There seems to be an inverse relationship between one’s willingness to podcast one’s life and the general merit of that individual’s life. No offense to the creative and productive vlogger’s out there, but it is a terrifyingly self-indulgent sea you’re swimming in. The fact that Perez Hilton‘s “video blog” on YouTube, which is nothing more than advertisements for his VH1 show, continuously occupies multiple spots in YouTube’s “most viewed” section triggers my snobbish elitism the way that icanhascheezburger‘s meteoric rise makes me simultaneously cringe and chuckle. Cruckle? Chinge? Now who’s the portmanteau authority?
Still, there is no use fighting the public’s thirst for sensational gossip. But let’s say we took a different approach to this vlogging phenomenon — what if we connected interesting, articulate, and well-informed people with videocast technology? It is inevitable that more celebrities and dignitaries will jump into the increasingly media-rich blogosphere; what follows is purely an academic thought experiment. After the jump are the top five people I’d like to see vlogging.
Bill Nye the Science Guy — As a child raised on PBS, I worry about where today’s web-enhanced youth is going to get its quality children’s entertainment. Who will be the Jim Henson of the digital age? Looking back to PBS for inspiration, television personality and science guy Bill Nye is a perfect fit for online video. His PBS show was made up of short segments strung together along a theme. Nye would talk to the audience directly and had no problem ad-libbing. In fact, it could have been Bill Nye who brought the miracle of Diet Coke and Mentos to the interwebs. Nye’s web site says that he currently has patents pending on a “ballet toe show and a ball-throwing technique training device.” Nye has also been busy teaching at his alma mater Cornell, writing a column for MSN Encarta, contributing to a number of science television shows, and coming out in favor of Pluto’s downgrade to dwarf planet.
The President of the United States — In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge, a.k.a. “Silent Cal,” delivered the nation’s first Presidential Radio Address. To this day, the President continues to broadcast a weekly address from the Oval Office. What if this was made into a vodcast? Perhaps I’ve been spending too much time in front of The West Wing, but I did watch Fred Thompson’s announcement about his announcement on his presidential intentions and maybe it is time for the President’s Radio Address to step into the 21st century.
Quentin Tarantino — While he is a painfully obvious choice from a young, male film-major blogger, Tarantino’s spitfire dialog coupled with his tendency for tightly crafted vignettes would make for some compelling and compact videos. What happens when Tarantino needs to go to the butcher counter at the grocery store? I’m sure Tarantino doing his laundry is far less mind-numbing than Paris Hilton doing…well, anything.
James Carville and Mary Matalin — The bipartisan pundits, bound by political disagreement and holy matrimony, are no strangers to sharing the spotlight. The two have appeared together on numerous television shows, have co-written a book, and worked together in Carville’s “Topics in American Politics” class. The idea of a more informal venue for the two to debate, discuss, and dissect the other’s political leanings could make for the political equivalent of Jerry Springer. Just go NetFlix “The War Room” to observe the Ragin’ Cajun and you’ll see what I mean.
Ari Emanuel — The inspiration for Entourage‘s rabid and ranting Ari Gold, Emanuel is one of Hollywood’s biggest superagents. As Jeremy Piven struggles to pull Entourage back from jumping the shark, my attention has wandered and now wonders what the actual Ari is like. No stranger to the blogosphere, Emanuel has been blogging at The Hugginton Post for more than two years. I’m sure Arianna has an extra Xacti lying around that she can lend him so he can add the dynamism of wild gesticulation that his current political posts lack.
These are simply the hopes and dreams of one petulant blogger. Who would you like to see start talking into an uncomfortably close camera?
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