This Week in YouTube

He-he-hello, Gasmii! I took a little longer to come back because the holidays tend to leave me a bloated, addle-pated mess but it’s 2013! Everything’s new, it’s freezing in Los Angeles and I’m ready to share some more awesomely awesome videos.

Remember when you were really little and EVERYTHING was the best/worst/most boring thing ever because you didn’t have that many reference points? Remember that first recital where you had to dress up to perform for your parents and you were so excited? Want to feel that way again? Watch this.

No T, no shade, no sarcasm: That little girl is amazing. I giggled the whole way through from sheer joy.

You know what else is sheer joy? The Swedish Chef. Sure, almost every Muppet, especially the ones from The Muppet Show are pretty awesome (please note my avatar), but there was something divinely, weirdly great about the Swedish Chef. Maybe it was his human hands and his ability to just throw stuff around, but let’s watch him make some popcorn shrimp:

See? Sheer, unmitigated joy.

I’ve never worked in a drive thru. My high school years were spent working at a day care, so the tedium and petty annoyances of serving assholes who can’t even bother to get out of their car to get their food (Guilty! As! Charged!) is foreign to me. But I can imagine that when you work the night shift at the McDonald’s drive thru you see some pretty interesting people. Like THIS guy.

Instagram that joint, son.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a “This Week in YouTube” without a cat video. They’re the life blood of the internet and even had their own “film festival” this summer where “Henri 2, Paw de Deux” of course won best video. But have you ever seen a dog carry a cat in the house?

Now you have.

I’ve never been one to think that all things American are somehow inherently inferior to their British counterparts. Especially entertainment. Because if that were true, why come we got so many Brits trying to land big parts in American movies and TV shows? The half of Boardwalk Empire‘s cast that isn’t named Michael is British. And Ricky Gervais would be a lot less bitter if he could just get one good role in an American movie.

But know where they do have us beat and handily? Nature and science programming.  Especially since Carl Sagan and Jacques Cousteau died.  While we drone along with the various PBS programs that people remember but don’t really watch (Have you watched Nova? I haven’t.) they have those insanely entertaining Richard Attenborough series and the cutest damn particle physicist ever, Prof. Brian Cox, hosting his various programs. Here, BBC Two is promoting Cox’s newest series, Wonders of Life.

Because every show is better with Monty Python. And Prof. Brian Cox.