Dealing With Loud Neighbors -- The Olan Rogers Story
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Trending This Week: Inventive Ways of Dealing With Loud Neighbors; Calling Out Catcallers
April 24, 2015
Trending This Week: Tubular Tinder; Hoff ROFL's
April 17, 2015
All of your dreams just came true: David Hasselhoff just released the most incredible music video of all time. Now before you roll your eyes and say -- Darude “Sandstorm” is the best of all time! -- let me just paint you this picture.
David Hasselhoff Wins the Internet
All of your dreams just came true: David Hasselhoff just released the most incredible music video of all time. Now before you roll your eyes and say -- Darude “Sandstorm” is the best of all time! -- let me just paint you this picture. The video begins on the set of a 1980s action movie, David Hasselhoff sings “True Survivor” over the unfolding action of a cop going back in time to stop Hitler from rising to power. There are dinosaurs, explosions, men riding on the backs of wolves, and at the center of it all, a Hoff that will not be Hasseled. The video is a preview for Hasselhoff’s upcoming movie “Kung Fury” and has gained over 1.2M views in the first 24 hours. Funded entirely through a Kickstarter, “Kung Fury” will be a 30-minute movie released exclusively online May 28. Upon the release of this music video, the former Baywatch star states, “The song is perfect for me as I really am, in real life, a True Survivor.” Perfection.
Trending This Week: Unexpected Collaborations; Email IRL
April 10, 2015
You may not have heard of her, but Australian comedian Natalie Tran is one of the most popular Asian creators on YouTube, with more than 530M views to her channel and a loyal audience of 1.3M subscribers. In this recent talk, Tran addresses Brown University students about her experiences working in media as an Asian woman. By blending comedy and her personal experiences with racism, Tran takes the overwhelmingly complex issue of race and representation and makes it accessible. Tran is just one of many Asian creators who have found YouTube a place where they are no longer confined to stereotypical roles and they can create content that more truthfully represents their community. Other pioneers of this movement worth checking out: Wong Fu, Timothy DeLaghetto, Kina Grannis, Ryan Higa, the Fung Brothers, David So, BubzBeauty, Mike Song, and KevJumba.
Wiz Khalifa - See You Again ft. Charlie Puth [Official Video] Furious 7 Soundtrack
Garnering more than 15M views in 5 days, Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again" (featuring Charlie Puth) has become one of most popular tracks of the year so far, peaking on April 8 with more than 12.5M views in one day (only Taylor Swift's "Shake it Off" had more views per day this year). The song, featured in the latest installment of the Fast and the Furious series, "Furious 7," serves not only as the soundtrack's title track, but as a somber tribute to the late Paul Walker, with thousands of fans paying respect to the franchise's star in the video's nearly 20k comments.
Email In Real Life
In their latest sketch “Email in Real Life,” Comedy duo Tripp and Tyler present what life would be like if email norms replaced social ones. The video is a follow up to their sketch “Conference Call In Real Life,” which has earned over 9M views over the last year. Lesser known fact: Tripp and Tyler are nine year YouTube veterans, and through the popularity of their channel, have gone on to write an original book (long before YouTubers writing books was cool) and host live comedy shows around the US.
WHEN U COLLAB WITH RANDOM PEOPLE IN PUBLIC. (and one of them is actually amazing...)
- Carly Lanning & Christine Huang
Trending This Week: Computer Love; You Got Darude'D
April 03, 2015
Everyone’s favorite Star Wars robot has finally found love. This short fan film follows R2-D2 through the highs and lows of his passionate relationship with a local mailbox and ultimately, what one droid will do to find his true love. Think “Walle,” meets “Star Wars,” meets “You’ve Got Mail,” and just try not to fall for this three minute heartwarmer. The film is a collaboration between director Evan Atherton, the R2 Builders’ Club, and Lucasfilm effects artist Landis Fields, who actually took time off from working on “The Force Awakens” to work on this short. This past weekend, the film debuted at the Sonoma International Film Festival before being uploaded onto Atherton’s personal YouTube channel where it has since received extensive news coverage and fan support.
Mime Through Time Map by SketchSHE
The Australian female comedy trio SketchSHE have done it again, gaining over 8M in just 72 hours for their video “Mime Through Time." Like in their hit “Bohemian Carsody” of a few weeks ago (which has amassed over 19M views and continues to climb), "Mime Through Time" is an impressive display of the various talents of SketchSHE, including choreographed dance routines, costume changes, and very serious pantomiming of popular songs all from the seats of their parked car. But “Mime Through Time” takes it to the next level with group members Shae-Lee, Lana and Madison covering not just one song but many - with styles spanning the seven decades from the 1940s to now. With this latest installment, the trio has now amassed over 24.1M views - a massive number for a channel less than four months old.
Sia- Big Girls Cry (Official Video)
Yesterday, Sia released "Big Girls Cry," the third in her series of mesmerizing music videos starring the inimitable Maddie Ziegler. The video is a departure from Sia's previous pieces, featuring her young dance muse not in motion, but rather, standing in one place, reflecting the song's sentiments through facial expressions and wild gesturing of her hands and feet. Even without elaborate choreography and lyrical movement, "Big Girls Cry" is on track to becoming another Sia hit - receiving nearly 5M views in less than 24 hours.
Darude - Sandstorm
Did you mean - "Darude: Sandstorm by Darude?" Cuuuz... we're pretty sure you did. ;) As part of this year's April Fool's Day celebration, we decided to add a little nineties trance / niche memery to your day (you're welcome!). Through a bit of heavy-handed recommending, a couple of nifty new features, and some very clever social, this 15 year old electronica earworm resurfaced as one of the top viewed videos of April 1, coming in at no. 16 with 1.9M+ views - just above "Chandelier" and "FourFiveSeconds." The day also proved to be the video's best performing ever by a long shot, receiving ~1500% more views on April 1st than its second best day - March 6 2015, when it received ~126k views.
