The Funniest YouTube Videos

Can humor be quantified? Google thinks it’s possible, having recently developed an algorithm which ranks the funniest videos on YouTube. It takes into account certain elements of the video, user comments and votes on the recently launched YouTube Comedy Slam section of the site.

Google engineer Sanketh Shetty explained the methodology for finding the funniest YouTube video in a blog post.

“We focused on videos uploaded in the comedy category. We captured the uploader’s belief in the funniness of their video via features based on title, description and tags. Viewers’ reactions, in the form of comments, further validate a video’s comedic value,” he wrote.

This is where it gets interesting, as Google engineers tried to analyze what exactly makes a user comment indicative of a video being funny. “We noticed that viewers emphasize their reaction to funny videos in several ways: e.g. capitalization (LOL), elongation (loooooool), repetition (lolololol), exclamation (lolllll!!!!!), and combinations thereof. If a user uses an “loooooool” vs an “loool”, does it mean they were more amused,” asks Shetty.

You can see the results of the experiment on Google’s Comedy Slam leaderboard.

While Google’s methodology seems sound, humor is a very subjective category – we’re sure that many users won’t agree with Google’s choice. We can’t help but wonder how easily can this algorithm be abused, for example by adding and upvoting comments that mimic positive reactions. As the project gains popularity, we’ll probably see an increasing number of attempts to somehow game the system.

Right now, the funniest video on YouTube of all time, according to Google algorithm, is this collection of pranks (we advise you to lower the volume on your speakers, as the video gets quite loud).

According to the same method, the funniest video this week is a video of a man trying to reach a tomato through fan blades.

What do you think about these videos? Do they deserve the title of “funniest YouTube videos”? Do you think Google’s “humor algorithm” needs more work? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Via:Mashable

Madonna's 5 Best TV Performances (VIDEOS)

Whenever Madonna performs on TV it is an event. Thus, on the eve of her Super Bowl halftime show (Feb. 5), we're counting down her top five best TV performances ever. Determined by Billboard.com's foremost Madonna experts, this ranking presents some obvious choices, along with at least one surprise selection. Read on to find out the rankings and relive her blockbuster made-for-TV moments.

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5. "Vogue," MTV Video Music Awards (1990)

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Backed by her Blond Ambition tour dancers, Madonna closed the 1990 "MTV Video Music Awards," reminding people that the M in MTV stood for Madonna. Decked out in full Marie Antoinette garb, the diva lip-synced her massive Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single before being carried out on a chaise lounge.

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4. "Hung Up," The 48th Annual Grammy Awards (2006)

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In her third (and most recent) Grammy Awards performance, Madonna and her holographic double mingled with Gorillaz for a show-stopping opening number. After strutting around with the alternative rock act, the diva burst into her top 10 Hot 100 hit "Hung Up" with her incredibly bendy dancers. Another "Hung Up" performance almost made this list, but was edged out (just barely!) by the Grammy gig. Which? Her incredible TV debut performance of "Hung Up" on the MTV Europe Music Awards (watch here).

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3. "Like a Virgin," MTV Video Music Awards (1984)

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It was the first "MTV Video Music Awards" and Madonna was riding high as one of the network's new young darlings. After scoring a pair of top 10 Hot 100 hits in 1984 with "Borderline" and "Lucky Star," the diva introduced her upcoming single, "Like a Virgin," to the MTV masses on the VMAs. It's one of the most iconic VMA performances in history, thanks in part to Madonna's skin-revealing dance moves (really, she was just rolling around on the floor).

2. "Sooner or Later," The 63rd Academy Awards (1991)

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Perhaps a surprising entry on this list is Madonna's performance of the Oscar-winning song "Sooner or Later" on the 1991 Academy Awards. The tune is from her 1990 film "Dick Tracy," which won composerStephen Sondheim the Oscar for best original song. Often noted by fans as one of her best vocal performances, Madonna was in full-Marilyn Monroe mode here, vamping and va-va-vooming her way through the belty number.

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1. "Express Yourself," MTV Video Music Awards (1989)

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Where to begin? The light-up stairs! The bustiers! The running-man! The crotch-grab! With only two backing dancer/singers (longtime cohorts Niki Haris and Donna De Lory), Madonna showed that you didn't need pyrotechnics and an armada of dancers to heat up a TV stage. (Watch for the 4:15 mark, where Madonna gives us our first taste of her vogueing -- months before she released her smash single "Vogue.")

Tags: as on tv, which tv, be on tv, what tv, on line tv, tv programmes, tv show, tv channels, tv channels online, tv series

Via:Billboard

WATCH NICKI MINAJ + LMFAO PERFORM ON ‘NEW YEAR’S ROCKIN’ EVE’

by: Amy Sciarretto Yesterday

Kevork Djansezian / Stephen Lovekin, Getty Images

While many of you may still be nursing hangovers from your New Year’s Eve celebrations,
we’re happy to share video footage of the pop acts who performed on ‘Dick Clark’s New
Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ in case you missed the extravaganza. Nicki Minaj served up
one of the most memorable performances of the evening, with LMFAOmember Sky
Blu fighting his back ailment to perform for the masses alongside Redfoo.

