What started as a pool of 1,400 has now been whittled down to one. Thanks to The Friskies, the world finally has an answer to the burning question: What’s the greatest cat video of 2012? The Friskies, a contest and awards show celebrating the magic that is cats on YouTube, premiered last week, running a full hour and a half of furry, frisky glory. Held in Los Angeles, the celebration featured laughter, tears, and, of course, YouTube’s Michael Buckley. In the end — and despite our endorsements — no cat could win over the judges’ hearts like Oskar, the adopted blind cat who couldn’t stop playing with his green ball. That video received more than 117,000 views in a little more than weeks, netting Oskar and his overseers $15,000. Category winners — Cole’s “Black Cat Stick ’em Up,” Boo’s “Cat Alarm Clock,” Milo’s “Cardboard Dreams” and Nylah’s “Kitty Plays Fetch”—netted contestants a solid $2,500 in consolation prize money. The ceremony also included a number of gag gifts, musical performances, and imitation awards, like the Lifetime Achievement award Michael Buckley bestowed upon Will Braden, creator of Henri, Le Chat Noir. Held for the first time this year, The Friskies is, of course, an promotion from Purina’s Friskies brand cat food. Nice to see these cats are finally getting their time in the sun. YouTube experiments with its own Super Bowl halftime show The race to create our virtual realities A guide to Rob Gronkowski’s best Internet moments Black & Sexy TV wants to appeal to more than black audiences This article originally published at The Daily Dot here Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/11/19/friskies-oskar-blind-cat/
It’s happened to pretty much everyone. You’re concentrating on something else when someone sneaks up behind you, covers your eyes with their hands and ask you to guess their identity. While the situation can be quite uncomfortable, imagine the creep factor when a stranger pounces with the sweaty, hands-on-face guessing game. The very idea of it might give you a case of the heebie-jeebies. But that didn’t stop Andrew Hales of YouTube channel Losing All Hope Was Freedom (LAHWF) from giving the guess who game a whirl on unsuspecting people at Brigham Young University. If someone did this to you, how would you respond? Let us know in the comments. Viral Photo Gallery 7 Fake Hurricane Sandy Photos You’re Sharing on Social Media Fake Hurricane Sandy photos flew around Twitter and Facebook on Monday, as users shared jaw-dropping images. Unfortunately, the race to post the most striking pics has most folks skipping the all-important fact check. We’ve gathered up five “Hurricane Sandy” photographs that have spread on the social web, but weren’t actually taken during the massive storm. Obama and Romney Are Your New Dress Up Dolls Still not sure who to vote for? Or maybe you’re dead-set on a candidate, and simply waiting for Election Day next week. Regardless of who you’re voting for on Nov. 6, both of these presidential candidates could use some change — of outfits, that is. The websites Change4Obama and Change4Romney will keep voters entertained until the election. Both sites, created by social discovery site SocialPlex, allow users to dress up Barack Obama or Mitt Romney as various characters. You can mix and match features like hair, eyes, nose and outfits. Your Favorite Logos Reimagined for the Zombie Apocalypse [PICS] There seems to be a craze for reimagining top logos and since this is Halloween, why not rethink them for a zombie apocalypse, right? Assuming that event were to come to pass, here’s what your neighborhood Starbucks and the gas station down the street might look like, as envisioned by artist Ben Fellowes. For more of these horrifying logos, check out his site. New York City Subway Needs a ‘System Restore’ [PIC] Yes, crashed Windows OS, we know the New York City subway system was unable to restart after Hurricane Sandy. And, yes, we would love to run a system restore. After Sandy ravaged the East Coast Monday evening, the subway system in New York City was left crippled. Not immune to inclement weather, the Windows-based display above the 77th Street subway stop seemed to have hit a snag as well. ‘The Walking Dead’ Gets ‘Dear Photograph’ Treatment [PICS] Dear Photograph, a popular nostalgia blog showcasing photos within photos, gave its visitors a terrifying surprise Wednesday: The Walking Dead-inspired posts. Dear Photograph creator Taylor Jones told Mashable he teamed up with FOX International Channels on the Halloween Day images, which folks at The Walking Dead created for their international ad campaign. Each of the two blog posts showcases a zombie and a post-zombie-apocalypse caption. […]
Steve Martin has come a long way as a comedian. Before becoming a big screen star known all around the world, he started small (as most comedians do) and was known for smaller parts. Luckily for us, his first TV special, Steve Martin: A Wild and Crazy Guy, is hilarious. Martin promises his lover that he will wear something from her as good luck. Unfortunately for him, it’s not just a “pin or something,” as he expected. Watch the video above to see this classic and hilarious turtle-wrangling version of Steve Martin in one of his first comedy videos. Thanks to Official Comedy for sharing the throwback. This Week’s Hot Viral Videos ‘Simon’s Cat’ Partakes in the Animal Olympics A new “Simon’s Cat” video hit the web Saturday, and this one gets into the competitive spirit of the Olympics … with a snail race. Will Ferrell Lashes Out at Kristen ‘Trampire’ Stewart Someone give Will Ferrell a box of tissues and pint of Ben & Jerry’s because the funnyman needs help healing his broken heart. Ferrell sat down with Conan O’Brien and let his emotions spill out as he discussed the recent breakup of Twilight stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson (or “Patterson,” as Ferrell referred to him). A Real Dad Won’t Save You if You’re ‘Taken’ The 2008 thriller Taken, about an American girl kidnapped by human traffickers in Paris, raised anxiety levels for many worrywort parents. The film isn’t based on a true story, but that didn’t stop moms and dads from wondering what they would do in a similar situation. 