Funny videos in English as promised

These are classical funny videos to enjoy and 'have a laugh':

On the first place I post what some of us have watched in class (thanks L. Vico): 'Dinner for one'

- It is a curiosity that this sketch has become a tradition in Germany, where up to half the population may see it every year, but it is almost totally unknown in Britain. It is also shown on New Year’s Eve in many other mainland European countries, particularly Nordic countries, and also screens on SBS in Australia. In Norway, however, it is shown every year on the evening of December 23. It is known as far away as South Africa where it is also broadcast on New Year's Eve. In Sweden, the show was put on hold for a period of six years, deemed "unsuitable" because of James's heavy drinking. However, the TV network then relented to popular demand and brought it back.

Although the sketch is most popular in non-English speaking countries, it is typically shown in the original English without dubbing or subtitles. It is easy to understand with even the most basic knowledge of English, which helps explain this point. The performance remains practically unknown to the English speaking world. Many people from Anglo countries are surprised when encountering fans' ability to quote dialogue, they themselves, however, seemingly rarely share in the enthusiasm. It has not been broadcast on TV in Britain within the last thirty years, possibly more.-

Catch phrase: “Same procedure as every year”

The line “Same procedure as every year” has become a very popular catchphrase in Germany, according to Tim Gruhl, the programme editor at the Hamburg-based television Channel NDR. The phrase “has made its way into everyday vocabulary, and even crops up in newspaper headlines and advertisements.”
German narrator Heinz Piper originally made a grammatical mistake in his introduction to the 18 minute version: He misquoted Warden’s line “Same procedure as every year” as “Same procedure than every year”. While the mistake appears to have gone unnoticed initially, it later prompted annual protest letters to the NDR, most notably from German teachers of English. The NDR eventually responded by editing the recording slightly, substituting a small bit of its audio track with audio recorded during one of the rehearsals. Thus, in 1988, the error had been edited out and Piper could be heard to correctly say “Same procedure as every year”. This in turn annoyed some purists who would rather respect the original.



This is a 'freak' version of 'Dinner for one', so you can realise how some people is spending time on incredible hobbies:



and many other hilarious videos:

Here the famous Mr. Bean in his sketch with the Christmas turkey ('Mr Bean wakes up Christmas morning' ):



'Monty Python - 'The Funniest Joke In The World' 




'The job interview - Monty Python'



'Spam' - Monty Python

 SPAM siginifica "Shoulder of Pork And Ham" (Hombro de Jamon y Cerdo), y es un producto de la empresa Hormel Foods Corporation, la cual creó ese alimento enlatado en los años 30. Y aun existe.
La acuñación del término se afianzó al parecer, con este sketch; es una marca de cerdo que en Inglaterra era popular y que era lo que comían los soldados en la Segunda Guerra Mundial en latas. A nadie le gustaba esta marca de cerdo, por lo que después de este sketch, cuando se inventó el mail le pusieron al nombre del correo basura 'spam' ya que es algo que nadie quiere.



Monty Python - 'Life Of Brian' (1979) - 'Biggus Dickus'



Monty Python - 'Life Of Brian' (1979) - 'Stoning'
 (Men pretending to be women, pretending to be men. Only Monty Python can do it )







'The tale of Sir Robin'  (Brave Sir Robin) - The knights of the square table -Monty Python



'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' - Three Questions
("What is the exact airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?" -¿Cuál es la velocidad del aire exacta de una golondrina al vacío?)


Fawlty Towers: 'Fawlty Towers': Manuel's English - Comedy Greats - BBC 



Fawlty Towers: A biscuit with your rat? - 'Fawlty Towers' - BBC
 


Wallace & Gromit: 'Cracking Contraptions' - The Turbo Diner

V for Victory (British Comedy B Movies)  - A brief history of British humor actors from the past-




MR BEAN - SWIMMING POOL



'Life of Brian'. 'Always look on the bright side of life' - Monty Python

Tommy Douglas and the 'mice world'

Somebody has sent me an e-mail with this video about Tommy Douglas. It is very interesting because it sets some elements to think about... (Thinking is a necessary exercise for the brain ;-) ) I hope you enjoy it.

