YouTube Stars!

Here's some super cool dance music to get you up and moving! Need some music to work out to? Freezepop! Need some tunes for your high energy dance party? Freezepop! Love electronic 80s music? You'll love Freezepop!

But first, The News!

This week's Featured Video on our Top 100 and Top 200 Charts is a sweet vlog / singing video from colloege student OMGitsLucy814! Lucyy is in her Freshman year and vlogs from her dorm room. In this video she tells us how she played with Garage Band and made a Lady Gaga track to sing to. Her singing performance is quite good! (Watch the video right here)

We have a NEW Featured Video every week on our YouTube Top 100 Chart. If you missed any of our Previously Featured Videos, you can still watch them here.

Check out our Top 100 and Top 200 Charts of the Most Subscribed YouTube Channels every week! Go and Bookmark the Top 100 YouTube Chart at YTChart.com right now!



Now, here are 3 Super Cool Freezepop songs!


Freezepop is an electronic pop band from Boston. The classic line up of Liz Enthusiasm (vocals), Sean T. Drinkwater, and The Duke of Pannekoeken, a.k.a. composer Kasson Crooker came together in 1999. They play songs with an 80s sound that reference videogames, science, technology and math - some of my favorite things in the world! I hear influences by Devo, early Madonna, Nena (99 Red Balloons) and Peter Shilling (Major Tom). I like all those acts so I was happy to find Freezepop a few years ago when someone used a piece of "Science Genius Girl" in a video on YouTube.

In this video, we see the trio in cartoon form acting out the dramatic lyrics in Flash animation format. She works across the street from the boy in the Indie Record store and isn't ready to do anything but stalk him for a while. She's on a Stakeout!






"You're so dreamy, you're so sweet! Swept completely off my feet, ahhh ahhh.
You duct taped my heart back together. I think that this could last forever!

We were walking in the rain, and a hole was in my shoe. You pulled some duct tape from your bag, patched it up as good as new. That should keep you dry, you told me, looking shyly in my eye, and our hands were almost touching. That first kiss was a surprise!"

Duct tape solves every problem! I love the smooth synth sounds and dreamy vocals in this one! Very cool, in my opinion! Ignore the dancing dude in this video and just groove to the beat!






Starting out a little like "Situation" by Yaz, this upbeat dance tune gets me moving, just like the other two songs here. "He says, I miss the way you looked at me. She says, I'm sorry but I don't agree. He says, is this the way this has to be? She says, what happened to our symmetry?" The music doesn't start until 12 seconds into this pretty cool audiosurf video, but then it rocks, so get up and dance!

Labels: "duct tape my heart", "He says she says", freezepop, OMGitsLucy814, stakeout

posted by KennyCrane at 11/09/2011 06:13:00 AM 0 Comments

I like blogging. I enjoy recording my opinion on things related to YouTube at this website. I've been doing this for just shy of 5 years now, and its fun for me to go back and read some of my old posts. It gives me insight into what I liked at the time and I can think about whether I still like what I once raved about, or not. Generally I still enjoy the same videos and video makers!

I started blogging shortly after YouTube launched and this blog presents a history of YouTube. I've written about YouTube musicians, comedians and other genres, including vloggers. A video blog is similar to a written blog in that you can learn about a person's thoughts and feelings. A vlog's visual aspect gives you an immediate impression of the person, as well as body language cues you don't get in a blog, and often captures a certain spontinaety. A blog can provide more depth and detail, and is often a good adjunct to a vlogger's videos.

I've enjoyed several vloggers over the years. Some continue to vlog, although not always at the same frequency, while others are gone or have changed their channel's focus to other things. It can be interesting to follow a vlogger over a period of time. You can see how their personality changes and how they grow as a person. This is especially true of younger vloggers who are still discovering who they are and what they want to do with their lives.

I picked two interesting vloggers to write about in this post - Lucy (OMGitsLucy814) and Kathy (KathyKatInAHat). Both have pleasant personalities and seem to enjoy sharing their thoughts in their vlogs. They are very genuine and sincere; they are comfortable in front of the camera and you could imagine them telling a friend what you see them talking about in their vlogs.

