A perfect example of the power of social media

Did you happen to catch this feature last week on the Today Show? This actress--Amy Walker--has apparently taught herself 21 dialects, and created a video of herself that's making it's way around the Internet. I was at home getting ready for work when the spot aired, and I was immediately captivated. Not only because I think it's cool that this chick is marketing the crap out of herself (I'll give anybody props for that), but also because it got me to thinking:

Should American celebrities be threatened by video sharing and social media sites like You Tube and the like? I'm wondering how long it'll take before people like this woman--who seem to have genuine talent and skill--demand the attention of Hollywood and other media sources, and take jobs from those who have less-than...well, really any skills...like Pamela Anderson and Paris Hilton.

If you haven't seen the video take a look at it here, and let me know what you think. This is the original video Amy created. I tried to find the interview from the Today Show, with both Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer, but TodayShow.com is not particularly user-friendly when it comes to searches and I wasn't able to find the segment.

Miss Who?

I'd not been made aware of the "spectacle" of the Miss Teen Pageant that occurred this past week, until a friend of mine was talking about it at lunch day-before-yesterday. So I decided to do a little research. As someone who's typically up-to-date on all the "goings-on" in the media I was a bit taken aback that I'd not heard of this story of the Miss South Carolina debacle last Friday. So I decided to do a search on YouTube.com. Here's what I came up with:

While I can certainly understand the contestant must've been nervous, what with being live on National television, I can forgive that. Really, aren't we expecting a little too much from this blonde-haired beauty? However, the segment featured on the "Today Show" was--in my opinion--absolutely absurd. I really, really, really used to love Ann Curry...but lately she's become ridiculous!


What do you think, both of this story...and the "Today Show"?

P.S. In my search for these videos I ran across a parody (already?), which I found quite entertaining: