66.5 Million Facebook Interactions Occurred During the Oscars

LOS ANGELES — Seth MacFarlane's parody of Sally Field's The Flying Nun sitcom during the 85th Academy Awards opening monologue got the show off to a social start.
The Flying Nun segment was a hot topic on Facebook and eventually became the night's most-talked about moment on Mark Zuckerberg's social network. In total, the Oscars broadcast attracted 66.5 million Facebook interactions (posts, comments and Likes).
Like on Twitter — where people tweeted more than 8.9 million times during the red carpet arrivals and ceremony, particularly for two Adele moments — Adele garnered significant attention on Facebook for her best original song performance of "Skyfall."
The most-talked about winner, however, was best picture winner Argo. Facebook says mentions of the film soared by 2,460 percent. Mentions of Ben Affleck, who launched an Instagram account Sunday, jumped 23,500 percent during his acceptance speech.

66.5 Million Facebook Interactions Occurred During the Oscars

LOS ANGELES — Seth MacFarlane's parody of Sally Field's The Flying Nun sitcom during the 85th Academy Awards opening monologue got the show off to a social start.
The Flying Nun segment was a hot topic on Facebook and eventually became the night's most-talked about moment on Mark Zuckerberg's social network. In total, the Oscars broadcast attracted 66.5 million Facebook interactions (posts, comments and Likes).
Like on Twitter — where people tweeted more than 8.9 million times during the red carpet arrivals and ceremony, particularly for two Adele moments — Adele garnered significant attention on Facebook for her best original song performance of "Skyfall."
The most-talked about winner, however, was best picture winner Argo. Facebook says mentions of the film soared by 2,460 percent. Mentions of Ben Affleck, who launched an Instagram account Sunday, jumped 23,500 percent during his acceptance speech.

‘Murder 3’ review: The art of 'murdering love' - Randeep Hooda style!

                                                                                                                                                                          
                                           Re-making a film of some other language in Hindi – and declaring the same before the film is released is actually a very clever move that director Vishesh Bhatt had made. So in case one has watched the Spanish thriller ‘La cara Oculta’ (‘The Hidden Face’) – one might actually not want to go through the Hindi version of it. ‘Murder 3’, you guessed it correct, isn’t worth that much the effort. Debutant director Vishesh Bhatt has done a moderate job of directing this thriller – but it is an exact copy (okay, re-make!) of its Spanish counterpart. 'Murder 3', also, ends on a note which is a bit abrupt. The film has its share of thrills and chills in parts, but doesn’t really leave a dent on one’s mind eventually.

Vikram (Randeep Hooda), a wildlife photographer in South Africa, gets a lucrative contract which involves him shifting to fashion photography and moves to Mumbai with his girlfriend Roshni (Aditi Rao Hydari). The two have everything going their way with fancy palatial houses in Mumbai (that needs some clarification, though… where exactly in the city do you find such houses!), beautiful song sequences and so on. A fairy tale – just that the wonderland gets tainted by hints of suspicion.

Roshni suspects Vikram to be cheating on her with his hairstylist Niyomi, and decides to leave him. She leaves a recorded video message and Vikram’s world comes crumbling down. The man whiles his time away in gallons of whiskey and a lot of work.

Enter Nisha (Sara Loren), a curvaceous waitress at the bar Vikram frequents. Nisha is sympathetic towards Vikram and as she says, “… tanha mard ke aankhon mein aansoo mujhe pasand nahi hain” (I don’t like tears in the eyes of a lonely man). She takes the drunken Vikram home one night when the latter is hit in an altercation, and so begins Nisha and Vikram’s affair. She moves in with Vikram, in his house, after a bit.

Roshni, meanwhile, has mysteriously disappeared and according to the police, Vikram is at the crux of it all. And then there are weird noises from the washroom which almost robs Nisha of her sleep. Nisha is convinced that the house is haunted and tells Vikram of it all, who laughs them off. Obviously, there’s a lot more than what meets the eye.

