YouTube Stars!

Happy Valentine's Day! When you think about it, you realize every day could be Happy Heart Day. Why celebrate Love just once a year? Love comes in different forms. Love expresses itself in different ways. Often there are power dynamics internal to the couple. Often there are twists and the one who, to all the world, appears to be dominant might actually be willingly submissive to their partner.

From all accounts, the new movie, Fifty Shades of Grey, based on the book series by E. L. James from 2011 and 2012 is going to draw huge crowds. What is the attraction? Is it the fact that Anastasia originally started out as Bella and Christian was Edward, in a fan fiction work based on the Twilight series? Is it the strong personality and physical attraction of Dakota Johnson, daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith? Maybe the sleek physique and penetrating charm of Jamie Dornan? Ultimately, the movie and book series have to stand on the strength of the story. Who has the power in the relationship. Who is dominant and who is submissive? Is there a true love here or merely a massive physical attraction?

And what about the soundtrack? Already, Ellie Goulding's song from the movie, Love Me Like You Do, has nearly 50 million views! Its a typical modern pop love song, with a bit of a hook. The video features scenes from the Fifty Shades Of Grey movie, along with Ellie Goulding flitting around moody sets. Here it is, enjoy!

Now, lets go way way way back. Lets go back Fifty Years and see what the subject matter of Fifty Shades was like in the 60s. In 1967, the legendary proto-punk Andy Warhol supported Indie Alt generally-strange and groundbreaking band, The Velvet Underground, released a classic album, The Velvet Underground and Nico. On said album we find "Venus in Furs". This is a hauntingly beautiful dirge, a slow hypnotic trance, featuring some of the following lyrics sung by band vocalist Lou Reed:

Shiny, shiny, shiny boots of leather Whiplash girlchild in the dark Clubs and bells, your servant, don't forsake him Strike, dear mistress, and cure his heart. Severin, Severin, speak so slightly Severin, down on your bended knee Taste the whip, in love not given lightly Taste the whip, now plead for me.

There are further lyrics. Let it flow over your consciousness, especially if you are a fan of Fifty Shades Of Grey. I think you'll be happy to hear this, if you have never had the experience before. Just. Click. PLAY! (If you dare)

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but whips and chains excite me!

Labels: 60s music, bondage, Dominance, E. L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey, kinky, lou reed, nudity, sex, submission, the velvet underground, Twilight, venus in furs

posted by KennyCrane at 2/15/2015 05:55:00 AM 1 Comments

If you have not read at least the first book, then grab a copy from Amazon and see what everyone has been talking about the last few years, and see why the upcoming movie is already causing a lot of buzz even though it isn't due out until Valentine's Day 2015. There are a few related books below, so if you've read the 50 Shades series already, you will most likely enjoy these other books!

So if you don't know, then you may ask, What is Fifty Shades of Grey about? Well it is about SEX! Actually, it is about an adult couple in love with each other, who are very sexually attracted to each other. The man is named Christian Grey. He is a very wealthy business man who has been through some sexual ordeals as a boy. He has a need to be a dominant sexual partner and therefore needs a submissive sexual partner to complete this consensual partnership. Ana Steele happens to walk into his life, and she is his "type" so there is an immediate attraction. He is a powerful and good looking man, and she is attracted to him as well. While he is fully into this BDSM lifestyle, she is very sexually innocent. She wants to keep some control over their relationship but he longs for her to submit to his every command.

While this is indeed a sex book, it isn't the sole focus, and readers report that they enjoyed the dynamics in Christian and Ana's relationship. Since this book does contain a lot of sex scenes, it is not for children and probably not for some young adults. However, this book started out as a Fan Fiction story written using the characters from the popular Young Adult book and movie series, Twilight! Yes, that's right, Christian = Edward and Ana = Bella! Both male characters are strong and controlling, and have a life that very few others ever experience. Both females are innocent and somewhat awkward and less than perfect, although they are eventually equals in the relationship.

So who has been cast to play Christian and who has been cast to play Ana? Dakota Johnson will play Anastasia "Ana" Steele. Jamie Dornan will play Christian Grey. There was some talk at one point about casting Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, the Twilight stars! You can read more about the Fifty Shades of Grey movie on wikipedia.

Now, enjoy the trailer for the upcoming February 2015 movie, Fifty Shades of Grey!

Labels: 50 Shades, Ana, Bella, book, Christian, Edward, Fifty Shades of Grey, movie, trailer, Twilight

posted by KennyCrane at 7/24/2014 09:49:00 PM 1 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

This is post number 190 at YouTubeStars! We've been doing this for over 4 years now and our popularity continue to increase. Google Analytics says we had 17,421 pageviews in the last month; thanks to all our readers!