Lucy and Kathy have something else in common; both are big fans of the Harry Potter book series. I have enjoyed learning about Harry Potter from these ladies as I have not read the books myself (I did see one movie and liked it). I would like to read Harry Potter and just discovered that my mom has the first book! It's just a matter of finding the time. I did read all the books in another popular series a few years ago, the Twilight Saga books. My neice was reading them and some family members were concerned about the subject matter, so I decided to see what the fuss was about. I enjoyed the Twilight books and the movies as well, and have even written a few articles on Twilight, most recently "Twilight Saga: Lessons Learned".

After hearing Lucy and Kathy talk about Harry Potter, I think I may have read the wrong book series! I do like Twilight but, in my opinion, its primarily about an unnatural obsession between two people and the adventures their relationship brings to them. I get the feeling from Lucy and Kathy that Harry Potter has more depth and character development, which is something I like and was a bit lacking in Twilight. The ladies talk about how Harry Potter is about love, family, friendship, triumph over evil and solving problems without using magic. When I see my mom this Easter Sunday, I think I'll borrow her Harry Potter book!




Below, we present some vlogs by Lucy and Kathy...

But first, The News!

This week's Featured Video on our Top 100 and Top 200 Charts is a 1960s inspired Garage / Punk / Pop / Indie Rock music video on the GarageRockRadio channel that I think is very cool! It's a cover of the old Vogues song, "Magic Town" upgraded with guitars, gritty vocals and played at a faster tempo, done by musician Lynette Price. The video is random and strange in parts (what IS THAT at 0:48???) and has been described as "a dream within a dream." Watch and enjoy a style of music you might not have heard before! Check out our Top 100 and Top 200 Charts of the Most Subscribed YouTube Channels every week!

Our friend Ali Brustofski is on TV in a Talent Show Contest! If you are in NY, NJ, or Connecticut, you can watch it on the MSG network. But even if you can't watch, you can Vote For Ali from 4-24 TO 4-27. Please check out her video about this, click the pic on the left, and VOTE!!!


Now, here are some interesting vlogs by Lucy and Kathy!

I found Lucy on YouTube when she was just starting out. Her first video was about Harry Potter and which characters her classmates liked the best from the series. Her second video was her first vlog, and I wrote about it, here. I have enjoyed Lucy's vlogs for almost 3 years now and have written about a few of her other videos. See a list of Lucy's videos that I wrote about, here.

Lucy, who states that "Youtube. It's not a hobby, It's a way of life."
is now a senior in High School and made a video last Winter titled, "Why I Love Harry Potter". She explains that she has reread the series and is more able to appreciate the depth of the characters. It's not just about a boy wizard, there is so much more there. Let's hear Lucy in her own words...




Kathy, who said she's "pretty much a huge nerd, and I am also very proud of that fact" is in her first year of college. She talked about her Harry Potter Obsession in one of her VEDA (Vlog Every Day in April) videos from last week. After relating what Harry Potter has meant to her at various times in her life, Kathy observes that "these people who had magical powers had problems that they could not solve with magic." We all have problems and we have to learn to deal with them. Listen to Kathy in her own words...




I wrote about Lucy's first vlog years ago when I first saw it. I did not discover Kathy's channel until about a month ago. She made her first vlog well over a year ago when she was a senior in High School. I think she did a great job; let's watch!




Kathy has indeed vlogged every day in April so far and I have enjoyed watching her videos. I recommend that you watch them as well, and its always good to start at the start, so here is VEDA #1. Kathy re-introduces herself, mentions she loves Harry Potter, Doctor Who (watch this and this at 3:22!), jump cut editing, and is going to VidCon! Watch this and then some or all of her other videos, I know you'll enjoy them!

Labels: AllisonBrustofski, GarageRockRadio, Harry Potter, KathyKatInAHat, OMGitsLucy814, Twilight

posted by KennyCrane at 4/22/2011 03:05:00 AM 2 Comments

How's your summer going so far? Been on vacation? Spending your time by the pool? Seen some good movies? I'll bet you've watched a ton of YouTube videos! Here are four fun summer videos you may have missed.

