10 Web Stars From Weezer's Music Video And Their Legacy

Thanks to sites like YouTube, any average Joe Sixpack with a funny idea can shoot a video, post it, and have college campuses around the country talking about it. It's a relatively new phenomenon (about 3 years old), but in that short time, a special handful of "web stars" have already established themselves as legends that aspiring newbies look up to. In this article, we'll spotlight ten such web stars and the videos that made them household names. These people were also recently incorporated into Weezer's latest music video. (Note: Featured here are our favorites from the mashup, if you have others you like more, feel free to contribute them.)



1) Gary Brolsma

You might know Gary as the dancer/lipsyncher extraordinaire behind the smash YouTube hit "Numa Numa." In addition to being voted number 1 on VH1's "40 Greatest Internet Superstars", the video spawned a contest in which people could submit their own Numa Numa spoof videos for a chance at winning a $25,000 grand prize. When it comes to do-it-yourself Internet video hits, one could say that Numa Numa and it's 9 million plus views have paved the way for everyone!



2) Chris Crocker

While most of us got a good chuckle out of Britney Spears' follies, Chris Crocker made himself famous by having a different view! Armed with nothing but a small video camera and some makeup, Crocker poses as an angry teenage girl begging the world to "leave Britney alone!" After all "her husband turned out to be a liar, a cheater, and now she's going through a custody battle!" Whether the 5 million plus views Crocker's video got indicates public sympathy for Britney or just more laughs, we'll let you decide!



3) Judson Laipply

If you don't know Judson Laipply's name, you may have been in a coma for the last couple years. Laipply's hillarious "Evolution of Dance" video sees the comedian and motivational speaker seamlessly shifting between over 2 dozen songs and dances in a 6 minute span. Categorized as "inspirational comedy" by Laipply, who dances to such well-known hits as "YMCA", "Shook me all night long", and "Walk Like an Egyptian", the video has recieved over 85 million views and counting on YouTube. Wikipedia claims that this makes "Evolution of Dance" the most popular video on the website. Accordingly, the YouTube description reads "the funniest 6 minutes you will ever see."



4) Afroninja

Clocking in at a very respectable 2,950,678 views, "Afroninja" features a black man with a huge afro trying (and failing) to pull off a ninja-style backflip. After landing flat on his face, Afroninja gets up. flails around widly with his nunchucks and eventually sails offstage into some scaffolding. Afroninja is proof positive that there will always be a place for silly, slapstick humor, even on YouTube!



5) Tay Zonday

One of my personal favorites, Tay went from no one to someone in a matter of weeks. His video (below) has received over 23 million views and earned him guest appearances on the Opie and Antony Show, G4's Attach of the Show, VH1's Best Week Ever, Jimmy Kimmel, and many others. The video also won him an award from YouTube. The video is simple enough, showing Zonday in a studio wearing plainclothing and recording his song. Words, however, cannot capture the magic of this video.



6) Blendtech - Will it Blend?

The beauty of the Blendtech videos is that they aren't really user-generated in the spirit of the phrase but these short, to the point, and fun to watch infomercials are so addictive that it's easy to forgive the fact that they are a manufactured viral marketing campaign. Once you start watching one episode, it's hard to click away before you've seen Tom Dickson (founder of Blendtech) blend everything from expensive gadgets to household items you would never think of putting in a blender. Check out the Blendtech blender demolish the iPhone below.



7) Caitlin Upton

You are probably reading this and wondering who that is. You've probably never heard that name before but you most likely know her as the ill-fated Miss South Carolina from the Miss Teen USA 2007 pageant. Best known for her intellectual prowess, not only is she beautiful but she has a brain that would put Einstein to shame. Watch her as she masterfully tackles a simple question.



8) All Your Base... Are Belong To Us

Some things are so bad that you have to watch them over and over again. It's like a train wreck but no one died, and it's fun to watch. AYB is one such video. What started out as a cult hit has over the years garnered more mainstream attention especially among hardcore and enthusiast gamers. Don't be left out of the loop, and make sure you haven't been set up the bomb, by watching the video below.



9) Peanut Butter Jelly Time

This video is so bloody annoying that it is hard to believe 6,661,115 people actually watched the video. I have yet to watch the video from start to finish but perhaps you're more man than me.



10) Matt McAllister

You know how they say actions speak louder than words? Well for McAllister they certainly do (and that's why this video has no voiceover, just him, doing what he does... best?) Matt McAllister is most well known as the Guinness World Record holder for the most t-shirts worn at one time by a single human being (a record he broke by wearing 155 shirts at one time).