#8 Bill Clinton's 'hilarious' Funny or Die Video

President Bill Clinton celebrated both his 65th birthday and the 10th anniversary of the Clinton Foundation with multiple star-studded acts, but his appearance in a cleverly made Funny or Die skit was by far the best. Funny or Die is a site where people can post hilarious skits they've written and acted in themselves. Dozens of actors, including Steve Carell and Zach Galifianakis, have uploaded their own videos onto the site as well. This specific clip, titled Clinton Foundation Celebrity Brainstorm, is extremely funny. Actors Ben Stiller, Matt Damon, Kevin Spacey, Sean Penn, Kristen Wiig, Jack Black, Ted Danson, and Mary Steenburgen make up the "celebrity division" of the Clinton Foundation, and they need to come up with ideas that will help strengthen it. Stupid ideas fly, confusion ensues, all in all producing a very clever script. Ben Stiller is the head of the celebrity division, the only man in the room who seems to have all his marbles. The others are completely insane. Matt Damon suggests that they create a foundation softball team to build spirit. Sean Penn orders that they figure out who is continuously stealing his lunch. Kristen Wiig is the one is always over-excited and very naive, suggesting that they attempt nearly impossible things. Then we have Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, the two (disgusting) star-crossed lovers. He plays a complete idiot; she agrees with everything he says. Finally, there's Jack Black, who thinks that the Clinton Foundation needs a theme song, and ends up banging it out on his guitar, singing at the same time.

I started watching Funny or Die videos about a month before this specific clip appeared online (Warning: a small portion of the videos on this site include vulgar language). I love to explore the certain aspects of this hilarious site, and The Clinton Foundation video is on of the funniest I've ever seen. All in all, this is definitely a clip worth checking out. You're sure to be laughing very hard by the end!

Clinton Foundation Celebrity Brainstorm link
Original Article Page link
Funny or Die link

#7 50/50: The Story Behind the Movie

Screenwriter Will Reiser was only 24 years old when he was diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer. He, along with friend and actor Seth Rogen, thought up 'cancer comedies', a metaphorical bucket list that helped him cope. It has been six years since the diagnosis and Reiser is finally cancer-free... and has decided to write a script loosely based on his experience. The movie is called '50/50', named after the odds Reiser had in surviving. Veteran actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the movie equivalent of Reiser, a man named Adam. Seth Rogen costars as - obviously - himself. Joseph Gordon-Levitt says that he was drawn to the script because it didn't have any cliched plot points or stereotypes. "I was laughing. I was concerned. I didn't know what was going to happen next," Gordon-Levitt says. "These are all what makes me want to get involved with a project." Some of the clever plot points include Rogen suggesting to his buddy that he uses the sympathy he gets in order to get girls (it didn't work) or when the main character's mother comes to stay with him after she finds out that he has cancer, adding to the tension and annoyance he feels. '50/50' arrived in theaters on September 30. Be sure to check it out!

I for one am attracted to a script that follows along this type of plot line. Not that I search specifically for a story about a man with cancer, but it is the comedy and the heart that draws me to it. (That and the fact that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a main part in it.) I think that it is incredible how someone like Will Reiser managed to get through such a hard time in his life. The best part of it was that he always had his best friend Seth Rogen at his side, keeping him well mentally throughout the entire journey. I have yet to see the film itself, but I believe that it will be spectacular, and it will touch many people.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Will Reiser Tackle '50/50' Odds
50/50 Trailer

#5 Chances Run Out for (Now) Ex-Quarterback

Five chances. Twenty-three year old Stephen Garcia's coach gave him five chances to straighten out the life he was leading. And Garcia dismissed the warnings as just that, and nothing more. After failing an alcohol test, the South Carolina Gamecocks' coach cut Garcia from the team. The man's father had to drive up from Florida in the middle of the football season and ferry his son back to their home. Coach Steve Spurrier expressed that he was sympathetic towards Garcia, but since the football star had signed a zero-tolerance agreement, he had to let him go.“I don’t like it, I don’t like it,” Spurrier said of Garcia’s dismissal. “I wished he’d stayed and wished he could have finished his career as a Gamecock, one way or another.” Gary Garcia, Stephen's father, was understanding about his son's dismissal, but also a bit miffed. “It was heartbreaking for him to drive away from that stadium after seeing his teammates,” Gary Garcia said. “He got a lot of chances, but he didn’t get a lot of chances because the things he did were small, it was because the people there that know him love him.”


I for one completely agree with the coach's decision to cut Stephen Garcia from the South Carolina team. Signing a no-tolerance agreement and then breaking it multiple times is not the sign of a great man, or even a great quarterback. Most will agree that there are multiple football players in the NFL that, no matter how great they are, still struggle legally. I doesn't matter if Plaxico Buress had an amazing, game-saving catch during the super bowl, or Michael Vick has been a star player every season. Buress was in possession of an unlicensed firearm and Vick was coordinating dog fights. Both of them were wrong, and both of them faced the consequences, which I believe is right.

Chances Run Out for (Now) Ex-Quarterback

#4 Yanks Sent Home By Tigers Shocking Win

Last night, the Yankees played their fifth and final game against the Tigers. They were tied 2 - 2 in the playoff series, and the Yankees needed a win to continue in the playoffs. But every NewYork Yankees' world series dreams were crushed as the Tigers barely scraped by with a win of three to two. This was shocking for most people, as the Yankees had crushed the Tigers' in there previous game by at least six runs.

I, being an avid Yankees fan, was incredibly disappointed when I found out that the Yankees lost. They came into the season with the hope that they would once again bring home a World Series title, but their dreams were stolen from them by a team who got lucky. Knowing the Yankees, though, they will come back next year more powerful than ever!

Yanks Sent Home By Tigers Shocking Win

#3 Footloose Remake Something For This Generation

Footloose is the story of a big-city teen named Ren McCormack who moves to a small town that has banned dancing. Being a rebel, Ren strives to abolish the dancing law, all the while romancing the reverend's daughter, whose father is the one who pushed for the no dancing law in the first place. The original film was made in 1984, but after almost 30 years, director Craig Brewer decided that he was going to produce a remake of the old classic. There's a few differences though, between the new and old versions. "I want Footloose to do to this generation what it did to my generation," says the director. He explains that the newer Footloose will be more dangerous, with more sexy and tense moments. While they will be changing a few things in their movie, Brewer also says that they will definitely be keeping many of the original parts in. "[But] we only want to do it when people who are true fans can lean down to their kids and say, 'See that's from the original.'" There may be new dance sequences, but the old love that Ren (Kevin Bacon) and the reverend's daughter (Lori Singer) had in the older version will not be changed at all, of that the director is sure.

I believe that it will exciting for these upcoming actors and actresses to be able to be involved in such a famous dance movie. Although the older version of Footloose is definitely a classic, and will probably not be replaced by the newer film, I think that it will be interesting to see how it will be depicted by this generation. The Footloose trailer proves that there will be a lot more dancing, tension, and passion than the original. I am a Footloose fan, and it will be enjoyable for me and other fans to see how the new version will turn out.

Theatrical Trailer
Article Link