YouTube Stars!

Back in February, YouTuber JackDanyells announced a contest to help promote Art and Writing on YouTube. In his video about the contest, "Do you support the arts on YouTube?", Jack asks the question, "Is there a place for art and writing in the digital revolution?" So far, there have been 353 video responses! Finalists in the contest are to be announced on May 9th. Links to official rules of the contest are in the description of the video. There are two $500 prizes up for grabs!

Here at YouTubeStars, we consider the entire range of videos posted on YouTube as works of art. We have supported YouTubers and their videos for TWO years now! In this post, we'll have a look and listen to two poets reading a sample of their work. We'll also watch two unique music videos - one is a classic hymn set to a classic rock song, the other is a collaboration/duet between two YouTubers.

First, some News! There is another popular contest going on, and several YouTubers are contestants. The TotalPopStar contest is in the Final stages. The winner gets a Record Contract and Prizes worth over $150,000! We have written about three of the top six Finalists in the past: bexboop878, jsanchezfan, and kristaheartzuz. Go to TotalPopStar and vote, NOW!

Last month, our new friend Marina (HotForWords, #33 this week!) appeared on The O'Reilly Factor with Bill O'Reilly on Fox News. They talked about the origin of five words that Bill likes to use on his show. I was very happy to hear him mention how many Total Video Views Marina has received on YouTube! He got that data from our Total Video Views widget, which appears front and center on the www.HotForWords.com website. Excellent appearance, Marina! And thanks, Bill O'Reilly for indirectly promoting our Total Video Views widget! As people like YOU add our widgets to their websites, we are adding their Testimonials to our website. Go see who is using our widgets!

Last time, we mentioned comedian Fred from jklproduction (#23 this week). He spun off his Fred character to its own channel on May 1st. He already has over 4o Thousand subscribers and entered the Top 100 Chart at number 83! Watch his Mayday video. It's so stupid, it's funny!

Now, here are four videos for you!


Charming Nikki, babyporriidge, made this entry for JackDanyells' contest. It's an amazing poem with great visuals. Here is the poem:

dear inspiration,

we have not kissed for days.

you disappear with the ease of the ghosts i pretend not to believe in, & you slip through the loopholes of my jargon & thought patterns, as if your only obligation is to slide through space.

the days were kinder then, & you taught me to speak with the diction of the skies. you taught me to write about charisma like a broken record where everything was muted against the infinite repeat of charm & of charm & of charm & of charm.

sometimes, in your absence, you take my clarity. sometimes, it's my sanity. always, you take a piece of me with you.

i have looked for you under tea-cups & between the lines of someone else's pride. it would help if you were not so nameless & not so faceless.

there is a place, much like you, where inertia & gravity do not apply.
i only have open arms for you & like my skin & my soul are territories already marked with your name, there is a place like a smooth canvas that waits for your calligraphy.

there will be a place for us here.




Talented Stefani, livingpassion, has been sharing her excellent poetry with the YouTube community for over a year now. She has 143 videos on YT! Here is the poem she recites in this video:

I love you

I wrote you a poem,
Comparing my love
To the dangerously enticing
Face of the fiery sun...

I called you my songbird--
Lamenting your silence
And seeking your song...
Wishing I had clipped your wings.

When I wept for you,
I spoke of storms
Wreaking havoc on my heart
And freezing my very soul.

Like the prophet,
Seeking a still, small voice in an earthquake,
In my pedantic, poetic rambling
I think I forgot to say,
Simply...

I love you.




Inspiring VioletKitty411 recently uploaded this uplifting video. She sings "Amazing Grace" to the music of "House of the Rising Sun" which was a hit for "The Animals" in the '60s. Enjoy this music video and be sure to check out more videos on the VioletKitty411 channel!




Bridget Hermano teams up with Jennifer Newberry on this duet/collaboration video collage. Both ladies are beautiful and talented singers! You'll enjoy watching and listening to this one! Don't miss "No Air" towards the end - WOW!

Labels: art, babyporridge, bexboop878, bri3jet, contest, fred, hotforwords, JenniferNew21, jsanchezfan, KristaHeartzuz, livingpassion, poem, violetkitty411, widget

posted by KennyCrane at 5/07/2008 03:46:00 PM 3 Comments

We get lots of messages asking us to look at YouTube channels and videos. I'll post some of the messages and videos here today. Comment on this post with YOUR favorite YouTube channels, or email me at KennyCraneATbellsouthDOTnet.

