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Appear Better Informed About Darfur in 3 Minutes: The Onion Makes Me Cry

Darfur. We both know how serious it is, but we’re not sure exactly why or where it is. The Onion (helping you seem more informed”) has produced this fantastic parody of news analysis. It’s called “How Can We Let Darfur Know How Much We’re Doing For Them.” I’ve never laughed as much in preparing a…

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The Best of Cats on Skateboards (YouTube Advertising)

It’s the biggest myth of online-video advertising. If a brand advertises on YouTube it will appear with consumer-generated media that includes such content as cats on skateboarders. TVweek’s “New Media Minute,” hosted by Daisy Whitney, featured a recent interview with YouTube’s Jordan Hoffner to set the record straight (via WebVideoReport). Naturally I couldn’t resist a…

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Best Video About Video Game: Arby ‘N the Chief

If it’s one thing that puzzles me — maybe even annoys me sometimes — it’s the proliferation of videos that are simply video screen captures of a video games with added dialogue or music. They’re hard to ignore, though, and often dominate YouTube’s “most watched” and “best rated” videos. But along comes this masterpiece and…

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The Internet Never Forgets: Cap’n Crunch Is NOT the Devil

In further proof that I’ll not likely pass my next new-hire screening, here are two of many prank letters I wrote 17 years ago. The Internet never forgets, and Pat Kutack never forgets to renew his URL dedicated to his now defunct Georgetown University comedy troupe called “Rebels Without Applause.” Mind you, I never had…

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Politics and Viral: McCain and Obama Music Video Parodies

This is the year where viral video will, no doubt, shape the election. And while this blog cannot possibly keep up on the political satire that’s overtaking YouTube, this one felt worth a mention. Barack Obama’s speech inspired this music video featuring Black Eyed Peas. It’s called “Yes We Can.” That spawned Election08 (comedians in…

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The Power of Blogs for Video Viralization (MacBook Air Parody Case Study)

As I mentioned in my recent eBook (“How to Become Popular on YouTube Without Any Talent“), Obama-Girl creator Ben Relles taught me about the power of blogs to get a viral video to a tipping point. Candidly, I’m usually too lazy to go searching for blogs that might like a video, and kinda hope they’ll…

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Apple MacBook Air is Obsessed With Thin

Last night I got an e-mail from Mac that showcased the new Apple MacBook Air. The product is interesting and the spot was simple with a contagious song called New Soul by Yael Naim. Although I was already well into my nightly Ambien, I felt I couldn’t pass on a quick parody. About 19 minutes…