And, thank the gods of comedy and Internet buzz, it looks like it’s still funny. (What is also funny is how few people gave a crap about this show while it was on the air and how many, many, many people became invested in it once it was gone. But such is the way of these things.)

The gang’s all here in this trailer that looks like it picks up right where it abruptly left off seven years ago — Gob, Buster, Lucille, George Michael and co. haven’t missed a beat in their knack for dysfunctional hilarity and talent for non sequiturs. Plus, the awesome Judy Greer is back as Kitty Sanchez. It’s safe to say we’re as pleased about this as the rest of the world.

Now if only the cast of ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ would make good on those long-standing prequel rumors…

The post VIDEO: Arrested Development trailer is live and, oh good, it still looks funny appeared first on Metro.us.

Even if you’re not gifting mom with hot sex from a young mustachioed stud today (your dad might not be so into it, you should check with him first) you should still call her up let her know she’s appreciated.

Because, no matter what maternal flaws she might have, she’s still probably a better mom than these ladies.

Because your mom probably let you use whatever hangers you wanted.

Because your mom probably didn’t try to kill you before the big dance.

Because your mom…well, actually, Kathleen Turner as “Serial Mom” is just awesome.

The post [VIDEO] Happy Mother’s Day from two mother lovers and three moms much worse than yours appeared first on Metro.us.

The video, posted Tuesday, had more than 45,000 views on YouTube as of 8:15 a.m. Thursday. It shows Christie enlisting the help of Baldwin, Bon Jovi, Bobby Moynihan of “Saturday Night Live” and others, including Democratic strategist James Carville, as he searches for the blue “Chris Christie — Governor” fleece he wore in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

The post VIDEO: Stars help Chris Christie poke fun at himself appeared first on Metro.us.

Here are two things most everyone can agree on about Olympic swimming stud Ryan Lochte. He is easy on the eyes and he is not a member of the Mensa society. To put that in terms that even Ryan Lochte could understand, what we’re saying here is that he’s big hunk of not-so-smart but really buff man meat. One more thing that most everyone can probably agree on is that this video of Fox29 Good Day Philadelphia anchors Mike Jerrick and Sheinelle Jones interviewing (well, trying to interview – bit of a stone/blood thing going on here) Lochte – whose new reality show What Would Ryan Lochte Do? premieres tonight on E at 10 pm - then cracking the eff up over it when the camera stops rolling is really funny. As fellow journalists, we are required by the Society of Professional News People (that’s not a real thing) to shake a tsk tsk-ing finger at Jerrick and Jones over their rather unprofessional News People behavior. As internet consumers and supporters of things that are funny and make Sunday nights a little less painful, however, we’re similarly required to share this video with you. At least you can start off another long work week secure in the knowledge that you – probably – never made a lady almost laugh her fake eyelashes off at your expense. [The hilarity starts at 3:50, you're welcome.] For further hilarity, tune in to his show tonight. Or, you know, don’t.

The post End your weekend right with this video of Philly news anchors laughing at Ryan Lochte appeared first on Metro.us.

25-year-old video editor Anthony DiMieri had written a sitcom about 20-something guys living in NYC back in 2010, but when “Girls” premiered, the idea for a parody colliding two stereotyped sub-cultures just clicked.

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  Watch the trailer for ‘Bros,’ a parody of HBO’s ‘Girls’

“When I saw ‘Girls,’ I thought, ‘Holy crap – this is really close to what I was doing,’” DiMieri told Metro. “It’s taking some humor and boiling things down to more sketch comedy. Humor in a web series is different than humor on TV. You have to make people laugh right off the bat.”

Thus, “Bros” was born.

He did a casting call in December, pulled a lot of favors for the low-budget production, and put it on on YouTube earlier this week. “Bros” follows a main character who gets cut off by his parents (sound familiar?) after his post-college life is filled with picking up chicks and playing “Call of Duty.” His soul-searching is brought to halt when one of his fellow bros reveals the secrets of picking up hipster girls. Observing their friend’s outfit — a sparkly t-shirt, a purple winter cap and cut-off shorts — the main character and his bros are at first bewildered that this look could ever attract women.

