In 2008, TED gave its annual award to Karen Armstrong, author of more than 20 books about what Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common and their effect on world events. She is a former nun who now calls herself a "freelance monotheist." Receipients of this prize receive $100,000 and "One Wish to Change the World." Armstrong's wish was for a compassion initiative:
"I wish that you would help with the creation, launch and propagation of a Charter for Compassion, crafted by a group of leading inspirational thinkers from the three Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and based on the fundamental principles of universal justice and respect."
I'm a big fan of Current TV's weekly Rotten Tomatoes Show with Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox. They have smart, funny reviews of each week's movies with their own take and comments from viewers, looks at what's coming next, top 5 lists from stars and directors pushing some new film, and very clever compilations -- clips from a dozen different movies with characters saying things like "I have a bad feeling about this." (It would be nice if they would include a non John-Hughes movie made before 1990 once in a while, though.) I get it as a video podcast and highly recommend it.
Erlich also has a "Viral Video Film School" series on Current that is wonderfully astute, a sort of combination of arts criticism, anthropology, and stand-up comedy. He compiles clips that illuminate YouTube trends I would never otherwise have known about and his commentary is hilarious and ill. Did you know that there are zillions of YouTube clips of people talking about what they just bought? Or about getting laid off? Erlich does, and curates them so expertly you don't even get the usual "I just spent half an hour watching idiots on YouTube" feeling. (Some mature material)
Slate has put together a magnificent compilation of some of Meryl Streep's best accents but what I think of when I watch this is the astonishing range of the performances behind them. It is almost impossible to imagine that it...
The stars of two films opening this week, Channing Tatum of "G.I. Joe" and Charlyne Yi of "Paper Heart" show us their Johnny and Baby, and no one gets put in a corner. Video: Channing Tatum and Charlyne Yi Cinemash...
Many thanks to my pal Brandon Fibbs for sharing this adorable video from the Japanese pop group Sour. This was filmed entirely with webcams and the participants are Sour fans from around the world. Think of it as a high-tech...
TropFest is the world's largest festival for the world's shortest films. I like this one about a determined little girl who shows persistence, creativity, and courage in getting the attention of the boy she likes....
YouTube has a fascinating new section with top reporters explaining how they get, organize, verify, and tell their stories. Katie Couric explains how to conduct an interview. Bob Woodward talks about investigative journalism. NPR's Scott Simon talks about how to...
In the documentary Young @ Heart, we saw how elderly people singing rock songs gave the music a resonance and power that even its platinum-record-selling originators could not have imagined. And now we see the way that children led their...
The New York Times reports that a short animated film called "The Story of Stuff" has become "a sleeper hit in classrooms across the nation." What I like about the story is the way the unabashed advocacy of the film...
The satiric Onion site has a very funny clip about "reviews" of the new movie by the die-hard fans: Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'...
Kate Hudson wrote and directed an endearing short film with an all-star cast that is an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival. Virginia Madsen stars as a mother whose daughter (Dakota Fanning) has a dream that reminds her of...
Apparently not only the hills are alive with the sound of music! I love the way the joyousness of this event just takes over the moment for everyone there....
You Should Have Seen This is the definitive list of the all-time best viral videos, the good, the bad, the very ugly, and of course the Not Safe For Work. Here is one of my favorites from the list, possibly...
The Baby Grands make music for children and their families. The songs are singable and lots of fun. Now they are giving families a chance to make their kids and dogs part of a montage in a new video for...
Justin Long, Bradley Cooper, and Kevin Connelly, the male stars of "He's Just Not That Into You," made a very funny short film explaining to men that it is all right for them to see the movie because it does...
In honor of Black History Month, I am proud to post this wonderful tribute to Martin Luther King from Little Dizzy films. The song was written by Pat Boone the day he heard the news of Martin Luther King Jr's...
Alex Charwick sits down at a table with two microphones and a sign that says "Interviews 50 Cents" and talks to everyday Americans about their lives. The results are enthralling. In this interview, he talks to an Algerian-American man who...
Writing about the original version of "The Electric Company" reminded me of one of my all-time favorite short films by John and Faith Hubley, who later went on to work on the "Letterman" segments of that show. It is the...
Actress Amy Walker's astonishing virtuosity with accents is on display in this popular YouTube clip. Can you guess which one is her real native-born accent?...
A new website is assembling beautifully produced short films to touch the heart and inspire the spirit. Spirit Clips was created by Oscar-winning producer Rob Fried ("Rudy") to create unique high-quality content and an online community dedicated to sharing inspirational...
This adorable film was made on the Bryan O'Connell family's visit to Universal Studios and posted on YouTube: And be sure to check out the new trailer for the J.J. Abrams 2009 "Star Trek" movie....
Please take a moment to watch the short films from Charter for Compassion, a group founded on the golden rule that links all religions. And then add your thoughts on their list of the eight core elements of compassion....
As usual, I only find out about something after it has passed from cool and edgy to "so yesterday," but I think lip dubs are adorable, my favorite viral video project since the complaints choirs. These are short videos made...
No matter which candidate you support, it is impossible not to be deeply moved and inspired by the videos posted by citizen journalists across the country showing us America at the polls. The breadth of this great country and the...
Home Movie Day is October 18, and everyone from Martin Scorsese to John Waters is urging all of us to participate. The Center for Home Movies collects, preserves, provides access to, and promotes understanding of home movies and amateur motion...
