YouTube Allows Users to "Buy Stuff"

How many times have you seen a YouTube video and just had to buy a product or a service related to the video? Ok, never. But still, if you want to spend your hard earned cash in these times of looming recession, now you can do it directly from YouTube. (via Mashable)

This is actually a pretty big deal for independent artist and media companies who now have a chance to turn a profit from music downloads and DVD sales. Before this new integration, publishers were pushing fans to another site — where they had to fill out all of their info — and lost many potential buyers who weren’t in the mood or didn’t have the time. This new YouTube program will lead to a new stream of profitability for web creators and I accept the challenge of finding a way to tap into it.

Internet Party

This week, I was slapped in the face by the popularity of Cracked.com Internet Party video. As a noob to the tech game, I assumed that no one outside of this 7by7 square mile city knows or cares about the dozens of video sites that allow you to search by pet name, favorite color, or most inappropriate moment.

Snow Angels

Ever since the introduction of a new potential love interest, the serial drama Lonelygirl15 has transformed from a cutesy video series into viral crack. Stepping it up a notch with unexpected plot twists, a more cinematic feel, and a triangle of sexual tension, the Lonelygirl series has made addicts out of hundreds of thousands of viewers.

As One

I drove up to San Fran this weekend to go to a YouTube community gathering and I had so much fun meeting every one! Thanks Corey, Boh3m3, The Hill, Nickynick...and the list goes on. (this could very well be an oscars speech) It really was a pleasure meeting you all and watching all of your videos from the event!

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.

Bugs Must Not Bee Alone

This year the Flaming Lips had a YouTube contest were Tubers could make their own video submissions for a chance to win tickets the The New Years Eve concert in LA and Dance onstage with thte lips. My roommate and I love the Flaming Lips so we put on sequins/duct tape and ran around the city like the freaks that we are.

As part of our Sunday entertainment, we put together a Lips-esque music video instead of a more traditional shake what your momma gave you vid. Hoping, just hoping, that we will be cool enough to dance on stage with Wayne.

Brookers Identity Theft

Well gee-golly, it looks like Brookers has found her way back into the spotlight. In her new video, Brookers returns to the spontaneous, whacky shtick that the YouTube community fell in love with. Adding a YouTube-loving twist to the popular Citibank identity theft commercials. In this video, her second to be released this month, it appears that the ce-web-rity may be on the company payroll...Click here to read more

Flag Makeover

Flag Makeover is Barats and Bereta's first video in over a month. The duo has been MIA from YouTube's Most Watched and Top Rated charts since they signed with NBC. Prior to the deal, they were Top o' the Tube for several weeks at a time and just about every new B&B video was an instant hit.

After thier brief hiatus, Berats and Bereta already found their way back to the top of the Most Discussed and Top Favorites charts. With its noticeably augmented budget and a less ambitious story line, Flag Makeover gives Berats and Bereta fans fleeting hope that the comedy team may not be to cool for YouTube after all.

Renetto Expresses His Thoughts on Commercialization

Even the YouTube "celebrities" are drowning in the content being streamed by NBC, CBS, and YouTube's many corporate channels. Can a guy with a Mac book and an idea compete with YouTube’s sponsored channels? He can’t and he won’t.

Over the past few months, Renetto and many other popular vloggers have found a home on YouTube, helped others see how valuable this new technology is, and stood up for what they believed in.

In his latest video, Renetto addresses Chad and Steve, the founders of YouTube, and expresses his personal view on the future of YouTube. Watch as Renetto vents about commercialization and the effect that sponsored channels have had on the YouTube community.

Censorship Free for All

After “Fox New firecracker” Michelle Malkin spoke out to the creators and community of YouTube in a video post, addressing to issue of content censorship of her “conservative” videos, the topic has become widely discussed.



The YouTube user agreement forbids users from submitting material that is “unlawful, obscene, defamatory, libelous, threatening, pornographic, harassing, hateful, racially or ethnically offensive, or encourages conduct that would be considered a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, violate any law, or is otherwise inappropriate.” And incase a video slips by the eyes of the company's seventy employees, YouTube allows users to flag videos that they feel are inappropriate. Some users of the site, mostly those who have been victims of censorship themselves, find the practice unnessecary.

YouTube is not the first place to implement “unnecessary” censorship. This Censorship Video posted by headbanger6313 is a brief visual history of media censorship. Such mediums as cartoons, music videos, and album covers have been banning content for decades due to violence, sexual content, and references tragedy and sensitive world events.
For more information on YouTube censorship and Malkin's video, check out this New York Times article and Virginia Heffernan's Screens blog.

