Sundance Channel

Has Anyone Said This Sh*t? (Yes.)

Matthew Rodriguez — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:47:50 +0000

Not since Rebecca Black have I seen a meme go from hilarious to amusing to downright-shoot-me-annoying as quickly as the seemingly neverending "Shit [People] Say" videos. Jumpstarted seemingly centuries ago with a little celebrity juice thanks to the involvement of Juliette Lewis, the meme was birthed with this video titled "Shit Girls Say." By now you've seen this and all the countless copycats. If you've been pulling a Rip Van Winkle who just woke up and have no idea what we're talking about, what I'm referring to are series of viral videos which are basically a supercut of stereotypical expressions and phrase associated with different groups (not without some controversy). People quickly tired of them and vocally expressed their annoyance on Facebook or Twitter, but were quick to retweet and share any new variation that happened to fit their particular niche or interests: for example, as soon as the "Shit New Yorkers Say" video hit the web, it seemed as though every single one of my New Yorker friends posted it on Facebook (often right after having stated their irritation of these videos only the day before). For you Van Winkle's here's a sampling of others:

This week’s top 5 trending viral videos

Matthew Rodriguez — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:03:03 +0000

If you're completely sick of all the coverage leading up to the Super Bowl, I'm here to provide you with some relief (9 out of 10 bloggers recommend it) with this week's YouTube videos that seem to be gaining steam on the viral Internet train. 5. From the hilarious minds of one of my favorite channels on YouTube is this catchy and easy-to-sing song "Hapi Berth Dey." It's "about an Egyptian river god who finds a place to sleep atop two sheep" that also possibly doubles as an expression of his outrage of the misappropriation of copyright laws which legally also applies to a popular song traditionally sung to celebrate birthdays. Feel free to sing this new song coincidentally at your next birthday party!

This week’s top 5 trending viral videos

Matthew Rodriguez — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:07:45 +0000

The talk and focus this week is (rightfully so) on all films that made their rounds at the Sundance Film Festival. But the Internet meme machine never sleeps (its theme song: Can't Stop, Won't Stop), festival or no festival, so without further ado here are the top five videos starting to trend, and as the kids say "get its swoll on" this week. 5. If you're a violinist and you are interrupted by an audience member's cell phone loudly ringing during your solo performance, this is how you respond in a classy manner and in other words pwn this rude cell phone owner.

This week’s top 5 trending viral videos

Matthew Rodriguez — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:45:05 +0000

Sorry kids, the Shit People Say videos still aren't going away (just this Wednesday a "Shit New Yorkers Say" appeared on the Tubes and of course was instantly shared by every New Yorker across the Twitbook), but here are five other videos trending this week that I think, nay guarantee that you will find equal to if not more entertaining. 5. One of my favorite YouTube channels belongs to someone who goes by the literal name of "LiteralMSPaint." As the name suggests they apply their MS Paint skills to create music videos to inane pop dance songs and interprets the song lyrics literally. The MS Paint skills might be lacking but the comedy level is expert. Their latest takes on the inescapable LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" and I just lost it and began LMFAO at the 1:00 mark.

Top 5 that have nothing to do with s#!* people say

Matthew Rodriguez — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:30:44 +0000

Oh-em-gee, the Shit Girls Say copycat videos aren't going away. If you're sick of them, here are five brand-spankin' new videos burning up the Internet and set to go "viral" this week thanks to our collective boredom and tendency to procrastinate (not me though). 5. Quadron's cover of Lauryn Hill's "Ex-Factor," you know, only one of the greatest songs of our generation, is super and the reactions of my friends who I forwarded this to have been "wowwww" on one end and "why am I tearing up" on the other of the spectrum. I love the stripped down sound of their version. Also, a killer voice of Coco O. on vocals doesn't hurt it either.

“Bounce That Dick,” feminist or not?

