Tweets are basically books, right? If you read enough of them there are some insights there.
LeVar Burton, fresh off his successful $5 million Kickstarter campaign to re-launch his classic educational show “Reading Rainbow” to a new generation of kids in the digital age, took his crusade for literacy to its inane conclusion Thursday night on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” in a spin-off show called “Tweeting Rainbow.”
The “Reading Rainbow” children’s television series originally aired on PBS from 1983 until 2009. Burton’s skit spoofed all the features that made his original show so adored, including an updated theme song sung by an entourage of kids, reading out actual celebrity tweets — including “Put ya face in tha mayo,” from @SnoopDogg — and a video field trip.
Here is how, during the video field trip, Burton explains a tweet to some youngsters:
“Here’s how it works. First, you get a thought. Then you type it. And tweet it. And that’s how a tweet is made.”
Encouraging the kids to give it a try, Burton tells the kids, “Tweet how you feel!”
“I’m hungry,” one responds.
“Tweet it!”
“My butt itches,” says another.
“Tweet it!”
“I wish naptime could be forever,” says one wistful little boy.
“That’s my favorite thing I’ve heard all day. I’m gonna give you a ‘Favorite!’ ” says Burton, as he holds up a giant yellow star.
Yep, that’s basically Twitter.
But maybe the kids have a point. Even Ernest Hemingway famously criticized authors who “really think big emotions come from big words.”
The skit ends when Burton’s cellphone gets low on power but, he says, “Join us next time when I start a Twitter feud with @kanyewest.”
Watch it here:
