‘Viral Video Film School’ Returns To Mock YouTube Trends

In 2008, before Tosh.0, before @midnight, and before the art of viral video became a mainstream trend, Brett Erlich hosted Viral Video Film School, a recurring segment on Current TV‘s InfoMania program. Erlich’s witty takes on viral video trends proved to be popular, and his segment outlived InfoMania, which was cancelled in 2010 (Current TV is now know as Al Jazeera America.)

Erlich continued to post new Viral Video Film School episodes until March 2012, when the channel went dormant. It has now returned with a new episode, where Erlich encounters the preponderance of sleepy children on YouTube.

“Hey,” says a shirtless, wide-eyed Erlich, “I like to watch kids sleep.” He then shares a bunch of videos featuring children who tucker out in inopportune places: At the airport, in moving toy cars, and even standing up at the ski slope. He finishes his return episode by extending his focus to adults, who have a tendency to fall asleep while sitting on the toilet. “That’s the only time it’s OK to wet the bed,” he quips.

The definition of a “viral video” and trends that group those videos together have changed a lot in the past six years, but watching other people make fools of themselves for the Internet’s collective entertainment is as popular as ever. There are plenty of episodes available in Viral Video Film School‘s archive, and those will hold us over while we wait for Erlich to teach us about other viral video trends. He certainly has a large well to draw from.