- Christine Huang & Carly Lanning
Trending This Week: YTMAs, A Dog Named Fritz, and The Allure of the Beautiful Stenographer
March 27, 2015
The YouTube Music Awards 2015
This year's celebration of the best and brightest of music on YouTube was among the most viewed content this week, the show's 13 music videos seeing over 30m views since Monday - and the biggest hit, "Nicky Jam y Enrique Iglesias El Perdon," earning more than 7.5m. Four days since launch, the impact of the YTMAs continues to reverberate across the web'sphere, receiving an estimated 6b impressions on Twitter (!!) and top 10 spots for Max, Action Bronson, Charli XCX, Migos, and Lindsey Stirling on the Billboard Top Trending 140 chart.
This year's celebration of the best and brightest of music on YouTube was among the most viewed content this week, the show's 13 music videos seeing over 30m views since Monday - and the biggest hit, "Nicky Jam y Enrique Iglesias El Perdon," earning more than 7.5m. Four days since launch, the impact of the YTMAs continues to reverberate across the web'sphere, receiving an estimated 6b impressions on Twitter (!!) and top 10 spots for Max, Action Bronson, Charli XCX, Migos, and Lindsey Stirling on the Billboard Top Trending 140 chart.
Every Tom Hanks Movie in 7 Minutes (with Tom Hanks and James Corden)
His first week on the air as the new host of “The Late, Late Show,” James Corden is already making big waves (... as in 10 million views, big waves..!). For his first party trick, Corden followed the example of Carly Rae Jepsen and her single “I Really Like You,” and enlisted the help of Tom Hanks for the effort. Together, the pair recreated every movie in which Hanks has ever starred in one take and under seven minutes. Since its debut three days ago, the video has gained over 9m views and anchored itself as the number one most viewed video for an entire 72 hours. Another gem / fantasy come to life: karaoke with Mariah Carey (once a diva, always a diva!).
Wisconsin Basketball Player Has Embarrassing Moment at Press Conference
So far, the most memorable moment of March Madness is arguably not a shot, game or locker room celebration, but rather the endearing mishap between Wisconsin forward Nigel Hayes and his microphone. During a recent press conference, Hayes didn’t realize how hot his mic was until after he whispered to his teammates about the beautiful stenographer sitting nearby. Video of the accidental confession of love has gained over 4.7 million views in 48 hours. Perhaps this video brought a bit of luck to the Wisconsin team, as they continue to compete in the elite eight for the NCAA title. (And to Nigel Hayes, although you might not have scored a date with that lovely stenographer, you did win the Internet’s heart, so at the very least you have that going for you.)
Fritz Learns to Catch Compilation #1
And last but certainly not least... Humor, suspense, pizza, EDM, a surprisingly uncoordinated dog - this one really has it all. Fritz the Dog is a happy, hapless golden retriever that just can't seem to catch anything in his mouth. (Watch the video and see for yourself.) Thanks in large part to mentions by the Today Show, Huffington Post, and a somewhat disturbing tribute from Buzzfeed, this compilation has become one of the top trending (and most "awwww"ed over) videos of the week, earning more than 3.6m views in five days. Keep on keepin' on, Fritz.
- Christine Huang & Carly Lanning
- Christine Huang & Carly Lanning
Trending This Week: Evil Pixels, The Art of IKE Andrews, Too Many Cooks - D.C. Edition
March 20, 2015
On Tuesday, Sony released the much-anticipated first teaser for "Pixels," an action-comedy movie pitting an eclectic group of heroes (Adam Sandler, Peter Dinklage and Michelle Monaghan, to name a few) against classic arcade game characters programmed by aliens to destroy Planet Earth. The inspiration behind "Pixels" is the lesser known, eerier film of the same name by Patrick Jean released on YouTube in 2010. Jean's short film gained a cult following over the last 5 years and is experiencing a resurgence in interest since the release of the new "Pixels" trailer, seeing more views on March 18 (57k+) than any other day in its history.
Showing IKEA print to Art experts
Här gör teckentolken succé i Melodifestivalen 2015
A stunningly expressive sign language interpreter named Tommy Krångh won the internet this week, stealing the show at the Swedish singing competition Melodifestivalen with his impassioned interpretations of songs performed by various rising Swedish stars. Krångh first gained buzz after a video of him signing and dancing along to a Magnus Carlsson song on Swedish TV channel SVT started making the rounds. SVT quickly caught wind of the fervor and released a special tribute to Krångh and his emphatic signing skills (above). In response to this sudden fame, Krångh told Swedish media outlet The Local: "I am overwhelmed, happy, thrilled... I have heard people have been discussing me on TV in Hong Kong, Australia, the United States, Belgium, Spain...I hope that this will help more people understand that sign language isn't just about two deaf people communicating. It is creative, it is an art."
Election 2016: Too Many Cooks
And finally... wha?? Following the breakout success of last year's "Too Many Cooks," Adult Swim's viral dark comedy short, CNN decided to get in on the joke by releasing its own election-inspired version, starring the many, many "cooks" of the U.S. political world. The parody of a parody was released yesterday, with an unknown goal and geared towards an unclear audience, but has already got the wide range of media outlets buzzing (and scratching their heads) -from CNET, to NY Mag, to Daily Dot, to the Hollywood Reporter.
--Christine Huang
Trending This Week: Real-Life Bionic Heroes; Blue Steel's Back!
March 13, 2015
For 8 months, members of University of Central Florida's Limbitless team (a group of students focused on producing affordable, 3-D printed bionic limbs for children with amputations) had been working on a specially designed Iron Man-themed appendage for a young boy named Alex who was born with a partially developed right arm. Yesterday, we had the privilege of witnessing Alex's much-anticipated introduction to his new arm, delivered by the world's most powerful bionic hero himself - Iron Man. The video, filmed by Microsoft as part of their Collective Project initiative, has earned more than 3.7m views and ~2k comments in less than 24 hours.
Zoolander 2 - Maison Valentino Runway
This week, guests at Maison Valentino's runway show in Paris were treated to a very special guest appearance by two of fashion's most infamous rivals: Hansel and Zoolander. Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller, the two stars of 2001's comedy "Zoolander," took to the catwalk together for the first time in more than a decade, a reunion that confirmed the release of the movie's sequel next year and that sparked a flurry of excitement around the web (1.5m+ views on YouTube, plus hundreds of thousands of shares, comments and likes across Twitter and Instagram). The nearly unanimous positive feedback from the bold marketing stunt bodes well for the aging (but still so hot right now) duo, and suggests that maybe there isn't much more to life than being really, really ridiculously good-looking.
