Clip du Jour: Chicken Peacekeepers

When fighting breaks out in a tense corner of the farm, it's up to the chickens to restore order. All they need are little powder-blue helmets.

Clip du jour: Do-It-Yourself Night-Vision Goggles

And for under $10! I'm not sure how easy it is to procure "theatrical photo gels" -- but this sounds like a worthwhile Saturday afternoon project.

How to Make Night Vision Glasses - Funny bloopers are a click away

Clip du Jour: Meteor!

A meteor hurtling out of the sky, as captured by the dashboard camera of a police car in Edmonton, Canada. I think this looks cooler than anything a Hollywood f/x shop could've produced.

Clip du jour: Eric Clapton is God. (Godawful, that is.)

At least he is in this clip, which is the work of Finnish prankster/artist Santeri Ojala, who (rather skillfully) overdubs recordings of beyond-atrocious "shredding" on top of the decidedly more competent playing of some genius axemen. And check out Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee commiting crimes against humanity — as the Prince of Darkness claps lamely off beat. Who doesn't love a bit of guitar-god humor?

Clip du jour: The Zero (a.k.a. The Commercial That Kills)

Scary stuff. But not as scary as this: the Commercial, repeated -- back to back -- 19 times!

Clip du jour: Chimpanzee rides Segway

Japanese television: The gift that keeps on giving.

PoopWatch (Vol. 1): Shiba Inu Puppy Cam Edition

Anyone else worried that one of those puppies is going to eat that poo? (Brave the live feed video, after the jump.)

Clip du jour: Ninja Cat - The Beginning

In keeping with today's totally arbitrary feline theme (see Site of the Day, below).

Clip du jour: Robot head...dancing...to 'Mambo No. 5'

"A little bit of Twiki in my life, a little bit of freaky by my side..."

YouTube, you don't know me as well as you think you do!

When you visit YouTube, do you ever look at the three videos the site has "Recommended for You," based on your search history? I didn't think there could be anything more mortifying than what popped up at the top of the recommendation list this morning: "Jensen Ackles sings! Pictures of Jensen Ackles shirtless, set to two short clips of Jensen singing." (I am not that much of a horndog, YouTube. Did I watch it?...Not the point!)

But then, I visited YouTube again, and not only did I get "'Chihuahua' Star Discovered in Dog Shelter" (I watched the Beverly Hills Chihuahua trailer once for work, okay!), but also "olive's home birth/water birth." You could not pay me to press 'play' on that. Just because I searched for the Bill Cosby: Himself bits on natural child birth -- to send to my sister who's freaking out about her impending labor -- does not mean I want to watch a baby be delivered in a kiddie pool!

What YouTube recommendations have horrified you?

P.S. That Jensen Ackles video is embedded after the jump.

Clip du jour: Do you really want to be a Millionaire?

This poor fella had a problem with first ($100) question. This guy too.

The agony of defeat, personified by David Archuleta fans

Thanks to David Cook, I have a new favorite YouTube video. I hadn't been able to locate it by the time we first posted his comments about it in a Q&A last week. Fortunately, some Cook fans who had seen the cult video (embedded below) he confessed to loving quickly posted links to it on various message boards, causing it to suddenly catch on. (When I first saw it last Thursday, it'd only been viewed about 4,000 times in the months it had been up, but now it's already at over 10,000 views.) It’s footage of six girls who look to be in their very early teens watching the season finale of American Idol, and their reaction when their idol, David Archuleta, fails to be coronated. As Cook put it, “My name gets announced [as the winner], and...these girls said something that's so funny, to me: ‘How could they vote for that guy? He doesn't even shave!'’ I love that.”

I’m not sure Cook even does justice to the utter hilarity of this video. The full range of despairing emotions the girls go through in their moment of spiritual desolation is so great, you almost wonder if this is a fantastic put-on, performed by young actors. The moment when one girl drops to her knees in disbelief at The Great Injustice of 2008 certainly couldn’t benefit from any better comic timing, though really the whole thing is a kind of accidental genius.

