French Take Away

La Blogotheque Take Away Shows
Website: HERE
YouTube channel: HERE

You see some real good buskers in the street every now and again. People with exceptional talent without record deals trying to make it in the World as they try to traverse the wasteland of despair and deception that is the Modern Music Industry. (Okay that' a bit melodramatic but it damn hard to break into the music industry).

Then there is the notion of the Take Away Show which operates from the 'La Blogotheque' website. A French Music Blog group that organises Street Performances around France and the sometimes around the World with Professional Musicians.

There is something magical about watching famous Musicians playing stripped down versions of their big hits in the streets of Paris, something out of a fairytale book. It would be dream like if you were wondering the back streets of Paris to find your favourite band just sitting in the park playing your favourite song.

Then again of course most of the featured artists are indie music stars and most passer-bys might not even know that they have professional musicians performing for them.

Here are some popular performances

Phoenix "1901"


Tom Jones "We Got Love"


The Kooks "Ooh La"


Vampire Weekend "Kids Don't Stand a Chance"


Jason Miraz "It's a Lovely Day"


Bloc Party "This Modern Love"

OK? Let's Go

OK Go
Official Website: HERE
YouTube Channel: HERE

Millions the world over have seen this Grammy nominated band preform various musical hits in over elaborate and brilliantly choreographed music video clips. Whether it be preforming a dance routine in their backyard, on treadmills or in the middle of a Rube Goldberg machine OK Go never cease to amaze people the world over with their creatively and sheer brilliance.

It can almost be a safe bet that any new music clip released by them will be a viral internet smash hit and OK Go are basically the Coolest and most Popular Nerdy Mainstream Musicians in the World today.

It all exploded after this song...

OK Go - Here it goes again


Then came subsequent Hits in:

Do What you Want


Invincible


End Love


White knuckles


But the most impressive of all these has to be the Rube Goldberg Machine video clip of "This too shall pass", The Huffington Post even submitted it with 9 other YouTube videos to the Guggenheim Museum citing the entire Clip is a Work of Art...

Huffington Post's Top 10 Guggenheim Museum video submissions

According to Guild Rules...

The Guild
Website: HERE
YouTube Channel: HERE

Felicia Day is considered the unofficial Queen of the Internet, The ravishing redhead is responsible for what is easily considered the most popular web series online, "The Guild" as well as being a Television star and of course playing the part of Penny in Joss Whedon's internet phenomenon, 'Doctor Horrible's Sing-a-long blog' mini series. (Co Starring Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillon)



The Guild follows Cyd Sherman (AKA Codex) interactions with a group of fellow MMO gamers (A Guild) in and away from a unnamed Mass Multiplayer-Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG).

A Web-series following a group of socially awkward online gamers is ridiculous, but then again highly lucrative considering the intended audience probably are the very people watching most web shows these days anyway. All the people involved to seem to have a lot of fun poking fun at themselves and the geek culture and they're currently going into their 4th Season stronger than ever.

Seriously, this has to be the most profitable web series online with DVD's, Comic and T-shirt tie-ins to the series, it's amazing the kind of choke hold World of WarCraft has on the World when a related web series can generate enough profits to amassing a giant online following riding off its coattails.

Anyway, watch these Promo videos for The Guild, They're Amazing...ly nerdy.... In a Good way

...I think

Derrick? Never heard of him...

Derrick Comedy
Website: HERE
YouTube Channel: HERE

Derrick Comedy is a popular sketch group from New York University. Made up of the 3 Main Actors of DC Pierson, Donald Glover and Dominic Dierkes, Director Dan Eckman and Producer Meggie McFadden.

Their ridiculous and often juvenile type of humour is often bold, shocking, outlandish and sometimes confronting but never boring. They create comedy that would most likely be targeted towards a more College aged audience, their most popular video online would hold testament to this considering "Bro Rape" which is a documentary about the trend of Homosexual Rape within college dormitories nation wide.

The Sketch is very brash and makes no attempts to be anything other than a running gag that in all Colleges that amongst those College guys that go around drinking beer and playing video games, there are select few that prey on young men during those few moments of vulnerability when men just hang out.