Mean Tweets - President Obama Edition
For his latest edition of celebrities reading mean tweets, late night host Jimmy Kimmel invited one of the biggest celebrities of them all - President Barack Obama - to meditate on some of the criticism he's received in the Twittersphere (@Campaignrpoz: "A 30 rack of coors light is $23 now at Sun Stop. Thanks Obama."). In total, Kimmel's Mean Tweets clips have amassed a stupendous 300m+ views, and continue to be among the most buzzed-about and consistently popular segments from his show.
Funky Flight Attendant
Adding to the 70k+ "Uptown Funk" covers, parodies, and homages that have been keepin' YouTube funky, this short dance tribute performed by one particularly coordinated WestJet flight attendant tickled the fancy of millions of viewers this week, the video of her in-aisle performance earning 5.5m+ views in little more than 4 days. The clip - recorded (vertically, smh) by the attendant's brother - gained quick traction through social media and blogs, first starting on Reddit then quickly spreading to sites like Mashable and Buzzfeed, the sum of which made up 60% of the video's views.
Trending This Week: Love for #DearMe; Miracles at 4,000 Feet
March 06, 2015
22 year-old Christopher Jones was skydiving 12,000 feet over Western Australia when, at around 9,000 ft, Jones began having a seizure. Free falling unconsciously through the sky, Jones was intercepted by his jumpmaster, Sheldon McFarlane, who managed to grab a hold of him and deploy his parachute, allowing him to float safely to the ground (at around 3,000 feet, Jones regained consciousness and was able to navigate his own secure landing). On Monday, Jones posted headcam footage of this terrifying fall - "possibly the scariest moment of [his] life" - and it immediately became one of the top trending topics of the day. Within the first 48 hours, the video received more than 9m views, 10k comments and hundreds of press mentions (and earned Jones an interview with Anderson Cooper, to boot).
Diversity & Inclusion - Love Has No Labels
Filmed on Valentine's Day in Santa Monica, CA, this touching PSA from Ad Council struck a chord this week - spreading the simple message of love, diversity and inclusion to more than 28.5m worldwide viewers in less than 3 days. Set to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's Same Love, the ad features partners and friends of different backgrounds, genders, and ages expressing their appreciation for one another - openly and proudly - and demonstrating that love doesn't have, or need, any labels. The video was the top viewed non-music video of the week, coming in 4th overall behind Taylor Swift's "Blank Space".
Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars - "UPTOWN FUNK" (Sung in CARTOON Voices!)
Adding to the 60k+ parodies, covers and other tributes to Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars's hit "Uptown Funk," voice impressionist Mikey Bolts lent his voice (and a dozen or so others) to his own version of the song this week, amassing ~2.7m views in just three days. Bolts, whose channel has seen nearly 170m views and more than 1.8m subscribers since its 2008 debut, assures his fans in his comments section that this video, though seemingly complicated, was but a single day's effort: "Started recording at 3am, filmed at noon, edited til 9. Tuesday vid." (A well spent day, we'd say!)
#DearMe - What Advice Would You Give Your Younger Self?
Tuesday saw the launch of #DearMe, our campaign aimed at inspiring and empowering girls around the world by asking them to answer one simple question: "What advice would you give your younger self?" This 2 minute spot features encouragement and words of wisdom from some of our biggest creators, including Hannah Hart, Laci Green, Michelle Phan, Grace Helbig, Gigi Chao, and Lilly Singh. The video received a 90%+ positive sentiment (likes vs. dislikes) and reached more than 2m people in three days.
--Christine Huang
Trending This Week: The Dress Shared 'Round the World; Goodbye, Mr. Nimoy _\\//
February 27, 2015
(For more, head on over to our Spotlight Channel!)
Sesame Street: House of Bricks (House of Cards Parody)
Sesame Street joined in on the House of Cards hype this week with "House of Bricks" - an ingenious mini-parody that racked up more than 1.4m views in 4 days. In this kid-friendly version of the fraught political drama, three little piggies are pitted against a shady powermonger named Mr. Underwolf determined to take down the town, one huff at a time. Since its posting on Feb 23, the video was quickly picked up by media outlets and blogs, including The Washington Post, Daily Dot and The Verge, the sum of which drove 40% of the video's views.
Larry Sanders - Why I Walked Away From the NBA: Players' POV
In this moving video, Larry Sanders, former power forward for the Milwaukee Bucks, explains why he left a burgeoning career in the NBA, offering an intimate glimpse into his life, struggles, and ongoing recovery from depression. The video was the fifth posted by The Players' Tribune, a new media platform founded by baseball giant Derek Jeter, aimed at 'presenting the voices of professional athletes, bringing fans closer to the game they love than ever before." Since its debut just a week ago, the channel has received 600k+ views and 2k+ subscribers.
ASAP Science: What Colour is This Dress? (SOLVED with SCIENCE)
The 'net was ablaze with just one question yesterday: what gosh darn color is this dress? ASAP Science was quick to step in and help bring some science-based clarity to the debate, confirming that, indeed - the dress appears as different colors to different viewers - and that it's just one of many tricks our minds play on us when using contextual cues to differentiate shades and hues. The video has received an estimated 1.2m+ views over the last 24 hrs.
Spock Dies SCENE - Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan MOVIE (1982) - HD
Though more than three years old, this clip from Star Trek: Wrath of Khan (a classic more than 30 years old) started trending again today, following the news of the passing of Leonard Nimoy this morning. Nimoy - a poet, singer, photographer, director and actor - was most famously known for his portrayal of Mr. Spock, a character that grew to become as celebrated and beloved (if not more so) as the show franchise itself. Following his passing, this goodbye scene from the second installment of the movie series struck many fans as particularly poignant, as reflected in the 800+ goodbyes, tributes, and thank yous left in the comments section today alone. (Check out our celebration of Leonard Nimoy's life here.)
