Smile File: Christopher Walken Does Lady Gaga

Smile File: a collection of goofy, endearing, funny, or just plain enjoyable things. They make us smile, so we share them with you.

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November 2

The Only Way To Stomach More Lady Gaga

Just when you thought you couldn't hear the song "Poker Face" one more time, Christopher Walken does a spoken-word version of the Lady Gaga ubiquitous tune.

Thank you, BBC, for bringing this moment to our lives...

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October 30

The Best Pumpkins Flickr Can Buy

Happy (early) Halloween, guys!

A special shout goes out to the Flickr Pumpkin Pool for providing the photos for this devilishly good slideshow.

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October 28

I Missed The Thriller Flash Mob... Again

And I'm bitter about it.  No one invites me to these things. I'm a child of the 80s. When asked, I can walk like a zombie. Why am I always the last one to know that we're doing this en masse?

Turns out, it's my fault that I wasn't plugged in. Right there on the Web is the group Thrill The World, "an annual worldwide simultaneous dance of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller.'"  They've got the dates, the moves (with video!), and an urging to raise money for charity while you are at it.  Holy Smokes, people. I feel complete.

Sadly, this year's event is over. But we'll happily provide you with pictures and video of this year's event where 22,923 people danced in 32 countries (according to the site).

The other good news? There's one next year! From the site: We encourage you to start planning for next year’s event: Sunday, October 24, 2010, 04:30am GMT/UTC.

Booyah. I'm in.

Photos courtesy Kimli on Flickr.

-- Erin Green

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October 27

Harry Potter BEFORE Harry Potter Existed

Your Smile File editor has no idea if you remember this movie called "The Worst Witch;" but you should, cause it's awesome. It was the original version of Harry Potter. Only instead of Harry running around some magical school in England, we get the worst witch (played by Fairuza Balk — the psycho scary girl in "The Craft." We told you this movie is awesome — it messed her up!)

Your editors were reminiscing about how stupidly cool we thought this movie seemed when we were children in the 80s, before Hermoine Granger was the top witch in the land. In honor of the memory, we hunted down a clip on YouTube and found this masterful moment of Tim Curry wooing little school girls while singing a song about Halloween. Apropos for this week, no?

Seriously, there is no more brilliant use of 80s graphics, a bat bow-tie and candy-corn colored capes. There are no better lyrics in the history of Halloween films that this: "Your dentist could turn into a queen. Has anyone seen my tambourine? ... Anything could happen on Halloween."

"Something spooky is going down, now." Well said, Tim Curry. Well said.

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October 26

Cat As A Hat

It's Smile File tradition to try and not think too hard on Monday. In that tradition, we bring you cat as a hat.

Enjoy!

Hat tip to Smile Filer Glenn for sending us the link!

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October 23

Giant Bird Invades Oz

A giant bird invaded a TV station in Australia this week... eh, just kidding.  But a bird did walk right in front of a TV station's downtown camera, making it seem like radiation had done a number on our flying friends down under.

Take a peek but remember what we told you about the trick the camera plays on your eyes. Just when you started to think the drugs in your cough syrup were pretty awesome...

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October 21

Music to My... Rollerskates?

Your Smile File editors need a little light-hearted pick-me-up this morning. This video of Michele Lauziere, Master of Unusual Comedy, will do the trick. (Nice nickname, bro.)

Yeah, the video is a few years old; so what. It's still frickin' awesome!

Go ahead and unplug the headphones and turn it up full blast. You'll want to share this one with the office.

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October 19

100-Year-Old Shot Put Lady Puts You Lazy Bums To Shame!

It's Monday. You're feeling lazy, aren't you? Could use a little coffee... a little pick-me-up. Well, your Smile File editors say: Get over it. If this 100-year-old lady can throw a shot put, you can drag your tushy through till lunch time.

Meet Ruth Frith. She's from Brisbane. She throws the shot put. Did we mention she's 100-years-old? (I don't even think I can pick up a shot put and I'm well under 50.) Reuters tells us she set a world record at the World Masters Games in Sydney. (We wrote about those games earlier this month — remember O Santa?) What did you accomplish today? Just askin'.

We thought you could use a good kick in the ego to help you through the day. Don't thank us; it's just one of the many public services we do here at the Smile File.