Irregular verb list with meaning and pronuntiation

To have a brief list of Irregular Verbs with a complete pronuntiation of all the forms and the meanings, visit this site:

Irregular Verbs of English

English pronunciation dictionary - Diccionario de pronunciaciones inglesas

Hola a todos. He encontrado un diccionario de pronunciación, para los que estéis interesados en mejorar vuestra pronunciación. Ponéis los altavoces o cascos e introducís el término cuya pronunciación quereéis conocer y le dáis a "submit". Os sonará la pronunciación de la citada palabra. El diccionario está en la página:

http://www.howjsay.com/

PD: También lo pondré en la lista de recursos de variado interés, en la parte inferior del blog.

Listening activity- 40 films in 7 minutes

Use the dictionary to understand difficult words: http://www.wordreference.com/

Transcription

I don’t want you to think of this as just a film. Some process of converting electrons and magnetic impulses into shapes and figures and sounds. No. Listen to me.
Shut up, listen and learn.
Remember, all I’m offering is the truth. Nothing more.
You are fully capable of deciding your own destiny. The question you face is, “which path will you choose?”
Everything you do in life, every choice you make has a consequence. When you do things without thinking, you ain’t (are not) making the choice, the choice is making you.
It is not our abilities that show what we truly are, it is our choices.
You are what you choose to be. You choose!
This is something only you can decide.
No lifeguard’s watching you anymore. You’re on your own. You’re your own man. The decisions you make now are yours and yours alone from here until the end.
I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living or get busy dying.
Everything that has a beginning has an end.
Believe it or not, every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold and die.
It is simply a matter of time.
Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back.
Because we’re mortal, because any moment might be our last, everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again.
Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the force.
Nothing ever truly dies.  The universe wastes nothing. Everything is simply transformed.
Our lives are streams flowing into the same river.
And so we are all connected in the great circle of life.
Don’t you be afraid sweetheart. Death is just a part of life. Something we are all destined to do.
You cannot escape your destiny.
Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.
Life’s a box of chocolates Forrest. You never know what you’re gonna (going to) get.
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
Our lives are defined by opportunities. Even the ones we miss.
This is the way things are. You can’t change nature.
Change is nature dad, the part that we can influence. And it starts when we decide.
The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.
No fate. No fate but what we make.
Two little mice fell into a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned, but the second mouse, he struggled so hard that he eventually turned that cream into butter and he walked out.
Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmmm? And well you should not. For my ally is the force and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.
The force will be with you always.
But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will!
Don’t give in to hate, that leads to the dark side.
Your anger gives you great power, but if you let it, it will destroy you.
Always remember, your focus determines your reality.
Begin each day as if it were on purpose.
Without purpose, we would not exist.
Don’t ever let somebody tell you you can’t do something. You got a dream, you gotta (got to) protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they wanna (want to) tell you you can’t do it. You want something, go get it, period.
You don’t just live in life, you change it, you shape it, you make your mark upon it.
What I’m talking about is the human spirit. That’s the challenge, that’s the voyage, that’s the expedition.
Be all you can be.
The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?
You must strive to find your own voice, because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, “most men lead lives of quiet desperation”. Don’t be resigned to that…break out!
It’s not about being rational; it’s about following your heart.
You must be imaginative, strong hearted. You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from.
If you focus on what you’ve left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead.
I never look back, darling! It distracts from “the now”.
Regrets are a waste of time. They’re the past crippling you in the present.
Patience!
When you learn to quiet your mind.
You will know when you are calm, at peace, passive.
Your mind is like this water, my friend. When it is agitated, it becomes difficult to see. But if you allow it to settle, the answer becomes clear.
Be whoever you want to be.
But you’re never gonna (going to) be the same person you are right now.
So, my advice to you is to get it right this time around, because this time is all you have.
Find the joy in your life.
Alright, I’ll give it a try. No! Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.
Take a deep breath. You only need one shot. Make it count.