Skip to main content
  • CNSNews.com
  • MRC TV
  • Biz & Media
  • Culture & Media
  • TimesWatch
  • Take Action!

Join Us @:
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon Kindle

Tell the Truth campaign logo
NewsBusters.org logo

February 10, 2012
  • Home
  • Blogs
  • About
  • Forum
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Account
  • RSS
Home » Blogs » P.J. Gladnick's blog
  • Chris Matthews Excoriates: Rick Santorum Is a 'Theocrat' and Franklin Graham Is a 'Disgrace'
  • Time's Mark Halperin Concedes: GOP 'Would Be Creamed' by Media for Not Passing a Budget
  • CNN Reporters Call CPAC a ‘Conservative Petri Dish’
  • Chris Matthews Reacts to JFK Mistress: Kennedy a Hero Who 'Still Arouses the Country'
  • Covering Up JFK’s Roguish Behavior for 50 Years Not Long Enough for NBC’s Viewers
  • Bozell: It's 'Hilarious' CNN Suspended Roland Martin for Inoffensive Tweet; Maybe 'Lefty Loons at MSNBC' Can 'Scoop Him Up' Now
  • CNN Responds to Bozell Letter Demanding Coverage of Catholic Outrage at Obama; We Reply
  • Barbara Walters: It's 'Heartbreaking' to Force Women to View an Ultrasound Before an Abortion

Will Overlong Deadly Dull SF Mayor Speech on YouTube Inspire Parodies?

By P.J. Gladnick | December 02, 2008 | 09:04

Change font size:  A |  A
The only thing remotely interesting about San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's bizarre decision to upload his incredibly dull 7.5 hour "state of the city" speech to YouTube is the knowledge that it is sure to inspire parodies. So how dull is Newsom's speech? Well I challenge you to listen to just a couple of minutes of it without hearing the beckoning call of Mr. Sandman enticing you to enter a deep slumber. Here is the take on this YouTube speech by Michelle Malkin:

Hey, remember that judge who sentenced noise violators to Barry Manilow music? Here’s a worse sentence: Sitting through 7.5 hours of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom droning on and on and on about the “state of the city.” There are YouTube segments on health care, education, and the environment. But nada on the city’s infamously deadly illegal alien sanctuary policies.

He’s uploaded his entire speech on YouTube. Even his fellow libs can’t take it:

Malkin is referring to the liberal San Francisco Chronicle. Even they are mocking Gavin's massive ego that makes him think that people will be watching him on YouTube without dozing off:

When San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom posted an epic State of the City speech on YouTube on Monday, reaction was mixed. 

"Just what I wanted," said Aaron Peskin, outgoing president of the Board of Supervisors. "Somebody imitating Al Gore for 7 1/2 hours. The guy did a Fidel Castro."

But Newsom's staff is taking the long view.

"By next year, or two years from now, everybody will be doing this," said Eric Jaye, Newsom's political strategist.

Boring the hell out of everybody and setting themselves up for mockery?

The mayor's brain trust thinks it is on to something, but there is disagreement about what it is. Some think it's a plot to co-opt the mainstream media. Others suspect it's a digital gateway for Newsom's run for governor. And some hope it will touch voters in an innovative way.

It will touch voters in an innovative way by causing instant sleep sans medication.

"I believe in this," said mayoral spokesman Nathan Ballard. "I'm optimistic that we will reach more constituents than ever before."

Right. Because people, particularly young voters, watch YouTube. But those people are watching funny cat stunts and people flying off trampolines, not a video of a talking head reciting eye-glazing statistics.

And don't forget the video of Snowball,  the dancing cockatoo. One of the faves of your humble correspondent.

Supervisor Sean Elsbernd applauds the mayor for "a fantastic use of new technology." But he also admitted he hasn't watched more than 2 1/2 minutes and isn't likely to view much more.

"Realistically, are the supervisors going to sit for 7 1/2 hours and watch this?" Elsbernd said. "No."

It isn't as if the mayor's office didn't anticipate the reaction when people heard the speech ran longer than a flight to Honolulu.

"As one of a handful of people who sat through the entire taping, I agree," said Ballard. "That's a pretty long time."

The production value of the videos also leaves a lot to be desired. For example, as Peskin says, even if "you press your face 2 inches from the screen," you cannot read the color slides and charts that appear behind Newsom.