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October 16

Crazy Pet People

It's Friday. If you are going away for the weekend, we implore you: don't be a crazy pet person.

Yes, we all love our pets. But don't be the guy who leaves detailed instructions for the pet sitter on how to love the pets while you're gone.

Give the cats time to stretch? Fine. Insisting that the cats are given a massage after running them through a three-hour yoga tape? Not cool.

Click on that badboy below, and get a full eyeball of the crazy.

Hat tip to Smile Filer Lucas for finding this bit of email glory.

Update: Sorry Smile Filers for the broken link; it seems the content has been taken down at the other site.

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October 14

Pumpkin Carving ... With Power Tools!

We love Halloween at Tonic. Frankly, we're a little surprised that we've let 14 days of October go by without mentioning that the best holiday of the year is right around the corner. Forgive us, loyal readers. Let us make amends with some wicked awesome pumpkin designs. Funny ones, natch.

These photos come courtesy Tom Nardone, the evil genius behind Extreme Pumpkins. (He's the first guy who carved the puking pumpkin — you know, the one that shows up in your email inbox every year.)

If you don't know anything about Tom, he's pretty cool. He was trying to take the Hallmark out of Halloween when he started Extreme Pumpkins; Halloween is supposed to be scary, right? So he carves nasty, scary, gross and just plain fun pumpkins with the help of power tools.

Go flock to his site, pumpkin lovers. There are a lot more designs where those came from.

Like we said, he's pretty awesome.

-- Erin Green

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October 13

Google Maps Alphabet

We don't know who you are Rhett Dashwood, but we salute you!

Why do we salute Mr. Dashwood, you ask? Besides having the coolest name on the Internet (half "Gone With The Wind," half Jane Austen), Rhett Dashwood is responsible for creating a Google Maps Alphabet. As he explains on his site:

Over the course of several months beginning October 2008 to April 2009 I've spent some of my spare time between commercial projects searching Google Maps hoping to discover land formations or buildings resembling letter forms. These are the results of my findings limited within the state of Victoria, Australia.

Rock on with your bad self, Rhett. This is pretty gosh darn cool.

Check out the full alphabet on Rhett's site here.

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October 12

Funny Cat Video

We're not going to think too hard today. Your Smile File editors have a case of the Mondays. So we're posting a video of a cat that looks like he's doing what we (and probably you) feel like we're doing right now. Enjoy!

By the way, we have no idea what the text says on this video. Forgive us if it's something naughty.

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October 8

National Fluffernutter Day

The Internet tells us its National Fluffernutter Day today. Did Congress official sanction this day? We haven't found proof of that, but we're celebrating anyway.

For our friends who don't know what a Fluffernutter is, let us shine a gooey goodness light on the matter: It is a sandwich on white bread with peanut butter and marshmallow goo on the inside. (Yeah, that goo you use to make fudge. That stuff.)

We admit we've never had one (your Smile File editor is from the West Coast, not the Northeast where this delight originates from), but we find the concept delightful just the same.

The Nashua Telegraph did a lovely write up explaining it all. We suggest you take a read.

Now go grab bread, goo and peanut butter. Let's celebrate!

Photo courtesy of the Fluff company — the guys that make the marshmallow fluff — where the sandwich gets its name.

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October 5

Mass Happiness

They call it "mass ascension" and it produces "mass happiness."

It happens every year at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta: 550 balloons from 17 countries and 38 states take to the skies in what organizers say is the largest hot air balloon gathering in the world. (Seriously, hundreds of hot air balloons all gather on a field and start heading upward at the same time — it's incredible.)

But you don't need to hear me blab on about it. Check out the pictures, all courtesy the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Inc.

-- Erin Green

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October 2

Nobody Likes Bees

I like honey but I don't like bees. One almost stung your Smile File editor yesterday; in retaliation, we post a cartoon. Enjoy.

Just click on the cartoon for the bigger version.

(But beware: There's a naughty word at the end!)

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October 1

If You Do Something Stupid...

...we're going to laugh at you.

Seriously, we haven't laughed for the sake of laughing (at someone) in a while. So strap on your pointing fingers and giggle machines, cause this here is going to be a wild ride of laughter.

(Caution: We have no idea what language is being spoken in this video. So it could be full of profanity and vulgarity. Ignore whatever they are saying -- the video is still funny!)