John Oliver Wants Russia to 'Go Get Those Geckos'

John Oliver, like Jon Stewart, is a little down about this summer. In the face of unrelenting bad news, much of which we as Americans can do very little about, how can we gain any sort of momentum and start taking action?

We can #GoGetThoseGeckos.

Oliver spent a segment of last night's Last Week Tonight talking about the satellite full of mating geckos Russia lost in space last week. It may not have been the most important story of the last few weeks, he admitted, but using the hashtag #GoGetThoseGeckos, we can actually maybe sort of make a difference.

"I know what you're thinking: 'John, how is a hashtag going to rescue those geckos?'" he said. "The hashtag is to raise awareness, you idiots! Be positive!"

But of course, the hashtag isn't all you can do. As Oliver pointed out, there is a form on the Kremlin's website where you can send Russian President Vladimir Putin an email.

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"The Kremlin insists that your requests be 'specific,'" Oliver noted. "And I cannot think of a more specific suggestion than 'go get those geckos.'"

Oliver ended with a final plea to Putin, with a compilation of celebrities like Richard Branson to Julia Louis-Dreyfus doing the same. But it wasn't just any plea: It was a plea next to a gecko in a space suit.

HBO

#GoGetThoseGeckos.

This article was originally published at http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2014/07/john-oliver-wants-russia-to-go-get-those-geckos/375145/

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