As a procrastinator par excellence, I can think of no better tool than the Internet to help me put things off while acquiring the kind of knowledge that ought to make me a master of Trivial Pursuit, if only I could spare the time for it. And when I've finished mining Wikipedia and am done zooming about on Google Earth, I like to take in a video or twenty, about pretty much nothing at all.
This week: Man of the Year
Back in the day, when Yahoo was firmly committed to its policy of dragging its feet, the Buzz used to be a little box on the home page. It simply told you what most people were searching for on Yahoo. From celebrities to freak shows, it gave you stats and numbers with a touch of humor while providing you with links to the various items in case you wanted to see what the fuss was all about. I liked the Buzz. It demanded nothing of me.
Now, as Yahoo begins to experiment with change, the Buzz has a new avatar and comes in video. Last week, they had a little segment on the new Robin Williams movie Man of the Year, in which he plays a guy who hosts a successful fake news show a la The Daily Show before running for President of the United States.
In going for this screenplay, the filmmakers obviously knew things I didn't, such as the fact that there's actually a real campaign out there beseeching Jon Stewart to run for President. Let me first say that I love Jon Stewart and The Daily Show, but if you're rooting for him to become President then I can't help but think that maybe you ought to nominate his entire writing team. Hey, that would solve a lot of problems, like the one about too much power in the hands of one man. Stewart, however, says he and Stephen Colbert have no political ambitions as they're a lot smarter than that. Damn.
Article comments
1 - Joe
Dang, our current administration is bad enough - we certainly don't need any Hollywood hyper-liberals to have any sort of real power.
2 - D Smith
There is a long history of satire in American Politics, but first, I don't think it was embraced so fully by the demographic that the Daily Show has attracted while secondly, attracting an older crowd out of that demographic quite well. Which at tis best is making an unlikely voter think about the politicians and thier actions.
Most of this is anecdotal, but my own experience on finding fans for the Daily Show and Colbert is surprising. Add in Bill Maher with comedic but real commentary for the most part and lastly, Keith Olberman with a real news show wildly growing in popularity and there is a different political environement than ever before.