On the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, Jews study the story of Jonah and the Whale. The Jewish educational and outreach group AISH says In a certain sense it is very much the story...
The two most powerful words I know are "thank you." A simple statement of acknowledgment and gratitude transforms the person who says it as well as the person who hears it. If every one of us just added five "Thank...
Whatever part of the political spectrum you are on, whatever you think about those on other points, you will think differently after you watch this provocative clip from TED Talks, featuring social psychologist Jonathan Haidt:...
My daughter showed me this adorable video from a British group called Metronomy. It shows how much can be accomplished with a little imagination and some colorful make-up....
Newsweek's tribute to the opening credits of the new HBO series "True Blood" reminded me of the good old days when television show theme songs and opening credits were as much fun as the shows. The "Dick Van Dyke" show...
The AV Geeks have an amazing archive of "film ephemera," of over 20,000 little odds and ends (mostly odds) that have been retrieved from warehouses, garbage dumps, and thrift shops. It's like seeing our culture through the eyes of an...
"Mamma Mia" is a good reason (as if we need one) to revisit some ABBA classics featured in the movie: Take a Chance on Me Gimme Gimme Gimme Money Money Money All of ABBA's promotional clips like these were directed...
Until midnight tomorrow you can watch a new three-act musical from Joss Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Firefly") online. It is the story of Dr. Horrible (a sensational Neil Patrick Harris) and his nemesis, the very manly Captain Hammer (Nathan...
Kavanah is a documentary production company dedicated to creating films on Jewish themes to be used in educational settings. It was established by Lauren Shweder Biel, a Ph.D. candidate in Anthropology at New York University. The word "kavanah" means "intention,"...
In 2006, a semi-slacker named Matt traveled around the world doing what he referred to as his dance. While he acknowledged that this is the only dance he can do and he does it badly, even that is probably saying...
This is an astonishing compilation of 100 movie clips -- all from well-known films -- counting down the numbers from 100-1. How many of these films can you name?...
Just after the Children's Television Workshop realized that if children could memorize advertising jingles they could learn the alphabet and numbers and other important lessons through lively short films for PBS, a group of advertisers and educators got together to...
YouTube has set up a new site for independent film-makers, a curated collection of the very best films you are unlikely to find in theaters or on television, shown in an upgraded High Quality viewing system. Check it out to...
Salon's Mark Schone wrote the most purely delightful article about finding clips of high school productions of Broadway musicals on You Tube. It includes everything from a German production of "West Side Story" to an Oklahoma production of..."Oklahoma." The clips...
Every so often a dance comes along that is just tricky enough to take a little practice but with individual steps simple enough that anyone can do it. Think "Macarena." Soulja Boy's eponymous song and dance is in that category...
I am so happy that Disney is releasing "The Sword in the Stone" on DVD! It is the story of young King Arthur, a medieval page who learns he is the true king of England. The wizard Merlin teaches him...
The fist Pangea Day was every bit as heart-warming, inspiring, and thrilling as I had hoped. I was privileged to participate at the Epicenter Church, a new Christian Faith Community located in Rosslyn, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from...
For the first time this year, the awards ceremony for the industry that makes movie trailers was broadcast on television. Trailers are their own art form -- sometimes more entertaining than the movie. This year's winners included: 300 The Science...
They said she gave him sex and he gave her class. In eight heavenly movies from the 1930's at RKO Studios and then with one more -- their only in color -- at MGM, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced...
Pangea Day is an ambitious effort to bring the entire world together in one conversation about connection and unity through the power of film. On May 10, for four hours, people all over the world will gather to share their...
Chicagoans are furious about the plans of new Chicago Tribune owner Sam Zell to sell the naming rights to Chicago's hallowed ground, Wrigley Field. The Chicago Sun-Times had a video competition for those who wanted to object, and the winner...
In Michel Gondry's delightful new film, "Be Kind Rewind," an entire video store filled with tapes is erased and Mos Def and Jack Black recreate the films themselves, dubbing the process of making their versions "sweding." Here is the original...
Is there a more adorable television show ever than Nick Jr.'s "Yo Gabba Gabba?" I love this mash-up of movie star, viral pioneer "Numa Numa," and good old-fashioned silly dance fun....
At Ted Talks, J.J. Abrams spoke about his lifelong love of mystery because of its "infinite possibility and a sense of potential" and how that passion influences his creation of stories like Lost and the upcoming movie "Cloverfield." And here...
John F. Kennedy once advised, "Never pick a fight with those who buy ink by the barrel." He meant that you cannot win an argument with people who publish newspapers and have all the ink, paper, and readers to make...
Filmmaker Jennifer Crandall has created a charming series of short autobiographical videos featuring everyday people talking about their lives, experiences, and lessons learned. Participants of all ages and backgrounds have spoken about friends, families, vocations and avocations. Participants have included...
Two hilarious You Tube hits put complaints to music. Complaints Choirs started in Birmingham, England and are popping up all over the world. Here, the Helsinki Complaints Choir combines the universal and the very particular in a hilarious and harmonic...
Imagine standing in Los Angeles, trying to shoot a basketball all the way to New York, where it must hit the basket without touching the hoop. That's the magnitude of the challenge faced by NASA scientists and engineers in trying...
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