Clip du jour: Landslide!

Yikes! This happened in Japan's Nara Prefecture in August 2004.

Clip du jour: Requiem for a Day Off

It's only been a few weeks since we've been posting daily clips and here we are presenting a movie-trailer mash-up. So sue us. This one is a somber re-imagining of Ferris Bueller's Day Off.  It's a bit long, and there are a few scenes that come close to puncturing the premise, but it still earns the Clip du Jour Seal of Approval®.

New 'Office' webisodes! (Plus, a deleted scene from last night)

Those of you who can't get enough of The Office, please take the world's smallest Bluetooth out of your ear for a moment and listen up: A new series of Office webisodes is on the way, starting Nov. 20. It all has to do with a mysterious outburst Oscar makes over the phone, in earshot of all his co-workers. Check out the sneak preview below, worth sitting all the way through just for a classic Creed moment at the end.

After the jump, a deleted scene from last night's "Customer Survey" episode.

Clip du jour: "Mad World" - performed by Sungha Park

Twelve-year-old Sungha Park has a bunch of songs on YouTube, including this take on a Tears for Fears track. (So why did I pick this particular song? Well, Gears of War 2 goes on sale today. And, if you recall, a  memorable TV spot for the original game made very effective use of a cover version arranged by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules, one that was originally used at the end of Donnie Darko. That's why.)

Clip du jour: Steve Guttenberg, semi-nekkid

For your nausea-inducing pleasure: the famously reclusive actor/dancer/auteur — aka "The Goot" — running, stretching, and frightening tourists in New York's Central Park. Sans pants. Not even the judicious and responsible use of blurring can render this footage suitable for the workplace. Or any other place in which decent and God-fearing folk live free.

[Daily Intel via Best Week Ever]

Clip du jour: "The Simpsons" - "Mad Men" opening

From last night's "Treehouse of Horror" episode.

John McCain on 'Saturday Night Live'

Who else thought the opening sketch was weak? It probably didn't help that the senator — busy trying to get, you know, elected — wasn't given much time to prepare. We got lame gags based on talking points from his recent speeches. We got a lame McCain-Feingold joke. Even Tina Fey/Sarah Palin was uninspiring. Let's just place the blame for this mess on the writer's room. (His 'Weekend Update' bit was marginally more amusing — and in both bits, McCain showed a genuine, if wooden, capacity for self-deprecation.)  What were your thoughts on his appearance?  And what do we take away from the fact that a late-night comedy show became a strangely significant campaign-trail stop in the most important presidential election of our time?

UPDATE 1: Two quick things. First: Let's please keep the comments free from personal attacks on either candidate. Second: Of course I don't mean to suggest that John McCain lacks a sense of humor: I thought Barack Obama's SNL performance was similarly stiff and clumsy. And that's totally fine with me. What I really want from the next person who sits in the Oval Office is an ability to govern and lead and, hopefully, inspire. I'd rank "brilliant sense of comic timing" somewhere around No. 473 in a list of qualities I'd most want in a president. Okay, I'm stepping off my soapbox. Back to your thoughts on the show. And I agree with some of you: the View bit was unfunny and way too long.

UPDATE 2: It seems that politics and comedy make for comfy bedfellows: Lynette Rice reports on the show's string of landslide ratings wins. We're betting that Lorne Michaels isn't the only one who wishes the campaign were extended for a few more weeks.

Clip du jour: Ping Pong - an awesome volley

Yeah, I guess these guys are pretty good.

Clip du jour: Synchronized Presidential Debate

For anyone who watched more than one of the three debates and found something (strangely? unsettlingly?) familiar in all the talking...

[23/6 via BoingBoing]

Clip du jour: "Laid off by Lehman..."