Em and Lo — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:00:22 +0000

When we were sent a link to the new YouTube video "Bounce That Dick" on the Jenna Marbles channel, we didn't know what to expect: some kind of safe-for-work sexual technique advice video by a porn star turned educator? Then, during the first 30 seconds, our hopes were raised, as the young "blogger and entertainer" began a rap parody, stating with much braggadocio, "I've been told since the day I started growing pubes to shake my ass. Well, guess what, my ass is fucking tired as shit. This time it's your turn to wiggle your man junk for me. I wanna see you shake your muthafuckin penis, bitch."

The rituals of Christmas morning on YouTube

Matthew Rodriguez — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:11:55 +0000

Well, another Christmas has come and gone: The excitement, traditions, and rituals of Christmas morning which were private and unique to each family has now become a source of public entertainment thanks to YouTube, Facebook, online communities, and the countless other vehicles for information sharing and connecting on the Interwebs. We all remember popping up on Christmas morning as a kid (at an ungodly hour in retrospect) with a rapturous and feverish glee, forcing our parents to wake up, and then euphorically opening the presents which had contained all of our hopes and dreams at the time. The difference nowadays is that this crackhead-like (if I may use that phrase here) exhilaration and joy of children on Christmas morning is now a source for millions of views on YouTube. Unless you're a modern day Rip Van Winkle, you've all seen this priceless reaction video of this kid opening his Christmas present to discover a Nintendo 64 or as he screamed "a Nintendo Sixty-Foooooour. OH MY GAWD." Yeah, that video has over 15 million views on YouTube. Bookending the Nintendo 64 kid is this classic video where a new Nintendo Wii on Christmas morning is too much to handle for the lucky boy or in this instance, utter hilarity for the adults. Like these two videos I mentioned, each Christmas brings the rest of us a few more videos that enters our collective consciousness.

Best of the Web: ALIENS on ice & a Fozzie Bear biopic

Blair Pfander — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:09:08 +0000

ALIEN on Ice: If one thing is awesome about America, it's that you can put just about anything "on ice." This past month, the Old Murder House Theatre in Austin, Texas performed a live rendition of the 1986 sci-fi classic, ALIEN, and clips from the performance have, predictably, totally blown up on YouTube.

Get a Sneak Peak at Season 2 of AOTL – Plus The Best of Fashion and Style with Joe Zee

Sundance Channel — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:29:15 +0000

Life has seemed rather dull lately, hasn't it? Well, Joe Zee is here to save us. ALL ON THE LINE returns on November 25, but you don't have to wait to get your fill of fashion rehab. Joe Zee and SUNDANCE CHANNEL are teaming up with YouTube to make sure you've got enough AOTL to get you through Thanksgiving.

Music for my funeral

Matthew Rodriguez — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:00:09 +0000

David Kraftsow, an artist and programmer based in Brooklyn, has made waves on the Internet for his various projects that blur the line between culture jamming and art on the web, most notably his YooouuuTuuube.com (rearranges any YouTube video into a sequential series of images) and First Person Tetris (playable version where instead of moving and rotating the blocks, you rotate the entire screen) earned him quite a bit of buzz even with the mainstream press...

This American Laugh: Ira Glass’ sex tape

Em and Lo — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:00:19 +0000

If you're an NPR junkie, you're going to love this. It's an 11-minute spoof of a "This American Life" episode featuring a story about host Ira Glass making a celebrity sex tape. All the elements are there: Ira Glass's go-to phrases, input from Alex Blumberg, the clever mood music, the end credits with a shout out to WBEZ general manager Torey Malatea...

36 covers, 1 Radiohead song

Matthew Rodriguez — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:30:51 +0000

of this song by people from all corners of the world. I can't imagine how much time this took, but the end result is surprisingly coherent and listenable. I forecast that there will be a trend of others doing similar stitched covers.

Miss USA’s answer: should evolution be taught in schools?

Perrin Drumm — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:31:34 +0000

One of the most enjoyable fifteen minute diversions I was forwarded last week came courtesy of the contestants for Miss USA 2011, who had to answer some tough questions as part of the competition, like have you or would you ever use an online dating service, would you be in a tasteful nude photo shoot and that burning topic of national debate that only Miss USA can decide: should evolution be taught in schools? The general consensus seemed to be that yes, it should but only as long as the Bible gets a shout out, too. Full viewing is highly recommended, but be warned that watching some of these contestants smile big as they squirm under pressure is positively excruciating, so if you want to cut to the chase here are some of the "best" responses. Be sure to see Miss Nevada's answer around minute 9:00, as she attempts to explain how evolution can be taught as an example of how communities like Nevada have evolved from "a small community into something much bigger." Can someone please teach her the difference between a community and an entire state?