90-Year-Old Pole Vaulter Will Make You Feel Lazy Meet Dr. William Bell, a 90-year-old fitness nut who holds a pole vault world record for his age group. Pfft, as if a bunch of buff 20-something Olympic swimmers prancing their six-packs around the pool didn’t already make us all feel like a bunch of unaccomplished cubicle potatoes this week. Envy aside, Dr. Bell could provide a helpful dose of pick-me-up to any of us feeling a bit lapsed in the physical fitness department Choo-Choo-Choose to Watch Excited Train Guy Maybe it’s the rumble of the engine or the sound of the horn, but something has this train enthusiast yelling with excitement. The railfan — yes, that’s a real thing — squeals behind the camera as a rare 1953 EA Heritage Train engine rolls through a New York station. As one YouTuber put it, “Double Trainbow!” Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/08/young-steve-martin-was-a-turtle-riding-drag-queen-video/
Are you ready to view the most remarkable video you’ve seen all month? Strap yourself in, because Making View created the world’s first spherical 360-degree video of a Formula One racer screaming around the Rudskogen facility in Norway. The video was shot using Making View’s ViewCam 360, a spherical lens and video technology that lets viewers watch the video in any direction (except up). You can even take an especially dramatic look straight down at the vehicle as it flies around the track at breakneck speed. It’s easy to control, either with your mouse or with the arrow keys on your keyboard, and you can hit the space bar to stop. We immediately went for the highest quality, but even with an unusually fast broadband connection, we needed to wait for the video to buffer for a while before it will stream smoothly. Oh, and be sure to click the full screen icon for maximum thrillage. Making View is a veteran at creating these 360-degree views, but now it’s venturing into video versions with its ViewCam 360, teaming up with Red Bull for this technological demonstration. We’d say it’s a smashing success. Not only is the video delightfully crisp from all angles, but the audio is dramatic enough to get your heart pounding. It’s been a dramatic few weeks for Red Bull, the caffeinated sugary drink company that can’t seem to get enough of sponsoring way-cool technological extravaganzas. Even this jaw-dropping video doesn’t quite match Red Bull’s previous stunt, the harrowing leap of Felix Baumgartner from the edge of space, 24 miles high. How on earth (or in space) will Red Bull be able to top these two stunts? [via Autoblog] Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/11/01/f1-360-degree-video/
From ancient Babylonia to the birth of surrealism to beloved video game characters, mustaches have been the source of the universe’s greatest achievements — just ask Nick Offerman. The dignified mustache enthusiast from TV’s Parks and Recreation is back in a PSA for Movember, explaining how facial hair is an important, defining factor in history. Offerman partnered with Made Men to create the video, which encourages everyone to ditch oppressive razors during November and raise awareness and funds to combat prostate cancer. So prepare to become a part of history by embracing your manly au naturel. BONUS: 12 Comedian Quotes for When Your Job Makes You Want to Cry Inspiring Comedian Quotes 1. Image: Sean Gallup/Getty Images 2. Image: Larry Busacca/Getty Images 3. Image: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images 4. Image: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images 5. Image: Jemal Countess/Getty Images 6. Image: Getty, Newsmakers 7. Image: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Amnesty International 8. Image: Jemal Countess/Getty Images 9. Image: Jason Kempin/Getty Images 10. Image: CARLOS SCHIEBECK/AFP/Getty Images 11. Image: Ken Howard/Getty Images 12. Image: Matt Carr/Getty Images Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/10/23/nick-offerman-moustache-history/
As much as we love our furry friends, everyone needs a break every once in a while. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/bulldog-reacts-to-owner-telling-him-no/
Let’s cut to the chase here: Standing just five feet five inches, Porter Mayberry is closer in height to Peter Dinklage than to the average NBA star. But that doesn’t stop the 22-year-old from throwing down some pro-quality slam dunks. One-handed, two-handed, forward, backward, off the bounce — Mayberry’s dunks have to be seen to be believed. Luckily the video above, freshly uploaded to YouTube Tuesday afternoon, lets you do just that. And if this doesn’t satisfy your basketball jones, check out our recent post on Lilliputian high school sensation Aquille Carr, whose latest highlight reel has gone viral online with more than 1.5 million views in about a month. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/25/whats-gravity-slam-dunks/