In keeping with today's Wall Street-bashing theme (see item below), we present a (slightly NSFW) clip which demonstrates exactly the kind plucky resolve that just might see a generation of investment bankers through these tough and turbulent times.  

[Consumerist]

Clip du jour: McCain Vs. Obama Dance-Off

At last: the two candidates square off in the only forum that really matters. "My friends, it's on!"

Aretha Franklin covers Mariah Carey's 'Touch My Body'

This just in from the Department of Diva Affairs: A highly entertaining YouTube clip of Aretha Franklin covering Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body."

Still, for my money, when it comes to the Queen of Soul tackling suggestive material, you can't touch her simmering 1967 classic "Dr. Feelgood." Did Aretha really get away with those lyrics more than 40 years ago? Scandale!

What do you think of Aretha's "Touch My Body" cover? And what other modern hits would you like to hear her tackle next? Might I suggest 702's "Where My Girls At"? Oh yes I might!

More on Aretha, Mariah, and 702:
Mariah Carey's 'Touch My Body': Even better as a piano track?
Margeaux's Mix: Mr. and Mrs. Mariah party with L.A. Reid in NYC
Take 5: 702 and other tragic diva groups
See which Mariah clip makes EW's list of the best cinematic music videos

'Supernatural': Wooing me through song?

First, I was forwarded the "Wanted Dead or Alive" clip from last season's Supernatural finale. Now, I just received a link to the surprise at the end of last week's episode: Jensen Ackles lip-synching "Eye of the Tiger."

One more, boys, and you got me. In the meantime, I'll be adding this performance to our list of favorite musical TV moments.

Clip du jour: 3 Weeks, 3,000 Photos

Created from 3,000 photographs captured over a three-week period in New York City. Music: "Shape of My Heart" by Noah and the Whale.

3 Weeks - 3,000 Photos (New York City) from Robbie on Vimeo.

Have You Seen This?: Spike Jonze's Gap ad

Happy 39th birthday, Spike Jonze! Is it really gonna be another whole year before we finally get a chance to see your vision of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are? Oh well. In the meantime, we'll just have to make do with another viewing of this commercial — commissioned (and ultimately rejected) by the Gap. And this swell spot you did for Ikea.

Have You Seen This?: Fainting Goats!

An actual breed of domesticated goats found in North America, fainting goats (also known as nervous goats, stiff-leg goats, wooden-leg goats, and Tennessee scare goats) have a genetic disorder that causes younger animals to stiffen up and keel over.  These goats never lose consciousness, they only look as if they've fainted: after a few moments, they pop back up and go about their normal, um, goat-ly business. And,yes, it saddens us to learn that we missed — by just a few weeks — the World Champion Fainting Goat Show in Lewisburg, TN. Maybe next year.

Natalie Portman and Rashida Jones can fix the economy. Ruff!

Honestly, I don't like am not terribly into puppies -- a crime for which I should surely be stoned. No really. By all means, go ahead. Render me stoned. But even I find Nat and Shid's encapsulation of a popular Internetty phenomenon pretty adorable:

The week in celeb election PSAs (again)

Every day now, it seems like another unlikely celebrity is speaking out on the presidential election. I understand how these artists must feel — I can't stop reading campaign news and refreshing the latest polls, either. But there's something pretty surreal about seeing, say, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel remix the classic "D--- in a Box" as a pro-Obama clip called "Vote in the Box." (Yes, this actually happened, and while the video has mysteriously vanished from YouTube during the time I spent writing this post, I swear it was funny.) Meanwhile, you've got cavalcades of mostly apolitical rappers lining up to contribute verses packed with talking points to Russell Simmons and DJ Green Lantern's Yes We Can: The Mixtape. (The mixtape is totally solid and worth a free download, as it happens.) Then there was that fairly hilarious Moveon.org ad directed by Mr. & Mrs. Smith's Doug Liman where, like, Serena van der Woodsen and Dan Humphrey rag on John McCain. (Check it out below.) And those are just the three best examples from the past few days! Put it all together and it's clear that this election cycle is bringing out civic engagement from across the pop-culture map in a way I've never witnessed before.