“You look like you skinned a mermaid,” a bro exclaims. “And you took her skin, and fashioned it into a crude shirt.”

“You haven’t been over there. It’s different,” the bro-turned-hipster responds of Williamsburg.

“You don’t even have lenses in your glasses,” another bro rebuts, still in utter shock.

But it is the bro-turned-hipster who gets the last laugh when he returns to the apartment that night with a flannel-wearing hottie. From there, DiMieri’s cast embarks on a transformation as they strive to infiltrate Williamsburg and entice female hipsters with mentions of gin distilleries and “obscure” music. Sure, they run into bumps along the way, like being denied a Long Island Iced Tea from the bartender because it is a “stupid drink.” Moments like that are reflections of DiMieri’s real-life memories from his time in a Williamsburg apartment he shared with three girls.

“The stuff I was writing about, I sort of based on real-life experience,” he said. “I definitely lived a similar lifestyle with the Pickleback shots and PBR. There is some truth to the stereotypes, but we really went over the top and made it cartoonish.”

DiMieri has gotten a lot of feedback about “Bros” but, predictably, some criticism, too, about poking fun at “Girls.”

“My favorite YouTube comment so far is something like, ‘You guys are a**holes for ruining such a good thing,’” he said. “They think I am attacking the show, but I am not trying do that.”

And the people behind the show itself have already taken notice of “Bros.” The official Twitter account for “Girls” started following DiMieri.

“That was a big deal because it was like, ‘Ok, the people at HBO are watching this,’” DiMieri said. “I think Lena Dunham and I could probably collaborate and write a really hilarious episode, maybe about bringing the girls to a frat party.”

DiMieri, who rejects labels but admitted he is likely part-bro, part-hipster, would like to continue making episodes in the web series, but said it is all based on cost and whether he can find a way to fund the production. Most of the people involved for in the first episode worked for free, including the cast members. He is considering launching a Kickstarter campaign.

Follow Cassandra Garrison on Twitter at @CassieAtMetro

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Social media giants lead the way on April Fool’s Day

Social media and search engine giants led the way with April Fool’s Day spoofs this morning as Google, Youtube and Twitter all got in on the act.

Youtube released a video Sunday evening saying that as of midnight it was closing down the service and choosing a winner for the best video ever posted on the site in its eight year history.

Tom Liston, communications director at YouTube, says in a video: “We are so close to the end. Tonight at midnight, YouTube.com will no longer be accepting entries. After eight amazing years, it’s finally time to review everything that has been uploaded to our site and begin the process of selecting a winner.”

The video features cameos from YouTube celebrities such as Antoine Dodson, David After Dentist and Charlie and his brother (from the video “Charlie Bit My Finger” video), all talking about their efforts to be named best clip on the website.

Twitter said that as of April 1 it was launching a two-tier service: a basic, free Twitter account that did not include vowels, and one that did, for a fee of $5 a month. The aim was to encourage more ‘dense’ forms of communication, said Twitter, although the letter ‘y’ could always be used for free.

Google launched its latest feature – treasure maps. Users were encouraged to go to Google maps and click an icon on the top right hand corner marked ‘Treasure’. The new ‘service’, said Google, used a spyglass in the Street View feature to reveal pirate-style treasure maps.

Elsewhere Sir Richard Branson revealed plans for the world’s first glass-bottomed plane; and the UK’s achingly right-on Guardian newspaper announced the launch of ‘augmented reality’ glasses that, when worn by its readers, would automatically filter out bigoted views.

The post April Fool’s pranks: Google, Youtube, Twitter lead the charge appeared first on Metro.us.

A third teen has been arrested after a shocking video circulated showing two little girls being forced to fight in a New York City park.

The third teenager arrested is 14, the older sister of one of the little girls and the alleged ringleader instigating the fight, according to the Daily News.

NBC reported last week that two teens, ages 14 and 15, were charged with endangering the welfare of a child.

According to NYC Park Advocates, police were questioning a 17-year-old girl and looking for another, 19.