Since Newsom's deadly dull speeches were uploaded to YouTube just a couple of days ago, a storm of parodies can soon be expected. It's almost inevitable. But how to parody something which inspires ennui to such an extent as to make it impossible to watch for more than a couple of minutes? Well, your humble correspondent has a few suggestions.

One idea would be to show a couple in a romantic setting at a table in an intimate restaurant. The waiter arrives to take their order but launches into a word for word recital of Gavin Newsom's forgettable speech. The couple want to be alone but the waiter just keeps droning on with Newsom's speech. 

You could also take the American Idol approach. Intercut segments of Newsom's speech with the judges looking bored out of their minds. 

"Dueling Boors" would go back and forth between cuts of Newsom's speech and the infamous outdoor harangues of Fidel Castro.

A reality show approach could be taken by offering 50 bucks to anybody who can sit through all of Newsom's YouTube speeches. Then record the looks on the faces of those who accept the challenge as they struggle valiantly to pay attention.

Oh, and taking a tip from Michelle Malkin, you could also use Barry Manilow music as the backdrop for Mayor Newsom's speech.

These are just a few of the parody ideas but perhaps you could think up some of your own. Remember, NewsBusters does have regular Anti-SNL Open Threads. We will be looking forward to your Gavin Newsom speech parody videos...if you can stay awake long enough to produce them.

Share this
  • Gavin Newsom
  • YouTube
  • P.J. Gladnick's blog
  • Login or register to post comments
  • Printer-friendly version
Donate to NewsBusters

Donate to NewsBusters Today!

This form needs Javascript to display, which your browser doesn't support. Sign up here instead

User Shortcuts

Log in

  • My account
  • My buddylist
  • Log in to check messages
  • RSS feed
  • About NB
  • Contact us
  • Jobs
  • Advertise on NB

 

 


  • Does the drug 'ella' cause abortions? (Weekly Standard)
  • Does income inequality cause global warming? (Power Line)
  • Jay Carney gets snippy about Super PACs (Verum Serum)
  • Where are the blacks for Roland Martin? (NRO/Media Blog)
  • Turkish Islamists turn church into mosque (Commentary)

RSS FeedAmazon KindleFacebookTwitter

Recent comments

  • Do you DARE to question the expertise of Dr. Bozell?
    1 min 23 sec ago
  • Oh, he tried! He's just
    5 min 1 sec ago
  • "Birth control" methods like
    6 min 4 sec ago
  • This Stupidity
    12 min 18 sec ago
  • Why Have You 'Burdened' People With Truth About Kennedy?
    12 min 36 sec ago
More >

Obama's Bully-the-Catholic-Church Pulpit
more cartoons
  • Full Video of Rick Santorum at CPAC
  • Gov. Perry Tells NewsBusters He's Just 'Fighting on a Different Front'
  • Jay Leno Pines for More Socially Liberal Republican Party
  • Dan Savage Says FRC Leader 'Dances a Jig' at Teen Suicides
  • Cornel West Scolds Al Sharpton: 'Tell the Truth About the White House'
More >
NewsBusters

Executive Editor
Matthew Sheffield

Editor at Large
Brent Baker

Senior Editors
Tim Graham
Rich Noyes

Managing Editor
Ken Shepherd

Associate Editor
Noel Sheppard

Contributing Editors
Tom Blumer
Geoffrey Dickens
Dan Gainor
David Limbaugh
Lachlan Markay
Mithridate Ombud
Clay Waters
Scott Whitlock

Senior Contributor
Mark Finkelstein

Editorial Associate
Aubrey Vaughan

Contributing Writers
Matthew Balan
Michael M. Bates
Erin R. Brown
Jack Coleman
Kyle Drennen
Douglas Ernst
P. J. Gladnick
Stephen Gutowski
Matt Hadro
D. S. Hube
Kathleen McKinley
Dave Pierre
Amy Ridenour
Julia A. Seymour
Terry Trippany
Rusty Weiss
Brad Wilmouth

Publisher
Brent Bozell

Site Design
Dialog New Media

 

  • Home
  • Blogs
  • About
  • Forum
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Account
  • rss
  • CNSNews
  • MRC TV
  • Biz & Media
  • Culture & Media
  • Take Action!
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Amazon Kindle
  • Advertise
  • Jobs

Copyright © 2005-2012 NewsBusters. Terms of Use.