Queen Rania Spoofs Letterman’s Top 10 While Accepting Award at YouTube Live

November 23, 2008

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Amman) Accepting the first ever YouTube Visionary Award via taped message, Saturday, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah opted for a very non-traditional approach at explaining why she chose to create a channel aimed at breaking down stereotypes about the Arab and Muslim worlds on YouTube.
Spoofing the famous Top 10 format from US comedian David Letterman, the Queen peppered her message with humorous anecdotes that the YouTube community seemed to identify with. Alluding to other hit videos that have gained fame on the website such as a dog on a skateboard, Madonna’s special message, and even Queen Elizabeth’s channel, Her Majesty joked that one of the reasons was because she “was tired of people thinking Jordan was just a basketball player.”
 
The award, which was presented by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom at YouTube Live, is the first such recognition given by the video sharing community, and was established to highlight those who use YouTube as a global platform for positive social change.
 
Speaking of her channel, the Queen said, “I wanted to kick-start a conversation in the world’s largest community because we’re stronger when we listen, and smarter when we share.”
 
With over 3 million video views, Her Majesty’s channel (www.YouTube.com/QueenRania) has over 10,000 subscribers and has mobilized hundreds of YouTubers around the world to create their own video clips that challenge many of the misconceptions about Arabs and Muslims.
 
To view Queen Rania’s acceptance message, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPcw3fLeBHM
 
To view the full introduction of Queen Rania’s segment with a message from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, please visit this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z-aQAEA7U8