Christmas Greetings from Queen E-Lizabeth And Others Appearing On You Tube!

On this Christmas Eve, sometimes only the timeless classics can truly express the special meaning of the Holiday Season. Like we said yesterday in Discover Insanity, the internet is providing the vehicle for creative expression in creating Christmas Greeting Cards through sites like Elf Yourself and others. But for those with filmmaker aspiriations, it's You tube. And now Queen Elizabeth is joining the YouTube generation. Yes, that's right, Buckingham Palace on Sunday said the 81-year-old monarch will post her traditional Christmas Day message, normally broadcast on television, on the video-sharing Web site as well this year. At the same time, a new Royal Channel has been unveiled on YouTube, allowing Web surfers to view the queen's first Christmas broadcast in 1957, as well as other archive footage of the royal family and its events.

The queen is said to be avid about using new technology to reach a wider, more diverse audience. Last year her Christmas message was released as a podcast. In her first Christmas broadcast 50 years ago, she waxed lyrical about the advent of television. "I very much hope that this new medium will make my Christmas message more personal and direct," she said. "That it is possible for you to see me today is just another example of the speed at which things are changing all around us." Queen Elizabeth's message is followed closely by millions of Britons and others in Commonwealth countries worldwide on Christmas Day each year. Two years ago the Queen confessed, while conferring an honorary knighthood on American Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, that she had not yet used a computer. Since then, however, she has willingly embraced the internet and other major technological advances. She has a mobile phone (actually a Blackberry), and last year was presented with a six gigabyte iPod by Prince William, allegedly another Facebook fan. Buckingham Palace also revealed this week the queen likes to sneak off from the rest of her family on Christmas Day and watch the recorded message alone, judging for herself how she comes across.

Other people are getting into the You Tube craze this Christmas season. Presidential candidate and Senator Barack Obama has taken positions on many national political, economic and social issues, either through public comments or his senatorial voting record and now he even has a greeting on the Tube. This young and hip candidate realizes the potential of the media market and will probably get the attention of the Wii generation. And that could translate to a lot of voters! Remember "Rock the Vote?"


And Senator Fred Thompsons campaign put up a video tribute to the soliders who are serving overseas. This isn't really a personal Christmas greeting from the Law and Order man but was released on You Tube with a link back to his website. It's a nice tribute to those young men and women who are out on the front lines defending something that they have no idea of what they are defending. Check it out and take a second to remember those incredible soliders and their efforts this year and in years past.

And celebrity heartthrob and one of the luckiest men alive, Ashton Kutcher put up a video about the Elves and the Writer's Strike. It's a spoof of Santa, Elves, and writers that's pretty funny. In fact, there is a brief cmeo appearance by his wife Demi Moore who I'm sure is proud of her hubby exploits. But who really cares? Ashton got Demi and that's that. Check it out...

And our final You Tube posted video is a classic from Steve Martin. I think this appeared on a recent Saturday Night Live special but it is classic Steve Martin in all of his hilarious humor. This guy has done some many funny things from The Jerk to his whole King tut thing that almost anything he does is classic. Get a good laugh and check out Steve-o in this one.And our final You Tube posted video is a classic from Steve Martin. I think this appeared on a recent Saturday Night Live special but it is classic Steve Martin in all of his hilarious humor. This guy has done some many funny things from The Jerk to his whole King tut thing that almost anything he does is classic. Get a good laugh and check out Steve-o in this one.

So you see, the You Tube phenomenon has caught on and I'm sure will be around for a long time. Heck, if a stiffy (and I don't mean it that way) like Queen Elizabeth can put a video on You Tube, get e-mail on her Blackberry and rock out to Eric Clapton on her iPod, then we can truly say we are in the internet generation. Wierd though, I couldn't find any You Tube greeting from President Bush. Hmmmmm. Merry Christmas Y'all!