YouTube penalizes Logan Paul after suicide video post

LOS ANGELES | YouTube said Wednesday it is removing popular American vlogger Logan Paul from its Google Preferred platform and putting future projects with him on hold, after Paul posted a video on the platform of a suicide victim in Japan.

“In light of recent events, we have decided to remove Logan Paul’s channels from Google Preferred. Additionally, we will not feature Logan in season 4 of ‘Foursome’ and his new Originals are on hold,” Alphabet Inc’s YouTube, said in a statement.

Google Preferred features YouTube’s most popular content in packages for sale to advertisers. Paul, 22, is one of YouTube’s top content creators, regularly drawing millions of views from his mainly youth-orientated audience.

Paul also had projects in the works with YouTube’s premium subscription service, YouTube Red, and appeared on the platform’s web series “Foursome.”

Representatives for Paul did not immediately return requests from Reuters for comment.

Paul apologized in a YouTube video titled “So Sorry” last week for posting the video that showed him and his friends laughing about the body they filmed hanging on a tree in Japan’s “suicide forest.”

Paul said he had made a “huge mistake” and was ashamed of himself, and he deleted the video after it caused a social media backlash.

YouTube in an open letter on Tuesday said it was “upset by the video that was shared last week,” saying that “suicide is not a joke, nor should it ever be a driving force for views.”

The company said Paul’s video violated its guidelines and it was “looking at further consequences.”

Paul has not posted any videos in the past week, saying he was “taking time to reflect.”

Paul’s channel, Logan Paul Vlogs, which has more than 15 million subscribers, is still active on YouTube and advertisers can still choose to advertise on his videos, or they can opt out.

source: interaksyon.com

WATCH | ‘PPAP’ singer Pikotaro unveils extended version of viral song

Japanese social media star Pikotaro unveiled a new, extended version of his internet hit “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen” (PPAP) on Friday.

The original video quickly went viral after being uploaded in early September, with Canadian singer Justin Bieber helping boost viewing numbers by labeling it his “favorite video on the internet” in a Twitter post on Thursday.

“Yesterday my head was full of white hair, but now it has all turned black,” said Pikotaro, overwhelmed by the attention he has received, including a Guinness World Record for the shortest song to make it into the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Pikotaro, whose real name is Kazuhito Kosaka, wore a gold animal print outfit complete with scarf and sunglasses as he performed the new two-minute version of what was a 45 second song to journalists in Tokyo.

The video — which has racked up over 131 million views on YouTube — features Pikotaro miming the joining of an imaginary apple and pineapple with an imaginary pen, lyrics he said were inspired by items he found on the table when he began writing.

Watch the long version of “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen” here:

source: interaksyon.com

Brave cat saves California boy from dog attack

A California child pulled from his bike by an attacking dog was saved by his family's cat on Tuesday, which quickly rushed in and chased away the canine, a video posted on YouTube showed on Wednesday.

The video, which quickly spread on the Internet, shows a young boy playing on a driveway in Bakersfield, when a dog lunges at his leg, grabs hold of it with his jaws and drags the boy off of the bike.

A dark cat swiftly hurls itself onto the dog and chases it down the driveway and away from the child before a woman runs to help the boy.

Local media reported the video was from multiple security cameras and shows graphic pictures of the bite wounds sustained by the boy.

“Thankfully, it wasn’t worse," his father, Roger Triantafilo, wrote in posting the video. "My son is fine."

Bakersfield police said the attacking dog, identified as an 8-month-old Labrador-Chow mix, had been surrendered by its owner’s family after the Tuesday afternoon attack and was in quarantine and would ultimately be euthanized.

Police spokesman Sergeant Joseph Grubbs said the dog's owners, who live in the same neighborhood as the boy, said the dog did not like children or bicycles. He did not identify the owner by name.

The Triantafilo family could not be reached for immediate comment. 

source: interaksyon.com

‘Gangnam Style’ second most-viewed YouTube video, could surpass Bieber’s ‘Baby’ in a month

SEOUL – South Korean pop sensation Psy’s “Gangnam Style” has become the second most-watched YouTube video of all time with more than 620 million hits as the quirky rapper continues to take the world by storm.

The 34-year-old singer, whose real name is Park Jae-Sang, rocketed to international fame after “Gangnam Style” — a techno ode to a trendy Seoul neighbourhood — became a worldwide hit following its debut in July.

The video went viral online with its goofy signature horse-riding dance and on Friday ousted singer Jennifer Lopez’s dance hit “On the Floor” from second place. But it still trails behind Canadian teenage heartthrob Justin Bieber’s “Baby”, which has had over 795 million hits.

John Hirai, head of music at YouTube’s Korea-Japan branch, told a conference in Seoul that Psy would pass Bieber on YouTube’s most-watched list in about a month.

He thinks the secret of Psy’s success lies in the speed at which the singer uploaded a sequel video on his official website, as well as footage of the making of his video and interviews, for users wanting to know more about him and “Gangnam Style”.

“It comes like a total package at the end, so it just generated views,” Hirai said, according to Yonhap news agency.

“I’ve been in this music business for 25 plus years and I’ve never seen anything like this and I’ve never imagined anything like this would come out of Asia. It’s just unbelievable but it’s overwhelming,” he said.