People of Walmart song

Em and Lo — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:00:48 +0000

It surpassed 2.5 million views on YouTube last week. Jessica Frech's original song and video set to images from PeopleOfWalmart.com is a prime lesson in successful self-promotion: take an Internet site that thrives on our love of laughing at people and pair it with a seriously catchy tune (seriously, don't listen to it more than once if you don't want to wake up singing it tomorrow) and voila: Internet meme! Of course, it doesn't hurt that Frech is a talented musician with an ethereal voice (and a ukulele!) -- but her mastery of grass-roots internet marketing is what will propel her to fame.

Bb 2.0: online collaborative composing

Perrin Drumm — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:55:37 +0000

Inbflat.net is the home of Bb 2.0, a web-based sound experiment that harnesses the power of YouTube, namely the user’s ability to play an unlimited number of YouTube videos at the same time. In what is perhaps the most creative application of this feature, Bb 2.0 is basically an online music-making platform that allows the [...]

Gaga versus Britney

Bradford Shellhammer — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 23:17:13 +0000

Now that Cher’s been snubbed by Oscar, Christina’s career is in a slump, and Madonna’s gone silent, it is safe to say that the world’s stereotypical gay homosexuals can be lumped into two camps: Gaga and Britney. Some queen, who obviously speaks English as a second language, is well aware of this division in our [...]

Sundance Watch List: LIFE IN A DAY

Amy Reiter — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:54:52 +0000

Something to seriously look forward to from the Sundance Film Festival, whether you’re headed to Park City or not, is the LIFE IN A DAY project, which promises to tell “the story of a single day on Earth.” How, exactly, does it plan to do that? OK, here’s the deal. A while back, the project’s [...]

YouTube-inspired art

Matthew Rodriguez — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 23:00:11 +0000

Anyone that’s dealt with trying to access YouTube while on slow bandwidth is familiar with the spinning loading screen. For most of us that’s a source of frustration. For Dutch artist Helmut Smits it’s a source of artistic inspiration as seen here in his piece “YouTube (Staring at the Wall)” which is formed from different [...]

BLACK SWAN, intentionally funny

Bradford Shellhammer — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 20:57:34 +0000

I know, I know. Yes, I have a penchant for posting hilarious YouTube videos on this blog probably far too often. But wait! Seriously, I have discovered a girl who is so freaking funny, I cannot even stand it. Please let me introduce you to Gloria Shuri Nava. With a name like that you better be fierce!

The assassination of Yogi by the coward Booboo

Perrin Drumm — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 21:03:36 +0000

The 2007 ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD ranks high on my list of favorite films, which is why I’m so enthralled by the recent YouTube video, “Booboo Kills Yogi,” an alternate ending to Warner Bros.’ embarrassingly bad “Yogi Bear” release. In this version, Booboo decides to cash in on the $5,000 [...]

Radio-controlled model airplane tour of NYC

Matthew Rodriguez — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 17:46:39 +0000

The Internet is abuzz over this f’awesome video of YouTube user “nastycop420″ (lolz) piloting a RC airplane (with a POV camera attached to it) over Manhattan and Brooklyn on a nice clear day. It’s even more remarkable considering that this wasn’t shut down by the post-9/11 NYPD. I was also struck by how the close-up, [...]

New season of Craigslist TV

Em and Lo — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:00:40 +0000

A few weeks ago, Craigslist TV (on YouTube) launched their second season of mini-documentaries based on real Craigslist ads. (Watch the trailer for the series here.) If you think reading the ads is great entertainment for inducing second-hand embarrassment, try watching them. There’s “Charity’s Casting Call for a Husband” and “Hollywood Superheroes Unite” and “Michael [...]

