billy is on the street
“What’s your favorite Sandy Bullock movie?” Billy Eichner asked an unsuspecting woman, walking amongst the streets of New York. Eichner typically asks questions like this, whether it be about movies, songs, or just celebrities in general.
“Billy on the Street” is a TV rendition of Eichner’s popular video series that aired on Funny or Die. He asks strangers in New York what they think of a certain topic, all while yelling at them. He has the dream job. I would love to yell at strangers.
The show also includes segments with celebrity guests, a recent one being Seth Rogan. “Let’s play a game I like to call…Death Rogan!” Eichner yelled. Rogan unsuspectingly handled the camera, while Eichner broke the news to people: Seth Rogan died. Then after a moment to capture their responses, Eichner would yell: “I have good news for you! Seth Rogan is RIGHT HERE!” It’s segments like these that make me laugh so much, and we all need a good laugh every once and awhile.
Eichner is a funny, loud man. He exaggerates the importance of Hollywood blockbusters, always calls celebrities by their first and last names, and even tells Chris Pratt: “You’re off doing Guardians of the Galaxy and I’m stuck doing this stupid show.”
Hands-down, the best part about this show is how Eichner treats representation in Hollywood. He screams at his contestants, “Name four Latina actresses!” and when they can’t, it just goes to show how badly this representation is needed. He criticizes Hollywood’s stringent straight, white male prevalence, coming from the point-of-view of a socially-conscious, white gay man. He exaggerates Hollywood’s importance in our daily lives, revealing how stupid it is that we actually care who the Kardashians are, or how ridiculous the underrepresentation of female actresses in action movies is.
Overall, “Billy on the Street” is a nice show to watch when you feel upset, because it’ll lift your spirits immensely. Sometimes, it takes a man yelling at strangers to get you out of your funk, but hey, it’s whatever works.
