my afternoon on youtube

This afternoon I spent some time on my computer watching youtube videos. The first thing I did was watch an episode of The Big Comfy Couch. This was one of my favorite tv shows when I was a little kid, it caters to 5 and 6 year olds and I was definitely Loonette the Clown one year for halloween. The basic idea of the show is that Loonette is a clown and she lives in a world of clowns, with Grandma Garbonzo and Molly the Dolly on her big comfy couch. She does goofy tings with toys all day and was my inspiration for the type of clown I want to be. She has pigtails and a colorful outfit and is just goofy. She doesn't do alot of tricks but speaks to kids on a personal level, falls down alot and makes silly noises. She uses alot of illiteration in her speech and dance moves/body motions to go with everything she says. By watching these videos I see that younger kids are entertained by her silliness, the random element of the things she says. Everything is very visual, she throws toys and shows pictures  of everything she and her doll molly are thinking of. Lastly, She's always a positive role model, picking up her toys and exercising everyday so that kids will follow suit. If you'd like to get a glimpse this was a good episode http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jFDah-uTXY&feature=related

I've also been signed up for an e-course, The Ultimate Secrets of Being a Professional Clown, (more on what I've learned on that later) but one of the suggestions was to look up videos of Bob Newhart and his telephone acts. By observing him, clowns can learn to use props to be funny and have conversations with, while being the only person on stage. My particular favorite was the air traffic controller skit... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD1MW-nyhxg&feature=related  While watching him in a few other acts I saw him use pauses and facial expressions to really emphasize what he was saying. The fact that he was keeping an incredibly serious face while he was saying hilarious things was just as funny as the thigns he was saying. His acts have made me consider the use of props in my own clowning "act" and what I would say if I had them. Honestly, I have no idea what I would use or say if I had them, so I should probably start thinking!