It's hard to express how much I love this video -- from the moment the guest contestant is announced to the very end. (Honest, just notice the :23-second mark. The expression of one of the panelists should give you an idea why this is on the verge of being such a joy.) I watched it, and then reran and watched moments of it over again more than a dozen times. Really. It's from the new version of the game show, To Tell the Truth (which I haven't seen and had forgotten even existed) - which makes my love of it all the more notable because I don't especially like To Tell the Truth. (I did enjoy it as a kid, but not now when I watch old videos on YouTube. For starters, you're trying to guess along -- which seems good for home participation - but for all you know, you're just listening to lies and not learning anything about a guest who is supposedly so interesting that he or she has been invited on as a guest. And then at the end, once you find out who the real person is, and you want to hear more actual things -- The Truth -- about the person, instead they'd interview the fake contestants.) I love this video, though, for several reasons. The first, and least important, is because I knew who the real person was, since there was a documentary about him, the New York Times Crossword Editor, Will Shortz, which I've seen. And I've seen him interviewed. But the main reason I love this is because one of the panelists, actress Gillian Jacobs (from the shows Community and Girls, and others, and the current Netflix series Transatlantic) is an utter, total, geeky, adoring fangirl of crossword puzzles and of hearing Will Shortz every week on NPR. Her complete, pure, endearing fangirl (a word that must be repeated here and cannot be overused, trust me) JOY is just rapturous. (And you can only imagine how a crossword puzzle "nerd" like Will Shortz must feel as this beautiful actress fangirl geeks out over him.) As I watched, I had a few thoughts. The first is that if I was a panelist and had to vote on which person was the right answer, I'd try to hold off my vote until after Gillian Jacobs voted. And second, her excitement and happiness is so completely palpable that I wouldn't have been surprised if she ignored being a celebrity, a panelist and on national television, and just raced over and threw her arms around Will Shortz when the game was over, since that's the best way I can describe how much of an adoring fangirl she is, just being even remotely in his presence. In fact, the most fun thing about the video might be seeing how hard she's fighting to control herself and be professional, and not burst out of her skin. And I'm not exaggerating. I'll just say that the segment has so many joyful moments in it that exceeded my expectations. And host Anthony Anderson handles things really well, most especially the introductions at the end. You might likely miss many of the more-wonderful moments (they're pretty subtle, and it took those multiple viewings to catch them), so I have a P.S. for them to add after the video, in order to not to give anything away… How endearing is this? When the real Will Shorz is revealed, it's probably the first time in the history of To Tell the Truth that the guest contestant stands to applaud a panelist!! No, again, I am not exaggerating. Indeed, I will add that the video has 85,000 "Likes" - and zero "Not Likes." None. Scrooge would love this video. This is the definition of endearing, pure joy, fangirl geek. From the :23-second mark on. The best way to watch this is, regardless of what else is going on, to just keep your eyes on Gillian Jacobs as much as possible. Really. See this freeze-frame below? That alone should tell you something wonderful is up... Okay, the bonus -- not that there was really anything to "give away," but it's just most fun to watch this not knowing how much Gillian Jacobs's fangirl (see, now that you've seen the video, I told you the word can't be overused…) presents itself. But go back and look at the video at the 4:48 mark, right before she runs over for the first time, and listen closely because you'll hear her cry out under the applause, "Being a nerd finally paid off!" And later, the 5:53-mark. Look for Joel McHale, you'll see him take out his mobile phone and then later take a photo of Gillian Jacobs and Will Shortz together. This occurs after the return from a commercial break. What I don't know is if he turned to her during the break (they worked together on Community) and asked if she wanted him to take a photo, or if she said to him "Will you please take a photo of us?!" Either way, it's an endearing, very real, human moment to capture her joy. Also, note that when it's time for the panel to write down their guesses, Shannon Sharpe (at the 3:10 mark) sneaks a peak over at Gillian Jacobs writing hers and that is why he gets it right, not the flim-flam reason he gives. By the way, I also love when Gillian Jacobs runs over to hug Will Shortz the first time, that even amidst her fangirl utter joy, she still had the decency and presence of mind to turn to the other fellow, shake his hand and say, "Nice to meet you." And if you get a chance, click over to the video on YouTube and read the User Comments. You'll see that I'm not alone in my reaction to absolutely loving this. But here is just a very small sampling of only a few of the many, many, many similar comments: "Gillian fangirling is the most wholesome thing I've ever seen." "Can we all stop and appreciate Gillian Jacobs' 100% honest fandom freakout moment for someone she has respected her entire life? It's so sweet. :)" "Imagine just spending your life cranking out crossword puzzles like a nerd in a cubicle for years and then all of the sudden some gorgeous Hollywood starlet fan girls over you like you're the frontman of an 80's metal band." "'Being a nerd finally paid off.' Truer words have never been spoken. So cute." "Appreciating how even though she's unexpectedly meeting one of her lifelong heroes, Gillian Jacobs still takes the time to politely greet the other guy and shake his hand." "I love seeing Gillian fan-girling the ENTIRE time over a guy who does crossword puzzles for the Times. How wonderful!" "I can't say I was expecting Gillian to have such unbridled enthusiasm for crossword puzzles but I'm here for it." "If you rewatch it and see Will Shortz' facial expression at 1:37, after hearing how big a fan Gillian is...he's obviously beaming inside, but trying not to show it. So cute." "The palpable joy she has for this is borderline inspiring... I wish I could be that happy about anything." "Every once in a while I come back to this moment because it's just so so pure the absolute joy gillian is radiating."
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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