Also, we have been publishing our "YouTube Top 100 - A Weekly Chart of the 100 Most Subscribed YouTube Members" every week since mid 2006, and now our Chart gets almost as many pageviews as this blog. A few months ago, we launched our Top 200 Weekly Chart, which has the top 200 Most Subscribed channels on YouTube. This is data that you can only get from our Chart. YouTube doesn't provide this information. They only show the top 100 Most Subscribed channels. So check out our Top 100 and Top 200 Charts every week!

We will be watching three music videos and an interactive Circus film today...

But first, The News!

Savannah Berry, whose YouTube channel is SavannahSings gave us some exciting news this week. While vacationing in Orlando with her family, Savannah auditioned at Disney Studios for the American Idol Experience and qualified for a producers audition, allowing her to skip all the long lines! She auditions for American Idol next month; good luck Savannah!
Wait, there's more! Savannah was just chosen to open for platinum selling artist Sammy Kershaw at the July 17th fundraiser for the E.C.H.O Foundation at at Tin Hall, in Texas. Read more, here.


We mentioned in our Mike Lombardo Interview that Mike was competing at OurStage to open for John Mayer. He came in first out of hundreds of bands after rounds of fan judging. Now the OurStage people will select the winning band that gets to open for John Mayer. Click the pic and watch the video (which is kind of loud) - Mike will tell you all about it!


We have been writing about the Emo Kids since we first began this blog over 4 years ago. "Matt" was one of the first YouTubeStars and helped to make YouTube the sensation it is today. He went away for a while, came back, left again, but is now back with a new string of videos. Click the pic to watch his review of "We Are The Arsenal" new EP, "There Will Come Soft Rains" in his unique Emo style!


Eclipse, the third movie in the Twilight Saga, was released last week and has already taken in $300 million at the Box Office. But not everyone likes the books. Here is an intelligent presentation by one woman on why she does not care for Twilight. Click the pic and watch - see if you agree or not. For Tweets, News, Posters and Videos about all things Twilight, visit TwitterTwilight.com.


The vlogbrothers have organized VidCon 2010, a conference for and about videomakers. It runs from July 9th through 11th and takes place in Los Angeles, which just had a 5.9 magnitude Earthquake! Click the pic for more info on this sold-out event, which is supposed to be streamed live... Shane Dawson is going to be there!


Now, watch these videos!

Aldo Blaga is a 23 year old man from Romania who has one of the best singing voices on YouTube! I've heard thousands of singers on YouTube in the last 5 years and I know what I'm talking about. Just have a listen to his cover of Crying, originally done by Roy Orbison in the summer of 1961. Then listen to any other song he uploaded and you'll be just as pleased. This man is going to go far!





Charming and popular YouTube musician Tiffany Jo Allen is back with an awesome cover of Gnarles Barkley's "Crazy." Tiffany Jo has about 110 Thousand subscribers and over 28 Million Total Upload views, making her one of the more popular musicians on YouTube. She is well liked because of her awesome singing and guitar playing, as well as her high level of interaction with fans by responding to comments and talking to them at her many shows. Watch any video on her channel and you'll be glad you did!





Irish lass Chloe Wilders is only 14 but has already done some live shows and written her own songs. Here's one called "Naked" - Chloe does a great job of singing and playing guitar, and listen to the lyrics, they're quite good! Watch her other videos, including her latest one "Gypsy" by Shakira, on her YouTube channel.





We have been watching and writing about OlgaKay for almost three years now. This young Russian actress and juggler living in LA has always been fun to watch and now she is getting the recognition she deserves. She stars in this beautifully made short interactive film about Circus life, which already has nearly 3 Million views and has just been up a little over a week. Olga keeps climbing up the YouTube Top 200 Weekly Chart of Most Subscribed channels. This week, she climbed three spots up to #121 Most Subscribed. It won't be long before she enters the Top 100!

Labels: aldoblaga, ChloeW13, EmoKid21Ohio, MikeLombardoMusic, olgakay, savannahsings, TiffanyJoAllen, Twilight, TwitterTwilight, vidcon, vlogbrothers

posted by KennyCrane at 7/08/2010 01:08:00 AM 0 Comments

So I'm looking through recent tweets about Twilight and I find one about Lucie Jones, an 18 year old girl from Wales who is doing well in the X Factor competition. X Factor is similar to American Idol, America's Got Talent and Britian's Got Talent. It even has Simon Cowell as one of the judges. Lucie just sang "I Will Always Love You" originally done by Whitney Houston, a few days ago on the show. Several people on TwitterTwilight.com are saying that Lucie looks a lot like Kristen Stewart who plays Bella Swan in the Twilight movies! I tend to agree, she does look a little like Kristen, mainly from the side angle views in the video.