A better way to channel our outrage: “It Gets Better”

Em and Lo — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:00:38 +0000

A great article in the NYTimes this past weekend about cyberbullying -- and in particular cyberbullying over sexual orientation -- included this line which really made us stop and think: "the punishment must fit the crime, not the sense of outrage over it." It's wise and it's true, but we'd forgotten that -- and it doesn't answer the question, what do you do with all the outrage you feel? The outraged part of us feels that Tyler Clementi's college roommate -- who secretly filmed Clementi hooking up with another guy then posted it online, leading to Clementi's suicide -- deserves to go to jail for a long, long time. Same goes for the assholes who bullied 13-year-old Seth Walsh about his sexual orientation -- Walsh hanged himself from a tree in his backyard last month and died after more than a week on life support. And countless other gay teen suicides across the country -- often as a direct result of peer bullying.

Montage of “I could tell you but I’d have to kill you”

Matthew Rodriguez — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:40:41 +0000

Posted on YouTube is this video montage of various movies using the cliche phrase “I could tell you, but I’d have to kill you.” Maybe it’s time for writers to retire this?

Iamamiwhoami returns

Bradford Shellhammer — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:46:58 +0000

The unknown artist iamamiwhoami continues to release videos with little explanation surrounding them. For months now, these beautifully art-directed clips, mysterious and creepy even, have made their way onto YouTube. Bloggers began asking who the artist was. No one seems to know. The songs being released, on YouTube and iTunes, could very well spell out the [...]

Guggenheim teams up with YouTube

Perrin Drumm — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:43:31 +0000

You probably never thought you’d live to see the day when those little white museum placards would list YouTube as a material. That day has finally arrived and it might not be such a bad thing. The Guggenheim recently announced a partnership with YouTube for their first Biennial of Creative Video, a collaboration that embraces [...]

Fun Facts from a Certified Cynic

Paula Froelich — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:39:05 +0000

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (left). Justice nominees should henceforth be determined on how well their poker face holds when boredom ensues. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) Aha! So finally Mercury got the hell out of retrograde — and miraculously all my phones, tv, electronica and communications issues were solved! Seriously. I was having [...]

Virtual choir

Matthew Rodriguez — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:31:43 +0000

Using the YouTube community and platform, composer Eric Whitacre via a prerecorded video virtually conducted 185 separate singers from 12 different countries into this astonishingly coherent virtual choir.

Online piano

Matthew Rodriguez — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:14:31 +0000

Play the piano online right within this recently posted single YouTube video. There’s been a growth of what I like to think of as dynamic YouTube videos and this piano is a great example of how people are adapting YouTube into a more interactive experience. Have fun, kids, and let me know if you want [...]

Most popular YouTube videos in 2009

Matthew Rodriguez — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:06:47 +0000

On their official blog YouTube ranked the most viewed videos and most searched words on YouTube in 2009. The segment of Susan Boyle's beautiful voice featured on Britain's Got Talent (120+ million views) was number one this year, but the next most watched video, "David After Dentist" on YouTube was actually this year's most "viral" amateur video with over 37 million views. If you've been living in a cave this year and haven't seen it, then here it is:

Bon Qui Qui for kids

Bradford Shellhammer — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:25:44 +0000

The gays love their cult classics. In film we've worshipped John Waters, BABY JANE, SHOWGIRLS, and GLITTER. TV: Absolutely Fabulous and The Comeback. Sometimes the television and films we embrace become mainstream hits. Sometimes, the straight world ignores them completely.

Facebook breakup: Throw’d TV’s hilarious send up

Bradford Shellhammer — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:29:39 +0000

Yes, I am a sucker for stupid YouTube videos and blogs that take me away from real work. You must be too. Why else are you reading this? This video, done by Throw’d TV, had me LOLing. Or better yet, LMAOing. It is a send up of an all too familiar story these days: the Facebook [...]

Beef on the internet

Bradford Shellhammer — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:00:46 +0000

The New York Times today ran an interesting story on an old topic: beef between rappers in the hip-hop community. The article focuses on Joe Budden, a new school rapper, and Raekwon, a 90s rap relic, famous for being a member of Wu-Tang Clan. Budden has built a following, and a means of attack, via the [...]