- Christine Huang
Larry Sanders - Why I Walked Away From the NBA: Players' POV
In this moving video, Larry Sanders, former power forward for the Milwaukee Bucks, explains why he left a burgeoning career in the NBA, offering an intimate glimpse into his life, struggles, and ongoing recovery from depression. The video was the fifth posted by The Players' Tribune, a new media platform founded by baseball giant Derek Jeter, aimed at 'presenting the voices of professional athletes, bringing fans closer to the game they love than ever before." Since its debut just a week ago, the channel has received 600k+ views and 2k+ subscribers.
ASAP Science: What Colour is This Dress? (SOLVED with SCIENCE)
The 'net was ablaze with just one question yesterday: what gosh darn color is this dress? ASAP Science was quick to step in and help bring some science-based clarity to the debate, confirming that, indeed - the dress appears as different colors to different viewers - and that it's just one of many tricks our minds play on us when using contextual cues to differentiate shades and hues. The video has received an estimated 1.2m+ views over the last 24 hrs.
Spock Dies SCENE - Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan MOVIE (1982) - HD
Though more than three years old, this clip from Star Trek: Wrath of Khan (a classic more than 30 years old) started trending again today, following the news of the passing of Leonard Nimoy this morning. Nimoy - a poet, singer, photographer, director and actor - was most famously known for his portrayal of Mr. Spock, a character that grew to become as celebrated and beloved (if not more so) as the show franchise itself. Following his passing, this goodbye scene from the second installment of the movie series struck many fans as particularly poignant, as reflected in the 800+ goodbyes, tributes, and thank yous left in the comments section today alone. (Check out our celebration of Leonard Nimoy's life here.)
- Christine Huang
Trending This Week: Thundersnow and Taekwondo
February 20, 2015
The weather outside is frightful, but Jim Cantore! Jim Cantore is so delightful! In this montage, the Weather Channel's most venerable first-on-scene meteorologist shares his exuberance for one of mother nature's many wonders, thundersnow: "an unusual kind of thunderstorm with snow falling as the primary precipitation instead of rain" (via Wikipedia). With 3.5m views and counting, this tribute to one man's indefatigable excitement for all things wintry has already inspired several mash-ups and parodies, including a songified version from the Gregory Bros. which has racked up more than 150k views in less than a day.
SNL Celebrity Jeopardy - SNL 40th Anniversary Special
Saturday Night Live celebrated its 40th birthday on Sunday with a three-hour, truly star-studded special (just ask Jimmy Fallon), taking a look back at the show's greatest hits and recreating some of its most unforgettable (and interminable) skits. Their anniversary edition of "Celebrity Jeopardy" became the most popular clip from the night on YouTube (3.5m+ views) - seeing the return of a handful of classic impersonations/ impersonators, including Alex Trebek (Will Ferrell), Sean Connery (Darrell Hammond), Justin Bieber (Kate McKinnon), Tony Bennett (Alec Baldwin), Burt Reynolds (Norm Macdonald), and Matthew McConaughey (Jim Carrey).
Series to Watch: Adult Wednesday Addams
This week also saw the return of everyone's favorite goth grrrl, Wednesday Addams - this time, as the modern-day heroine of comedian Melissa Hunter's web series "Adult Wednesday Addams." In last week's episode "Wednesday vs. Catcallers," the unlikely protagonist (played by Hunter) takes justice into her own hands after being harassed by a pair of catcalling buddies on the street. The episode put the series on the map after gaining the attention of bloggers and mainstream press alike this week, resulting in more than 3.8m views to her channel in the last seven days (1.9m+ of which went to "Wednesday vs. Catcallers"). This week's episode, "The Haircut," marks the 10th episode in the series, which now has a total of 161k+ subscribers and 6.1m+ views since its debut in September 2013.
3 Year Old White Belt Reciting the Student Creed
Yesterday, Leeds Taekwondo & Premier Martial Arts Centre posted this homemade video of their youngest student, 3 year old Sophie Wong, dutifully reciting the student creed. Within 24 hours, the outrageously adorable video made the rounds on Reddit, Huffington Post, and Buzzfeed, became a meme, amassed nearly 1m views, and earned young Sophie a spot in the Cute Toddlers on YouTube Hall of Fame. (Just kidding, there's no Hall of Fame, but if there were...!) Keep up the good work, Sophie - you really put the tyke in taekwondo! (Sorry.)
...For more trending videos, check out our weekly playlist here.
-- Christine Huang
Trending This Week: Robot Dogs and Life on Mars
February 13, 2015
For more on what's trending on YouTube, check out our playlist (this week, Valentine's Day themed!) and follow us on Twitter.
Introducing Spot
This week, Boston Dynamics introduced us to Spot, a 160 lbs robot that walks, runs and reacts distinctly like a canine, but with the look and feel of a Terminator. Boston Dynamics (a robotics company acquired by Google in 2013) has been sharing its progress towards perfecting the technology behind artificially intelligent - and highly menacing! - creatures for years (their channel has amassed ~83.9m+ views since 2008), but this latest preview was met with particular fervor (4.8m+ views and counting) due to its controversial depiction of what some are calling robotic animal "cruelty." You are highly encouraged to watch the video and decide for yourself. (FYI - PETA's statement: "PETA deals with actual animal abuse every day, so we won't lose sleep over this incident.. But while it's far better to kick a four-legged robot than a real dog, most reasonable people find even the idea of such violence inappropriate, as the comments show." - via CNN)
If I Die on Mars
In this video, The Guardian offers an intimate look at three individuals from around the world - a young UK student, a doctor from Mozambique, and an Iraqi-American athlete - who are all vying to be among the first four people to travel to and inhabit Mars, with no promise of return. The video, The Guardian's most popular of the year so far, is the latest installment in their line of short docs, a format the channel has been experimenting with for several months, supplemental to their snippet-sized (2-3 minute) news videos. (For more, check out Drone Wars and Guantanamo Diary.)