PIX11 reported that the incident occurred after candy was shared earlier that day, and the older sisters of the little girls had some type of run-in.

Apparently, the groups ran into each other later that day in the Bronx, and a sister ordered the little girls to fight as retribution for the earlier altercation.

A NYPD spokeswoman confirmed to Metro Thursday that the department is investigating the video, which was posted on YouTube.

In the video, which is about two minutes and 30 seconds long, adults encourage the two little girls to hit each other.

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  Little Girls Forced to Fight

The video includes plenty of curse words as the adults taunt the girls even as one starts to cry.

“I’m not playing,” the girl screams as she stops fighting.

The adults still push her to hit the other girl even as they laugh while she protests.

The post Third teen arrested after video showing little girls forced to fight (UPDATE) appeared first on Metro.us.

State Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin posted a video on YouTube Tuesday afternoon to publicly apologize to Governor Andrew Cuomo and “all of you” for an analogy “that [he] should not have made” at a press conference earlier that day.

McLaughlin, a Republican, said his constituents are “very upset” about the gun control bill Cuomo passed last month, which is why he was moved to speak the way he did.

The New York Post reported that McLaughlin said pushing the gun control bill to pass through a message of necessity — allowing an immediate vote and bypassing a three-day review process — was a “dictatorial thing to do” and that Hitler, Mussolini, and Moscow “would be proud.”

“Just like you, I’m human and I make mistakes sometimes,” McLaughlin said in the video.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

The post VIDEO: Assemblyman apologizes to Cuomo for Hitler comment appeared first on Metro.us.

Tickets are $25 general, $35 Premium, plus $10 per person food/drink minimum

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The former congressman hadn’t tweeted since June 2011, right after he became embroiled in a racy photo scandal that would eventually lead him to step down from office. Weiner, who welcomed a son with wife Huma Abedin last December, has kept a low profile in New York since the public gaffe where he tweeted a photo of his own crotch. Several women came forward after that claiming to have had explicit online communications with him. 

Earlier today, he returned to Twitter to post a YouTube link for a short video that shows the devastation left by Sandy in the Rockaways. The tweet did not include any text from Weiner.

In July, the couple did an interview with People magazine amidst rumors that Weiner was considering getting back in the public eye and running for office.

“I can’t say absolutely that I will never run for public office, but I’m very happy in my present life,” Weiner told People.

His return to Twitter Wednesday has already garnered plenty of attention, including that of Donald Trump, who is fresh off a Twitter meltdown following President Obama’s re-election.

“Pervert alert. @RepWeiner is back on twitter. All girls under the age of 18, block him immediately,” Trump tweeted.

Ironically, Weiner’s last tweet before letting his account go dark for more than a year was a jab at Trump about his pizza eating habits.

“On with Rachel tonight. Gonna talk about Trump eating pizza with a fork! #DudeYoureANewYorker!” Weiner tweeted on June 1, 2011.  

[View the story "Weiner returns" on Storify]

The post Anthony Weiner is tweeting again, Donald Trump warns teen girls appeared first on Metro.us.

The clip, based on a longer film, depicts the prophet as a fraud and philanderer and has been blamed for sparking violence at U.S. embassies in Cairo and Benghazi. The U.S. Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, and three other American diplomats were killed in an attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi on Tuesday.

“This video – which is widely available on the Web – is clearly within our guidelines and so will stay on YouTube,” Google said in a statement. “However, given the very difficult situation in Libya and Egypt, we have temporarily restricted access in both countries. Our hearts are with the families of the people murdered in yesterday’s attack in Libya.”

The 14-minute clip is a trailer for a film called the “Innocence of Muslims,” produced by a man who described himself as a California-based Israeli Jew named Sam Bacile.

Google has generally adopted a hands-off approach to political speech, although its “community guidelines” prohibit “hate speech,” including speech that attacks or demeans a group based on religion. The guidelines can be viewed here.

“We work hard to create a community everyone can enjoy and which also enables people to express different opinions,” Google said in its statement. “This can be a challenge because what’s OK in one country can be offensive elsewhere.”