Of course, I'm biased here. I'm most definitely the kind of guy who loves well-crafted entertainment with political overtones, so of course I'm enjoying all this. (It also helps that I'm a big supporter of Sen. Obama, who's the beneficiary of virtually all these pop-culture PSAs.) But what do you think? What have your favorite celeb endorsements of the season been? Or have you just had enough of all this? Cast your ballot with a comment below...

More on pop-culture and politics:
Leonardo DiCaprio et al. tell you not to vote (?)
PopWatch sorts out Madonna's politically charged tour video
Conservative Hollywood unites for An American Carol
Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson weighs in

The 'Steel Magnolias' funeral scene ... 'Sunny' side up

I didn't think it was possible to like Kaitlin Olson, Sweet Dee on FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, more than I already do (see an example of why after the jump). But then I saw her perform the funeral scene from Steel Magnolias in the clip below. In the online-only NSFW gem from the Paddy's Pub blog, aspiring actress Sweet Dee goes on an audition with Artemis (Artemis Pebdani, whose fine detective work in last week's "Who Pooped the Bed?" episode* will be available on Hulu tomorrow).

* One of the series' funniest episodes, or just another example of me thinking poo is funny?

Have You Seen This?: Western Spaghetti

The latest effort from the stop-motion animation maestro who goes by moniker PES : ‘Western Spaghetti’ — a magical kitchen in which pieces of candy corn become flames on a stove and bubble wrap turns into boiling water.  Plenty more eye-popping wonders can be found on the PES website.

Have You Seen This?: 'Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation'

The DVD of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull goes on sale today. I can't say I hated the movie (the first half hour was okay), but that's mostly because I so flattened my expectations. Sure, it was a gas to see a Dr. Jones with a few more years (and miles) on him — but there was something so soulless and tired in the story and direction. Anyway, this seems as good a time as any to peep a few minutes of Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation. You might remember reading about this a few years back: three young teenage Raider fans, who in 1982, decided to make a shot-for-shot recreation of the movie — a seven-year endeavor in which they had to make do with local talent, their own modest resources, and plenty of ingenuity and gumption. Check out their story (which has a great ending) and then be (in this order) amused, charmed, and impressed by the vision of three talented (and determined) middle-school students from a small town in Mississippi.

Snap Judgment: The final 'Twilight' trailer

I guess it's a good thing I know more about vampires than technology, because it took the Army Corps of Engineers a tech-savvy friend and much nail-biting to figure out how to install the $%#& Twilight widget so I could watch the damn thing. By the time I got it to work, the trailer was already on YouTube. But! Check it out, and my initial impression, below:

1. The kiss between Bella and Edward -- not a bad one. Almost hot, actually. Based on the film's poster, I was afraid they'd have zilch chemistry. Happy to see I might be wrong.

2. Is it just me, or does Robert Pattinson's American accent make him sound a little like a young Marlon Brando? Bella: "You've gotta give me some answers!" Edward: "I'd radda hear your tearies." And a little further in, "My famlee, we're different from udders of our kind." A Godfadder in the making.

3. I wish I could've seen more than a split second of Alice and the rest of the Cullens, and met Jacob too.

4. That's a cool trick Edward pulls with the apple. In fact, all the action seems pretty cool, though the dialogue could definitely use a little, uh, juice.

Over to you, PopWatchers: What do you think of the trailer? Are you tons more excited for the movie now that you've seen it? Or are you wishing it were the dusk of the Twilight empire already? Sound off below (but please keep it civil)!