Randeep Hooda as the wildlife/fashion photographer could have done much, much better with a different hairstyle. As far as acting is concerned, Hooda does a fair job. There are moments when you wish he didn’t always speak like he’s perpetually drunk, but thankfully those bits don’t stay on for long. The doting boyfriend at times and the jilted lover at others, Randeep manages to play his part well, but doesn’t really make an impact on the minds of his viewers – we’ve seen him perform better.

Debutante Sara Loren comes scarily close to being monotonous when it comes to expressions. She needs her acting skills polished, and the sooner, the better; Loren seems to have what it takes to be an actress – when she is not screaming, though. Sequences, which, again, are few and far in between.

The one who actually shines howsoever among the trio is Aditi Rao Hydari. The girl who forayed into the industry with a completely de-glam role in ‘Delhi 6’, has seen some impressive performances in between in ‘Yeh Saali Zindagi’ and ‘London, Paris, New York’. Hydari, in this one, does a great job of playing Roshni. The supporting cast comprising Rajesh Shringarpure as the police officer and Bugs Bhargava Krishna as DK Bose (yes, for real!) don’t disappoint.

What disappoints, however, is the raw direction. Vishesh Bhatt, the debut, hasn’t done a brilliant job with the director’s hat and there are scenes in the film which are downright funny, and unintentionally so. Nisha’s screams at the drop of a hat, for example, tend to get on your nerves after a while. ‘Murder 3’ stands out in few moments; when Hydari breaks down in front of the mirror being a commendable one. The film picks up pace a little while before the intermission, and then keeps the viewer sort of hooked on to it. But there are no nail-biting, spine-chilling, throwing-you-off-your-seat stuff.

The music is a huge redeeming factor of the film with Mustafa Zahid (Roxen) and Pritam having done a job which deserves a pat on the back. All four tracks, ‘Teri jhuki nazar’, ‘Mat aazma re’, ‘Jaata hai tujh tak’ and ‘Hum jee laingay’ are extremely melodious and hummable, sing-able ones. The Bhatts have always had their music clicking for them, and ‘Murder 3’ is no exception.

In a nutshell, ‘Murder 3’ is a onetime watch, only if you are a huge fan of Aditi Rao Hydari. This film too, will probably fade into oblivion leaving only its music on people’s lips for a long time to come. Two out of five from me for ‘murdering love this Valentine’.

‘Murder 3’ review: The art of 'murdering love' - Randeep Hooda style!

                                                                                                                                                                          
                                           Re-making a film of some other language in Hindi – and declaring the same before the film is released is actually a very clever move that director Vishesh Bhatt had made. So in case one has watched the Spanish thriller ‘La cara Oculta’ (‘The Hidden Face’) – one might actually not want to go through the Hindi version of it. ‘Murder 3’, you guessed it correct, isn’t worth that much the effort. Debutant director Vishesh Bhatt has done a moderate job of directing this thriller – but it is an exact copy (okay, re-make!) of its Spanish counterpart. 'Murder 3', also, ends on a note which is a bit abrupt. The film has its share of thrills and chills in parts, but doesn’t really leave a dent on one’s mind eventually.

Vikram (Randeep Hooda), a wildlife photographer in South Africa, gets a lucrative contract which involves him shifting to fashion photography and moves to Mumbai with his girlfriend Roshni (Aditi Rao Hydari). The two have everything going their way with fancy palatial houses in Mumbai (that needs some clarification, though… where exactly in the city do you find such houses!), beautiful song sequences and so on. A fairy tale – just that the wonderland gets tainted by hints of suspicion.

Roshni suspects Vikram to be cheating on her with his hairstylist Niyomi, and decides to leave him. She leaves a recorded video message and Vikram’s world comes crumbling down. The man whiles his time away in gallons of whiskey and a lot of work.

Enter Nisha (Sara Loren), a curvaceous waitress at the bar Vikram frequents. Nisha is sympathetic towards Vikram and as she says, “… tanha mard ke aankhon mein aansoo mujhe pasand nahi hain” (I don’t like tears in the eyes of a lonely man). She takes the drunken Vikram home one night when the latter is hit in an altercation, and so begins Nisha and Vikram’s affair. She moves in with Vikram, in his house, after a bit.

