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Celebrities I've Met and Whether I'd Vote for Them???

2022-04-05 · list · John · 4:00 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Pop culture (also: Nerdfighteria) · mode: Comedy & performance · tags: on location

Because Hank never uploaded the secret video John's was to answer, John films on vacation instead: going through celebrities he has met (Elon Musk, Laura Dern, Joe Biden, The Rock, Rand Paul, Ryan Reynolds, Zadie Smith), he says whether he would vote for them, notes that fame is weird and unpleasant, and names Hank the best possible president.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Praise for Hank's last video; the secret video Hank didn't upload

  • ★★ John loved Hank's video last week (week of 28 March 2022): poignant, beautifully written and genuinely one of his all-time favorite vlogbrothers videos. — 00:00:00 · Hank Green, Vlogbrothers
  • ★★ Hank was to upload a secret video and John a secret reply so he needn't film on vacation, but Hank didn't upload his, and John's makes no sense without it. (playful) — 00:00:00 · Hank Green

00:00:29 — 'Cool Sounds' on the good microphone; a 12-year-old's question about celebrities as president

  • ★★ Yesterday a 12-year-old family friend quizzed John on all the celebrities he has met and asked which would make the best president. — 00:00:29

00:00:58 — Elon Musk, Laura Dern, Joe Biden and The Rock as presidents

  • ★★ John met Elon Musk at a fancy dinner, where Musk showed a shockingly exhaustive knowledge of vlogbrothers and related projects. — 00:00:58 · Vlogbrothers
  • ★★ Since Musk was born outside the United States, John says he has dodged the question of voting for him. (playful) — 00:00:58 · United States
  • ★★ John met Laura Dern through the Fault in Our Stars movie and they became friends; he calls her a great mom, person and actor. — 00:00:58 · The Fault in Our Stars (film)
  • ★★ John doubts Laura Dern would ever consider running for president, one of her many character assets, but he would vote for her. — 00:01:27
  • ★★ Several years ago Joe Biden asked John to co-host a stop on his book tour; Biden was so empathetic and careful a listener that John made a whole video about it. — 00:01:27
  • ★★ John says Joe Biden has 40 years of experience in governance. — 00:01:27
  • ★★ John wishes Biden were a little younger, and thinks Biden wishes so too. (playful) — 00:01:27
  • ★★★ John happily voted for Joe Biden and is very glad he did. — 00:01:27
  • ★★ Dwayne Johnson handed John an MTV Movie Award in about 2015; John doesn't remember their backstage chat, so distracted was he by The Rock's biceps. (playful, hedged) — 00:01:56
  • ★★ The Rock has never held elected office, and John probably wouldn't vote for him. (hedged) — 00:01:56

00:02:26 — Being famous is weird: the middle-school feeling of being watched is true

  • ★★★ John says being famous is really weird and far less pleasant than it is made out to be. — 00:02:26 · celebrity
  • ★★★ The middle-school feeling that everyone is watching and judging you is, for the famous, kind of true: Serena Williams in a restaurant is watched and even photographed. — 00:02:26 · celebrity

00:02:55 — Rand Paul, Ryan Reynolds, Zadie Smith and Hank Green; sign-off over the waves

  • ★★ So John tries to remember, with famous people, that they may be having a bad day and are under a lot of pressure in public. — 00:02:55
  • ★★ John met Rand Paul at a dinner party once and would not vote for him. — 00:02:55
  • ★★ John would vote for Ryan Reynolds and, though Reynolds was born in Canada, would amend the Constitution for him. (playful) — 00:02:55 · Canada
  • ★★ Almost all the literary celebrities John has met were very kind; Zadie Smith was extremely nice though he was a babbling bundle of nerves. — 00:03:24
  • ★ Zadie Smith is also ineligible, but with the Constitution already amended for Reynolds, John would vote for her. (playful) — 00:03:24
  • ★★★ Of all the non-political celebrities he has met, John genuinely thinks Hank Green would make the best American president. — 00:03:24 · Hank Green, United States
  • ★★ John hopes Hank never runs, because he needs him making vlogbrothers videos like last week's (week of 28 March 2022) wonderful one. — 00:03:24 · Hank Green, Vlogbrothers

Humor (significant)

  • Lacking his good camera but holding his good microphone, John suddenly hosts an ASMR-style show. — 00:00:29

    “Welcome to Cool Sounds with John Green.”

  • After Musk shows exhaustive knowledge of vlogbrothers, John invites him out for the evening. — 00:00:58

    “Anyway, later that night I invited him to karaoke, but he was busy.”

  • Weighing The Rock as president, John admits he probably wouldn't vote for him, but notes one qualification. — 00:01:56

    “but I will say his guns would intimidate the hell out of our enemies.”

  • John would vote for Ryan Reynolds despite his Canadian birth. — 00:02:55

    “And yes, I know he was born in Canada, but I would amend the Constitution for him.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

People: Dwayne Johnson · Elon Musk · Joe Biden · Laura Dern · Rand Paul · Ryan Reynolds · Serena Williams · Zadie Smith

Works: The Fault in Our Stars (film)

Concepts: celebrity

Places: Canada · United States

Events: MTV Movie & TV Awards

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