Sunday, November 29, 2009

BBC's Funny Talking Animals - "Walk on the Wild Side" Preview

I don't usually spend a lot of time at YouTube, but these talking-animal videos from the BBC have kept be laughing much of the Thanksgiving weekend. The marmot who keeps shouting "Alan! Alan!" cracks me up, as well as the critters standing on their hind legs who seem to be relieving themselves and the giraffes who keep smacking each other's necks.

Unfortunately, I can't access BBC shows in the U.S. so I have no idea what this TV show they're promoting is all about - it can't be a half hour of odd animals with human voiceovers, I'm guessing. (Or maybe it is: a note on one of the videos says that the series "combines the comedy talents of Jason Manford and friends together with some jaw-dropping natural history footage.")



There are many other "Walk on the Wild Side" videos on YouTube, too, including a frog conducting Beethoven, an exotic bird dancing to Michael Jackson, and a lion who gets his hair cut to look like Elton John.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

"Why Won't My Parakeet Eat My Diarrhea?" - Google's Bizarre Search Suggestions

It's been the top search term on Google Trends today. But are there really that many people asking, "Why Won't My Parakeet Eat My Diarrhea?"

The answer seems to be in the search giant's Google Suggest feature, in which you type letters or words into the Google search box in your browser, and Google gives you suggestions based on popular terms that other users have entered. If you start to type in "Why won't...," the parakeet query is one that comes up near the top.

As for the origins of the question "Why Won't My Parakeet Eat My Diarrhea?," it's possible it is a term from a TV show or is some other pop-culture reference. Similarly, if you type in "Why is...," one of the first results that Google offers is "Why is there a dead Pakistani on my couch?" If I recall correctly, this is a line from an episode of "Lost," in which Hurley's mom sees the drugged Sayyid passed out on the sofa in the Reyes home.

Monday, November 09, 2009

What's Up With Sammy Sosa's Face?! The World Wants to Know!


Left: Sammy Sosa looks like a zombie. His wife's looking good, though.

Is ex-big league slugger Sammy Sosa pulling a Michael Jackson? There's been lots of speculation over his lightened skin at a recent appearance at the Latin Grammy Awards. So what's the story?

Between the light skin and that creepy look in his eyes (as well as the shiny suit), Sammy Sosa looks like a zombie.

But no, he's not trying to look like the King of Pop, and he hasn't joined the ranks of the living dead. "He is going through a rejuvenation process for his skin. Women have it all of the time," says a former Chicago Cubs employee who keeps in touch with Sosa, quoted in the L.A. Times. Although she says the lighting lends to the strange appearance of Sosa's face, she admits that "It did come out looking weird" in the photos. Yeah, you can say that again.

Whatever kind of skin bleaching or other procedure it was, the results leave a lot to be desired.