Roshni, meanwhile, has mysteriously disappeared and according to the police, Vikram is at the crux of it all. And then there are weird noises from the washroom which almost robs Nisha of her sleep. Nisha is convinced that the house is haunted and tells Vikram of it all, who laughs them off. Obviously, there’s a lot more than what meets the eye.

Randeep Hooda as the wildlife/fashion photographer could have done much, much better with a different hairstyle. As far as acting is concerned, Hooda does a fair job. There are moments when you wish he didn’t always speak like he’s perpetually drunk, but thankfully those bits don’t stay on for long. The doting boyfriend at times and the jilted lover at others, Randeep manages to play his part well, but doesn’t really make an impact on the minds of his viewers – we’ve seen him perform better.

Debutante Sara Loren comes scarily close to being monotonous when it comes to expressions. She needs her acting skills polished, and the sooner, the better; Loren seems to have what it takes to be an actress – when she is not screaming, though. Sequences, which, again, are few and far in between.

The one who actually shines howsoever among the trio is Aditi Rao Hydari. The girl who forayed into the industry with a completely de-glam role in ‘Delhi 6’, has seen some impressive performances in between in ‘Yeh Saali Zindagi’ and ‘London, Paris, New York’. Hydari, in this one, does a great job of playing Roshni. The supporting cast comprising Rajesh Shringarpure as the police officer and Bugs Bhargava Krishna as DK Bose (yes, for real!) don’t disappoint.

What disappoints, however, is the raw direction. Vishesh Bhatt, the debut, hasn’t done a brilliant job with the director’s hat and there are scenes in the film which are downright funny, and unintentionally so. Nisha’s screams at the drop of a hat, for example, tend to get on your nerves after a while. ‘Murder 3’ stands out in few moments; when Hydari breaks down in front of the mirror being a commendable one. The film picks up pace a little while before the intermission, and then keeps the viewer sort of hooked on to it. But there are no nail-biting, spine-chilling, throwing-you-off-your-seat stuff.

The music is a huge redeeming factor of the film with Mustafa Zahid (Roxen) and Pritam having done a job which deserves a pat on the back. All four tracks, ‘Teri jhuki nazar’, ‘Mat aazma re’, ‘Jaata hai tujh tak’ and ‘Hum jee laingay’ are extremely melodious and hummable, sing-able ones. The Bhatts have always had their music clicking for them, and ‘Murder 3’ is no exception.

In a nutshell, ‘Murder 3’ is a onetime watch, only if you are a huge fan of Aditi Rao Hydari. This film too, will probably fade into oblivion leaving only its music on people’s lips for a long time to come. Two out of five from me for ‘murdering love this Valentine’.

Extended Iron Man 3 Trailer

While the Ravens and 49ers battle it out in the Super Bowl, Robert Downey Jr. is saving lives and being as awesome as ever in this Iron Man 3 trailer.

 

Extended Iron Man 3 Trailer

While the Ravens and 49ers battle it out in the Super Bowl, Robert Downey Jr. is saving lives and being as awesome as ever in this Iron Man 3 trailer.

 

Why is it Bob Marley Day in Toronto? Shadow posts explains

Why is it Bob Marley Day in Toronto?

Mayor Rob Ford’s proclamation goes a long way to explain why the city honours Marley’s legacy:

As a world ambassador of reggae music, Bob Marley was seen as the first international superstar to emerge from the developing world. The commanding and unique sound of his music captivated people of all cultures, broke music barriers and helped to introduce reggae music to the world.
To this day, his music continues to be loved by many and is instantly recognized around the world.
Inspired by his many travels, Bob Marley became a champion for human rights and an international ambassador for peace through his music. Music was his vessel to speak out against oppression, poverty, slavery and apartheid and earned him a Peace Medal of the Third World from the United Nations and the Order of Merit from his native country of Jamaica.
After being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, Bob Marley’s influence on the musical and cultural scene was solidified. The impact his humanitarian efforts had throughout the world highlighted the direct relationship between music and advocating for the greater good of mankind.

