How to spend many hours watching strangers...

I'm referring to You Tube - what a complete phenomenon of our time! We've come to it fairly late, until recently just popping in to check out videos people had sent me, eg the Star Trek ones, Sci-Fi Spelling Bee and Chad Vader - I know there's a theme here, but we're not Trekkies.

But lately we've gone online and just surfed around looking at normal people who have set up a webcam, made a wee film, and shared their insights with (literally) the world. We saw the old guy in his 70s. I like to think if my dad was still alive, this might have appealed to him.

Last night we had fun surfing through old music videos: Marc Bolan (T Rex), very early Elton John, David Bowie and The Stranglers. We were also checking out Jack Black and watched his Tenacious D video "Tribute" which was hilarious. Then we watched the Swartz kids do their version (a tribute to "Tribute" I guess). It was really well done. It looked like the kids were on holiday in Hawaii and, perhaps while Mum and Dad were at the pool, they filmed this homage, in the hotel room, by the pool and on the beach. I think they might have a future in film there.

Another highlight, which I had seen for the first time only the night before on C4 music channel, was Elton John's "I need love" which features Robert Downey Jnr miming to the song while he walks around an empty apartment. Really simple, very effective - perhaps all the more knowing a little of Downey's problems. Scariest thing was a comment under the video from some not-so-bright spark: "That is not Elton John". Someone kindly put him right.

Two more not to miss - hilarious video of Elton's "Tiny Dancer" where the filmmaker has done a literal translation of the words into images. Also Fat Boy Slim's "Weapons..." (can't remember the rest of the title) with Christopher Walken dancing. Incredible!!

I think we might have to put some sort of time limit on, it's very addictive...