Among all of the identical videos of people dumping buckets of ice on themselves that litter your news feed, these celebrities brought light to their own passions in unique ways.
I know what you're all thinking: great, another article about the ice bucket challenge. The challenge, which raises both money and awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, has been extremely beneficial, raising nearly 100 million dollars for the cause. Although the amount this challenge has made is truly amazing, I'd be lying if I said the endless videos of people dumping ice on their heads haven't become redundant. Don't get me wrong, watching my family and friends pour freezing water over themselves while screaming served as great entertainment, but eventually all the videos began to resemble one another. While I'm all in favor of the ice bucket challenge and what it stands for, my favorite videos were made by the celebrities who took it to the next level by making it their own. They added their personal flares to the challenge, making it more memorable and meaningful than it already was.
1.) Matt Damon: Nominated by both Jimmy Kimmel and Ben Affleck, Damon procrastinated for a little too long to complete his ice bucket challenge. Although he let more than 24 hours pass, in the start of his video, Damon assured viewers he was writing a check to the ALS foundation. In addition to acknowledging the cause the challenge is known for, Damon brought a cause that is near to his heart into the mix. As the co-founder of water.org, an organization that aims to provide safe drinking water and sanitation to countries in need, Damon chose to fill his bucket up with water from the toilets in his home. In his video he describes that, although his wife found his idea disgusting, he could not justify dropping clean drinking water on his head when so much of the world is without. Damon also explained that the water that came out of the toilets was substantially cleaner than water in most of the world. By dumping freezing cold toilet water on his head, Damon was able to bring awareness to two causes. This twist in the challenge made Matt Damon's both more personable and entertaining than usual.
2.) Olivia Wilde: Like Matt Damon, actress Olivia Wilde put a non-conventional spin on the ice bucket challenge. Nominated by Glee actress Dianna Agron, Wilde chose to swap ice water with freezing cold milk, which she claimed was 'breast milk' in her video. Later, Wilde confirmed on Twitter that it was merely normal milk that she dumped on herself, but still her video left a message that she is a close supporter of. The actress is a supporter of Worldwide Breastfeeding Week, which provides the world with breastfeeding awareness. Olivia even posed for a photo shoot in Glamour magazine breastfeeding her son to show her support. Later, Wilde tweeted at the magazine: "Thanks @glamourmag for knowing there's nothing indecent about feeding a hungry baby." Clearly, Wilde showed her support for this cause through her acceptance of the ice bucket challenge, as she gave off the message that breastfeeding and milk are okay and not something to be frowned upon. Like Damon, her challenge became memorable because it brought attention to a cause she truly cares about.
3.) Orlando Jones: Actor Orlando Jones also accepted the ice bucket challenge, bringing an extremely meaningful spin to it. Like Damon, in the beginning of the video, Jones acknowledged his support for the ALS cause and solemnly promised to send his $100 check to the foundation. However, Jones' video sparked interest when he donned a pair of safety glasses and prepared to pour the contents of a bucket on his head. Instead of ice water falling from the bucket, bullet casings tumbled out noisily on his head. Jones chose this unique twist on the ice bucket challenge to highlight the violence that has occurred in Ferguson, Missouri followed by the killing of unarmed Michael Brown by a police officer. Jones discussed the importance of awareness of civil rights issues in order to stop them. Not only did the actor accept the ice bucket challenge, but he also gave himself a powerful challenge to "listen without prejudice, to love without limits and to reverse the hate." It is clear how passionate Jones is about putting an end to these issues, as he asked everyone to join him in the challenge to end hate and prejudice.
4.) (Side Note): The Toddler who Nominates Dora the Explorer: Okay, I know she's not a celebrity, but 2-year-old Ashley's video is just too cute to not include. Posted on YouTube by father Mark Weber, this video is easily one of my favorites. This video brings an original twist to the ice bucket challenge due to the pint-sized girl. The toddler wore safety goggles and poured an equally tiny bucket of ice on her head, having a funny delayed reaction as she screams several seconds later. The most amusing part of the toddler's video is her adorable nominations- including Barbie and Dora the Explorer. Her eagerness to accept the challenge makes it so lighthearted and funny, its impossible not to smile while watching the video. Although she's not a celebrity, little Ashley sure seems to be YouTube famous, as her video received over 550,000 views in merely a few days.
Despite the vast sea of identical ice bucket challenge videos that have flooded the internet in the past few weeks, the videos that have woven in personal meaning have been the ones that have stood out. They have represented both ALS and brought a fun, exciting approach to the otherwise hum-drum videos. In my opinion, the best videos have been those that represented an additional issue that the challenger was passionate about trying to improve. After all, isn't that really the true point of the ice bucket challenge?
