Today’s TTT is a non-bookish freebie, so I’m going to….spotlight YouTube clips I tend to watch and re-watch, excluding purely music videos. But first, the tease!

Maranzano had tried to live like Julius Caesar, so Luciano’s board of directors ordered that he die like the Roman dictator. Two of the hit men began stabbing him repeatedly. (Operation Underworld: How the Mafia and the US Government Teamed Up to Win WW2)

Ten Recent Youtube Clips I Rewatch Way Too Much

I haven’t watched American late-night TV since Craig Ferguson went off the air, but I enjoy watching Graham Norton clips.

(1) Seth MacFarlane on Graham Norton

(2) Charlie Berens and Myles

A few years ago I fell into the Midwest Comedy Hole. It’s not an official thing, but there’s a bunch of midwestern comedians who frequently feature in one another’s videos — mostly Charlie Berens, Myles of YouBetcha, DudeDad, and sometimes the Holderness Family. Big fan of Charlie Berens. If he ever comes southward he’ll be the first comedian I watch on stage.

(3) Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds. I’ve only watched the movie once, but I rewatch Waltz’ scenes frequently.

(4) “Return to Me”, Mafia 2. So….I’m a big Dean Martin fan. When I finally played Mafia 2, I hurt myself laughing at this scene. For context, three mafiosi have just finished burying a body and at least two of them are very drunk.

(5) Mozart improvising, Amadeus. I know it’s just a movie and the producers actually used a simplified version of Salieri’s actual piece rather than the real thing to enhance Mozart’s genius, but I’m always enthralled by seeing the Muse at work. Also, F. Murray Abraham is one of my favorites.

(6) “Not Now, Phelps!” Super serious 1940s detective game meets….VR and gamers determined to break it.

(7) “Play the Sunset”, Mr. Holland’s Opus. The movie is a touching one about teaching and the power of mentors and music. I loved this movie long before I watched it, purely for the strength of scenes like this.

(8) The Virtual University: Marcus Aurelius. This is the first in a five-part series that I have saved to my phone. It remains one of the best lectures I’ve ever heard on youtube, and I’ve listened to it again and again over the last 15 years. Unfortunately, the professor — Michael S. something — has since passed on.

(9) Bug in Mouth Disease, Homestar Runner. When Homestar Runner hit the scene in the early 2000s, I was one of those teenagers who spent 5-10 minutes on a dial-up connection faithful waiting for the latest cartoon to load.

(10) Sgt Major Sixta

This’n’s got some language.