I caught myself absent-mindedly singing the chorus to You're So Vain in the shower last week. I was protecting my blown out hair with an oversized plastic shower cap adorned with bright yellow duckies and a big ruffled edge. The irony hit me when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
I quickly switched the words, morphing into "You're so Lame" which I came up with on the spot (clever me). I got soap in my eyes, and I was feeling lame. Old. Out of it. "I bet you don't even know who wrote this song, do you?... do you?...." I sang (but I did remember, after all, because who could forget Carly Simon?)
I realized then, with plastic duckie shower cap atop my head, that it was time for me to up my cool factor. My kids had been away too long, and I was reverting to Carly Simon and Seinfeld re-runs. A lesson from my kids in "current events" was going to be the price of Thanksgiving dinner.
They didn't make it easy. "Show me what you think is cool, what you think is funny," I pleaded all weekend with my kids, my nephew, the high school friends.
"I'm not sure what you're looking for."
"I mean funny. Show me what you think is funny. Or hip. Or just cool. Just don't send me to Tosh.0. I hate Tosh.0."
Blank looks, followed by, "What we think is funny, you probably won't think is funny."
In the end, after much cajoling and pleading, I pulled a few things out of them, and it turns out they were wrong. Most of what they think is funny, I think is funny.
What do you think?
1. Random Pictures with weird grammar/spelling/phrasing. For example, this is apparently hilarious:
I think, "Eh."
2. Just about all Buzzfeed articles are funny, because they are often so dumb and Hallmark card-like and, I quote, "#trendy." These Buzzfeed articles have titles such as, "The 27 Signs Your Roommate is Actually Your Significant Other;" "The 25 Things You Should Tell Your Best Friend Right Now;" "15 Reasons You Definitely Can't Go To The Gym Today;" (or, perhaps, "8 Things Your Kids Might Think Are Funny"?) Apparently, these articles are generally considered funny because they are so stupid. But every once in a while you get one that actually is funny- check out "Dogs who are too stupid for their own good."
3. Gifs. These short video clips that play over and over again (often found within a Buzzfeed article, see above link about the stupid dogs) were new to me. Now that I know what they are, I see them everywhere. In seconds on www.reddit.com/r/gifs I found some great gifs, check them out:
I might just be addicted.
4. Miley Cyrus. At least some of my kids (and their friends) think Miley is funny, mostly because of "how unprecedented her new angle is." Aren't these college kids smart? They believe that at least half the people who follow Miley love her, but the other half follow her because of how ridiculous she is. In either case, it is really fun to compare Disney Pop Star Miley:
with new and "improved" Miley:
Fortunately, I have prosopagnosia and am not able to tell that these are both Miley, so I am not scarred.
5. Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis. Can you say awkward? This is funny stuff. Check out this interview with Justin Bieber (even if you hate Justin Bieber):
There is clearly life beyond Jon Stewart and Steve Colbert.
6. Kanye West Bound 2 video and parody. Yes, they find it funny that Kanye and Kim Kardashian have named their kid "North," but that is not the funny part. This took a bit of explaining: "the video ruins the best song on the album." "Kanye is trying to make a rap video that is romantic- when he is humping Kim Kardashian on a motorcycle." "Because it's ridiculous." "Because Kim Kardashian's hair is blowing in the wrong direction when she is on the motorcycle."
Original Bound 2 video (warning:sexually explicit):
And of course, the Parody, which actually IS funny once you have watched the first video and embraced how stupid it is:
7. Jimmy Kimmel. From my nephew, God love him, who is not yet sarcastic and hardened. This is plain old funny, with a touch of mean. Love it.
8. "California On" interviews with Kassem G. (arguably the world's most perfect man.) Most of the new ones are overly sexual and not very funny, but this one isn't bad (though it is cannot be considered new :
So, I got a weekend glimpse into what's hot. What's funny. What's cool. I'm on top of things for at least a day. I hope you have a few minutes to check these out and laugh. And let me know what you think.
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