More on Twilight:

The new poster and the soundtrack for Twilight revealed

Stephenie Meyer's Midnight Sun postponed indefinitely

Comic-con: Screaming throng greets Twilight cast

Have You Seen This?: An Incident Involving The Police

It's a crazy fantasy we've all had: you know, the one where your singing so impresses a rock star (who happens to be standing nearby) that he then invites you to perform with him in front of 20,000 screaming fans. Well, it actually happened to one Jessica Ketola of Edmonds, Washington. Ketola, a 37-year-old mother of four children and a church music director, works for Unitus, a non-profit organization dealing with global poverty that was a charitable partner on the recent Police tour. As such, she was invited to sing into the mic during the sound check before a July 12 concert. Okay, so you see where this is all going. Her swell version of "Every Breath You Take" (see clip below) got the attention of the band's singer and bass player (some guy named Sting).  Who, oh, only asked her to join them for a song during that night's show (where he would introduce her as "my discovery"). "Sting brought me water," she told a local paper, "How cool is that?"  I say: good person, good rock star, good story.  Anyone have a similar experience they'd like to share?  Or wanna tell us which band or star they've regularly performed with in their dreams?     [ From Kottke via girlhacker ]

EW's New Music Roundup: Bob Dylan, Michelle Williams, T.I., Mick Boogie, and more

Welcome to this week's edition of EW's New Music Roundup, a regular post highlighting the "Download This" track recommendations from the latest crop of music reviews found in Entertainment Weekly. All songs are from albums that are in stores now, and most are readily available via iTunes, eMusic, or similar services. Enjoy — and please share any feedback you may have...

Bob Dylan, Tell Tale Signs: Bootleg Series No. 8
Genre: Rock
EW Grade: A
Download This: "Dreamin' of You"
(Check out Bob Dylan online)

T.I., Paper Trail
Genre: Rap
EW Grade: B+
Download This: "Live Your Life"
(Check out T.I. online)

Deerhoof, Offend Maggie
Genre: Indie Rock
EW Grade: A–
Download This: "Chandelier Searchlight"
(Check out Deerhoof online)

Pretenders, Break Up the Concrete
Genre: Rock
EW Grade: B
Download This: "Boots of Chinese Plastic"
(Check out Pretenders online)

Michelle Williams, Unexpected
Genre: Pop
EW Grade: B+
Download This: "Lucky Girl"
(Check out Michelle Williams online)

Rise Against, Appeal to Reason
Genre: Punk
EW Grade: C+
Download This: "Hairline Fracture"
(Check out Rise Against online)

Rachel Yamagata, Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart
Genre: Pop
EW Grade: B–
Download This: "Elephants"
(Check out Rachel Yamagata online)

Oasis, Dig Out Your Soul
Genre: Rock
EW Grade: B–
Download This: "The Shock of the Lightning"
(Check out Oasis online)

Lambchop, OH (Ohio)
Genre: Rock
EW Grade: A–
Download This: "Slipped, Dissolved and Loosed"
(Check out Lambchop online)

Staff Web Pick of the Week:
Mick Boogie's The Honor Roll mixtape
What better way to celebrate VH1's 2008 Hip Hop Honors than by rounding up a cast of rising talents to reinterpret classic tunes from this year's honorees (Slick Rick, De La Soul, Naughty by Nature, Cypress Hill, Too $hort)? Give DJ Mick Boogie credit for the clever concept, and applaud Kidz in the Hall, Izza Kizza, Mickey Factz, and many more Z-lovin' up-and-comerz for pulling it off.
(Download it free from Mick Boogie's blog)

Leonardo DiCaprio's 'Don't vote' public service announcement

Here's the celebrity register-to-vote PSA to end all celebrity register-to-vote PSAs. As PopWatch's Simon Vozick-Levinson noted yesterday, it begins with a classic head fake, a minute and a half of stars telling you not to vote. Psych! No, really, you should vote because a) there are important issues to be decided during this election; b) it's super-easy for even lazy Web surfers to register to vote, with voter registration information for your state just a couple clicks away at maps.google.com/vote; and c) because Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, will.i.am., Natalie Portman, and about two dozen other youngish stars (and token senior citizen Dustin Hoffman) say so.

