Monday, April 7, 2008

Real Reality Television

"Whose got laughs from coast to coast, to make you smile? A real live look at each of you, to capture all the style. You're the red, white, and blue. Oh, the funny things you do, America, America, well this is you."

I sit watching the latest incarnation of the greatest show on television: America's Funniest Home Videos. This, ladies and gentleman is REALITY TV. No scripts, no getting "voted off", just pure human hilarity. AFV is seriously one of the few shows (the Office, and Family Guy are the others) that causes me to literally laugh out loud. I mean pure, guttural, belly laughing.

I've followed this show from its meager beginnings, the Bob Sagat surge, the Daisy Fuentes fallaway and now the Tom Burgeron boom. I watch with pure joy at every crotch shot, every old person falling, every groom fainting, toddler tumbling, water skiing wipe out, and trampoline mishap. But, perhaps greatest invention that America's Funniest Videos gave to humanity is: the montage. A tightly packed series of videos based on a central theme, set to music, also of the same theme. Some of my all time favorite montages include: the cats doing stupid things montage, the guys getting hit in the crotch montage, the middle aged women falling off of boats montage. The list goes on and on, really.

**Stop the presses!**

As I type to you, nation, another episode just came on! Not only another episode, but an episode that Tom calls "the best show of all time". That's right, the "Best videos of all time" episode! I'm sitting with three other guys and we're filling the Auburn night sky with authentic laughter. People are standing up, pointing at the t.v. and laughing with all their might. It doesn't get any better than this.

Prove it? Watch and enjoy:


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the guy directly under the lamp. His laugh is hilarious!

Lindsay said...

"Stories from your friends next door, they never told. You might be a star tonight, so let that camera roll...."

I think even funnier than the videos were Sagat's horrible sign-offs each night: "and honey, blah blah blah blah." What a goofball.

easyedwin said...

And what a goofball show........candid camera rocked back in the day (AFV) doesnt hold a camera..I mean candle to Alan Funt and the use of real celluloid.

The Dyer Family said...

you don't see the word guttural used all that often - you get a gold star! and you have certainly touched on several of my favorite things: crotch shots, montages, and tom bergeron. ahhh, the simple pleasures of life!

Judith said...

Okay, Dan I have to ask. Do you have hidden video cameras in your living room?

Dan said...

no hidden cameras are necessary with the magic of the macbook's built in iSight camera.