when different people post it on different sites. Compiled from data gathered from 00.01 on Thursday 7 December 2006 to 00.00 on Wednesday 13 December 2006. The Weekly Viral Video Chart is currently based on a count of the embedded videos and links on approximately two million blogs.
