Now we know how Tywin Lannister got thousands of men to fight (and die) for him.

The Game of Thrones patriarch may be gone from this world, but Charles Dance, the actor who played him, is still alive and well, and he’s just as capable of rallying up a crowd. In an ad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, he’s seen talking to the players just as a coach would, only it’s not just for any regular game.

Fully dressed and armed with their pitchforks and pyrotechnics, the players and fans are at the ready. But they know that it’s not just a game and they’re waiting for that last motivational speech to drive them to victory—and after his speech, they're certainly going to go into battle for queen and country.

“We are going to raise the roof on every stadium from the northeast to the southwest!” he said, and nobody wants to disappoint their leader.

The debt has been paid.

H/T Uproxx | Photo via irb/YouTube

In the wake of Celebgate, there’s been the inevitable, terrifying blame-and-shame-shifting towards women who dare to take private photos of themselves nude. Every man on the Internet had an opinion about how women should act. Guys, you’re giving us ladies so many mixed signals!

John Randolph, better known as longtime WBAI DJ Jay Smooth, had some thoughts about this double standard, and originally posted a rant to Facebook about the not-too-hot, not-too-cold Goldilocks dilemma women on the Internet face, not only for taking nude pics, but simply having an opinion. He then took “The List of Rules for Women” to YouTube.

“I want to do my part as a man and keep reminding women of the rules,” he jests. “But there’s just so many rules.” He then has a brilliant idea: Maybe men should have a list of rules to follow, one that can be constantly updated as women see fit. 

He’s probably still waiting for that list.

Photo by okalkavan/Flickr (CC By SA 2.0) | Remix by Fernando Alfonso III

Just a month after it was announced they’ll be guest starring on House of Cards, two members of Russia's Pussy Riot have launched their own independent news site.

Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova—who were jailed in 2012 after participating in an act of “hooliganism” in a Russian cathedral, and spent nearly two years in jail—debuted MediaZona in an effort to report on many of the topics Russian journalists aren’t allowed to cover or critique, such as law enforcement, human rights, and prison abuses. 

Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova will be contributing writers, and political journalist Sergey Smirnov will act as editor-in-chief. In a statement, they explained the need for MediaZona:

“Since our release from prison six months ago we've felt that Russian media are no longer able to cover what is going on. Because of the heavy censorship by authorities there is no space for anything in the media that criticizes Putin's policies and tracks human rights abuses by Russian courts and law enforcement. Courts, prisons, arrests, convictions, riots in facilities, political criminal cases, crimes by law enforcement officials — our new media outlet will try to cover it all."

On Facebook, Tolokonnikova broke down exactly why MediaZona is important and what it will cover, and explained that they aim to “break through the information blockade.”

Currently, MediaZona’s front page hosts several articles relating to prison abuse. The publication, which appears to be online-only as of now, is also working with Zona Prava, a prison rights charity the two women set up after their release. This also serves as a reminder that the women are currently suing the Russian government for violating their human rights while imprisoned.

H/T Spin | Photos by edbrambley/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) and Grüne Bundestagsfraktion/Flickr (CC BY 2.0) | Remix by Fernando Alfonso III

Joan Rivers passed away on Thursday, and she left a wealth of clips, documentaries, and interviews that we should all be sorting through this weekend. However, her 1978 directorial debut might be the most interesting rabbit hole to fall into.

Rabbit Test was written and directed by Rivers, and it features Billy Crystal in his first starring role, as a man who ends up pregnant. Yes, this is supposed to be a comedy. As Vulture relates, the film “flopped and was critically reviled,” and from the first few minutes, it’s clear it's not going to be easy to get through. Roger Ebert’s 1978 review of the film takes a critical scalpel to it:

"There are, no doubt, funny things to be done with a situation in which a man finds himself pregnant. The movie does few of them, because the pregnancy, like everything else, is used only for the most obvious laughs. Situations aren't explored, characters aren't developed, timing is ignored, but every 30 seconds there's a would-be laugh. Because all we're supposed to do is laugh, the movie is deadening."

Rivers likely was amused by this takedown, though Vulture presented this clip of Rivers giving Ebert the business over the review nearly a decade later. All the more reason to watch the whole thing on YouTube right now:

Photo via Bob Jagendorf/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Barack Obama can now add "Streamy award winner" to his already impressive résumé. The president was awarded for his Between Two Ferns collaboration with Zach Galifianakis Thursday night in a pre-show event that honored 33 Streamy categories in advance of the Sunday livestream.

The Streamy Awards honor the best and brightest in digital video, and while the major awards will be handed out during Sunday's livestream at the Beverly Hilton, Thursday's event had a laid-back, Creative Arts Emmys vibe, giving many of the talent behind the scenes a moment to shine. Sharply dressed denizens of the digital video world packed the YouTube Space L.A. Thursday night for a pre-awards reception, taking to the stage for brief acceptance speeches and posing on the red carpet.

Marquee talent also accepted awards, including Pentatonix, who will perform at Sunday's event. David Milchard, who embodies the adorable 2-year-old Coco in Convos With My 2-Year-Old, took home Best Actor in a Comedy, while Mamrie Hart joked that she was honored that the Streamys considered her an actress for "playing a girl named Mamrie who drinks too much" on her channel.

The 14 remaining awards, including Viner of the Year, Best First-Person Series, and the Audience Choice awards, will be handed out on Sunday at a show that will mix YouTube stars will traditional talent like Lance Bass and Tara Reid.

