Inside Broadcast

By combining paper animation with cut and captured video stills, this short by Daily Reel favorite Leo Bridle crafts a visually complex world.

Be Good Be Gone

Emotionally evocative, there is something hauntingly simple about this downtrodden love song. It seems as though the artist, Fionn Regan, is speaking directly to each listener from his soul. His tone is firm yet flexible and his eyes seem drenched with pain.

Using a variety of urban and scenic landscapes, the video was shot with live acoustics and pieced together by editors. Beautifully filmed, the audio often competes with wind, running water, and lofted ceilings. Each scene has its own background and ambient noise, yet the song never drowns in the fluidly chaotic motion.

KFed is a Fry Cook

Kevin Federline, you may have outdone yourself. Just when the public view of Brit Brit’s trailer-trash ex-hubby began to steer away from images of the "rapper" selling off his designer hat collection one at a time, Fed makes another move to take advantage of his soon-to-be-fleeting fame. As a baby daddy with not one, but two, ex-wives with bank, it's no surprise that KFed’s all-about-the-money attitude has lead to this life-sux-then-you-find-a-new-cash-cow advert.Check it!

Swag

The second daily episode of Internets Celebrities, "SWAG," follows Dallas and Rafi as they enter the secret world of Sundance’s platinum-price-tag giveaways. Gaining entry into the exclusive Fred Segal store and the Marquee gifting shop, the Internets Celebrities ask retailers what this year’s hot items are and who takes it home free of charge.

Have You Seen a Ford Lately?

In a nation where most people think a Ford model is a kind of truck, it is rather awe-inspiring to see not one, but two top-ranked YouTube videos coming from the Ford runway model channel.

At first, I found it interesting to see fashion and high culture on Youtube's top watched. Then I realized that this primetime placement might be a result of the hot model factor. The pretty faces, thin physiques, and fashionably tight clothing make me wonder if the thousands of viewer care at all about the skill needed to design the art draping off their slender frames.Read More

Thinking About You - Norah Jones

Much like Nora Jones’s previous hits "Come Away with Me" and "Don't know Why," this slow, lackadaisical song makes my want to stare out the window of a train and watch the countryside slowly pass me by. The first single from Jones’s third album, "Thinking About You" is a familiar continuation of the Grammy winner's soulful style .

Exploring the windows of the singer/song writer’s mind, the newly released music video explores the clouds of thought that distract and dilute the brain -- especially on a long subway ride. Animated with fuzzy clouds and pulsing hearts, the dreamy video reveals the web of Alice in Wonderland-esque fantasies

Rabbit Bites

It is sort of amazing to see a web series hosted by the family pet.

Having met Chou Chou (pronounced “shoe shoe”) and Buns myself at the Vloggies, I can attest that these floppy co-hosts are far from your garden variety wabbit. With unique personalities and distinct, often annoying voices, these bunnies offer a unique perspective on the podcasting world. Two-pawed typing doesn’t seem very efficient but Rabbit Bites makes do, featuring reviews and commentaries about videos found on the internet.

In this episode, Steve Garfield joins the Rabbits for a chat about internet video and it's inevitable future. A video pioneer, Steve Garfield was among the very first to exploit online video as a tool to network and voice opinions.

Apple iPhone

It may only be two and a half inches wide and a half and inch thick, but the new Mac phone has the entire tech world creaming their pants. With no buttons or click wheels, the sleek black design does the one thing that consumers have been waiting for: combine their entire music library music, cell phone, internet, personal organizer, and camera to create one end-all-be-all device.

Some of the coveted device's patented features include multi-touch support, a sensor that turns off the screen when it's close to your face, 2 megapixel cam, Bluetooth, WiFi, and 4GB or 8 GB of storage. Apple quotes 5 hours of battery life for talk or video and a full 16 hours in music mode.

As some one who relies religiously on Mac technology, has owned an iPod since its initial release, and whose job it is to watch hundreds of videos a day, I think my future husband may have some competition in the upper-right ventricle of my little techie heart.

David Bowie Turns 60

With a few years left before Bowie reaches senior status, today we celebrate the rockers 60th birthday. To celebrate his coming of age, BBC News has put together “60 facts about the iconic singer, actor and artist.”