Check out Lucie doing an amazing job with "one of the hardest songs in the world to sing," and see if you think she looks anything like Kristen. Or maybe you think she looks like a young Ann Margaret, some have said that too! In any case, she sings great, enjoy!

Labels: Bella, Kristen Stewart, Lucie Jones, Twilight, twitter, TwitterTwilight

posted by KennyCrane at 9/08/2009 02:12:00 AM 6 Comments

Here are 151 very funny jokes, spread over 3 four-minute videos, by the vlogbrothers. Hank and John Green are brother nerdfighters who keep in touch with each other via their YouTube channel - which is about to have 100 Thousand subscribers! Visit their website and subscribe to their YouTube channel!












Here's a bonus video - the latest one from the vlogbrothers. It's about Rob Pattinson, the actor who plays Edward Cullen in the movie "Twilight" - the first movie from the 4-part Twilight Book series by Stepheinie Meyer.
(See what people are Twittering about Twilight!)

Labels: funny, jokes, Pattinson, Twilight, twitter, vlogbrothers

posted by KennyCrane at 8/06/2009 04:11:00 AM 0 Comments

We usually report here on videomakers who make music, skits or comedy bits. Today, we present a collection of more serious videos on topics that you may want to ponder. If you're looking for YouTubeStars who sing, do skits or funny bits - don't worry! We'll contintine to bring you those vids in the future, as we have for the last two and a half years! Check back often, or better yet, Subscribe to our RSS feed!

First, The News! I hear from my friends at the TubeRavers Forum that over a dozen people have visited the site from the link I gave in the last post. I've been asked to help boost membership on TubeRavers, where people go to talk about YouTube videos and related subjects. So please continue to follow this link and check out TubeRavers!

Are you a fan of the Twilight series of books? The movie opens in 2 weeks! Connect with other Twilight fans at the TeamTwilighter website. It has the New Movie Trailer on the Homepage and 4 other Twilight clips too. Team Twilighter is a YouTube Vlogging channel where 8 fans of the Twilight saga create their videos for their day. Right now, TeamTwilighter has 73,158 Total Video Views and 796 Subscribers on YouTube! Visit their Video page to watch their 10 most recent videos. Also, check out Their Store to get some Shirts, Bags and other gear, all with their cool logo on it!

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Barack Obama was elected President of the US on November 4th. Congrats and Best Wishes! The job will not be easy but the good will of the people of the world goes out to him. This is the speech he made in Chicago, the night of the election. Watch it; it's a good one!




The world economy is not doing as well as it was just a few years ago. You might not feel as Rich as you once did. However, in one sense, Richness is a state of mind. Watch this video and consider that if you have a computer and internet service, you are much better off than most people today and almost every person who lived in older days. lorax2013 says it better than I can; just watch!




Here's a video from a year and a half ago that didn't get noticed much. It is about Vlogging and proffers a Vloggers' Code: "It's about responsibility and respect. It's about honor and integrity. It's about entertaining and enlightening." This applies also to commenting on any video on YouTube, and being a member of the videomaking and video watching community. Watch this excellent collaboration vid!




In my opinion, Steven Pinker is one of the greatest thinkers alive today! He has written several excellent books that provide insight into the most magnificent object in the world, the Human Brain. Pinker gives us insight into Human Nature and why we observe some of the behavior we see everyday. In his book, "The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature," Pinker, a Psychology Professor, "attacks the notion that an infant's mind is a blank slate, arguing instead that human beings have an inherited universal structure shaped by the demands made upon the species for survival, albeit with plenty of room for cultural and individual variation. For those who have been following the sciences in question including cognitive science, neuroscience, behavioral genetics and evolutionary psychology much of the evidence will be familiar, yet Pinker's clear and witty presentation, complete with comic strips and allusions to writers from Woody Allen to Emily Dickinson, keeps the material fresh. What might amaze is the persistent, often vitriolic resistance to these findings Pinker presents and systematically takes apart, decrying the hold of the "blank slate" and other orthodoxies on intellectual life. He goes on to tour what science currently claims to know about human nature, including its cognitive, intuitive and emotional faculties, and shows what light this research can shed on such thorny topics as gender inequality, child-rearing and modern art."

In this video, Pinker talks about some of the reaction his book caused. This book is a "must read" for anyone interested in Human Nature. Along with his earlier book, "How the Mind Works," provide an Owner's Manual to the Human Brain!



Books by Steven Pinker that you should check out, at Amazon.com:

Labels: barackobamadotcom, lorax2013, steven pinker, teamtwilighter, tedtalksdirector, thefrozenghost, Twilight

posted by KennyCrane at 11/07/2008 04:48:00 AM 1 Comments

This cool Reggae tune has been out since this past Winter but people still love it! Many YouTube musicians have covered it. Here's the Official Jason Mraz - I'm Yours video, as well as three excellent versions by Tiffany Jo Allen, Roxanne Andrighetti and Krista Nicole Hudson.

First, the News. We reported last time that "Nigahiga is now the Most Subscribed channel." That didn't last long! Fred is now in the top spot. Be sure to visit the Top 100 Weekly Chart every week to see who moved up, or down, the chart!

What is more popular, Harry Potter or Twilight? Which do you like best? The first Twilight movie is coming out next month. Watch the Trailer at the TeamTwilighter website! TeamTwilighter is a collaboration group on YouTube who are fans of the Twilight series of books by Stephanie Meyer. You'll find a list of their latest videos on their Videos page.

Someone recently wrote a review of Twilight, saying that it sends a bad message:

"If there was ever a book that deserved the medal for Worst Messages of All Time to Send to your Teenage Audience, then this is the one. Girls, life is not worth living unless you have your man. It's okay to have no dreams, ambitions, hobbies, interests, goals, ideas, friends, etc... as long as you have your man."

Read more at the Books page. I'm sure the readers know that this is Fiction, and no female should be addicted to love with no regard for her own life, like Bella. What do you think???

And now, on with the "I'm Yours" videos!

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This is the Official Jason Mraz - I'm Yours video, complete with a "post-roll" advertisement, hmm. I guess YouTube should be given a chance to make some money to pay for the storage and bandwidth that lets us all upload and watch videos for free. Enjoy the video; you can always x out of the ad if you don't want to watch that!




Here's a great version of "I'm Yours" by continually rising YouTubeStar musician, TiffanyJoAllen. But it's not just Tiffany Jo singing and playing her guitar, no, this time she makes a cool and funny music video to go along with the song! Check it out!




Roxy has two channels. She put this sweet ukulele version of "I'm Yours" on her less subscribed RoxyParadox channel, rather than on her popular randrigh one that we've written about a few times. Well, we think everyone should listen to this talented singer, so here it is, for your listening pleasure!




Krista Nicole is a great singer who makes videos accompanied by her Dad on guitar. Be sure to watch her videos and learn why she won that WebPops contest last Winter! Here's Krista and Dad with their excellent version of "I'm Yours."

Labels: I'm Yours, jason, jason mraz, KristaHeartzuz, mraz, randrigh, roxyparadox, teamtwilighter, TiffanyJoAllen, Twilight

posted by KennyCrane at 10/22/2008 01:45:00 AM 1 Comments

Everybody is reading the Twilight series of books, written by Stephenie Meyer. If you are too, you know that there are three books out so far. The fourth and final, "Breaking Dawn" will be released on August 2nd. I bought all four books! Of course I just have a coupon for the new one but I plan to be at the book store at Midnight to pick up my reserved copy. Even though I bought the first three, I've only read the first and now I'm half way through the second one. I can take my time because I won't get to read the new book when it comes out next week - I promised it to my niece, she gets to read it first. :)

Twilight is about a 17-year-old girl (Bella) who falls in love with a guy (Edward) who is over a hundred years old! But, he's still in High School! How can that be, you ask? Edward is a vampire! Now if you are a parent and you're worried about your teen reading these books, don't be. There is no sex and very little violence here at all. What there is, is a captivating story of young love with a twist!

Don't like to read? Watch the movie! Twilight fans know that the movie version comes out 12-12-08. Here is the latest version of the trailer for Twilight:



There are several groups of Twilight fans on YouTube who have banded together to make Twilight related videos. One of the best is TeamTwilighter. They got started in May and already have over 500 subscribers and 39 videos. Check out one of their earliest videos that tells about the group. Then, if you love Twilight, subscribe to TeamTwilighter!

Labels: meyer, movie, stephenie, teamtwilighter, trailer, Twilight, vampire

posted by KennyCrane at 7/23/2008 01:59:00 AM 1 Comments