Political Nanny : election music video

Nanny Cam: Hillary's Playdate With Jack Nicholson

Madeline Holler — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 04:45:00 GMT

All right, all right, all right. Hillary and Political Nanny have just returned from a very fun playdate with a very special friend of Hillary's. Yes, yes, yes, Political Nanny was just saying Barack has the coolest friends, and it's true: he does. But Hillary has the weirdest ... and we like weird. Weird is good.

Her buddy Jack Nicholson put together a little video montage featuring himself, which supposedly presents arguments for why she should be in the White House. The nice thing is, Hillary's campaign is trying to leverage some of its support from professional entertainers. Not amature ones whose homages to the New York Senator kind of added to her dork factor.

No, you won't get goosebumps like you do watching videos starring Obama. But you get some laughs, and not the kind of laughs that might wind up looping on a ballpoint pen.

McCain and Tyra Rock It

Madeline Holler — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:50:00 GMT

Did you get chills watching will.i.am's ode to Obama? Then you'll feeling tingly for a different reason watching this video love letter to John McCain.

Can you figure out whether you'll support John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton? No you can't?

Finally, this random remix, only with Tyra Banks chanting "squat, pull forward, pee." We're not entirely sure why. But we'll trust Tyra and believe that it had to be said.

Barackula! -- Obama's Story as Vampire Musical

Madeline Holler — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:32:00 GMT

Though Democratic delegate counts are nearly tied, there is a clear frontrunner in terms of candidates who inspire a large contingency of creative types: Barack Obama. He's got the girl, the buzzy star-studded video, and now he has his own musical.

A vampire musical, no less. (Not to quibble, but the vampire genre is tiring. Let's hope he soon inspires something a little more Fossey!)

Barackula (he's even got the best name for neologisms and plays on words -- O-mentum, for example) takes place during Barack's time at Harvard Law School. It's directed by Mike Lawson and uses Obama's own inspiring words as a source for materail. This political horror film tells the young law student's "having to stave off a secret society of vampires at Harvard when he was inducted into presidency at the Harvard Law Review in 1990."

From MTV.com

Lawson described the film as a mixture of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video and "Jesus Christ Superstar," and it features a pair of original musical numbers, both co-written by Sherman, which make undead allusions to some of Obama's current campaign themes. In the funk-rock-gospel tune "Running," Sherman croons, "The name's Barack Obama/ Just named president of Harvard's law review/ It should be a time of celebration/ But my life's in danger/ My association with a secret society that's after me won't let me go, won't let me be/ So I'm running, I'm running across Harvard's lawn." (It sounds a lot smoother when he sings it, trust us.)

Subtle!

It's only 10 minutes long and should debut online in the next couple of weeks.

Photo: vH1.com

will.i.am. & o.ba.ma: Yes We Can

Madeline Holler — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:14:00 GMT

Political Nanny wasn't into Obama's Superbowl ad. She likes this election music video a little better. But here's the problem.

First, it's fun listening to Obama give his big speeches, so having will.i.am talk over him -- with the same words -- feels like the Black-Eyed Peas guy is trying to take credit. But then it's kind of beat poet artsy, so we'll grant a pass on that one. But then it starts feeling like a "We Are the World" but in separate studio sessions because nobody can take the time to get together and sing in a star-studded ensemble anymore. Where's the love in that?

Fine, standing alone is a symbol, one person makes a difference, let's go with that. So we get a montage of other famous (and some not so much) people also talking over Obama. (Have we mentioned the tune is quite catchy?) Sometimes we understand what they're saying. Once in awhile, Political Nanny gets the goosebumps -- kind of her applause meter, if you will.

But then ... then this. What Political Nanny found most annoying -- and she's blaming herself for this -- once Scarlett Johanssen shows up, we stop listening to the message and start leaning in to hear what SJ's singing voice sounds like. (Still not sure.) Wait, where are we? Yes can what? Oh, damn, missed her again.

Mental exercise: After you watch this, watch it again, only try to imagine it's a Mitt Romney or Hillary Clinton speech. Huh, doesn't work so well.

So, sure, it's the Political Video of the Year.

Or you can watch a music video lovenote to Mike Huckabee, with lyrics like " it don't bother me that you went to fake college, cuz the Bible is the once source of true knowledge," and "you were a dream in 2007, gonna be the president of heaven," and "lost that weight, look great, gonna marry church and state."

Thanks for the tip DailyScanner