Viral videos of the week: pranks, tekkers, celebrity dating and Peter Griffin IRL

This week in viral videos, we have been watching chat-show host Jimmy Fallon’s missed opportunity, a real-life Peter Griffin visit NYCC, footballer Lionel Messi’s ball control and a few pranksters at work.

About 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, Facebook videos see more than 1bn views per day, and more than 700 YouTube videos are shared on Twitter each minute, ensuring there is always video trending on the web.

With so much video available for viewing, we take a look at some of the most-viewed and most-shared videos on the web.

Jimmy Fallon blew a chance to date Nicole Kidman

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon regularly posts comic segments to YouTube, which tend to get millions of views in a short space of time. But, this week, it’s a spontaneous moment between the show host and his guest Nicole Kidman, that caught online viewers’ attention, mainly to laugh at the man’s expression when it dawns on him that he could have had a chance with the actress had he only been more observant.

Uploaded: 6 January 2015

Real-life Peter Griffin goes to NYCC 2014

Aspiring voice actor and cosplayer Robert Franzese visited New York Comic Con in October last year as a real-life Peter Griffin, the paternal figure from animated series Family Guy. Franzese delights NYCC attendees with his spot-on cosplay and impressions of the dysfunctional dad, even nailing his grating laugh. Just like you would expect from a real-life Peter Griffin, Franzese’s performance is prone to the odd expletive, so be careful if young ears are listening in.

Uploaded: 6 January 2015

Snapchat attack

This video from trickster Jillian Haker might inspire an upsurge of sneaky Snapchatters asking a friend to pose for pictures when they’re actually shooting a video. Facile, but funny. (Please note that Haker’s mate drops a few F-bombs when he cops the joke so there is some not-safe-for-work language.)

Uploaded: 31 December 2014

‘Slap her’: children’s reactions

This Italian domestic violence PSA has taken YouTube by storm, approaching 16m views after less than one week online. Made by Italian online newspaper Fanpage.it, the video aims to highlight the issue of domestic abuse – which is rampant in Italy – by showing how young boys refuse to hit a girl when asked. While the video has been justifiably called out for being overly simplistic and, concerningly, giving the girl involved no agency or say in what is done to her (good or bad), it has at least achieved its goal of starting an important discussion.

Uploaded: 4 January 2015

When your teacher says ‘One hundred and eighty’

Speaking of video pranksters, check out this classroom full of chancers who trick their teacher into saying ‘one hundred and eighty’ only so they can react as if they are at the World Darts Championship. The rascals have since clocked up more than 8m views since the video was shared on Facebook.

Uploaded: 2 January 2015

Chicago Bulls Kiss Cam

Kiss Cam videos with a twist seem to be growing in popularity on social media and, though this one from a Chicago Bulls basketball game looks staged, it’s still fun to see the party-pooper – who refuses to even acknowledge his lady-friend when the camera repeatedly pans their way – get his comeuppance.

Uploaded: 6 January 2015

Lionel Messi’s insane touch on Japanese TV

Not just the god of football, Lionel Messi appears to be a deity on YouTube, as well, as this video of an epic game of keepy-uppy notched up 11m views since its upload on New Year’s Day. In the clip, Messi vaults a ball above and beyond an 18-metre barrier, only to get it under control in a few touches when it returns to him. Unbelievable tekkers.

Uploaded: 1 January 2015

R2D2 with subtitles

R2D2 has earned robot fame without ever uttering a word comprehensible to real-life humans, but this video uploaded to Facebook makes some suggestions as to what the bleeping robot is actually saying. Could it be that we have mistaken this friendly droid?

Uploaded: 4 January

Panda’s first snow day

Finally, we leave you with Bao Bao, a giant panda at Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, DC, getting her first frolic in a snow-covered landscape with her mother Mei Xiang. Almost makes me wish the weather would take a turn!

Uploaded: 6 January 2015

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