Guys Read Each Other's Texts to Their Girlfriends
Have you ever wondered what your bros are texting their girlfriends everyday? Neither had we, until we saw this simple, yet clever video from the Millennial paper of record, Elite Daily. The video, which has already risen to become the channel's third most watched video (~1.2m views), takes a page from the "First Kiss" handbook and pairs bros off the street with their best buddies, asking them to swap phones (rather than spit) and read aloud each other's most personal, lovey-dovey missives to the ones they love. What results is awkward, cute, and perfectly timed for Valentine's Day <3 :)
Sergei Polunin, "Take Me to Church" by Hozier, Directed by David LaChapelle
A little more than a year ago, Hozier's breakout debut "Take Me to Church" hit YouTube and became one of the most buzzed about songs and music videos of the year (107m+ views and counting). On Monday, "bad boy" ballet dancer Sergei Polunin and famously daring photographer David LaChapelle offered a mesmerizing interpretation of the song that quickly rose the charts (3.65m+ views), a variation performed by Polunin flitting beautifully through an empty barn alone. In this video, LaChapelle, perhaps best known for his subversive and stylish celebrity portraits, foregoes his usual flashiness and instead focuses tightly in on an emotionally (and physically) bare Polunin, who tells the story of his personal struggles and pressures as one of the world's premier dancers through every leap, spin, and fall.
--Christine Huang
Trending This Week: Sam Smith Ties the Knot; Jimmy Fallon Can't Lose!
February 06, 2015
Jimmy Fallon Went to Bayside High with "Saved By The Bell" Cast
Sam Smith - Lay Me Down
The much buzzed-about video for Sam Smith's "Lay Me Down" was released yesterday, depicting the first ever (according to Smith) same-sex marriage in an English church. The video - which has garnered 850k+ views within its first 24 hours - shows the musical artist tying the knot with another man, a union deemed illegal in the churches of Smith's home country, England. Smith hopes that through his video, he is helping spread a message of hope and equality, and that "one day gay men and women and transgendered men and women all over the world..will be able to get married under any roof, in any city, in any town, in any village, in any country."
〈獨家〉復興客機墜河／高架橋上目擊民航機墜河畫面 (TVBS) [Transasia Airways DashCam Crash Footage]
On Wednesday morning (UTC+8 time), TransAsia Airways Flight 235 tragically crash landed into the Keelung River near Taipei, killing at least 35 people. Within hours, dashcam footage of the accident taken by drivers on a nearby highway began appearing on YouTube, and quickly became among the top trending videos online (3 of the top 10 most viewed videos for February 4 were related to the crash). Local news network TVBS's capture of the dramatic accident is now the most popular YouTube coverage from the accident, with more than 6m views.
Hafthór Björnsson Thor new world record 2015
Hafthór Björnsson, best known for his role as The Mountain on "Game of Thrones," demolished a 1,000 year old weightlifting record this week, carrying a 1,433 lbs. log on his back five grueling steps. The Norwegian weightlifter dethroned the legendary Icelandic muscleman Ormur Stórólfsson, who - according to Viking lore - is said to have carried a 1,250 lbs. ship mast on his back for 3 steps before his back gave out. (Loser!) The video of Björnsson's momentous achievement (and the various guttural sounds that accompanied it) was one of the top viewed videos of the week, earning an easy 4m+ views in five days.
-- Christine Huang
Hafthór Björnsson, best known for his role as The Mountain on "Game of Thrones," demolished a 1,000 year old weightlifting record this week, carrying a 1,433 lbs. log on his back five grueling steps. The Norwegian weightlifter dethroned the legendary Icelandic muscleman Ormur Stórólfsson, who - according to Viking lore - is said to have carried a 1,250 lbs. ship mast on his back for 3 steps before his back gave out. (Loser!) The video of Björnsson's momentous achievement (and the various guttural sounds that accompanied it) was one of the top viewed videos of the week, earning an easy 4m+ views in five days.
-- Christine Huang
Trending This Week: East/West Bowl is Back; A New Danish Action Hero is Crowned
January 30, 2015
Key & Peele - East/West Bowl 3 - Pro Edition
Leave it to Key & Peele to get even this noobiest of football fans amped up for Super Bowl Sunday! In their latest installment of sports segment parodies, the comedy duo take a moment to introduce some new "flamboyant personalities" to the lineup for the fictitious East/West Bowl - (...including some players that are actually quite real). Since its posting on Wednesday, the video has received over 3.7m views, 1.8m+ of which were clocked within its first 24 hours online.
Lars Andersen: a new level of archery
Have you ever seen a real-life person stop, grab and re-shoot a real-life arrow mid-air (all in one 360 degree spin!?)? Neither had we until this extraordinary video came across our desks: "Lars Andersen: a new level of archery" presents one of the most talented archers alive today (Lars) demonstrating a plethora of elaborate tricks and skills that will challenge everything you thought you knew about bowmanship. The compilation video is meant to, as Lars puts it, "prove Hollywood archery is not historical" - which it does handily. But perhaps more significantly, it shows that appreciation for the ancient sport (art?) is far from dead, the video receiving close to 23m views within its first week.
Women's Ideal Body Types Throughout History
Following the success of newcomer channel Cut's 100 Years of Beauty series, Buzzfeed released their take on beauty through the ages on Monday, shining a light on the "ideal" female form from 1292 BC to present day. The video (9.5m views and climbing) features women of all shapes, sizes and ethnicities, relaying the age old message of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" in a snackable, poppy format BuzzFeedVideo has appeared to have mastered (the channel has garnered a whopping 4.5m+ subscribers, and 1.8b+ views to date).
Auschwitz: Drone video of Nazi concentration camp
And finally, this week marked the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, also known as International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27). Auschwitz was the largest network of concentration camps established during WWII, in which more than a million people died between 1940-45. BBC News brought attention to this somber day (and dismal period in history) with a moving two and half minute video of sweeping, never before seen footage of the ruins of Auschwitz, captured by drone. The haunting video became BBC News's top YouTube video of all time, amassing nearly 3.9m views in four days.
-- Christine Huang
Trending This Week: Lips - Dubbed, Read, and Green
January 23, 2015
"NFL 2015" — A Bad Lip Reading of The NFL
Just shy of four years since their first entrée into the genre (“Gang Fight” - to the tune of Rebecca Black’s “Friday”), the anonymous creators behind Bad Lip Reading, or BLR (4.1m subscribers) are back with another smash hit, “‘NFL 2015’ - A Bad Lip Reading of The NFL.” Only 1 day since its posting, this long-awaited addition to the NFL BLR oeuvre is proving to be one of the channel’s fastest growing yet, already having garnered a very un-deflated 9.5m+ views and rising.