First some YouTube News. Venetian Princess (who turns 24 today, Happy Birthday!) just announced that she has been cast in a recurring role in an upcoming TV series! Congrats, Jodie!

Magibon, the real life anime character who uploads vids in the MRirian channel, jumped 7 spots in the Weekly Top 100 Chart. She just released another video, named 14, and it's 41 seconds of her looking sweetly but silently into the camera. It already has well over One Hundred Thousand views!

The Second YouTube Gathering in San Francisco is happening this weekend! Can't make it? Watch it LIVE! Chris (supricky06) is doing a Live Feed of the YouTube event on LiveVideo.com! Right now, Chris and SamProof are walking around San Fran and have just entered a Circuit City. It's 4PM Eastern time on Friday and there's about a dozen people watching right now. Tune in and check it out! If you want to chat with everyone, join LiveVideo by clicking on their ad in the upper left corner of this page. Thanks!


Now, on with the show. Here are some messages we've recently received from YouTubers telling us about YouTubers that they enjoy watching. I am passing these recommendations on to You! Check these people out!

The first message comes from Obedient Waves, a musical duo of Billy and Joanna who describe their style as Garage Rock. Since I love 1960s Garage Rock, I decided to check them out. They don't sound '60s but they are pretty good singers. Here's their message to me, followed by a video of one of their performances:

Hi Kenny...
YouTube Stars! What a great idea for a blog. We love it. However, there is one small problem. Where's mention of Obedient Waves and our weekly YouTube series, ROCK & ROLL 4 PRESiDENT? Surely you could not have overlooked the most smokin' garage rock on the tube... No worries. It's a big place. And it's never too late... http://www.youtube.com/obedientwaves
Have a happy holiday!Peace...
Obedient Waves




The next message comes from my good friend Sean who has always supported what we do here at YouTubeStars. Sean was involved in running the popular TubeRavers forum and now runs the SilverStains forum. Here's his message, followed by the most popular video by BexBoop878, his recommendation.

gotta say, there's plenty of singers on yt who have impressed me...but this lass has a gift!http://uk.youtube.com/profile?user=bexboop878
I featured some of my fave vids of her on silverstains.com at http://www.silverstains.com/index.php?topic=117.0
thought you might like to consider her for a mention on YTS :D
Anyway, hope you have a great xmas, and incredible new year!




Here's a recommendation all the way from Denmark. Anna raves about Debbje in this message, followed by Debbje singing "Bitch," which is her most popular vid.

HEY Kenny!
Anna from Denmark here!
I took the pen to write to you how great I find your blog about youtube!since I am a big youtube watcher I always enjoy spending some time reading what you write or point out.
I was reading just before your interview of Jennifer Newberry and although I think her voice and style is nothing bad I felt the urge to suggest to you that there is another songwriter on youtube that(in my modest opinion)was much more worth an interview and some space on your blog.
Her youtube channel is www.youtube.com/debbje and I do believe she has the Xfactor: amazing voice, original songs that could really make it to the big audience,good looks and a kind of artistic way of presenting herself.
Well I have said too much,but who knows, maybe you want to have a watch and get her featured in your blog?

it was nice to talk to you
Greetings from cold Copenhagen
Anna




Amy writes to say that she sees that we take recommendations, and she has one for us who is similar to someone we recently featured here. Read what she says about BabyPorridge then watch the vid she recommends in her message:

Mr. Crane,
In your blog I saw a post where you took recommendations. I'd like to point out a girl i've watched grow on youtube. Her channel is http://www.youtube.com/user/babyporridge .
She's quirky and intelligent, and is somewhat like Hayleyghoover who you featured in your latest post, except that Nikki (babyporridge's real name) is also a singer-songwriter. Her latest video "THIS IS NOT A SONG, THIS IS AMBITION" is a cute, introspective look at her old ambitions, and she performs an original piece in that clip too. The editing is very crisp. http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=vC4P_IkHE-A
I also recommend this video - http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=JNRAAqYS7es
Most of her collection is an interesting blend of spunk and a maturity beyond her years.
Thanks for your time.
-Amy R.




We already have more recommendations in the queue but we'll stop here for now. If YOU know of a great YouTuber that you want to tell the world about, please comment about them on This Post, or email me at KennyCraneATbellsouthDOTnet and I'll get them in a future post, right here on YouTubeStars!

Labels: babyporridge, bexboop878, debbje, obedientwaves, recommendations

posted by KennyCrane at 2/22/2008 02:05:00 AM 0 Comments