But first, The News! Michael Jackson may be gone but he's not forgotten. He may become more famous after death than when he was alive, much like Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. Did you see the Memorial Special on TV yesterday? I did, many moving moments, especially at the end with Michael Jackson's 11 Year Old Daughter "Paris" Tearful Goodbye. Here's a link to some clips from the Michael Jackson Memorial program.

Michael Jackson is growing in popularity on YouTube too! Last week he entered the Top 100 Weekly Chart for the first time, and at number 39! This week, Michael Jackson moved up another 10 spots, with 63,495 new subscribers. How much will Michael Jackson move up next week? Be sure to check The Chart each week!

Be sure to watch the Featured Video on this week's YouTube Top 100 Weekly Chart - YouTrax Bunch - a parody of the Brady Bunch opening credits! This is an excellent video made by Michael Boyce on his tinkermusic and YouTraxTV Channels. Michael does interview videos with YouTubeStars like Krista Nicole, Tiffany Jo Allen, Alyssa Bernal, Angelica Vasilcov, Savannah Berry and many more!

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Do you have pets? How'd that go for ya? Having pets is a responsibility if you want them to stay alive and thrive. It didn't work out so well for Alyssa. First the mice died, then she tried Cactus plants - should be easy to care for them, right? Umm, well, let's see how that went! :) Alyssa always makes fun videos, watch them all and subscribe!

Have you recently lost a pet? Here's an article on how to deal with it.
Are you in a Long Distance Relationship, like Alyssa? Here's ideas on how to make it work!

HayleyGHoover is one of the best young vloggers on YouTube! She is funny, creative, a good singer and actress. She's also a teenager, and teenagers have "a lot of angst!" So she's used to getting looks when she displays it, but now she's getting a different look. Why? Watch the video!




Lucy is another great young vlogger. Here, she talks about two recently popular websites, "What the heck!?!? These websites are stupid!" But Lucy finds some funny posts on the sites. Watch and enjoy Lucy's insights!

Here's a new website that's definitely Not Stupid! TweetJunction is a place to post pics, videos, blogs and more - then Twitter them out with the Tweet It button!

Here's one from Last Summer. Alissa sings a song thats amusing right from the first chord. She tells you how to put a link in the YouTube description in the sidebar, and how to point to it! Just push Play, and enjoy!

Labels: hayleyghoover, Michael Jackson, MissAlissa15, OMGitsLucy814, UmLikeUhlyssa, youtraxtv

posted by KennyCrane at 7/08/2009 03:44:00 PM 0 Comments

YouTubeStars is one of the oldest and longest running commentaries on YouTube! This is our 132nd post. We've been writing about excellent YouTubers and their videos since May, 2006. Here's 4 more entertaining vids for your viewing pleasure!

But first, The News! As you can see from the widget at the top of the page, Nigahiga is now the Most Subscribed channel! Smosh has been at the top of The Chart since the week of 4/29/2007 when they dethroned LonelyGirl15. Let's see how long Nigahiga holds the top spot. Fred is still rapidly gaining subscribers. Will he be #1 soon? Keep your eyes on The Chart!

Speaking of widgets, you can get a copy of the "YouTube's Most Popular Channels" widget for YOUR website too! Also check out our Total Video Views widget used by Top YouTubers like HotForWords and VenetianPrincess. Get yours today, at MyYTStats.com!

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OlgaKay is a rising YouTubeStar! She's up to 16,529 subscribers and almost 2 Million Total Video Views! In this video, Olga tries to play Mario Cart on her Wii but keeps getting interrupted by friends telling her about the YouTube Insight feature. Check out this cool collab and see who Olga's Guest Stars are!



Cordayrox is a wonderful young singer who has posted many entertaining music videos. She is back with her friend Amy, singing a duet of the song "White Flag." They are really good!



YsabellaBrave is one of the best singers on YouTube. She started out by making music videos of her singing old Standards like Caberet, Travellin' Man, All Shook Up and many more. Lately she has posted excellent music vids of her original songs. In this film, posted on her talk channel, she discusses Hecklers and haters. If you've been affected by rude internetters, you'll want to listen to this vid:



OMGitsLucy814 is one of the great new young vloggers on YT. She has made vlogs about Twilight and Harry Potter, talked about news of the day, and told us about her summer vacation. But this time, she does a funny and creative skit about how NOT to get featured on YouTube. Enjoy the show! Also be sure to check out Lucy on the ThoseSevenGirls collab channel.

