The killing of 12 people at French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has dominated the world’s headlines this week and Jon Stewart gave his thoughts on The Daily Show, saying: “I know very few people go into comedy as an act of courage, mainly because it shouldn’t have to be.” The veteran satirist, who has possibly talked about leaving the show he made a household name, also reflected that while the arguments and debates between public and media figures are often heated, they are all part of “Team Civilisation” where weapons are words and not guns.
On a lighter note, Beauty and the Beast may be nearly 15 years old, but ever arrogant Gaston is still knocking around Disneyland and one guy in an ironman triathlon shirt had the temerity to challenge him to a press-up contest.
Star Wars isn’t the only film series making a comeback and, in anticipation of its release next year, Jurassic Park’s trailer has been mashed-up with scenes from cult comedy Parks and Recreation, featuring actor Chris Pratt, who is to star in the next instalment of the dinosaur-based franchise.
British darling Eddie Redmayne is coming off the back of rave reviews for his performance in The Theory of Everything, in which he portrays distinguished physicist Stephen Hawking, but in an interview with Graham Norton he reveals just how he crashed and burned in front of casting directors for the main part in The Hobbit trilogy.
In cute animal news, an imperious cat shows contempt and disdain for a puppy who attempts to reclaim his warm and cosy bed, while Bao Bao enjoyed her first taste of snow. The 16-month-old giant panda is resident in Smithsonian’s National Zoo, in Washington DC, and was described by one commenter as, “right off the cute-o-meter”.
Actor Bradley Cooper traded in his sniper rifle for an air guitar as he became the latest celebrity to take a turn on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show in an innuendo laden rendition of Neil Young’s Down by the River. Additionally, there was a truly heart-warming video featuring the teenagers of today battling it out for supremacy on Mario Kart 64 while espousing the same hubris and misplaced confidence that takes all 80s and 90s kids down memory lane.
In possibly the simplest and easiest costume to have ever graced a comic con, Robert Franzese brings Family Guy’s Peter Griffin to life and strolls through the nerd gathering like a rockstar, while boffins over at the SciShow use facts to explain why we’re ticklish.
1) Jon Stewart talks about Charlie Hebdo
Be part of Team Civilisation
Like a beast
3) Jurassic parks and recreation
“Awesome sauce”
4) Eddie Redmayne auditioned for Bilbo Baggins
Barred from Bag End
5) Air Guitar with Bradley Cooper
American guitar hero
Forgot her hat and gloves
7) Teens React to Mario Kart 64
Bloody blue shells!
Science of laughing torture
9) Puppy attempts to reclaim bed from cat
Cats & Dogs 3?
10) Real life Peter Griffin goes to comic con
The bird is the word
Source: Viral Video Chart, Reddit and YouTube. Compiled from data gathered at 16:00 on 8 January 2015. The Viral Video Chart is currently based on a count of the embedded videos and links on approximately 2m blogs, as well as Facebook and Twitter.
• This article was amended on 9 January 2015. Jon Stewart is not set to leave The Daily Show, as an earlier version said. This has been corrected to say he has possibly talked about leaving the show.