I still don't know whether celebrity endorsements of even such non-controversial nostrums as voter registration actually sway anybody's actions, but at least this one is fun to watch, especially for Jonah Hill's funny (and NSFW) comments, and because Sarah Silverman takes off her bra. Ah, the lengths to which even the rich and famous will go just to pimp democracy. It's a beautiful thing.

More celebrity voter registration PSAs:
Stars urge voters to support the Peanuts characters for president
Craig Ferguson's heartfelt, funny get-out-the-vote plea
Daughtry courts first-time voters via Foreigner cover tune

The shocking truth about T-Pain and his vocoder, revealed at last

I've been workin' on a little thought experiment for some time now. It goes like this: If I ever find myself interviewing Auto-Tune-loving singer T-Pain again, midway through the interview I could start typing my questions into Microsoft Word and using the "Speech" toolbar on them, so they'll come out of my computer's speakers in a robot voice. "Why-are-you-wearing-that-silly-top-hat-T-Pain?" the MS Word voice would croak mechanically. (Just like the vocal filter T-Pain uses in all his music, get it?) "Please, T-Pain, tell me more about the hat... T-Pain, these are serious questions. Why are you laughing at me? Is it because I am a robot?... T-Pain, robots have feelings too. I thought you would understand that."

Okay, this is funnier when I actually force co-workers to listen to MS Word reading those sentences aloud, I swear. Moving on! I think I'm going to have to abandon this plan, sadly, because T-Pain himself has beaten me to the punch. Below, behold the genius clip he just shot for FunnyOrDie.com to promote his upcoming album Thr33 Ringz. Plentiful LOLs (and some NSFW dialogue) lurk within. If you've ever wondered just why T-Pain is always using that Auto-Tune effect on his voice, here's your chance to find out the real story. And if he ever wants to switch careers again, I think he'd have a pretty decent shot at becoming a successful "rappa-ternt-sanga"-ternt-viral-video-comedian. Don't you?

What if all movies had cell phones?

The title pretty much sets up this clip nicely, so let's just discuss it after you've given it a look-see.

I personally love the Home Alone bit the most, since that could have actually been done with regular land-line phones too. Of course, there are so many other movies whose whole plots would have to change had they been set in a cell phone world, like, say, Benjamin Braddock just texting the hotel room number to Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate — which, actually, I'm a bit surprised the College Humor folks didn't include. What other movies, PopWatchers, do you think would go through major changes if the characters just had themselves a Razr or iPhone?

Is planet Earth ready for Janelle Monáe? (I hope so!)

Chris Rock did a pretty hilarious bit on BET's 106 & Park last month, openly mocking the lack of creativity he saw in the show's offerings. "That was so original! All the videos on BET, none of 'em look alike, ever...It's unbelievable. How do they do it?!" The show's host, Terrence, seemed a little uncomfortable with that line of humor, but Rock had a point. So it was a pleasant surprise to tune into 106 & Park again a few days ago and see up-and-coming artist Janelle Monáe introducing her new video for "Many Moons." It was light-years beyond what you normally see on any networks' remaining video countdowns. In fact, Monáe insisted on calling it a "short film," not a video. Which is fair enough: What else do you call a six-minute sci-fi tone poem based on Fritz Lang's 1927 landmark silent film Metropolis, starring Monáe in multiple roles as an assortment of futuristic androids? Just watch it (below), you'll have a better chance of making sense of "Many Moons" that way.

Pretty far-out stuff, right? But the screaming teen audience seemed to love it, which gives me hope. Monáe’s been trying to get a foothold in the industry for a few years now; along the way she's lined up co-signs from both members of OutKast, and she's currently signed to Bad Boy, which is awesome as long as Diddy doesn't try to make her the sixth member of Danity Kane or something. So maybe things are finally starting to line up for this wildly original artist. But you tell me — what do you make of Janelle Monáe and her "Many Moons"?