Now you know.

Why is it Bob Marley Day in Toronto? Shadow posts explains

Why is it Bob Marley Day in Toronto?

Mayor Rob Ford’s proclamation goes a long way to explain why the city honours Marley’s legacy:

As a world ambassador of reggae music, Bob Marley was seen as the first international superstar to emerge from the developing world. The commanding and unique sound of his music captivated people of all cultures, broke music barriers and helped to introduce reggae music to the world.
To this day, his music continues to be loved by many and is instantly recognized around the world.
Inspired by his many travels, Bob Marley became a champion for human rights and an international ambassador for peace through his music. Music was his vessel to speak out against oppression, poverty, slavery and apartheid and earned him a Peace Medal of the Third World from the United Nations and the Order of Merit from his native country of Jamaica.
After being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, Bob Marley’s influence on the musical and cultural scene was solidified. The impact his humanitarian efforts had throughout the world highlighted the direct relationship between music and advocating for the greater good of mankind.

Now you know.

Bob Marley Birthday:Reggae Singer Would Have Turned 68 Today

Today, Feb. 6, 2013, would have been Bob Marley's 68th birthday. 

The beloved Jamaican singer died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 36, but his legacy lives on through his music. Marley is credited with helping spread both reggae sounds and the Rastafari movement to a worldwide audience throughout his 18 years in the business.
According to Urban Islandz, "Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers," which was released three years after his death, is reggae's biggest selling album to date, with more than 10 million copies sold in the United States and an estimated 25 million worldwide. And that's no surprise.
Despite his absence, Marley has continued to garner success, being honored with such awards as BBC’s song of the millenium for "One Love" and getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Also in 1999, Time Magazine named Bob Marley & The Wailers' "Exodus" as the greatest album of the 20th century.
Last year, Ziggy Marley talked to The Huffington Post about the first-ever family authorized documentary, "Marley," chronicling the life and times of his legendary father. Ziggy explained another date that is associated with the global icon, saying, "I think 4/20 is a special day. Of course, with our culture we use herb for so many different things, not just for smoking. I think it’s something that we’re not going to hide from, and I think it’s appropriate because it’s a part of our culture and a part of Bob’s music. If you love Bob’s music, well guess what, herb is a part of Bob’s music."
Marley is survived by Ziggy and his 10 other children, Sharon, Cedella, Stephen, Robbie, Rohan, Karen, Stephanie, Julian, Ky-Mani and Damian.

Bob Marley Birthday:Reggae Singer Would Have Turned 68 Today

Today, Feb. 6, 2013, would have been Bob Marley's 68th birthday. 

The beloved Jamaican singer died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 36, but his legacy lives on through his music. Marley is credited with helping spread both reggae sounds and the Rastafari movement to a worldwide audience throughout his 18 years in the business.
According to Urban Islandz, "Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers," which was released three years after his death, is reggae's biggest selling album to date, with more than 10 million copies sold in the United States and an estimated 25 million worldwide. And that's no surprise.
Despite his absence, Marley has continued to garner success, being honored with such awards as BBC’s song of the millenium for "One Love" and getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Also in 1999, Time Magazine named Bob Marley & The Wailers' "Exodus" as the greatest album of the 20th century.
Last year, Ziggy Marley talked to The Huffington Post about the first-ever family authorized documentary, "Marley," chronicling the life and times of his legendary father. Ziggy explained another date that is associated with the global icon, saying, "I think 4/20 is a special day. Of course, with our culture we use herb for so many different things, not just for smoking. I think it’s something that we’re not going to hide from, and I think it’s appropriate because it’s a part of our culture and a part of Bob’s music. If you love Bob’s music, well guess what, herb is a part of Bob’s music."
Marley is survived by Ziggy and his 10 other children, Sharon, Cedella, Stephen, Robbie, Rohan, Karen, Stephanie, Julian, Ky-Mani and Damian.

