Wednesday, April 29

Random Oldie: "Sweet Pea" by Tommy Roe




I am an absolute sucker for some bubblegum pop. And here's a terrific example of the genre: Tommy Roe's "Sweet Pea." That drumbeat is killer, and the lyrics are saccharine and sweet. The music video is quote precious, too, with Tommy singing to some lucky fan who knows every single word. Enjoy!

Monday, April 27

Honest Game Trailers: Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire




The good folks at Smosh are back with another installment of their series "Honest Game Trailers," which gives you games without all the fluff. This time, they're taking a gander at Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire. After the Gold and Silver versions of the game advanced the Pokemon world with cool new gameplay additions, these versions...well, they didn't do that.

Chris Rock On Blacks In Baseball




Chris Rock has never been one to shy away from any kind of racial observations. And he joined HBO Sports to give a terrific segment on baseball, and the lack of black players and fans. It is quite delightful, if not stingingly accurate.

Saturday, April 25

Terry Crews And Mike Tyson Engage In Lip Sync Battle




I still don't understand how Lip Sync Battle on Spike is any different than the segment on Jimmy Fallon where celebrities lip sync. But hey, it provides for some good entertainment. In this case, Mike Tyson takes on Salt'n'Pepa's "Push It," while Terry Crews goes the more melodic route and chooses "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton. EXPLOSIONNNNNNNNN!

Thursday, April 23

This Was The First Video Uploaded To YouTube, Ten Years Ago Today




Man, how time flies. I remember when I started a YouTube channel several years back, but I've got nothing on jawed, who posted the above video 10 years ago to the day. It's an 18-second clip of him at the zoo, and it is RIVETING. Of course, since its original upload date, a few annotations have been added in, but hey, it's still a piece of history.

Interviewer Treats Robert Downey Jr. Like Crap, Is Surprised When The Actor Leaves The Room




Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy has had a history of pissing people off during interviews. And he's back at it again, this time with Robert Downey Jr. The actor, who was doing a press junket for the new Avengers movie, was asked a few, you know, movie-related questions. But the interview kept turning towards RDJ's checkered past. He does his best to dodge the probes, but eventually you can actually see him snap. He says "what are we doing here?" and then "bye" and leaves. Honestly, I'm impressed he even made it that far. What a disrespectful interview.

Tuesday, April 21

Jimmy Fallon Plays Pictionary With LL Cool J, Rose Byrne and Big Sean




Pictionary is still a terrific game, even though I'm dreadful at it. And Jimmy Fallon knows that, so he invited LL Cool J, Rose Byrne and Big Sean to play with him. LL Cool J claims that he cannot draw at all. He soon proves himself correct. Enjoy the shenanigans.

Woman Inhales Three Steaks In Less Than An Hour, Simultaneously Terrifies And Excites Mankind



Molly Schuyler just wanted some steak. 13 pounds of it, in fact. The Sacramento native ate three steak meals in less than an hour, surely breaking some kind of horrible freak of nature record. And these were full meals, which consisted of a 72-ounce steak, a baked potato, side salad, shrimp cocktail and a roll. No word yet if there was butter on said roll.

Sunday, April 19

Conan O'Brien Visits Taco Bell, Wreaks Havoc



Once again, another place where Conan has been banned for life. The late night host takes his IT producer Chris Hayes, a big Taco Bell fan, to the place where all the magic happens. Seeing the excitement on Hayes' face is fantastic, and Conan of course brings the funny. Enjoy.

Guy Asks Girl To Prom, Turns Out To Be A Bumpy Road



All Daniel Pena wanted to do was ask out his (presumably) girlfriend to go to the prom with him. As a fellow man, I feel his pain. I asked my prom date out on the phone, and then was told by her friends that I needed to do something more extravagant, so I put a balloon in a ring box that said "will you go to prom with me?" and when she blew it up, she could read it. I was fortunate to be in a class that had a bunch of girls willing to help with said promposal.

Anyway, Daniel might have had friends assist him, as well, but...well, things don't go so smoothly. Skip to 1:25 or so to see when the chaos begins.

Saturday, April 18

Conan And Jordan Schlansky Escape The Room



The Escape Room is something that's been popping up all over the country--essentially, a group of people enter a room, get locked inside, and try to escape using a series of clues. It's allegedly fantastic and a real thrill, so naturally, Conan O'Brien and his #1 producer Jordan Schlansky take on the challenge. They're dressed to the nines in periodic clothing, though Jordan isn't about to participate in any 1940s dialect. Oh well.

Friday, April 17

Dude Throws Alley-Oop To Himself, Temporarily Shuts Down The World


 

Angelo Sharpless used to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. Now he's wowing crowds in a different way. This guy throws an alley-oop...to himself. Without traveling or doing anything else illegal. It's just all kinds of spectacular.

Wednesday, April 15

Lil Dicky Drops New Song About Pregaming



This is so accurate it's almost scary. Lil Dicky is back with a new jam, "Classic Male Pregame," about the preparation in going out for an evening on the town. Of course, as is so often the case, that evening out never even happens. My favorite part of this song is the debate over the top 10 players in the NBA. LaMarcus Aldridge is certainly on the fringe of the discussion.


