YOU TUBE Named Invention of the Year

I love YOU TUBE! I'm not surprised that TIME magazine has named it "Invention of the Year" for 2006. In case you didn't know, YOU TUBE is a free online video streaming service that allows users to upload, view and share video clips. Its applications seem endless. I'm most impressed by the way it has changed the way people can communicate with family and friends, not to mention complete strangers. For instance, it has given American soldiers in Iraq another way to connect with loved ones back home. All they need is a video camera and a laptop. I think we can all agree the Internet cannot replace the charisma or the magic of a handwritten letter. But isn't it a wonderful thing when a soldier doesn't have to completely miss out on special moments like his baby's first steps? He can see it on YOU TUBE the very same day instead of waiting two weeks for a VHS tape in the mail. I realize there are some very silly applications. Like that famous video clip of the monkey on a branch that smells its own rear and then passes out. Yes, there's a constant flood of inane, useless videos on YOU TUBE. However, as a cinephile, I like it because it gives me a chance to sample clips from movies that I can't find at the video store and and television shows that will never air again on television. For example, I'm a huge fan of Halloween. The holiday, not the film (although I love the John Carpenter film, too). I really look forward to Halloween month because AMC has a scary movie marathon called "Monster Fest" and BRAVO usually has programs like "Top 100 Scariest Movies." A few years ago, there was a program on television called Clive Barker's Short Screamers. It was a collection of frightening short films created by talented first-time filmmakers from all over the U.S.A. It was hosted by the master of gothic horror himself, Clive Barker. He would explain how some of these shorts cost almost nothing to make but it was all right because the storytelling was absolutely ingenious. I really miss that show. They haven't played this in a few years and I doubt they ever will. But thanks to the magic of YOU TUBE, I can always get a little taste of this wonderful showcase of horror. Now you can, too. Check out the two shorts below!