Dover Police DashCam Confessional (Shake it Off)
File this under “Unexpectedly Adorbable Caught-on-Dashcams”: last Friday, the internet was treated to a very intimate, very special lip-dub of “Shake it Off” by one Master Cpl. Jeff Davis of the Dover Police in Delaware. Davis, known around the station for his goofball tendencies, became an overnight sensation after the Dover Police posted (staged) dashcam footage of him grooving to the infectious, oh-so-dubbable Taylor Swift hit on their YouTube channel - an effort to show the lighter, friendlier side of their law enforcement officers. The video has racked up 22.4m+ views since its posting a week ago, ~7.3m of which were received in one day, January 17.
(And if you were wondering, yes - Taylor has seen it, and she approves.)
Fallout vs Skyrim
Three days ago, two heroes from two of the biggest RPGs clashed in a fantasy face off that threw videogame fanatics into a tizzy. “Fallout vs Skyrim” is a 3 minute mashup that pits two of the most well-known protagonists in the videogame arena against one another in a violent battle to the death. The young creator, AndrewMfilms (aka Andrew McMurry), gained recognition last year with his “Mario vs Minecraft” mashup (12m+ views), a creative imagining of two classic game worlds merged into one. Andrew now broadcasts to over 408k subscribers, as "Fallout vs Skyrim" moves quickly towards more than 2m views.
The YouTube Interview with President Obama
And what better way to close out the week than with a lil’ Presidential chat! Yesterday at 5pm ET, YouTube allstars Hank Green (~2.4m subs), GloZell Green (~3.3m subs), and Bethany Mota (~8.1m subs) made history as the first YouTube creators to interview President Barack Obama live, face-to-face at the White House - livestreamed to viewers around the world. The 46-minute interview, hosted by Google’s News Lab’s Steve Grove, became a top trending topic on Twitter and, perhaps most importantly, resulted in the best ussie in the history of ussies. Thank you, President Obama!
-- Christine Huang
2014: A YouTube Year in Review
December 29, 2014
Here’s a look back at some of the moments on YouTube that defined 2014.
JANUARY
It was a month of beginnings, as a baby polar bear took his first steps in a Toronto zoo, and an inspiring 10-year-old known as Kid President welcomed newborns into the world with a refreshing, poignant speech. Anthem of the year “Let It Go,” from Disney’s movie “Frozen,” went global, ushering in a multilingual version featuring languages from across continents - from Mandarin to Polish to Danish. And viewers around the world got their first viral fright of the year, when a possessed baby hit the NYC streets, growling and crashing into innocent passersby, as part of a clever horror film campaign.
FEBRUARY
February ushered in the Super Bowl in the cutest of ways, when a puppy and a Clydesdale horse formed an unusual bond in a Budweiser ad (enjoy responsibly). Jimmy Fallon debuted the seventh incarnation of the legendary The Tonight Show, earning his first big video hit when he and Will Smith donned overalls to honor the evolution of hip-hop moves. Most movingly, two celebrities - Ellen Page and Seth Rogen - took to the podium to speak candidly to the media, while a Ukrainian student spoke out on camera against the injustices of her home country.
MARCH
Breakout stars and memes ignited the month of March. Iggy Azalea resurrected Clueless in her hit music video “Fancy,” and a talented nun hit the stage of The Voice: Italy, stunning judges with her rendition of Alicia Keys’ “No One.” In celebration of the hit song “Happy” and the International Day of Happiness on March 20, skiers hit the Slovakian slopes to jubilantly dance along, and millions of others followed suit in their home cities. President Obama added to the fun by appearing on Zach Galifinakis’ comedy video series “Between Two Ferns,” deftly handling the show’s hysterical absurdity.
APRIL
This April Fools’ Day, viewers were treated to an inside look at YouTube’s “viral factory,” while dozens of companies joined in on the 24-hour jest with their own prank videos. Halfway through the month, millions thought they were being pranked again when a young Canadian man attempting a selfie vid near an oncoming train was drive-by kicked in the head by a conductor - until the footage was confirmed as real. The laughter continued when a video of a tiny hamster eating a tiny (homemade) burrito was uploaded, launching the first episode of the first “Tiny Hamster” series. Unfortunately, the month was also marked by one of the biggest tragic accidents of the year: the sinking of a ferry carrying nearly 500 passengers near South Korea, sparking controversy that still looms today.
MAY
When drag queen Conchita Wurst won the Eurovision Song Contest, her victory sparked so much interest that she became the 7th most popular search nationally on Google this year, and her triumphant performance was crowned the #1 televised live event of 2014 on YouTube. But not far behind were two fellow breakout stars: Ariana Grande, who serenaded the world with “Problem,” and a high schooler in New Jersey who brought back Michael Jackson’s moves at a talent show. The breakout excitement was momentarily paused by poignancy when, in honor of Mother’s Day, a card company staged job interviews over video chat for the “world’s toughest job”: being a mom.
JUNE
Sports, comebacks, and choreography epitomized the month of June: halfway-through, the FIFA World Cup commenced in Brazil, drawing millions of clicks to an unusual Nike spot: a short with all the sprightly animation of a Pixar film, while YouTube celebrated beloved LGBT athletes with the #ProudtoPlay campaign. In the music world, PSY followed up his “Gangnam” hit by collaborating with Snoop Dogg on “Hangover,” and breakout artist Meghan Trainor scored her most popular video yet: “All About That Bass.” Choreographer Yanis Marshall also achieved his biggest hit, with an all-encompassing Beyoncé dance medley (stilettos included).
JULY
July kicked off with a big win for environmental group Greenpeace: “Everything is NOT awesome” played on the theme song from The Lego Movie to spread a serious message about the effect of oil dependency on the environment - and eventually pushed the toy company to break its longtime ties with Shell (via Greenpeace.org). On the lighter side, YouTube user Benji Jenna Cowart became one of the world’s most famous overprotective dads with his cover of MAGIC!’s “Rude,” and Rhett & Link brought the LOLs with their lyrical meditation on the realities of summer vacation. But the top story of the month was the crash of the Malaysia Airlines passenger plane downed in Ukraine. The footage of the aftermath became one of the most viewed videos of the month.