Three standout performances were delivered by Nicki Minaj, who was wearing a futuristic,
silvery blue outfit with what looked like planets on her shoulders and a sleek blond wig.
Looking as gorgeous as ever, the rapper performed her new hit ‘Roman in Moscow,’
as well as her hits ‘Turn Me On’ and ‘Super Bass.’ The boom boom was booming
as she danced amid a troupe of dancers. All eyes were on the human Barbie and
her not-from-this-universe attire.

Those party rockers LMFAO also performed, treating fans to high-energy performances
of ‘Party Rock Anthem’ and ‘Shots.’ It really can’t be a New Year’s Eve party without
LMFAO and their party anthems. Their set consisted of plenty of wild dancing,
skintight colorful attire and tons of people onstage with them. That’s how you ring
in the New Year. The duo’s whole deal about losing your mind? Yeah, that’s just
what the crowd did.

Watch Nicki Minaj Perform ‘Roman in Moscow’

Watch Nicki Minaj Perform ‘Super Bass’

Watch Nicki Minaj Perform ‘Turn Me On’

Watch LMFAO Perform ‘Party Rock Anthem’

Watch LMFAO Perform ‘Shots’

Filed Under: Hot Off the Press, LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, Pop, Rhythmic, Urban, latest new movies, latest new song, new years eve eve, latest music song, latest new music, latest music new, new latest music, party rock anthems, Moscow

Via:PopCrush 

YouTube Ranks Top Political Videos Of The Year (VIDEO)

NEW YORK -- A young Iowa man's plea for marriage rights for his lesbian parents drew 18.3 million views to become the most-watched political video of the year, according to YouTube's ranking of viral political videos.

President Barack Obama's speech to the White House Correspondents' Association dinner in April was second on the list, while Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry's ad criticizing gays in the military placed third and was the year's most-watched campaign commercial.

YouTube, the popular video-sharing site, released its 2011 list Tuesday. The company based its rankings on videos uploaded by users to the site's news and politics category.

Rounding out the top five: Obama's announcement of the death of Osama bin Laden on May 1, and "Brother Can You Spare a Trillion?" by Florida Republican activist Blaise Ingoglia, warning of the mounting federal debt.

Together, the top 10 political videos drew about 50 million views from January to mid-December 2011.

To be sure, the political offerings were much less popular than those on YouTube's Top 10 overall list, which was also released Tuesday.

"Friday," Rebecca Black's sing-songy paean to the weekend, was the most-watched video of the year with nearly 180 million views, YouTube announced. Even "Cat Mom Hugs Baby Kitten," which placed 10th on the overall list, had a whopping 37 million views.

But Ramya Raghavan, news and politics manager for YouTube, said public interest in political videos was already strong and would grow more so as the 2012 presidential campaign intensifies.

"A roller-skating baby is always going to get a lot of views," Raghavan said. "But the audience is also showing a big appetite for political news and content, and there is so much more of this presidential race to go."

A hearing in the Iowa House Judiciary Committee over a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage last winter generated the most-viewed political video of the year.

Zach Wahls, a student at the University of Iowa, stood before the panel to describe growing up as the son of two women. A handsome Eagle Scout, Wahls described a childhood similar to that of other Iowa families.

"In my 19 years not once have I ever been confronted by an individual who realized independently that I was raised by a gay couple," Wahls told the committee. "And you know why? Because the sexual orientation of my parents has had zero effect on the content of my character."

Iowa's state Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in April 2009. The proposed amendment would have revoked marriage rights.

The Iowa House passed the amendment despite Wahls' plea. But state Senate leaders decided against bringing up the matter, effectively killing it for the time being. Many gay rights activists credited the Wahls video for helping draw attention to the issue.

Obama appears twice on YouTube's list. His remarks at the April 30 correspondents' dinner, where he skewered real estate mogul Donald Trump for raising questions about his birth certificate, drew 9.1 million views.

Obama's speech announcing the U.S. mission that killed bin Laden came a day later, drawing 6.2 million views.

Campaign commercials for Perry, the Texas governor, appear twice on YouTube's list.

In "Stronger," which placed third on the political list, Perry vows action against Obama's "war on religion."

Perry says, "There's something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can't openly celebrate Christmas or pray in schools."

The ad drew 7 million views in less than two weeks. It also provoked controversy and sparked several parodies.

Perry's debut presidential campaign ad, "Proven Leadership," also made the list with 2.1 million views.

Other videos on YouTube's top 10: comedian Seth Myers' remarks to the White House Correspondents' Dinner; Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show" appearing on Fox News Channel with host Bill O'Reilly; Herman Cain's campaign ad featuring his chief of staff, Mark Block, smoking a cigarette; and a mock Obama campaign ad produced by the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Via: HuffinTonPost