In the past, Google has selectively filtered videos that violate local laws.

On Wednesday, Afghanistan’s general director of Information Technology at the Ministry of Communications, Aimal Marjan, told Reuters, “We have been told to shut down YouTube to the Afghan public until the video is taken down.”

The post VIDEO: Google blocks YouTube clip of Muhammad film in Egypt, Libya; keeps it online appeared first on Metro.us.

In what might be the funniest prank yet, Kimmel brought a 7-year-old boy into a fake interrogation room with a fake lie detector machine and a man dressed up as the “Truth Fairy.”

He tells the kid that the machine can always tell when he is lying and proceeds to ask him questions and just generally confuse him.

The kid, still too afraid to tell the whole truth, tries to say what he thinks he should say, but eventually spills secrets like how he hates puppies, pees in the pool, and sometimes says bad words.

When he reveals his favorite bad word, Kimmel loses it, cracking up, and is unable to go on with the prank.

Hopefully this kid never has to take a lie detector test when he grows up, but if he does, he’ll be a pro!

The post VIDEO: Jimmy Kimmel continues pranks on kids with fake lie detector appeared first on Metro.us.

Rick Astley’s 1987 music video “Never Gonna Give You Up” — made famous by “Rickrolling” — was briefly removed from YouTube over a copyright complaint, but the Internet breathed a collective sigh of relief after it became available again this afternoon. He’s back, people!

Why was this precious internet jewel that fueled a digital prank revolution taken from us in the first place? AVG Technologies removed it due to a copyright conflict, though nobody seems to understand why a company that specializes anti-virus protection would have an issue with a five-year-old video with millions of views.

Rickrolling stormed the scene in 2007 when the bait-and-switch prank gained momentum by tricking people and redirecting them to the music video when they thought they were clicking on something else (i.e. “You just got Rickrolled!). And people freaked out today when they though the video was gone forever.

Rest easy, though, it’s back. Rickrolling lives on.

The post Rickroll: Rick Astley video available again on YouTube after 24-hour removal appeared first on Metro.us.

The YouTube music video “Hot Problems” began popping up on Twitter feeds and Facebook timelines a few days ago. Hopelessly, we prayed it would go back to where ever it came from, but instead it went everywhere.

The now-viral video depicts two heavily made-up tweens who don’t even try to sing. They apparently took a cue from Paris Hilton’s last “music video” and decided “spoken word” was adequate enough. We can’t decided if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

“Hot girls, we have problems, too, we’re just like you… except we’re hot,” the girls say (seriously, that’s a lyric).

Much like Rebecca Black in her horrific music video “Friday,” the “hot girls “spend a lot of their video in a car. It’s far less professional looking than “Friday” (which was half of the mysticism surrounding that song). Even the production company that uploaded “Hot Problems,” seems restful of the song.

“Old Bailey Productions did not create any of the audio or lyrics for this video. We produced the video as a favor,” the company said below the video.

But, nearing 2 million hits on YouTube, the song has captured the attention of baffled and horrified internet users across the country.

“If You EVER Wanna Torture/Punish Someone Jus Rock Out To This,” one user tweeted.

“If you can relate to this video, re-analyze your life. #HotProblems,” another added.

A world that once believed down to its core that “Friday” was the worst song ever is now rocked by this new revelation. This begrudged internet sensation has totally blown our minds…. and the Twitter machine is proving it.

“wait…#hotproblems…. Rebecca Black new #respect,” one user said, in reference to the newly crowned worst song ever.

With a tweet like that, you know it’s bad.  Both songs are below. Which one takes the gold as worst song in the history of the world: “Hot Problems” or “Friday”?

The post ‘Hot Problems’ rivals Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’ as worst song in the world appeared first on Metro.us.

“I understand why people are wondering is this is just some slick, kind of fly-by-night slacktivist thing when actually it’s not at all. It’s connected to a really deep, thoughtful, very intentional and strategic campaign,” said Ben Keesey, CEO of Invisible Children, in the video posted this afternoon.

