NY Observer > YouTube Inc.

Is There Anything YouTube Can't Do?

Matt Haber — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:11:48 -0400

Two fresh takes on YouTube in today's New York Times.

On the op-ed page, Daniel Kimmage files a piece from Baku, Azerbaijan, titled "Fight Terror With YouTube" about how Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda aren't keeping up in the Web 2.0 world.

As Mr Kimmage writes:

Statements by Mr. bin Laden and his chief deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, that are posted to YouTube do draw comments aplenty. But the reactions, which range from praise to blanket condemnation, are a far cry from the invariably positive feedback Al Qaeda gets on moderated jihadist forums. And even Al Qaeda’s biggest YouTube hits attract at most a small fraction of the millions of views that clips of Arab pop stars rack up routinely. read more »

Indie Filmmakers Go Global on YouTube

Caroline Bankoff — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:51:03 -0400

Independent filmmakers will be given a chance to profit from sharing their work on YouTube, the Associated Press reports. Next Wednesday, the video-sharing site will launch a virtual screening room, a feature that will highlight four new short films every other week. Films will be chosen by an editorial panel that will cull material from direct submissions and film festivals. In addition to heightened exposure, the selected artists will be given a portion of the ad revenue generated by views of their films and the option of selling DVDs and digital copies of their creations through the site. Citing the YouTube success story of Susan Buice and Arin Crumley, who parlayed YouTube exposure into TV and DVD distribution deals, film and animation manager Sara Pollack said: "They ended up doing really, really well, ironically by putting their film online for free."

Canadian Sex and Biker Scandal Comes Alive on YouTube

Matt Haber — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:27:33 -0400

Finally, an inventive new use for YouTube that doesn't involve a kid practicing Star Wars moves or Kobe Bryant jumping over a pool full of snakes. Someone by the screenname BLABLABLAPQ has posted a musical montage that starts with the phrase "Le Scandale de la Semaine au Quebec" ("The Scandal of the Week in Quebec"). The video, which is comprised of screenshots and French pull quotes, highlights the sex-politics-and-biker-gang scandal currently engulfing Canada, all set to a poppy Francophone soundtrack. (Minus a random Britney Spears vamp.) read more »

Adam Green Scrapes Off the Mold

J. Gabriel Boylan — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 06:48:52 -0400

So there's no way Adam Green could have known that, when asked by director Jason Reitman what music her character ought to listen to, Juno star Ellen Page would reply "The Moldy Peaches" faster than you can say "homeskillet."

And there's no way Mr. Green could have known the film would become such a runaway success, or that a tune by his old band, the Moldy Peaches, featured prominently therein would become one of iTunes' hottest downloads, or that the soundtrack would rocket to the top of the Billboard 200, or that he'd end up reuniting with ex-band mate Kimya Dawson after a four-year hiatus to perform their old songs in front of the ladies on The View, or that thousands of teens across the country would record their own cover versions of Juno's unofficial theme "Anyone Else But You," and then load them up on YouTube. read more »

Oprah Launches YouTube Channel

Gillian Reagan — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 11:44:17 -0400

Oprah launched her own YouTube channel here. You can watch exclusive (and ridiculously cheesy) videos of Oprah's production staff presenting a skateboarding bulldog and P.Diddy announcing his search for a new assistant. His special requirements: "You gotta know how to read, you gotta know how to write."

According to Broadcasting & Cable: read more »

Lorne Michaels: SNL Misses Its Dicks in a Box

Felix Gillette — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 20:00:00 -0400

Producer longs for YouTube: NBC vigilantes scrub web preparing for Fox site; skits are put in a lockbox. read more »

MTV to Skateboarders: Break a Leg, Live!

Felix Gillette — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 20:00:00 -0400

On the evening of May 31, 2006, a shaggy-haired teenager in Buffalo, N.Y., peddled his skateboard to read more »

Hillary on the Bright Side of the Big Brother Video

Observer Staff — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 11:30:28 -0400

Hillary Clinton says she may quibble with being depicted as Big Brother -- and IBM, for that matter -- but that it's a good thing as long as it gets people interested in politics.

From an interview with NY1 about that pro-Barack Obama video that has spread like a super-virus around the internet:.

Q: What do you think of the video?
"I haven't seen it but I'm pleased that it seems to be taking attention away from what used to be on YouTube and getting a lot of hits, namely me singing "The Star Spangled Banner." Everybody in the world now knows I can't carry a tune. I thank heavens for small favors and the attention has shifted and now maybe people won't have to tune in and hear me screeching about "The Star Spangled Banner."
Q: Should the video be removed? "You know, that's for somebody else to decide. I don't have an opinion one way of another. I think anything that drives interest in these campaigns and gets people who otherwise are not at all interested in politics, I think that's pretty good. I might quibble a little bit about the content but if we get more people, especially young people, thinking about politics, I'm happy about that."

-- Jason Horowitz

Hynes About to Make Someone Else Famous

Observer Staff — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 07:00:00 -0400

At 2 p.m. this afternoon, Brooklyn District Attorney Joe Hynes will be handing out DVD copies of video surveillance allegedly showing former Judge Gerald Garson accepting a $1,000 bribe, and cigars, from an attorney.

A spokesman for the DA said that the footage will be played in court before more than a dozen copies are given out to interested media.

The last time the DA released footage -- of Assemblywoman Diane Gordon asking someone to build her a dream home in exchange for help securing city contracts - it hit YouTube instantly. -- Azi Paybarah

The Round-Up: Thursday

Observer Staff — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 03:41:44 -0500

City Council passes nightclub-safety bills.

[NY Post]

Atlantic Yards investors may make $700 M. in sell-off.

[NY Post]

Tenants keep mum on Coney Island's future.

[Daily News]

New control tower going up at La Guardia.

[Daily News]

Mayor wants to look into plans for old firehouses.

[NY Sun]

Michael Shvo gives brokers sales advice.

[NY Sun]

Brooklynite battles development with YouTube.

[NY Sun]

Downtown Brooklyn booms onward, upward.

[NY Sun]

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