AUGUST
The first week of August saw the rise of the Internet’s favorite county fair goer, a chatty Wayne County resident who was apparently born for morning news TV. The Ice Bucket Challenge was also in full swing, with everyone from Bill Gates to Charlie Sheen to Homer Simpson getting dunked for a good cause. But the month was largely clouded with sobering global and local events, including the spread of the radical group ISIS in the Middle East, covered in a comprehensive 42-minute documentary by Vice. And John Oliver hit some of his highest ratings of the year as host of the breakout series "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" with his critical look at the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, MI.
SEPTEMBER
Halloween came early this year with a giant spider dog spooking out passersby in Poland - a prank video that tickled so many people’s fancies that it became the #1 top trending video of 2014. Meanwhile, the organizers behind Tomorrowland released their annual wrap-up video, showcasing highlights from one of the biggest bacchanalias of the year (and whose livestream received the most YouTube comments of any video in 2014). But it was the shocking elevator cam footage of football player Ray Rice's assault on his fiancé that became one of the most controversial stories of the year. TMZ's posting of the video early in the month resulted in the running back's termination from the Baltimore Ravens and the sparking of a nationwide conversation about domestic violence and the NFL. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, students and other civilians in Hong Kong gathered by the tens of thousands to protest new electoral reforms mandated by China.
OCTOBER
October opened on a somber note: Brittany Maynard, a terminally ill woman fighting for the right to end her own life, reached millions of people around the world with her video message advocating the broader legalization of dying with dignity. A NYC woman also used YouTube to shine a light on the pervasiveness of street harassment - inspiring hundreds of women around the world to do the same through their own videos. Meanwhile, on the Isle of Skye, acclaimed Scottish cyclist Danny Macaskill showed millions of fans what it’s like to take on the harrowing Cuillin Ridgeline with nothing more than a mountain bike, and VitalyzdTv scared the bejesus out of some unwitting strangers with “Chainsaw Massacre,” the tireless pranksters’ most popular video of the year.
NOVEMBER
After months of speculation and anticipation, the day millions of “Star Wars” fans had been waiting for finally came with the release of the trailer for “Episode VII: The Force Awakens.” Beyoncé fans were also blessed with a special treat: an intentionally low production, low concept music video for her single “7/11,” shot almost entirely in and around her hotel suite and balcony. November also saw some of the world’s biggest stars coming together to raise money to help stop the spread of Ebola, and a touching, heartbreaking serenade of a father to his newborn son.
DECEMBER
The end of a memorable year fittingly brought a range of emotions. British retailer John Lewis made millions of hearts swell as a boy’s penguin found its true partner, while YouTube celeb Connor Franta bravely embraced his true self, coming out to the world and encouraging others to not be afraid of who they are. A collective frustration following the news about Michael Brown and Eric Garner turned to action as protesters took to the streets of NYC in the Millions March. And it wouldn’t be the end of the year without a celebratory look back courtesy of YouTube Rewind, the biggest one yet.
- Bonnie Gleicher, Christine Huang, and Marc Hertz
Trending This Week: Rewind Through 2014
December 12, 2014
Here’s what made us feel jolly and elvish this week:
YouTube Spotlight - YouTube Rewind: Turn Down for 2014
We’re loathe to strum our own lute, but we can’t help but mention YouTube’s own end-of-year video, which is all about what trended in 2014. Featuring a whopping 120 creators and viral stars and a fair amount of limb-flinging to the hits of the year, might we humbly suggest that this mashup is a pop cultural must-see?
Connor Franta - Coming Out
There may be many coming out stories documented on YouTube (here’s a big playlist of them), but that makes each new one no less powerful, meaningful, and brave. This week, teen vlogging titan Connor Franta (he has more than 3.7M subscribers on YouTube) posted this moving, straight-to-camera announcement. It made a big splash: almost 4M views and a whopping 150K comments (most of which were positive and supportive). Congratulations, Connor.
Charlemagne Productions - Christopher Lee, ‘Darkest Carols, Faithful Sing’
Here’s a curiosity: 92-year-old "Hobbit" star Christopher Lee, the world’s oldest man known to sing heavy metal, has released a Christmas single. A holiday mashup of sorts, we can’t say it’s the most mellifluous singalong, but we got to hand it to the old metalhead: you’re more hardcore than pretty much anyone we know.
NASA - All About That Space
The NASA interns sure look like they’re having a blast! This unlikely Meghan Trainor cover has it all: rocket backdrops, nerdy puns, even nerdier choreography. It doesn’t exactly eclipse the original, but we still hope it takes off.
-- Claire Stapleton
Trending This Week: 'Star Wars,' Seinfeld, and Miranda Sings
December 05, 2014
Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Teaser
Unless you’re living in another galaxy, you’ve probably gotten wind that there’s a new "Star Wars" installment in the works. Released last weekend, the first trailer (aka 90 seconds of pure nerd bliss) was so widely viewed that Time declared that “basically everyone has seen [it].” It got 60 million views across the official trailers, and better yet, it’s been wondrously parodied and remixed: check out the Lego, Wes Anderson, and George Lucas fan takes.
Miranda Sings - Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee - Jerry Seinfeld and Miranda Sings
What do you get when you cross a 20th century comedy legend with a tween idol? You get ... this. In the latest episode of his web series, Jerry Seinfeld enlisted Miranda Sings, an offbeat, you-won’t-get-it-but-your-kids-will character created by actress Colleen Ballinger, who’s a bonafide YouTube sensation with 2.7 million subs and counting. Apparently, Seinfeld’s kids begged him to collaborate with Miranda, and the pairing was a hit: later in the week, they took their bit to Fallon for a cringe-worthy (and great) game of Pictionary, which picked up over 2 million views.