Besides making internet videos, Derrick Comedy also released a full length feature film called the Mystery Team. The whole plot isn't too far removed from their usual set of characters. A Bunch of 18 year olds' that haven't quite grown up yet and go around town trying to Solve "mysteries" like they did when they were 10 years old.


Buy it from Amazon



If you still watch Television and like shows like 30 Rock and the Office then you should definitely also check out Donald Glover on NBC's Community where he plays Troy Barnes, A High School Jock in a Community college stuck in a Spainish Study Group with a bunch of loveable misfits. Returning this January 20th on NBC. The Show itself is brilliant and Donald was given the part after show creator Dan Harmon came out of a screening of the Mystery Team.

Hey Mystery Guitar Man, sing a song for me

Mystery Guita Man - Joe Penna
YouTube Channel: HERE
2nd (How to) YouTube Channel: HERE

With 1.6 Million YouTube subscribers there isn't many people online that haven't heard and seen the awesome talents of The Mystery Guitar Man.

Real name of Joe Penna he is the Brazilian sensation that has dominated the music sections of YouTube with his innovative animations, stop motion video and general brilliant musical film making skills.

A Full time YouTube personality Joe has perfected his online craft to the point where he releases 2 videos a week on YouTube and the best thing is, it's always different. One week he'll be playing an old classic using multiple instruments and cuts and another week he'll blow your mind with a beautifully arranged acoustic melody using everyday objects.

Guitar Impossible


Kazoo's


Root Beer Mozart


It's almost ungodly how much talent and creatively this man has, He's been a YouTube favourite for 4 years now and he's entering 2011 with a giant online following and the World in the Palm of his hands.

Here's his 2010 Wrap-Up video archiving all of his 2010 videos, it's rather handy and just shows you how seriously he takes his craft.

Networking with Black20

Black20 net_work
YouTube Channel: HERE

A Fallen site in Black20 had some of the most original and under appreciated web content online. They had massive success with their viral parody of 300 PG version, where they replaced the various instruments of war with more childish and innocent props.



But one of the best things to come from Black20 was the web series Net_work which stars Michael Torpey and Mike O'Gorman who play two internet executives trying to come up with original web content for Black20. It's kind of a sneak peek in the creative process of a Black20 employee except all their days are full of shenanigans and hi-jinx. It's an Internet Office Comedy and it's definitely worth discovering for yourself.







Oh....

and just for the Hell of it...



I really hope these Black20 guys get that Television deal they've been chasing

Lights, Camera, Action Figures

Just Some Random guy
YouTube Channel: HERE

If I were to tell you one of the most popular users on YouTube was named ItsJustSomeRandomGuy, I guess you'd find it a little odd, nothing too extraordinary but a little odd. But what you'd find even more strange is the idea that pretty much all of his video content is him voicing over little skits between marvel and DC comic book characters using Action Figures you'd think the internet is populated by complete idiots. (Well it is but that's besides the point)

ItsJustSomeRandomGuy may act out funny little skits about Comic Book characters as he some how manages to run in some social commentary about the state of comic book movies in modern society but that isn't the only thing he does with action figures and the intellectual property of both Marvel and DC.

As First he started off making simple joke "I'm a Mac and I'm a PC" parodies using Superman and Spiderman in March of 2007.



Quickly the popularity of the videos grew and grew and JSRG had to churn out more and more clever Mac v. PC parodies but that wasn't enough.

Soon afterwards he created a Mini Series called After Hours where it showcased all the Marvel and DC characters interacting amongst each other in a fiction place called Stan's Bar discussing their movie deals and various other things. But what it evolved into was Superman having a personal crisis questioning his relevance in a World where they no longer look up to Superman because he's Perfect and unrelatable Super being... compared to more "Human" Heroes like Spiderman and Batman



Currently he is up to his 3rd little mini series called Zero Hour and it will do a number on you with its sheer complexity and scope. The idea of dimensional time travel and self awareness of their comic book universe compared to reality is just over whelming. JSRG's writing gets more complex, insightful and intelligent with each upload and I hope he somehow end up being able to publish his works in a more lucrative and more appealing medium then just acting them out with Action Figures. Hell if he was somehow able to get Marvel and DC and the other involved comics involved to agree to a DVD release that would Unworldly Awesome.