Born as David Robert Jones, Bowie has lived both a rebellious and influential life.

My favorite factoid is number eleven on the list, “At the age of 17, he was interviewed on a BBC programme as the founder of The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-haired Men. He complained: ‘It's not nice when people call you darling and that’.”

15th Century Email

Absurdly funny, the 15th Century Email is written with steadfast romanticism that loses its charm when composed on a 20th Century laptop.
Here is one of my Top Ten finds, check out The Daily Reel for more of my recent "need to watch" picks.

Ford Ranger- Secret TV Ad

This buy-your-way-out-of-national catastrophe spot is a little too reminiscent of the recent string of deadly hurricanes for my taste. Rumored to be filling the million-plus dollar time slots on Super Bowl Sunday, this “built Ford tough” ad appears to have cost as much hurricane relief itself.

Reasons why I argue against this Super Bowl claim: Americans like their Ford products to be All-American. No one wants to see a Ford commercial where the driver’s side is a$$-backwards. I mean how un-American is it to shift with your left-hand. We are a wave the flag with our dominant right-hand culture. So I think that this potential Super Bowl add just won’t fly.

Bree's Dad Is Dead

Danielbeast, the possible love interest and best friend of Lonelygirl15, has been hitting his mark with his most recent videos. After the “religious” ceremonies and Bree running away, the Lonelygirl series become more of a cult web drama than the series creators may have ever anticipated.

Having missed much of the series since its dramatic turn, I find this episode to be both emotional and well composed. The music by the Kyiv Chamber Choir is chilling and the waves crashing against the rocks seem almost violent. It’s universally emotional tone and beautiful imagery may be the reason for this video hitting YouTube’s most watched.

Subway Superman - Wesley Autrey

I just want to hug this man. Not only did he jump down on the track to save a stranger's life, but he clearly doesn’t realize how rare it is for anyone to put themselves in front of a moving train. The tracks are dangerous enough without a moving train -- think pesticides and the lethal third rail -- but this man jumped off of the platform and rolled a convulsing man into the subway gutter.

What possessed an everyday passenger to do this? As a construction worker whose dangerous job often confines him to small spaces, he says it just had to be done. Not to mention, Wesley didn’t want his little girls to have to see the horror a helpless man get stuck down by an oncoming train. Talk about a Super Dad!

Picks from 2006

I know it’s a little late to be rapping up last year. But I have been so focused on making this one even better, that I am just getting to my retrospects now.

For the best in short film and online content, check out my Editor’s Picks on The Daily Reel.

I also did a write up on a highly-visual podcast series (Best of Squigglebooth) which you can find on Ticklebooth, a collaborative online video blogsite that I contribute to.

Impossible is the Opposite of Possible

Personally, I never found the Vayner video very funny because it was about a guy who REALLY wanted to be successful. Vayner actually thought that by putting his entire heart and career into a video portfolio, he would gain the respect of his colleagues and others would believe in his superiority. Since Cera’s self-aggrandizing antics are only for the sake of parody, I think it is not only funny, but genius. Knowing that Cera doesn’t actually believe his outrageous claims means that I can laugh as loud as I want and sleep soundly at night.

Moral of this story: Hurry up and get this web series out there, CBS! Mockumentaries are what Cera does best and if this new web series is even 1/nth as brilliant as this video or Cera in Arrested Development, I will be a very loyal fan.

Happy Morning

To kick off 2007, I want to flashback to my favorite example of commercial insanity from the oh-so-far-away year that was 2006. This Folgers ad features freakishly happy townies cheerfully singing praises of morning. Emanating a brilliant yellow light, these happy singers remind me of something I once saw on the Teletubbies.

The spot features happy oompa-esque creatures creeping into bedrooms and bringing the joys of coffee. And the website that accompanies this ad campaign is equally as absurd. With helpful services, such as a Boss Tracker, an automated morning email response, and a personal wake up call, Folgers seems to have noticed that not only do we need coffee to wake up -- we need the blinds drawn and the sheets pulled off of our beds.