Monday, November 26, 2012

‘Gangnam Style’ now most-viewed YouTube video of all time



By Dylan Stableford, Yahoo! News | The Sideshow

Congratulations, Internet.

"Gangnam Style," the unlikely smash hit by South Korean rapper Psy, has surpassed Justin Bieber's "Baby" to become the most-watched YouTube video of all time.

The video--featuring Psy's meme-ready dance moves--has racked up more than 815 million views since it was uploaded to YouTube on July 15. Bieber's "Baby," which has been watched more than than 803 million times since it was posted in February 2010.

"#GangnamStyle just became the most watched video @YouTube!" Psy (real name: Park Jae-Sang) tweeted on Saturday. "#History."

"Gangnam Style" already holds the title for "most liked" video in YouTube history with more than 2 million "likes," according to the Guinness Book of World Records, which officially recognized the achievement in September. The video for LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" is a distant second with more than 1.6 million "likes." Bieber's "Baby" is no. 3 in that category.

But true Beliebers, fear not: The 18-year-old pop star is not taking the "most viewed" loss lying down, tweeting a shirtless picture from the gym for his 30 million Twitter followers.




Friday, November 16, 2012

Lindsay Lohan Makes a Messy Surprise Appearance on ‘Jimmy Fallon’

(Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)


By Suzy Byrne | omg! from Yahoo!

Lindsay Lohan didn’t want to sit down for a prying interview with Barbara Walters, but she had no problem appearing on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” Wednesday night – probably because she didn’t have to utter a single word!

 The 26-year-old “Liz & Dick” star was a surprise guest on the NBC talk show, popping up during Fallon’s "Let Us Play With Your Look" segment, in which he sings those six words over and over while a celebrity guest gives an audience member a messy makeover. Moments after Fallon started crooning, Lohan – who drastically played with her look for the bit – appeared dressed in all white, including a blunt-cut bob wig with bangs. She plucked a gentleman from the audience and led him to the stage – in complete silence. She proceeded to rub a large amount of a goopy, creamy substance all over his head to “style” his hair, but it also ended up on his face and all over his clothing.

Fallon ultimately collapsed from his energetic singing performance and was pulled off the stage. Lohan then hammed it up a little, attempting to exit after him, but getting caught in the curtain. She played up the physical comedy, maintaining complete silence. As she finally escaped, one audience member is heard screaming, “I love you Lindsay!” The rest of the audience then gave a round of applause.

 Lohan didn’t appear after the commercial break, but Fallon gave her a shout out. "I want to say thank you to the great Lindsay Lohan for helping us out! She's awesome."

Fallon and Lohan recently reconnected in Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy. The TV host stopped in a restaurant for a late-night bite to eat and saw LiLo there with her friends. After telling him it was “embarrassing” that he was dining alone, she invited him to sit at her table and he did.

Sounds like it was over dinner that they also plotted her secret appearance on his show!

Lohan was scheduled to appear on “20/20” this Friday to promote her upcoming Lifetime TV movie, “Liz & Dick,” during an interview with her “close family friend” Barbara Walters. However, Lohan’s long-time publicist quit last month and she hired a new team – one which apparently didn’t want her to dish about all her legal troubles with Walters. So Lohan pulled out of that interview and scheduled a chat session on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” on November 20 instead. Leno is known for his soft-ball questions, so he will likely go easy on the troubled star.

Not as easy as Fallon though! He let Lohan have a moment to shine – and she didn’t even have to open her mouth, which is a good thing as it tends to get her in trouble.

In other Lohan news, this week the actress learned she has a long-lost sibling! It has long been rumored that her dad, Michael, had a love child while he was married to Dina, but it was confirmed when he took a paternity test on the British TV show “Trisha Goddard Show,” which airs Thursday. The “lucky” girl is 17-year-old Ashley Horn, who met her dad for the first time on the show. Of course, Michael is also expecting another child with his current girlfriend, Kate Major, a former tabloid reporter.

Monday, November 5, 2012

No Doubt Pulls Controversial ‘Cowboys & Indians’-Themed Video After Complaints

L: Adrian Young, R: Gwen Stefani
By Wendy Geller | Stop The Presses!

No Doubt's second single off their new album is called "Looking Hot," but it looks like the video for the tune has gotten the band in hot water. The clip, which debuted Friday and features an Old West cowboys-and-Indians theme, has raised ire in the Native American community, resulting in its removal from all outlets.

In the video, Stefani--who is of European descent--dresses up as a Native American princess, complete with feather headdresses, beaded jewelry, and long braids (which, incidentally, she keeps her usual platinum blond). Bassist Tony Kanal--who is of Eastern Indian heritage--plays a tribal chief. Drummer Adrian Young and guitarist Tom Dumont portray traditional cowboys, who capture Stefani and tie her up.

One would assume that the band didn't intend any offense; however, November is Native American Heritage Month. And, this certainly isn't the first time this sort of playacting has come under scrutiny (one only needs to look to the sports world for a boatload of examples).

At any rate, No Doubt has pulled the video, and put an apology on their official website.

"As a multi-racial band our foundation is built upon both diversity and consideration for other cultures. Our intention with our new video was never to offend, hurt or trivialize Native American people, their culture or their history," it reads. "Although we consulted with Native American friends and Native American studies experts at the University of California, we realize now that we have offended people. This is of great concern to us and we are removing the video immediately.

"The music that inspired us when we started the band, and the community of friends, family, and fans that surrounds us was built upon respect, unity and inclusiveness. We sincerely apologize to the Native American community and anyone else offended by this video. Being hurtful to anyone is simply not who we are."

Fans on Facebook had mixed response to the video, with some thinking it was no big deal--"Concentrate on real issues instead of attacking a band that has never shown any racism or hate," said one--and others using the opportunity to educate about Native American concerns by sharing links and information.

Still others were disturbed by another aspect of the video--Stefani being bound and tied by her bandmates, which they construed as a message of violence and dominance over women; particularly disturbing when combined with the racial aspect. "[They] tried to make bondage of a Native woman sexy," lamented one fan.

No Doubt released their sixth album, Push And Shove, in September. The set marks the first studio album from the band in seven years.
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