We know that some of you want to use that invisible lasso to yank him off the Internet, but PSY’s popularity shows no signs of relenting. Today, the South Korean rapper’s novelty hit, “Gangnam Style,” earned the honor of becoming YouTube’s most watched video of all time, according to the YouTube Trends blog.
Nobody is safe from “Gangnam Style.” Not Hugh Jackman, not Jar Jar Binks, not you.
And not Madonna, either. Her Madgesty, ever keen on remaining relevant, teamed up with PSY at a live concert to perform the unstoppable “Gangnam Style” song-and-dance routine on stage. The twist? She blended it in with her own (if less popular) single “Give It 2 Me.”
Take a look at the clip below:
You want to listen to some holiday music, but Christmas is still just a little too far away? If only there was a pop Thanksgiving song, you’ve probably thought to yourself at some point. I wish I could pretend a turkey leg was a microphone, and give shout-outs to mashed potatoes over a repetitive chorus complete with a random rap breakdown two-thirds of the way through the track.
Be careful what you wish for. Teen Nicole Westbrook’s song, “It’s Thanksgiving,” has all of the above and so, so much more. For those that cherished the easy reminder of the days of the week from Rebecca Black, this song — by the same team that brought you “Friday” — attempts to replace the calendar in your life. Westbrook lists out all the holidays, and subs Black’s “we we we so excited” for “we we we are gonna have a good time.”
I don’t know why I’m going to nitpick this, but I think my favorite part is right at the beginning, when she is counting down the days on a calendar and Nov. 28 is listed as Thanksgiving Day. That’s not even accurate this year! We we we did not fact check this.
Check it out below: READ FULL STORY »
If you took a peek at yesterday’s sound-free edition of PSY’s “Gangnam Style” but found it too arty for your tastes, perhaps one of these two new choices will better suit you.
That’s right, the K-Pop sensation is now reaching its viral peak, inspiring new sub-memes nearly every day of the week. The latest offerings include an a cappella cover from Sing Off winners Pentatonix and an acoustic rendition of the song courtesy of the “UC Berkeley Korean rock band” Ra-On.
The acoustic clip features Jaydee Min and Elle Kim sharing vocal duties while Michael Jun handles the guitar.
Check it out in the video below:
If we could adopt any cat in the world, it would be the one that meows along to forgotten ’90s alt bands:
There are a million folk and bluegrass bands out there – what makes Mumford & Sons so special?
Scope.
The London quartet have always had a thing for building seemingly humble songs towards rapturous, arena-ready climaxes. Now, in the new video for “I Will Wait,” off their upcoming sophomore release Babel, they’ve actually got an arena–the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, to be exact.
Directed by Fred & Nick, the video showcases the group in a recent performance of their grand, foot-stomping single in front of thousands of exuberant fans. Even in the cavernous space, the group sound like they might bust right through the rock walls:
By now you know the story, or have at least read the headlines: three members of Russia’s feminist punk group Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in prison for “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.” In layman terms, that means they protested Putin’s administration with the recitation of a “punk prayer.” The convicted members are awaiting a decision on their appeal, but in the meantime the rest of the band shot a video that denounces Putin and thanks the musicians – including Green Day and the Red Hot Chili Peppers – that have spoken out on their behalf. The masked musicians also shout cries for freedom and burn Putin in effigy – suffice it to say they’re not extending an olive branch.
Pop music fans, consider this your official EW heads up: 16-year-old YouTube sensation Ryan Beatty is going places.
The web celeb, whose videos have racked up more than 31 million views, released his debut EP Because of You in late July, and it reached number seven on the all-genre iTunes album chart — as well as number one on the pop albums chart. Not bad for a kid who doesn’t have a label deal!
Today, Beatty is unveiling the music video for his new single “Hey LA,” an infectious sun-drenched ode to the City of Angels, right here on EW.com. The song, which falls into the same bright, California-pop wheelhouse as Andy Grammer’s “Fine By Me,” is already earning airplay on radio stations in Las Vegas and, perhaps unsurprisingly, Los Angeles.
The budding star co-wrote the song after his first visit to L.A., where he recently moved with his family to more officially pursue a career in the music biz. “It took two days to film,” says Beatty, who essentially had to shoot every scene twice in order to achieve the clip’s nifty transitions between green screen in-studio performance and glossy city life. “Sometimes I had to get the same exact movement I was doing in the green screen shot,” says Beatty. “I had to make sure every single part of my body was moving at the same time as it was on the green screen.”
Well, it looks like all the hard work paid off. See for yourself in the video below: READ FULL STORY »
“Call Me Maybe” has officially won the battle for Song of the Summer — but Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” may yet win the war. Case in point: The following video, which goes a step further than all the other Gotye covers and parodies on YouTube by mashing those clips together, forming an ear worm-y whole that’s much greater than the sum of its lo-fi parts. It’s like the Megazord of Internet culture, only not nearly as cheesy.
Best of all, the video was assembled by Gotye himself: “Reluctant as I am to add to the mountain of interpretations of Somebody That I Used To Know seemingly taking over their own area of the internet, I couldn’t resist the massive remixability that such a large, varied yet connected bundle of source material offered,” he says on YouTube by way of explanation. Gotye: songwriter, videographer, word-maker-upper (remixability?). Marvel at his handiwork below.
For devoted followers of the Insane Clown Posse and the signees to their Psychopathic Records label, the annual Gathering of the Juggalos is the highlight of every year. But for people who simply like to think about what ICP means in the 21st century (and who are steadily amused by their ability to construct viral-ready videos), the day that the Gathering of the Juggalos informercial hits the Internet represents the best part of the calendar.
The 13th annual Gathering goes down August 8-12 at a camp site in the group’s adopted haven of Cave In Rock, Ill., (or “Illinoise” to the folks talking about it in the video below). This year’s lineup is suitably eclectic, featuring the awkwardly-named members of ICP’s label roster (Anybody Killa, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Twiztid, the Psychopathic Ridas and the like), a smattering of metal bands (P.O.D., Mushroomhead, Fear Factory, Soulfly), a bunch of hip-hop legends and former superstars (Geto Boys, Warren G, DMX, Master P, Raekwon), and, of course, Kottonmouth Kings (who still manage to defy any and all categories). There are also a number of parties, carnival games, seminars, wrestling events, and a barbecue that features cheeseburgers being hurled at you from the stage.
Check out the video below, though be warned: The language is especially salty, and it’s also a whopping 23 minutes long. Still, it’s worth it. READ FULL STORY »
