This week marks a landmark in Magnet Media history: at 4:21pm on Wednesday, February 8th, managing editor Ryan Swearingen sent me a viral video that hadn’t circulated through my digital queue. I was impressed with Future Hipsters, a spoof where adorable grandparents attempt to mock our generation’s obsession with social media. But in an effort to one-up Ryan, I sent him Sunset Junction: Episode 1: The Hangover, a claymation series about awful hipsters in Los Angeles. So without further ado, I present our first VIRAL SPIRAL BATTLE…
Best Hipster Mockery Since That Vanilla Ice Mockumentary.
Which video do you like better? Leave us a comment and if Ryan wins, I’ll let him brag about it on the Internet.
Ryan’s pick:
Debbie’s pick:
Best Hall & Oates Valentine’s Day Celebration
I have a weak spot for Preston Leatherman and his aptly titled Dancing With An iPod in Public series. As a Valentine’s Day gift to his YouTube subscribers, Preston pays homage to 500 Days of Summer by dancing all over a mall in hopes of finding someone who will accept and appreciate his terrible taste in sweaters.
Best Live-Action Nyan Cat
So the acting is terrible, the concept is cheap, and the Nyan Cat meme has been crushed into a fine pulp. Pushing those factors aside, I still enjoyed watching this evil 3-D Nyan Cat turn his victims into strawberry pop-tarts.
Best High-Brow / Low-Brow Mashup
Some friends over at Slacktory compiled all of Wes Anderson’s dramatic slow-motion shots and set them to the beautiful melodies of millennial rap icon, Ja-Rule. The best part about this video is that it got Magnet’s VP of Strategic and Creative Development, Mike Raffensperger, to publicly admit he listened to Ja-Rule in high school.
Best Artsy-Fartsy Mainstream Music Video
The perennial music snob in me wants to hate OK Go because, while their music videos get better and better, their songs tend to fall flat. This ambitious video for “Needing/Getting” is a rare exception, and in my not so humble opinion, it’s their first video concept that actually highlights the instrumental nuances of a pretty good track.
Best Artsy-Fartsy Indie Music Video
I don’t know how I missed this video for Tune-Yards’ “Bizness,” but I sure am glad it popped up in the “Recommended” column of my YouTube homepage. All the interpretive dancing and face paint may be a bit much, but there is nothing wrong with rebellious third-graders who just want to rock out during class.
Best Alternative Parenting
There is something therapeutic about watching happy babies bouncing along to Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” for nearly three minutes. Unless you think babies are creepy, in which case this video becomes increasingly terrifying.
Best 90′s Karaoke Throwback
Remember that 1997 smash hit “Return of the Mack” by Mark Morrison? If not, allow Chuck to remind you. He put on his best Tommy Bahama button down and headed straight to the karaoke bar just to inject you with a heaping dose of 90s nostalgia.
Best Conceptual Art
We are now entering an era of post-post-Modernism! An experimental video by French filmmaker Chris Marker has been rediscovered and re-circulated as the art-house keyboard cat. However, this owl video from Marker’s video haiku series was my weekly foray into that weird part of YouTube.
Best Viral Spiral Repeat Offender
The Gregory Brothers, of AutoTune the News fame, remixed Kristin Bell’s sloth breakdown from last week’s spiral. This is one of the most epic tracks since “Double Rainbow” and “Bed Intruder,” but I may be a bit biased since I have since developed a stage-10 crush on Michael Gregory after meeting him at a party last week.
So…who won? Let us know in the comments and connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn. And be sure to register for our FREE Resource Center and Newsletter to access our growing library of valuable Guide Books, Tip Sheets, and more!
Debbie Saslaw makes up 1/2 of Magnet Media’s post-production staff and doubles as the company’s resident expert on Internet culture. She also edits a weekly supercut for Slacktory and her viral videos have garnered more than 1 million hits after appearing on sites such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost Comedy, Uproxx, MSNBC.com, and The Daily What.
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