Sometimes, the world is a strange place, and the only people who can really show us how strange it is are the producers of local news. This segment from the Chicago-area news show "Barely Today" tackles giant hamburgers, childhood obesity, and gravity-challenged bears -- in the space of a minute and a half. You'd think that that amount of time wouldn't be enough to tackle such complex issues. But you'd be wrong.

Some might blame the devolution of American society on this sort of journalism. But while I do enjoy the rare opportunity to see serious-minded newscasts like the BBC world report, I do find them missing the human touch. Sure, getting the facts about international conflict from a man with a posh British accent is always illuminating. But it lacks that something special which sets the United States apart from the world. That fat-kid-on-a-trampoline je ne sais quoi.

Call me a dirty hippie, but I'm always touched to see people respond to a message of hate with a message of love. And that's just what George Takei, Star Trek's most famous gay alumni, does in this PSA directed towards NBA star Tim Hardaway, whose recent statements on the subject of homosexuality have caused a tremendous backlash from fans.

While the actor best known as Captain Sulu may not physically be the bigger man, he's able to look past Hardaway's ugly words and see the person behind them. Whether Takei's attempt to reach out to Hardaway will pay off remains to be seen. But hopefully, his offer of love and understanding will not fall on deaf ears.

In this message to her fans, LisaNova breaks the news of her newest gig -- cast member on the sketch show MadTV. Rather than proving her comedic chops, though, Lisa has some sincere words of thanks for the Internet, tracing her new success directly to the audience she's acquired through her online experience.

LisaNova's first appearance on the show will be February 17th, with many more to come. So tune in this Saturday to support this latest YouTube success story... Or watch the clip later online. I'm sure Lisa will understand.

We can't really think of a more precocious child than 11-year-old Dakota Fanning, who's so articulate and charming that she's... kinda creepy. The kid moves around without a trace of the insecurity or awkwardness that plague her peers, like a comfortable adult with a happy marriage, two kids and a paid-off mortgage under her belt.

Amy Poehler takes it up a notch by portraying Fanning as a literary name-dropping talk show host, spewing opinions about Michiko Kakatani and Thomas Pynchon like most kids rattle off thoughts about Harry Potter ("I'm not familiar," cracks Poehler.) Drew Barrymore joins in as the ebullient Abigail Breslin who actually, you know, acts her age.

We can only imagine the real-life Fanning's reaction to this snarky depiction of her sophistication -- a totally poised and gracious "thank you!"