Psy has also remained at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart in the United States for a sixth straight week after topping charts in countries including Britain and Australia.

The popularity of the song and video, which spawned hundreds of parodies and tribute videos across the world, has helped the singer land a contract with Bieber’s management agency.

Psy, currently on a promotional tour in the United States, last week performed on ABC’s “The View” talk show, after his appearances at the MTV awards and other prime-time programmes last month boosted his profile.

The star is already a music veteran at home with six albums under his belt and next week he will begin a promotional tour in Europe that includes a speech at the Oxford Union and an appearance at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Germany.

In another sign of his international reach, Psy was featured on the front cover of the latest issue of US weekly music magazine Billboard, which analyses factors that have helped the singer succeed and hails him as “a ready-made star”.

The story also examines how Scooter Braun, the music executive known for discovering YouTube sensations-turned pop stars like Bieber, ended up signing Psy for the US market.

The rapper recently unveiled plans for his next song in an interview on the US cable network CNN, saying the lyrics will be a mix of English and Korean.

source: interaksyon.com

Fil-Am eats 18 'balut' in five minutes to win New York competition

With that, 27-year-old Hollis resident Wayne Algenio set a record for balut-eating in New York, the first competition of its kind in the city.

In a YouTube video, Wayne could be seen focused at stuffing his mouth, drinking bottled water and occasionally dancing. At the end of the Maharlika-organized contest, he was awarded the championship belt, bits of ‘balut’ or days-old duck fetus still stuck around his mouth.

“I’m very excited about being the balut champ of New York,” Wayne told The FilAm. “I didn’t realize how much media coverage there was.”

“This contest was my first experience with ‘balut’ and I didn’t really get the full taste of it because I was just shoving it into my mouth and eating it as fast as possible,” he described the summer afternoon contest held in Brooklyn’s DeKalb market. “I did not have a tummy ache afterwards; actually I was still hungry.”

Wayne works as a sterilization technician at SurgiCare of Manhattan. He studied at CUNY’s John Jay College.

He has participated in a Dani’s pizza-eating contest and placed fourth, winning $100.

For this competition, Wayne won a belt and no cash prize. “Just receiving a belt was more than enough for me,” he said.

He vowed to be back next year “to defend my title.”

Way to go, Wayne! - The FilAm

source: gmanetwork.com

YouTube's 'Random Girl' In Contact With 'Ellen' Camp

MANILA, Philippines - Zendee Rose Tenerefe's stab at success may finally be yielding some results. The singing sensation who gained notice via the YouTube video “And I Am Telling You (Random Girl) (SM Megamall)” has revealed that producers of the show, "Ellen," already sent her a message via YouTube.

"Gusto po nilang makipag-communicate sa akin. Ibinigay po nila ‘yung email add nila," she said in an interview with GMA News.

She reiterated the same in a separate report on PEP, saying, “Actually po, nung isang araw pa po sila nag-message, nung Saturday ko lang po na-reply-an kasi marami po akong ginawa.”

Tenerefe recalled being "shocked" that they had communicated with her.

“Hindi ko po alam kung ano po ang isasagot ko. Parang hindi ako makapaniwala. Actually, nung nabasa ko ‘yung message nila, nagtatalon po ako sa tuwa. Tumakbo ako sa loob ng bahay namin sa sobrang tuwa,” she related.

If it pushes through, Tenerefe will only be the fourth Filipino to appear on the show after Charice Pempengco, Rhap Salazar and Luzviminda “Mindy” Casimiro, the Filipina housekeeper of show host, Ellen DeGeneres.

This early, however, Tenerefe is shunning comparison with Pempengco.

“Iba po si Charice, iba rin po ako,” she insisted.

Prior to making a name via YouTube, Tenerefe was among constant aspirants lining up to join numerous singing contests in and around the archipelago. She also admitted joining several contests on TV including "X Factor Philippines," "Pilipinas Got Talent," and "Protégé," to no avail.

But she has always accepted defeat with a positive outlook. “Naniniwala po kasi akong baka hindi ko pa po time. Or hindi po ‘yun para sa akin. Baka po may ibang plano sa akin si God," she said.

“Siguro po ‘yung pagkaka-upload po ng video ko sa YouTube, ‘yun po talaga ‘yung oras ko para mapansin ‘yung talent ko,” she added.

According to Tenerefe, she already met the netizen who uploaded her video on YouTube, admitting that she had invited him to join him during a recent appearance on "Party Pilipinas," which she said was a "dream come true."

“Sobrang natuwa po talaga ako. Nagawa kong makipag-duet pa sa idol kong si Jonalyn Viray, tapos nakita at nakilala ko pa si Miss Regine Velasquez. Sobrang blessing po talaga,” she gushed.

“Napapanood ko lang po sila, nangangarap lang po ako na makasama ko sila, pero ngayon nakakanta pa ako kasama nila!"

Refuting that she had already received a formal offer to sign up with GMA-7, she nevertheless said, “Sa ngayon po, freelancer po ako. Hindi ko po alam kung ano po ang mangyayari sa mga susunod na araw. Naghihintay lang po ako. Pero sana po maging part ako ng ‘Party Pilipinas.’"

source: mb.com.ph