Gangnam Style Dance Ends in Man's Death

A man in England died Saturday after an office party performance of "Gangnam Style" led to chest pains and an eventual failure of the heart.
Eamonn Kilbride, 46, had just finished dancing to Korean pop star Psy's wildly popular "Gangnam Style" at his company's office party when he noticed chest pains around his heart and passed out onto the floor of Lancashire's Whitehall Country Club.
Paramedics tried to revive the man, but their efforts proved unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at the Royal Blackburn Hospital a few minutes after 11:30pm.
A spokesman for Blackburn coroner's office told Britain's Daily Telegraph that Kilbride died from acute heart failure caused by coronary artery atheroma, which can often derive from vigorous exercise.
According to Kilbride's wife Julie, the former IT manager was a "loving husband" and avid golfer who "was always the life of the party and loved dancing."
"We were having a fantastic time at the Christmas party and Eamonn had just finished dancing to 'Gangnam Style,'" she told the Telegraph.
"He was up on stage and entertaining everybody. He said he had a bit of a pain and just collapsed."
Screenshot via YouTube

Gangnam Style Dance Ends in Man's Death

A man in England died Saturday after an office party performance of "Gangnam Style" led to chest pains and an eventual failure of the heart.
Eamonn Kilbride, 46, had just finished dancing to Korean pop star Psy's wildly popular "Gangnam Style" at his company's office party when he noticed chest pains around his heart and passed out onto the floor of Lancashire's Whitehall Country Club.
Paramedics tried to revive the man, but their efforts proved unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at the Royal Blackburn Hospital a few minutes after 11:30pm.
A spokesman for Blackburn coroner's office told Britain's Daily Telegraph that Kilbride died from acute heart failure caused by coronary artery atheroma, which can often derive from vigorous exercise.
According to Kilbride's wife Julie, the former IT manager was a "loving husband" and avid golfer who "was always the life of the party and loved dancing."
"We were having a fantastic time at the Christmas party and Eamonn had just finished dancing to 'Gangnam Style,'" she told the Telegraph.
"He was up on stage and entertaining everybody. He said he had a bit of a pain and just collapsed."
Screenshot via YouTube

How 'Gangnam Style' Got to a Billion Views

[UPDATE: 'Gangnam Style' hit a billion views at roughly 11am ET Friday. The analysis below dates from the night before.]


Sometime in the next day, maybe in the next few hours, humanity will hit a major milestone that has nothing to do with the Mayan apocalypse (we hope).
For the first time in history, we will be able to state categorically that a single piece of visual entertainment has been watched more than a billion times.
No prizes for guessing what that video will be: the surprise international smash hit of 2012; the song that made Seoul's richest neighborhood world-famous; the video that reveals for the first time exactly how much fun you can have in a powder blue tuxedo jacket; the meme that spawned a thousand imitations. Oppa Gangnam Style.
At time of writing, all that stands between "Gangnam Style" and the billion-view milestone is a mere 5,722,039 clicks of the play button.
That may sound like a lot, but not for this video. When it comes to going viral, Psy's $8 million mega-hit is on another plane of existence. For example: as I wrote this story, I had to revise that number above twice. "Gangnam Style" has gained another three million views in a matter of hours.
That's far above its average rate of gain, which YouTube says is roughly 7 million new views per day. Either Psy is growing more popular by the second, or there's a global contest going on to watch "Gangnam Style" for the billionth time.
I'm just lucky I'm not writing this on Saturday — which, according to YouTube, is the day of the week most people tend to watch the Psy video. (The company also says there's a spike in views for Rebecca Black's "Friday" on a Friday, even now). Make of that what you will.

Bigger Than Bieber, Bigger than Star Wars

"Gangnam Style" is already the most-watched video of all time, having overtaken Justin Bieber's "Baby" back in late November. Since then, "Baby" has gained another 10 million views — and "Gangnam Style" has gained nearly 200 million.
Again, let's put that in perspective. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, one of the most watched films of all time, has sold around 163 million movie tickets in total, according to this box office analysis. "Gangnam Style" added that number of views in three weeks. It laughs at Star Wars.
Of course, the number of views on a YouTube video does not correlate to the number of people who've watched it, just as the number of tickets sold doesn't tell you how many people have seen a given movie. We'll probably never know exactly how many people have watched "Gangnam Style" since it exploded on our screens in mid-July, just as we'll never know how much of the planet has seen A New Hope at least once.
But consider this: how many people clustered around the screen the last time you fired up "Gangnam Style"? How many of us have only seen it on other people's machines, adding nothing to the view total? How many times has it been shown at parties, again, notching up just a single view? For all we know, more than a billion people have already seen the video.