Predators of the Sprawl

The Nursery is a collective of young animators, filmmakers, writers, and illustrators devoted to creating fresh, edgy entertainment for your enjoyment.



Predators of the (Urban) Sprawl is a crude yet funky look at hipsters in the city. Now in their third episode, Predators takes issues that are commonplace to city dwellers and transform them into animated vignettes.

In this episode,

Life in the Sprawl heats up as summer temperatures soar and brainless hipsters take to the streets for relief. There is danger in them hoods hater: QuarterWatersaurs!

As a former New Yorker, I must say that Predators III perfectly present summers in the City when the heat becomes stifling, oxygen feels slimy, and the brain starts hallucinating.

You can find more Predators of the Urban Sprawl on the Nursery’s YouTube channel and their website. Here’s a Behind the Scenes video created by The Nursery.

I also recommend The Nursery’s other animated web series: Flex n’ Zepher and President of the Future.

Scorsese's Student Film

An NYU student film by Martin Scorsese titled What's A Nice Girl Like You Doing In a Place Like This?



You would think being a former student of the NYU film department, I would have seen this brillant little number. (Alex tells me that she had seen it the first week of film school; us Cinema Studies folks missed out)
Instead, I found the early cinematic works of Mr. Scorsese posted to The Little Round-Headed Boy's blog. He called the short film:

a mini-masterpiece. It's a comic autobiography of Algernon, a cheery Brit who comes to the big city as a writer and tries to discover who he is through a series of misadventures. It's full of witty comic touches, visually inventive montages and one shadowy character who reminds you of the Mobsters who would inform his later films.

A big fan of Scorcese, I have to agree with the Little Round Headed Boy. His early work shows growth and potential. The writing, the music, the shadows, the slow pacing, are all unmistakeable Scorcese. I just can't look away.

Maybe this YouTube capture of Marty's early works will pump me up for the several hours that l am about to commit to see The Departed in theatres. Pretty sure it will be worth it!

The Moogie Show

The Muppet Show meets JibJab, the Moogie show offers a virtual escape by combining current political figures with sketch comedy.



I came across The Moogie Show when it was first introduced to Youtube about a month ago. The opening is what you would expect of toddler’s educational program and then introduces the to a crude and “bovine ball breaker”.

With only 5,000 views, the channel isn’t hugely popular, yet I think there is unique and inventive about this personified hand puppet.

In his short-lived career, Moogie has also interviewed Osama Bin Laden and Ahmadinejad. In this episode, the cuddly cow who asks hard-hitting questions sits down with an Elvis-impersonating King Jong Il. Watch as he uncovers hidden secrets about the Supreme Leader of North Korea!

Biff's Question Song

In my opinion, The Back to the Future Trilogy is one of the three most recognizable cultural classic film series, the others being Indiana Jones and Star Wars.



With no snakes or intergalactic wars, the enemy or dramatic dilemma in Back to the Future is accidentally changing the Future, losing time, and Biff.

Playing a school bully with cronies in tow, Tom Wilson’s character tries to steal Lorraine (Marty’s mother) from his father and threatens the main character’s entire existence.

With no masks or face altering make-up in his Role as Biff, Tom Wilson still looks like a slightly older, not so mean, version of his classic character. In this comedy sketch that is currently topping the highest ranked and most watched videos on YouTube, Wilson jokes about his life after the "I love the 80's" classic film.

Free Hugs Campaign

With life so consumed by professionalism, busy schedules, firm hand shakes and an affirming nod, I have noticed increasingly less social interaction between myself and those I encounter in my every day life.

It is easy to ignore one’s lack human contact especially in a big city that surrounds you with similar unaffectionate people.



Free Hugs is a real story of Juan Mann, whose sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives. Instead of offering money or advice, Mann targeted those in need of affection. Such unsolicited affections may be prejudged and misunderstood in a society full of paranoia and mistrust.

Many, including myself, would fall to scheptism upon the idea of welcoming the arms some a stranger on the street. Who is this guy? What does he expect in return? Who else besides some “sicko” would spend their time donating hugs to people they have never seen before and may never see again? I think that for this reason, the callous and mistrust of society, free hugs were banned.

Featuring music by the Sick Puppies (sort of ironic that the band would be called this), Mann proves that a hug can be a sign of affection, welcome, or the willingness to accept people for their similarities and differences. The campaign for Free Hugs has become popular on several user-generated sites to become the most watched videos currently on the web.