Tuesday, April 14

Tripp And Tyler's Email Cliches Are Spot On



Tripp and Tyler, a woefully underappreciated YouTube duo, have released a video about all the wacky email cliches you'll encounter in an office. Whether it's a coworker who replies all when it's not necessary, to the dreaded Mailer Daemon, it's all covered here. And it is QUITE spot on. No surprise, though; their "Conference Call In Real Life" video is also amazingly accurate. 

Sunday, April 12

A Lip Sync Through Musical History



This is pretty fantastic. YouTubers SketchShe have made a fun little lip-syncing video of musical history called "Mime Through Time," taking us from the 1940s all the way up to the present day.

Sure, this is a straight copy of TimH's "Evolution of Music," but it's a lot more well done. The costumes are terrific, but I'm really impressed by the transitions, too. Just quality, all around. Enjoy some car-a-oke!

Saturday, April 11

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Tackles Government Surveillance, Interviews Edward Snowden



Edward Snowden has been called many things, ranging from "hero" to "whistleblower." But whatever you want to call him, the man who shed some light on just what private things the U.S. government has access to is also a bit of a recluse. Of course, part of that was because for a multi-month period, he was unable to get into any country. Now, he lives in Russia, though HBO and the Last Week Tonight crew tracked him down for an interview with John Oliver. And let me tell you, this is one entertaining piece. Check out the whole segment for a little background, or skip to 14:05 for the interview on its own.

Friday, April 10

Billy On The Street Goes Late Night With David Letterman



Funny Or Die's "Billy on the Street" is a fantastic exercise in...well, running down a crowded part of New York and yelling questions at people. This time, Billy is joined by Dave Letterman, and, as usual, the results are hilarious. Enjoy.

Wednesday, April 8

Jason Derulo's New Song Is A JAM



Jason Derulo is a master at putting terrible, sex-ridden lyrics to very catchy beats. His newest song, "Want To Want Me," is really no exception, although things aren't nearly as vulgar this time around. The falsetto is in full force here, which is always a plus in my book. Love that hook--getting super 80s up in this mug!

Tuesday, April 7

Celebrate National Beer Day With Great Springtime Beers



Fun fact: I took a short walk today, and came back to the office drenched in sweat. In any other part of the country, that would probably signify the dog days of summer, but in Austin, it just means that Spring has officially sprung.

Fortunately, today is National Beer Day, which means we can cheers the warmer weather with a cold one. Of course, we can do that any day of the year, but it tastes a little more special today. The holiday began back in 1933 as a celebration of the Cullen-Harrison Act, which legalized the sale of beer. 



A pair of beers I plan to enjoy include Guinness's Blonde American Lager, which claims to be the most interesting blonde you'll meet all summer (a claim that will be true for roughly 78% of readers), and Thump Keg Brewing Co.'s Agave Amber Ale. It's the second debut beer from Thump Keg, along with the Rye IPA, and the agave and lemon grass flavor notes balance the flavor between malt and hops to create a crisp, refreshing delight. Give 'em a try, and enjoy this nice weather!

Carly Rae Jepsen's "I Really Like You" Music Video Is All Kinds of Adorable




Carly Rae Jepsen's "I Really Like You" is a catchy nod to some of the 80s biggest hits, but more importantly, it has a fantastic music video. Tom Hanks, who happens to be the singer's favorite actor, stars as he wanders around town while lip-syncing the song. His words are not always on point, but I think that makes things even better. King Bach makes an appearance too as a hairdresser. Love those Vines! Not even a Justin Bieber sighting at the end of the video can ruin it. Well done, Carly Rae. Well done.

Friday, April 3

Price Is Right Model Makes Mistake, Gives New Car To Contestant




This has to be one of the most adorable bloopers I've ever seen. Manuela Arbelaez, who's been a model on The Price Is Right since April 2009, just gave away a car. FO FREE. Well, I guess technically every giveaway on the show is fo free, but you know what I mean.

I don't even understand what she was trying to do, but her reaction and the subsequent celebration of a new car is pretty terrific. For her part, Manuela was playful about the whole thing, even tweeting that she was channeling her inner Oprah.


Enjoy the whole clip below:

 

Thursday, April 2

Puppies Predict The Final Four On The Tonight Show


The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is all about those viral web videos, and it's struck gold here: college basketball + puppies. The young pups predict the winners of the Final Four in "Puppy Predictors: 2015 Final Four Edition."

Who's taking home the championship? Well, you'll just have to watch to find out.

Mario Kart Channels Its Inner F-Zero With 200CC Mode


Nintendo fans that are already tired of Mario Kart 8--or have already beaten it all--get ready to celebrate. The video game company released a trailer for a 200cc version of the game. That's faster than ever before, and should spruce up the Wii U's kart offering. Now if I could just stop getting hit by those blue shells...