The view count is the only metric we have, and it's far better than any box-office ranking or Nielsen measurement.

The view count is the only metric we have, and it's far better than any box-office ranking or Nielsen measurement. It is absolute and unimpeachable. The view count doesn't lie. Who on this planet will watch "Gangnam Style" for the billionth time? Only the view count knows. Hopefully, whomever it is will take a screen shot.
YouTube is looking into the question of whether they'll be able to identify where it was watched for the billionth time, if not by whom.
No doubt scholarly treatises are already being penned by media studies Ph.D.s on why this video became such a monster hit, and why we keep coming back to it. Is it the earworm dance track and the horse-riding dance? Does that explain why it gets most views on a Saturday — firing it up to get your weekend started in the morning, dancing your socks off at night?
That's a big part of it. But I think it also comes down to two other factors. Watch this video from mid-August, in which U.S. teens are shown "Gangnam Style" for the first time, and you'll hear two words come up repeatedly: "random" and "swag." As in "that was the most random thing I've ever seen," and "that guy's swag is off the charts."

The lesson, then, is what you really knew about "Gangnam Style" all along, deep down.
The lesson, then, is what you really knew about "Gangnam Style" all along, deep down. It succeeded because it stood out, because it was most definitely not business as usual, and because Psy throws himself and his passion into this utterly ridiculous pastiche with the force of a hurricane.
We've seen this time and time again with those who dare, with every ounce of their being, to be different from the cultural norm. The Beatles could not have been less like Pat Boone. Punk Rock took pompous Stadium Rock and threw it in the trash. Psy saw a world filled with indie guitar strummers and hip hop stars, and he donned his tux and danced like a jockey.
Memo to the entertainment industry: don't give us more of the same. Just because a K-Pop star made it big doesn't mean we necessarily need everything to be K-Pop now. How do you get to a billion views? By being stupendously original.
If that lesson is heeded, then this milestone will be less about marking the end of the world than starting a new one.
And now we've whetted your appetite, let's all watch the original more time. Who knows, perhaps you, dear reader, could be the one to turn the view counter over to 1,000,000,000.

How 'Gangnam Style' Got to a Billion Views

[UPDATE: 'Gangnam Style' hit a billion views at roughly 11am ET Friday. The analysis below dates from the night before.]


Sometime in the next day, maybe in the next few hours, humanity will hit a major milestone that has nothing to do with the Mayan apocalypse (we hope).
For the first time in history, we will be able to state categorically that a single piece of visual entertainment has been watched more than a billion times.
No prizes for guessing what that video will be: the surprise international smash hit of 2012; the song that made Seoul's richest neighborhood world-famous; the video that reveals for the first time exactly how much fun you can have in a powder blue tuxedo jacket; the meme that spawned a thousand imitations. Oppa Gangnam Style.
At time of writing, all that stands between "Gangnam Style" and the billion-view milestone is a mere 5,722,039 clicks of the play button.
That may sound like a lot, but not for this video. When it comes to going viral, Psy's $8 million mega-hit is on another plane of existence. For example: as I wrote this story, I had to revise that number above twice. "Gangnam Style" has gained another three million views in a matter of hours.
That's far above its average rate of gain, which YouTube says is roughly 7 million new views per day. Either Psy is growing more popular by the second, or there's a global contest going on to watch "Gangnam Style" for the billionth time.
I'm just lucky I'm not writing this on Saturday — which, according to YouTube, is the day of the week most people tend to watch the Psy video. (The company also says there's a spike in views for Rebecca Black's "Friday" on a Friday, even now). Make of that what you will.