The first KONY 2012 video centered around the notorious African warlord Joseph Kony. It has been viewed nearly 100 million times in six days, making it the most viral video in history, according to Mashable. However, critics have questioned the motives of Invisible Children. Relief groups like ActionAid Uganda say the film’s numbers are exaggerated. Others accuse Invisible Children of a complex marketing scheme to exploit the plight of African people for a profit.

Keesey spends much of the 10-minute video posted by Invisible Children today focusing on the organization’s finances, which have come under fire by critics who say not enough of its money goes to helping children in Africa.  He explains Invisible Children’s model: media, advocacy and development.

“Over the years, using our three prong approach, we’ve continually adapted to fill the greatest area of need,” Keesey explains. “Sometimes that’s been work directly on the ground. Sometimes that’s been mobilizing the international community, and sometimes that’s mass awareness campaigns like what we’re doing right now.” 

Keesey ends the video by inviting people to ask him questions on Twitter using hashtag #ASKICANYTHING, promising to personally answer a couple questions each day.

The post VIDEO: Invisible Children releases new KONY 2012 video in response to critics appeared first on Metro.us.

“I understand why people are wondering is this is just some slick, kind of fly-by-night slacktivist thing when actually it’s not at all. It’s connected to a really deep, thoughtful, very intentional and strategic campaign,” said Ben Keesey, CEO of Invisible Children, in the video posted this afternoon.

The first KONY 2012 video centered around the notorious African warlord Joseph Kony. It has been viewed nearly 100 million times in six days, making it the most viral video in history, according to Mashable. However, critics have questioned the motives of Invisible Children. Relief groups like ActionAid Uganda say the film’s numbers are exaggerated. Others accuse Invisible Children of a complex marketing scheme to exploit the plight of African people for a profit.

Keesey spends much of the 10-minute video posted by Invisible Children today focusing on the organization’s finances, which have come under fire by critics who say not enough of its money goes to helping children in Africa.  He explains Invisible Children’s model: media, advocacy and development.

“Over the years, using our three prong approach, we’ve continually adapted to fill the greatest area of need,” Keesey explains. “Sometimes that’s been work directly on the ground. Sometimes that’s been mobilizing the international community, and sometimes that’s mass awareness campaigns like what we’re doing right now.” 

Keesey ends the video by inviting people to ask him questions on Twitter using hashtag #ASKICANYTHING, promising to personally answer a couple questions each day.

The post VIDEO: Invisible Children releases new KONY 2012 video in response to critics appeared first on Metro.us.

Observe.
 
The music video, titled “Game On” has a lot of shiny happy people holding signs, with sisters Camille and Haley Harris front and center with a catchy tune. Among the heartfelt lyrics in the ditty are lines like:

• “We’ve got a man that understands that God gave the Bill of Rights.”
• “There is hope for our nation again… maybe the first time since we had Ronald Reagan.” (Yes, “again” and “Reagan” can rhyme, as demonstrated by the Harris sisters)
• “Faithful to his wife and seven kids, will be loyal to our land.”
• “Yes, we believe Rick Santoooruuuuuuum is our man….. Game on!”

This. Just. Happened.

Among shots of the sisters and their family members ecstatically playing instruments, there are also artistic close-ups of fingers switching chords and playful hair scrunching above wayfarer sunglasses.

The eight-kid Harris family, a.k.a musical group First Love, said it felt compelled to write this song after meeting Rick Santorum and his wife, both outspoken Christians, in Tulsa.

“We feel privileged and honored to write this song for them. It was 100% our idea to write this for them – he deserves it,” they commented below their video.

The Harris family is likely a kindhearted bunch, and, hey, everyone knows a family that sings together, stays together. You can’t fault them for having the courage to state their political views in a creative, public way, BUT — do they really think God gave us the Bill of Rights?!

The post VIDEO: ‘First Love’ song about Rick Santorum sparks nationwide cringe appeared first on Metro.us.