One of the unique afflictions of life at YouTube is pervasive earworm (I’m looking at you, Meghan Trainor); nonetheless, we jumped at the opportunity to relive all the songs that got stuck in our head this year. The aptly named DJ Earworm has made an annual pop mashup for the past seven years, and this year’s installment is just as clever, nostalgic, and--yes--CATCHY as ever.
Brittany Boll - Waking up our puppy to his favorite song
We literally can’t let go of “Let it Go.” This year’s entry into the annals of "Frozen"-inspired video history features the film’s furriest, snooziest fan. Guess mornings never bothered him anyway :)
-- Claire Stapleton
Trending This Week: A Celebrity Supergroup for Ebola
November 21, 2014
This week on the Spotlight channel, we heard the moving voices and vlogs of the transgender community and unearthed the incredibly bizarre, fascinating ASMR phenomenon.
And here’s what else hit it big this week:
Band Aid 30 - Do They Know It’s Christmas?
There’s truly nothing we love more than a celebrity supergroup coming together for charity (we still can’t think about “We Are the World” without getting a little tingly, and it’s been like 30 years). Thirty years after leading his first “Band Aid” single, Bob Geldof brought together big names like Bono, Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, and One Direction this week to raise money for Ebola. The track is headed for #1 on the British pop charts, but views and downloads aside, the only important metric is the money it raises for the cause – and the organization announced they raised $1 million in the first five minutes. Big claps for this charitable kick-off to the holiday season.
The Holderness Family - All About That Baste
You know this family: sporty, squeaky clean, super healthy-looking, dad who’s literally impervious to embarrassment … they’re now on YouTube. The Holderness family has been pumping out wholesome parodies (see their back to school spectacular “Baby Got Class” or last year’s resplendent holiday offering “#XMASJAMMIES”) for a year and picked up over 30 million views in total. We’d say “keep it up,” but we’re pretty sure they don’t need the encouragement.
The Hoonigans - KEN BLOCK’S GYMKHANA SEVEN: WILD IN THE STREETS OF LOS ANGELES
Stunt driver and general insane human being Ken Block is back with a new installment in his “Gymkhana” series. Captured via some epic cinematography, he races a souped-up, 845 horsepower Mustang around the sexy streets of L.A., and the result is a captivating, stomach-churning watch. The Gymkhana videos have been massive YouTube hits – episode five racked up 68 million views – and the latest installment is proving no exception, with over 10 million views in the first 48 hours on YouTube.
OrsaraRecipes - How to pronounce Worcestershire Sauce?
Our “aww”-inducing pick of the week features 75-year-old YouTube chef Pasquale Sciarappa of New Jersey trying (and failing) to pronounce the classic British sauce (he also gets points for his great “no sweat, no sauce” tee). Gramps: this hug’s for you.
--Claire Stapleton
Trending This Week: Taylor Swift, Plus the Saddest, Sweetest Video We’ve Ever Seen
November 14, 2014
And here’s what else bedecked our upper lip:
Taylor Swift - Blank Space
While a Swift hit is hardly @breakingnews here at YouTube, we’d be remiss not to mention the week’s single biggest kahuna. Bolstered by a surprise release and a tantalizing subject matter (Taylor’s mascara-streaked self-parodying as a crazy girlfriend), “Blank Space” set a new personal record for first-day view count, with over 4 million hits on Monday. Forget Kim K: from where we sit, it was Taylor Swift who broke the Internet this week.
Epic Rap Battles of History - Ghostbusters vs Mythbusters
At this point, ERB’s a bonafide institution. Back for their fourth season, their first video, a face-off between the ‘busters, proves their schtick’s still starp, the raps’re still smart, and they’re still bringing the views to the yard (over 6M in a couple days).
Obese2Beast - My Biggest Insecurity: Loose Skin
We recently wrote about YouTube’s body image empowerment videos, but we haven’t seen one like this. John David Glaude recently lost 160 pounds, and has a YouTube channel motivating others with tips, workouts, and Q&As. His latest video focuses on the loose skin left in the wake of extreme weight loss, but whether or not you can relate to this journey, his candid confrontation of the thing about himself he hates the most feels incredibly courageous. And with over 4 million views in three days, it clearly struck a chord.
K.C. Hohensee - Blackbird with Lennon
“Blackbird singing in the dead of night/Take these broken wings and learn to fly.” If there’s a more intimate, touching, tear-jerking "Blackbird" cover, we haven’t seen it. In this clip, which went viral this week, musician Chris Picco serenades his newborn son Lennon, who’d been delivered via emergency C-section after the sudden passing of Picco’s wife. The gentle tribute (shot just a day before little Lennon passed away) has drawn tears around the world.
-- Claire Stapleton
Trending This Week: Christmas Penguins and Kimmel’s Kids
November 07, 2014
And here’s what waddled in and stole our hearts this week:
Jimmy Kimmel - YouTube Challenge - I Told My Kids I Ate All Their Halloween Candy
Kimmel is a bonafide YouTube hitmaking machine (he’s had 750 million views so far this year), but we think this gag is his sweet spot. For the past four years, he’s challenged parents to trick kids about their treats, and doggonit, their priceless reactions get us EVERY TIME. Like “Celebrities Read Mean Tweets,” his Halloween YouTube challenge is an enormous fave: the four installments add up to over 120 million views. Sweeeeeet.
John Lewis - Christmas Advert 2014 - #MontyThePenguin
The blood on Halloween may not even be dry, but ho, ho, ho, we’re lumbering on to Christmas. British retailer John Lewis brought their A-game to this beautiful little Christmas advert about the friendship between a boy and a CGI penguin (a timeless tale, really). John Lewis first had a viral Christmas hit in 2011 with this gem, and this year, they’ve got Monty the Penguin all queued up for a book (“Monty’s Christmas”), an app, and an in-store experience. This truly is the #magicofChristmas.
JubileeProject - Comfortable: 50 People 1 Question
Whether it’s the Dove Sketches or Meghan Trainor crooning “All About That Bass,” there are a lot of examples of empowering body image videos on YouTube (check out a sample here). Nonprofit Jubilee Project had 3 million views this week asking 50 people what they’d change about their body and highlighting how drastically body image changes from childhood to adulthood. Its simple, magical message is something we can get behind.
-- Claire Stapleton