'Peanuts' for president? The race heats up!

If it's October, it must be time for some civic-minded celebs to remind us to vote in a few weeks. (Or not to vote? Whatever you say, Leonardo DiCaprio.) But Rock the Vote is really thinking outside the box this year, recruiting all kinds of famous people to urge viewers to register to vote... in an online "election" in which the only candidates on the ballot are characters from Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts. Um, sure? Educating kids about the electoral process is always a noble goal, as long as this does not lead to an epidemic of write-in votes for, like, Woodstock and the Red Baron in the real election this November.

Anyway, I'm enjoying the mock PSAs they've put together for this campaign. America's Best Dance Crew's Shane Sparks plans to pull the lever for Charlie Brown! Robert Morse from Mad Men (favorite show of elementary-schoolers everywhere) is voting for Linus! My personal favorite clip comes from The Daily Show's John Oliver (below), who semi-endorses Snoopy but mostly just passive-aggressively insults the American people. Also, JoJo refuses to say who she's supporting, but honestly, does anybody care about JoJo's voting preferences, even for cartoons?

So here's your chance to weigh in. Whose side are you on? Remember, folks, voting for lovably sarcastic cartoon characters with abnormally large heads is your duty as citizens. I read it in the Constitution.

More on The Peanuts and Politics:
A review of the Charles M. Schulz biography 'Schulz and Peanuts'
David Letterman vs. John McCain (round 1)
David Letterman vs. John McCain (round 2)
EW's Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert cover: Do you vote yea or nay?

YouTube song covers that don't suck (Vol. 1)

Every now and again when I'm searching for the video of a song on YouTube, I'll intentionally click on a cover. Why? Because there's only a 1 percent chance that it won't suck, and I like testing my luck. Imagine my surprise when I hit two good ones in a row last night:

Kyle Cameron's cover of Prince's (and Cyndi Lauper's) "When You Were Mine"

Tenille's cover of Foo Fighters' (and Paramore's) "My Hero"

Also not to be missed, the 14-year-old's renditions of Pink's "Who Knew" and Dixie Chicks' "Travelin' Soldier."

Have you stumbled onto covers you're not ashamed to recommend?

Does the Killers' 'Human' have the silliest lyrics of the week?

It does, say I. Note that I am a Killers fan — even liked most of Sam's Town! — and I am enjoying their newly leaked single, too. (Hear it here, for now, until their label disappears it like they already have from YouTube.) But check out the profound query posed by Brandon Flowers on the hook: "Are we human?", he wonders, "Or are we dancer?"

Two things, Mr. Flowers. First: "dancer?" Are you having trouble differentiating yourself and your bandmates from...Dancer the magical reindeer? If not, I believe you might be missing a letter at the end of that word. So I'm gonna go ahead and assume that you are in fact asking whether you (we?) are human or, uh, dancers. Which brings me to my second complaint: What's with the false choice? Yo, Brandon, no offense, but most dancers are generally human. Just sayin'. Unless we are talking about freaky robots or adorable LOLcreatures, in which case I think I just discovered the perfect video treatment for "Human" (below). I'll be waiting for my director credit! Or — back to you, PopWatchas — am I missing something here?

YouTube as highbrow cultural library

This list of streaming arts videos has been out for a few days now, but it's worth bookmarking, if only to remind yourself that there's more to YouTube than political attack videos and sneezing pandas. There's actually culture there, from highbrow (Jackson Pollock in action, above; Igor Stravinsky conducting his own Firebird Suite; Vladimir Nabokov talking about Lolita to Lionel Trilling) to pop (a pre-fame Nirvana rehearsing in a garage; Kurt Russell's failed Star Wars audition; the famous final Beatles concert on the Apple rooftop). Kudos to The Observer's Ajesh Patalay for digging through all of YouTube to find these (and h/t to USA Today's Pop Candy for the link). If you have any rarities or underappreciated YouTube arts videos that Patalay missed, share the links below.