Kimmel’s channel, called JimmyKimmelLive, features clips and recaps — typically running under five minutes each — from every episode of the comedian’s popular late-night talk show. Kimmel’s channel has more than 300,000 subscribers, and many of the videos have acquired millions of views on top of his substantial broadcast television audience on ABC.

It is YouTube’s 98th most-viewed partner channel of all-time, according to site information.

YouTube’s partnership program invites creators of extremely popular videos to monetize their uploads via ad-hosting or rentals while splitting the income with YouTube.

For Kimmel, the double-dipping is paying off — his YouTube channel generates between $1 million and $2 million annually, “a person close to the show” tells The Wall Street Journal.

But Kimmel is not the only star entertainer who has found that bypassing traditional broadcast and advertising revenue streams isn’t just for viral-video maniacs who edit away in their mothers’ basements.

In December, the comedian Louis CK offered his most recent stand-up performance video for download from his website for just $5. He skipped the costs of distribution, marketing and advertising, and lowered the incentive for fans to illegally download the video for free. He hauled in $1 million in just 12 days.

But you have to wonder whether his and Kimmel’s success will undermine their ability to turn the huge profits still best-enabled by mass-market consumption.

-Contributed by Mashable

The post How Jimmy Kimmel earns nearly $2 million annually via YouTube appeared first on Metro.us.

The channel has since been taken down, but when people logged onto the Sesame Street channel, they were greeted with sexually explicit material — not Muppets. (Unless the Swedish Chef has a secret side career?)

“YouTube’s Community Guidelines prohibit graphic content,” a YouTube representative said to CNN. “As always, we remove inappropriate material as soon as we are made aware of it.”

Sesame Workshop issued this apology: “Our channel was compromised and we are presently working with YouTube/Google to restore our original content. We always strive to provide age-appropriate content for our viewers and hope to resolve this problem quickly.”

Sesame Street has been at the center of some unusual attention lately, first as it was debated as the perfect spot for a gay marriage between Bert and Ernie and later with the Twitter account #OccupySesameStreet, created as a spoof on the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The post Sesame Street’s YouTube hacked with porn appeared first on Metro.us.

The answer: regular people.

At Metro’s request, Youporn — one of the most prominent porn portals on the Web, with 12 million hits and 2.5 million searches per day —studied the habits of 18 countries. The most clicked on worldwide: amateurs.

In 16 of the countries, it came up in the top five, beating other categories like hairy (big in Portugal and Russia), young/old (number one in Greece) and mature (number one in Sweden, among others). Meanwhile, the most popular search term in the U.S. and Portugal is “Backroom Casting Couch,” a real-life series where aspiring models have sex with faux producers.

“The uptake in popularity of amateur pornography has changed the way the industry works as a whole,” says Jude Mahoney, the marketing manager at YouPorn.

Tau Morena knows. A South African porn producer, he launched the most successful all-black amateur pornographic website in Africa, Sondeza. The portal also promotes awareness against HIV and stars local black talent. “People are now interested in seeing the real stuff about other people,” he says. “They are tired of the same old material made by professionals: It all looks the same. But when it comes of amateur, it is different at all times.”

Mainstream porn giants are struggling to cope with the novelty. “It’s simply not possible for any studio to match the volume of content uploaded by users on a daily basis, which is what has made tube sites that host user-submitted videos so popular,” Mr. Mahoney added. YouPorn’s data also indicates people search for those of a similar ethnicity.

Like ’em mature?

YouPorn’s search-term data was equally interesting. Here’s a few highlights from every country’s top five:
   
The No. 1 search term in most countries indicates people search for others like them (i.e. “Greeks” in Greece), including those in Italy, Mexico, Denmark, Sweden, Japan, Russia, Brazil, Holland, France and the U.K. The top search term in Hungary was porn star Diamond Foxx. Czechs searched for “bi” the most.
   
Of the 18 countries, 11 searched for MILF or mature. Only six searched for teen or babysitter.
   
Among the more creative search terms: 3D (Japan), granny (Denmark), cartoon (Russia), amateur dildo smoking (China) and shemale (Brazil).

The post The newest porn star: your neighbor appeared first on Metro.us.