Bigger Than Bieber, Bigger than Star Wars

"Gangnam Style" is already the most-watched video of all time, having overtaken Justin Bieber's "Baby" back in late November. Since then, "Baby" has gained another 10 million views — and "Gangnam Style" has gained nearly 200 million.
Again, let's put that in perspective. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, one of the most watched films of all time, has sold around 163 million movie tickets in total, according to this box office analysis. "Gangnam Style" added that number of views in three weeks. It laughs at Star Wars.
Of course, the number of views on a YouTube video does not correlate to the number of people who've watched it, just as the number of tickets sold doesn't tell you how many people have seen a given movie. We'll probably never know exactly how many people have watched "Gangnam Style" since it exploded on our screens in mid-July, just as we'll never know how much of the planet has seen A New Hope at least once.
But consider this: how many people clustered around the screen the last time you fired up "Gangnam Style"? How many of us have only seen it on other people's machines, adding nothing to the view total? How many times has it been shown at parties, again, notching up just a single view? For all we know, more than a billion people have already seen the video.

The view count is the only metric we have, and it's far better than any box-office ranking or Nielsen measurement.

The view count is the only metric we have, and it's far better than any box-office ranking or Nielsen measurement. It is absolute and unimpeachable. The view count doesn't lie. Who on this planet will watch "Gangnam Style" for the billionth time? Only the view count knows. Hopefully, whomever it is will take a screen shot.
YouTube is looking into the question of whether they'll be able to identify where it was watched for the billionth time, if not by whom.
No doubt scholarly treatises are already being penned by media studies Ph.D.s on why this video became such a monster hit, and why we keep coming back to it. Is it the earworm dance track and the horse-riding dance? Does that explain why it gets most views on a Saturday — firing it up to get your weekend started in the morning, dancing your socks off at night?
That's a big part of it. But I think it also comes down to two other factors. Watch this video from mid-August, in which U.S. teens are shown "Gangnam Style" for the first time, and you'll hear two words come up repeatedly: "random" and "swag." As in "that was the most random thing I've ever seen," and "that guy's swag is off the charts."

The lesson, then, is what you really knew about "Gangnam Style" all along, deep down.
The lesson, then, is what you really knew about "Gangnam Style" all along, deep down. It succeeded because it stood out, because it was most definitely not business as usual, and because Psy throws himself and his passion into this utterly ridiculous pastiche with the force of a hurricane.
We've seen this time and time again with those who dare, with every ounce of their being, to be different from the cultural norm. The Beatles could not have been less like Pat Boone. Punk Rock took pompous Stadium Rock and threw it in the trash. Psy saw a world filled with indie guitar strummers and hip hop stars, and he donned his tux and danced like a jockey.
Memo to the entertainment industry: don't give us more of the same. Just because a K-Pop star made it big doesn't mean we necessarily need everything to be K-Pop now. How do you get to a billion views? By being stupendously original.
If that lesson is heeded, then this milestone will be less about marking the end of the world than starting a new one.
And now we've whetted your appetite, let's all watch the original more time. Who knows, perhaps you, dear reader, could be the one to turn the view counter over to 1,000,000,000.

Lady Gaga Loses 156 Million YouTube Views on Official Account

Lady Gaga has joined the list of musicians to lose millions of video views on YouTube. Her official account lost some 156 million views, NME reports.
According to a YouTube spokesperson, VEVO reduced the play counts on many major artist's videos by up to 2 million views in December 2012 due to artificially inflation of view counts. Gaga's account survived that initial sweep. Though many millions of views were removed last month, Gaga's videos have been found to be artificially boosted by hackers as well. :/

Lady Gaga Loses 156 Million YouTube Views on Official Account

Lady Gaga has joined the list of musicians to lose millions of video views on YouTube. Her official account lost some 156 million views, NME reports.
According to a YouTube spokesperson, VEVO reduced the play counts on many major artist's videos by up to 2 million views in December 2012 due to artificially inflation of view counts. Gaga's account survived that initial sweep. Though many millions of views were removed last month, Gaga's videos have been found to be artificially boosted by hackers as well. :/