Review: Web Junk 20
Rate This Article
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that viewers are treated to a round-up
of the week's grossest, goofiest, and downright most bizarre
clips from the Internet (in other words, exactly the kind of
thing that kids adore discovering and sharing with friends).
Content varies widely and can include everything from celebrity
bloopers and silly animal tricks to cultural phenomena. The
clips shown here aren't as unfiltered as what kids can find on
the Web itself, since VH1 picks and chooses what to show.
Families can talk about violence and the importance of watching
this type of show with a grain of salt. Are programs like this
exploitive, or is it all in the name of a good laugh? Families
can also talk about the nature of the content featured on the
show. What makes short video clips like these so appealing?
Would teens consider making and posting one of their own?
In VH1's WEB JUNK 20, larger-than-life personality Patrice O'Neal counts down the week's wildest Internet clips -- the type of viral videos that kids can't get enough of, swapping with friends or watching on sites like YouTube.com. Just like the Web itself, the content of this no-holds-barred look at the Internet's craziest snippets runs the gamut. A single episode included all of the following clips: a Japanese man hurtling through the air like a human slingshot after his grandmother failed to provide the correct answer to a game show question, Jodie Foster reciting Eminem lyrics as part of a speech to college graduates, a dog defecating on the set of a morning talk show, and a teenager swooping in and stealing a bag of fast food as it was being handed to the driver of the car waiting outside.
O'Neal's commentary is witty and will garner laughs. But he sometimes treads in iffy territory; while watching a clip of Tom Cruise dancing on a stage while promoting his latest film, O'Neal gleefully declares that Cruise is dancing "like a white guy." In the end, Web Junk 20 is fluffy fare suitable for mature viewers; if they're old enough to use the Internet unsupervised, they're old enough to watch this show.
Most Outrageous MomentsThe Showbiz Show
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