Hand shake

Bradford Shellhammer — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:17:30 +0000

We are halfway through summer and many of us have dedicated countless hours in the gym in the hopes of having that perfect beach body. Now if only I’d found Shake Weight sooner! At first I thought this commercial was a joke from SNL. I kept looking for Kristen Wiig. But think again. The product [...]

Hard bodies and a hello

Bradford Shellhammer — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:00:17 +0000

Hello there. I am Bradford Shellhammer and I am new around these parts. While my fellow SUNfiltered bloggers have done a bang up job finding unique culture, film and music stories across the globe I intend to shake things up differently around here. I’m here to gay it up. Bedazzle the blog. Bring a disco beat. So [...]

American Idol meets organic food

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:41:36 +0000

If singing isn't your thing, and you'd rather not have Simon Cowell dress you down in front of millions of people, the Organic Institute and Organic Trade Association are holding a greener, friendlier version of American Idol. These organizations have taken their search for a consumer ambassador on organic farming and products to YouTube, and invite you to submit a thirty-second video "explaining the moment you realized organic products are worth it."

Social TV: Watch online with your Facebook and MySpace pals

Andrew Hearst — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:44:52 +0000

Mashable, the site devoted to coverage of the social-media industry, posted a cool report about SplashCast, a widget that adds revolutionary commenting capabilities to offerings from Hulu and other online video providers. It's easy to add a comment to the discussion thread on, say, a YouTube page, but SplashCast, or "Social TV," as they call it, is different.

The longest film you’ve ever seen

Annie and Lisa — Wed, 06 May 2009 20:45:29 +0000

This is a weekly column written by Annie Howell and Lisa Robinson, two filmmakers and film professors who are wondering where modern storytelling is heading. What’s the shortest film you’ve seen that’s been satisfying as a story? In turn, what’s the longest screen story experience you’ve ever sustained? I’m flashing back to my long long movie-going experiences … a five hour documentary on Cassavetes, A CONSTANT FORGE—THE LIFE AND ART OF JOHN CASSAVETES, dir. Charles Kiselyak, at SXSW in 2001. (After the movie, my husband Michael and I bonded with the five other people in the theatre, including Blaine Thurier of The New Pornographers, a Cassavetes fan and the winner of that year’s Best Narrative Feature for his film, LOW SELF-ESTEEM GIRL.) The work of Hungarian director Béla Tarr. (Okay, that wasn’t me that endured the 7.5 hour SATAN’S TANGO, it was Michael again, and he stayed for the whole thing at Brooklyn Academy of Music -- even after Gus Van Sant left.)

Life as an Open Story

Annie and Lisa — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:13:39 +0000

This is a weekly column written by Annie Howell and Lisa Robinson, two filmmakers and film professors who are wondering where modern storytelling is heading. I’ve been thinking about the number of people who are streaming their lives as open stories over the web. All these personal narratives are unfolding by short sentences or photos [...]

Robert Redford: the importance of Earth Day

Robert Redford — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:48:10 +0000

Image: NASA On its 39th anniversary, Earth Day still feels vital to me, but I know that some of you out there think that its time has passed. Every day should be Earth Day, you say. Choosing just one, single day to say you care about the planet we call home — what good is [...]

My Final Post on Digital Distribution, I Swear

Ryan Kearney — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:37:18 +0000

A lot of themes have emerged at Sundance this year. The environment. The economy. Noisy gum-chewers.

Air’s “Moon Safari” Turns Ten Next Week

Sundance Channel — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:00:00 +0000

In our constant attempt to make folks feel old, we thought we’d mention that not only is 2008 the year Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea” reached the decade mark, but on 4/14 (4/15 in North America, bub), Air’s “Moon Safari” makes it into double digits, too. The French duo, or more [...]

Oceana Video For Valentine’s Day

Sundance Channel — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 21:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the wake of multiple scientific reports indicating that the oceans may be on the brink of an irreversible collapse in as soon as a few decades, Oceana, the world’s largest international organization dedicated solely to protecting the ocean, is asking for some extra love for the ocean this Valentine’s day. “The [...]