Martin Schneider writes:

This is great. When our friend Ben Bass was in New York for the most recent New Yorker Festival, he told me about Michelle, this good friend of his who is...pretty much the biggest Steve Martin fan in the world, in the sweetest possible way. Even our own Emily must take a back seat to Michelle when it comes to Steve Martin adulation. And Emily really likes Steve Martin a lot.

So a while back Steve announced a fun little fan contest, to create a video for a jaunty piece of banjo music he had written, "Wally on the Run," inspired by the frolics of his own dog Wally. The only constraint Steve imposed was that the video ought to involve a dog frolicking in some way. And...well, just go to Ben's smile-eliciting post at Ben Bass and Beyond for the fuller story (and all relevant videos), and then come back here.

(Back? OK. Two things I feel the need to say. First, I love how Steve—perhaps the most polished TV performer of all time—even he comes off just a little dorky and wooden when he's just shooting a quick little video for the internet. And second, I think I liked Michelle's video better than the "Laika" one.)

I love this story. I love the internet. Good day to you.