Labels: cordayrox, nigahiga, olgakay, OMGitsLucy814, smosh, Ysabellabrave, Ysabellabravetalk

posted by KennyCrane at 9/26/2008 11:47:00 PM 0 Comments

Last month (in this post), we discussed several videos made about the state of video blogging on YouTube. People were saying that vlogging has changed - no one makes vids anymore just to talk about their lives. It was said that many YouTubers were now trying to be slick and act differently, just to get views. Many lamented the "old days" of YouTube where people were thought to be more honest, and happy to simply get in front of a cam and talk about their regular ordinary lives. It was fun to watch and listen to regular people tell the world about who they were and what they were doing.

As we said last time, for every veteran vlogger who has been around a while and misses the old days, there is a new person just discovering the fun of making video blogs. Here are four young people who have just recently made their First Vlogs. Please watch their videos, encourage them with nice comments, and subscribe if you like their style!

But first, some News! Last week, everyone was talking about the subscriber shrinkage problem. It seems that many YouTubers were surprised to find that they were losing subscribers. A check of the Top 100 Weekly Chart showed that this was indeed true. Many, but not all, of the top YouTubers had decreases in their number of subscribers from the week before. It has been suggested that YouTube is purging old, unused accounts from it's database. This may account for the observed drop in subscribers. Whatever the cause, it appears to have stopped. Have a look at This Week's Top 100 Chart and you'll see that almost everyone Gained Subscribers this week.

In related Top 100 Chart news, the Fred character, formally of JKLproduction, is up 5 positions to number 11 - with a gain of 27,928 new subscribers! Congrats on that Huge jump in subs! Meanwhile, the veteran vlogger and community supporter, Renetto, has dropped another position to number 86 with a weekly Loss of 23 subs. This is surprising, considering his excellent recent series of videos made from poignant and thoughtful essays originally published at NPR. Maybe people don't like it when Renetto is serious. His wacky videos have done the best. The essays have only 4 to 14 thousand views and his TheTropolis vids have barely above 10 thousand views. What does this say about the members of YouTube and what they want from the site?


Now, on with the videos!

First up, is Lucy. Lucy likes Harry Potter, skiing, acting, singing, and... orange juice! On her profile, she says she is an upbeat person, an honors kid, an optimist and a good friend. Lucy made her first video, about Harry Potter, just 2 weeks ago. Here she is with her first vlog, uploaded May 26th. Yes, she IS an upbeat person!




Next, here's Lucie. Lucie lives in the UK and likes 80s music. She talks in this vid about the upcoming Avril Lavigne concert she will be attending (she went, and talks about it in vlog 3). Lucie also talks about school (it's almost over!) and the art exhibition coming up. The vid, from May 27th, is slightly fuzzy and the audio is a little tinny, but Lucie was kind enough to provide subtitles so we could follow along! The word is, Lucie has a new cam in her future!




Now, watch Franny. She just joined YouTube in April and made this first vlog on May 29th, from her bathroom! Her goal was to introduce herself and get 20 video views - she got over 100 so far. Franny likes to wear different clothes and vary her makeup and hair, but despite her screen name, that doesn't make her skitzo! She likes music and YouTube, and says she intends to make more videos. Here is her first effort, enjoy!




Finally, we have Zoe. Zoe lives in the UK and loves music and... Philosophy! Wow, she's only 13, how interesting! Zoe joined YouTube last October and made her first video 3 months back. She went fishing and caught a Pike. This is her first vlog, made on May 29th. She mentions her love of music, writing, reading, YouTube - and of course Philosophy. :) Zoe says she's "a bit different to anyone usually this age," watch and see!

Labels: blog, EllieBee148, JellyBeanQueenX, OMGitsLucy814, SchizoFrannya, Video, vloggers, vlogging

posted by KennyCrane at 6/03/2008 08:45:00 PM 4 Comments