"'Scan it again, Sam'---the online options": This week's newspaper column

[Willie G. Moseley]

‘Scan it again, Sam’…the online options

Some years ago, this space noted how some home entertainment buffs would “cue up”—a liberal use of the term—certain segments of movies on VHS tapes or DVDs, just as they would suss out favorite songs on a record, cassette tape or Compact Disc.

Being able to revisit a personally-memorable moment is something that is a unique option of video entertainment, and the list of favorite segments is probably unique for every individual viewer. While there are probably some snippets that are somewhat “popular”, one doubts that such a survey could be done…and maybe that’s the way it should be.

But nowadays, one has an online option of viewing intriguing portions of movies, news reports, historical documentaries, and other brief online, via Youtube or some other video format. It would seem that an untold number of entertainment buffs have taken it on themselves to post such fare, and average consumers can now view such segments on a computer without having to insert a DVD into it.

There are presentations that I never seem to tire of pulling up online that are also DVD favorites. In general, they’re uplifting (and often climactic) moments in movies that are usually accompanied by enthralling and memorable music. Examples can be found in many sports movies—final competitions in Rocky, Hoosiers, Chariots of Fire, et. al.—as well as inspirational moments such as Moses parting the Red Sea in The Ten Commandments or John Glenn's launch into orbit in The Right Stuff.

What’s curious, however, is that there have also been presentations that were first seen on Youtube that have also become personal favorites, as well:

Since the mid-Nineties, there has been a keen interest in Irish stepdancing, which is a type of choreographed tap dancing in which the upper part of the body (usually) stays rigid. There are various genres of stepdancing, “hybrids” and protocols, but what called attention to this cultural tradition some 20 years ago was a phenomenon called “Riverdance.”

In April of 1994, Ireland was hosting the annual Eurovision Song Contest and the seven-minute “Riverdance” presentation wasn’t even competing. Instead, it was an “interval” act, apparently designed to entertain the audience while the set for another contestant was being prepared (and while the two hosts changed outfits).

“Riverdance” began with plaintive, evocative singing, working its way into a somewhat traditional stepdancing routine by Jean Butler. Then Michael Flatley took over with his rapid-fire tap dancing, whereupon he and Butler finished the performance by leading a chorus line of dancers in a blistering stepdancing program accompanied by a soaring Irish jig.  It was a sensation, and companies were formed to tour the world in a multiple-dance theatrical presentation.

The Youtube versions to watch are the actual Eurovision Song Contest from ’94, or one called  “’Riverdance’—the final performance.” Apparently Butler and Flatley went their separate ways following this show. The chorus line routine in the latter is a bit more complicated, therefore a bit more enthralling.

Fast forward a decade and a half to a 2009 episode of a show called “Britain’s Got Talent.” Like its American counterpart, the UK show is basically a modern version of “Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour.”

One contest was an unemployed  47-year-old woman named Susan Boyle. Her unkempt appearance and slightly goofy banter with judges Piers Morgan, Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell were befuddling to the audience, and a derisive wolf whistle was even heard. The judges seemed somewhat discombobulated as well; their expressions on the faces indicated they didn’t quite know what to do with Ms. Boyle, who announced she was going to sing a song from the musical ‘Les Miserables’.

And within seconds after she began singing, the audience was on its feet, shrieking in ecstasy. The purity of Boyle’s mezzo-soprano voice was absolutely devastating, and the longer and louder the audience responded, the more her confidence grew.

Ms. Boyle went through a makeover, of course, and his ensuing career took her to international acclaim. Her albums have consistently been top sellers.

And if you’ve never seen or heard her performance on “Britain’s Got Talent,” I can just about guarantee it’ll bring tears to your eyes.

There are other Youtube-type presentations that many viewers may find memorable, in many different categories. Sometimes the so-called Information Age can actually be inspiring. As is the case with movie segments, such choices are as individual as the viewers themselves.

And thank goodness for that.

 

 

 

[crunchee]

I remember Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour, from back when I was a kid...it used to be on CBS network in the US on late Sunday afternoons many years ago, and was sponsored by Geritol.      IIRC, near it's end in 1970, it seemed to me that it used to get preempted a LOT by NFL Football (though the Wiki entry doesn't mention that), and this was well before the NFL was the marketing juggernaut it is now: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Original_Amateur_Hour