Oasis attacked!

This new report about the U.S. being "dangerously vulnerable" to a terrorist attack may be frightening to American citizens, but British rock stars are also wary this week after a man (identified as Daniel Sullivan from Pickering, Canada) attacked Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher at a show in Toronto on Sunday. Sullivan (also identified as drunk) burst onto the stage while the band performed "Morning Glory" and shoved Gallagher into a monitor, fracturing his ribcage and tearing some ligaments. Now, I may not be an expert, but I've had a brush or two myself with drunken lunacy, and I have to say, I'm a bit surprised the guy targeted Noel rather than his brother, vocalist Liam. For one, Noel is wielding a relatively heavy guitar he can use to retaliate if your inebriated shove is off the mark and leaves him on his feet -- Liam simply has a mic stand. Also, Liam is the more obnoxious of the two brothers (I'll never forget the Oasis MTV Unplugged performance when he sat in the stands pouting while the band played the set with Noel taking over vocal duties) and a more satisfying target for public humiliation, though certainly not deserving of the serious injuries Noel suffered. Turns out, Liam did a fine job of humiliating himself in the incident anyway, thanks to a video of his cowering until security fully apprehended the attacker, and only then stepping up tentatively, his fist cocked back in a "Why I oughtta" type pose. At any rate, we certainly hope Noel gets better soon and that his brother doesn't kick him out of the band for taking time off to heal.

Christian the Lion gets a movie deal...

... and that movie deal gives you a legitimate excuse to once again watch the video of Christian reuniting with the two men who raised him.

Okay, who cried?

If you've never seen the original ending to the documentary, Christian, The Lion at World's End, click here.

We'll now acknowledge Heidi Montag's new 'music' video

But only because Joel McHale's gone ahead and spoofed it:

Sorry, can't write anything else because I refuse to type that first name again.

Just because: Happy Hump Day from Spaghetti Cat!

Brad Meltzer's 'Book of Lies' trailer! Starring Joss Whedon! And, Christopher Hitchens (!?)

Brad Meltzer's new, sure-to-best-sell novel, The Book of Lies, has inspired a, um, novel new video, or “trailer,” as the author is calling it. The coolly polished yet exciting video includes Joss Whedon, former EW writer A.J. Jacobs, and Lost's Damon Lindelof and Brian K. Vaughn (the latter also author of the great comic book Y: The Last Man) — or "my brothers in nerd," as Meltzer told me.

Check out The Book of Lies trailer; more info after the jump.

Muppet Kanye: Olympic Stud of the Day...?

Ok, so technically he is competing in the "Unified Games," not the Olympics. Also he is technically some sort of Muppet-like creature that looks (somewhat) like famous rapper Kanye West, not a real human athlete. But come on! Have you seen that little puppet sprint? So much heart. So much adversity overcome. So much use of the word "champion." Just check out the Jason Lezak-esque victory from behind he pulls off in Kanye's new music video (below; h/t). If that doesn't qualify as Olympically studly, I dunno what does. What do you say — 'Ye or nay?

While you wait for 'SNL' to resume, here's 'The Line'

Want to know how Saturday Night Live's Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, and Jason Sudeikis have been spending their summer? Waiting in line for an imaginary sci-fi movie sequel at a Brooklyn cinema, that's how. That's the plot of The Line, a seven-minisode online series directed by Meyers, co-written by Hader and SNL scribe Simon Rich, and featuring Hader and Sudeikis (and several comic actors you'll recognize from smaller roles on shows like 30 Rock). The show (which you can learn more about here) is a lot like waiting in a real fanboy movie line (or, for that matter, a typical SNL sketch): moments of hilarity, long stretches of monotony, and an ending only dimly in sight. Best of the seven installments is