Sink or Swaim

Michael Swaim
It's Hard to say what makes Michael Swaim so likeable... No it isn't, He's smart, well dressed, crass and razor sharp wit to match. This Internet Guru hosts multiple entries on the Popular CRACKED.com website and also from his own personal creation Those aren't Muskets! website where he posts his videos.

His commentary on everything internet is always informative, refreshing and hilarious. A true character of the cyber world. It almost feels at times like you're watching a man mould the very landscape of the internet in the palms of his hands like a wad of clay into a scale model of the Pantheon.... Before smashing it into the ground into a million pieces as he smiles gleefully over the wreckage.

His style of humour maybe dry and erratic but he rarely ever misses his mark.

Check out his Articles over at CRACKED: HERE

Videos at Those Aren't Muskets: HERE

Webby Award winning Web Series Agents of CRACKED: HERE

I now leave you with a e on CRACKED from his latest show, 'Does Not Compute' about the Worst PSA lessons ever taught to us.

Does Not Compute: Worst Lessons PSAs Accidentally Taught Us -- powered by Cracked.com

Common Man Movie Critics

SPILL.com Movie Reviews
Website: HERE

There are a lot of movie critics these days telling what to watch and what you should like. Telling you what to think and whether or not your money is better spent on one movie over another. What I like about the Spill movie review community is its run by regular everyday guys. Korey, Leon, Carlyle, Cyrus and Co-Host are just everyday guys you'd meet in street. They don't claim to be expert movie critics, they're the every man review.



But the best thing is they're honest and they have fun with it, cracking jokes at the movies they're watching or the actors or just anything about the atmosphere surrounding a movie. Also their video reviews are presented in a nice flash video format where they can animate their jokes and shenanigans about the movies but I honestly prefer their unedited Audio Reviews they make before they cut it into their video reviews...

They just sit around after a movie discussing it and bouncing jokes and wise cracks off each other. It's definitely worth a watch or a listen.

Movie Review: HERE
Audio Reviews: HERE

Constructive Cynicism

Zero Punctuation Video Game Reviews
Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, a highly respected game critic on the internet. His fast-paced, scathing and cynical reviews on Modern games in his Zero Punctuation internet review series is the stuff of legend. Listening to Yahtzee go on a tirade about the blights of gaming is like listening to someone pick apart a work of art, extracting it with a pair of tweezers, holding it up to a magnifying glass and showing it to a room of primary school children and saying, "This is Wrong"

Fast, Edgey, Dry and various other adjectives that would adequately describe a Beer fuelled 4wd his overly harsh reviews truly defines his job as a Game Critic. He isn't paid to like games, he paid to critique them in a somewhat demeaning and often resentful manner. It rarely seems like Yahtzee even enjoys playing these games but I guess that either means he is really good at what he does or he really does suffer for his art.

Here are some of my favourite reviews that Yahtzee has posted

Zero Punctuation Sims 3 review


Zero Punctuation Epic Mickey Review


Zero Punctuation review of Mario and Luigi Bowser's Inside story


Check out his Zero Punctuation Video Archives over at the Escapist: HERE

His amazingly written and analytical articles about various issues within Gaming; Extra Punctuation: HERE

His Blog Fully Ramblomatic: HERE

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Also Yahzee is the co-founder / owner / MC of Australia's first Video game themed Bar called the Mana Bar, set up in Brisbane, Australia Yathzee holds Video Game Trivia every TUESDAY. So if you feel like a drink and bit of a play of Super Smash Bros then the next time you're in Brisbane head down to the Mana Bar.

Mana Bar Official Website: HERE

If that isn't enough for a Jaded 27 year old gaming journalist to be doing with his life, Yahtzee is also a co-host on a upcoming gaming show called Game Damage

Zombie Watch

MACHINIMA BITE ME

This 5 part web series is a Machinima original about the story of 3 Gamers stuck at home on a Friday Night during a Zombie Apocalypse. Zombie shows are all the rage at the moment so of course it was inevitable for there to be a Web series about one. The Walking Dead recently just wrapped up its first season and this fun little series should tide any Gamer or Zombie fanatic over until Season 2 of The Walking Dead re-emerges in 2011 at Halloween.

YouTube Channel: HERE