Pre-show winners include:

Channel, Show, or Series – Overall

• Best Companion (Channel, Show, or Series) – Vandaveon and Mike (Key & Peele)
• Best Non-Fiction or Reality (Channel, Show, or Series) – Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

Channel, Show, or Series – Subject

• Best Dance (Channel, Show, or Series) – Jabbawockeez
• Best Food and Cuisine (Channel, Show, or Series) – Epic Meal Time
• Best Health and Wellness (Channel, Show, or Series) – Blogilates
• Best Pranks (Channel, Show, or Series) – Jack Vale
• Best Science and Education (Channel, Show, or Series) – Vsauce
• Best Sports (Channel, Show, or Series) – Red Bull

Special

• Best Animated (Channel, Show, or Series) – RWBY
• Best Indie (Channel, Show, or Series) – Little Horribles
• Best International (Channel, Show, or Series) – Noob (France)

Performance

• Best Actress in a Comedy – Mamrie Hart, You Deserve A Drink
• Best Actress in a Drama – Ashley Clements, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
• Best Actor in a Comedy – David Milchard, Convos With My 2-Year-Old
• Best Actor in a Drama – Joey Graceffa, Storytellers
• Best Collaboration – Zach Galifianakis and President Barack Obama, Between Two Ferns

Music

• Best Cover Song – Pentatonix, Daft Punk Mashup (Daft Punk)
• Best Music Video – Goku vs Superman, Epic Rap Battles of History
• Best Musical Artist – Lindsey Stirling

Craft

• Best Choreography – Mortal Kombat: Legacy II, Garrett Warren and Larnell Stovall
• Best Cinematography – Devinsupertramp, Devin Graham
• Best Costume Design – Epic Rap Battles of History, Sulai Lopez
• Best Directing – Video Game High School, Matt Arnold and Freddie Wong
• Best Editing – Kids React, Dan Seibert, Justin Reager, Benny Fine, Rafi Fine, and Jordan Towles
• Best Original Score – RWBY, Jeff Williams
• Best Visual and Special Effects – Action Movie Kid, Daniel Hashimoto
• Best Writing – Epic Rap Battles of History, Nice Peter, EpicLLOYD, Zach Sherwin, Dante Cimadamore, and Mike Betette

Vine

• Best Vine Comedian – DeStorm Power
• Best Vine Creativity – Zach King 

Campaign or Event

• Best Brand Campaign – Need For Speed: Ken Block’s Gymkhana Six (Need For Speed)
• Best Live Event – #Tubeathon 2013
• Best Public Service – YouTube Stars Talk Health Care at the White House

Television

• Best Television Show – Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Photo courtesy of Corey Lubowich.

The Trailer Park Boys make their triumpant series return today, airing their eighth season on Netflix today, seven years since their last episode.

That's not to say creator Mike Clattenburg's mockumentary series has taken a seven-year break. The cast and crew behind Trailer Park Boys has steadily released specials and content since their episodic finale in 2007, and the continued interest in the project is what led Netflix to commit to airing the eighth and ninth seasons, along with three specials in the franchise.

The 10 new episodes will showcase the classic Trailer Park Boys style, a mockumentary that follows the adventures of a trio of trailer park residents in Nova Scotia. The Canadian series ran for seven seasons starting in 2001, and the team released three films in addition to the series. 

Die-hard fans have been celebrating online as their favorite show returns.

If you haven't already finished watching season 8 of Trailer Park Boys then I don't know if we can befriends

— corgi queen (@briannnaboucher) September 5, 2014

The premiere of the new Trailer Park Boys season is probably the best thing to happen this year.

— Colin Liebold (@the_BOLD_) September 5, 2014

Sorry mom I can't wash the dishes I'm watching trailer park boys

— Laundromatt (@Matt_Arsenault3) September 5, 2014

TRAILER PARK BOYS SEASON 8 IS OUT TODAY BYE WORLD

— Tyler ⚒ Higgs (@beetus_dad) September 5, 2014

 Screenshot via Netflix/YouTube 

Ever since the Met Gala elevator debacle in May, the world’s most formidable power couple, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, have been ensconced in constant rumors of divorce. Up until last month’s MTV’s Video Music Awards, reports were all but declaring that Blue Ivy Carter would soon be in the middle of a Kramer vs. Kramer–style split.

Yet it was Beyoncé’s 16-minute powerhouse performance during the VMAs, capped off with an award presentation by her beloved, that began to stamp out the fires of marital discontent. The couple was seen sharing a loving kiss backstage when the cameras were off and the world took a brief sigh of a relief knowing that the two might be drunk in love after all.

However, it’s the video tribute Jay-Z released in honor of his wife’s 33rd birthday on Thursday that most thoroughly doused rumors of divorcé. The 30-second clip contains backstage footage from the couple’s On the Run tour, showcasing the effervescent and flawless Bey we all know and love.  

Now the world can rest easy and you can enjoy your weekend knowing that Blue has parents who love each other very much.

If you don’t know Mo’ne Davis yet, chances are you will soon. The 13-year-old Little League World Series pitcher is a rising star and has a fierce fastball. Last night, she threw one at Jimmy Fallon.

For the sake of safety, they used wiffle balls instead, but she still slid several pitches across the plate with ease, effectively striking Fallon out. Is it wrong that we got a little excited when she hit him with a ball at the end?

Though Davis seemed a bit shy during her interview, confidence isn’t an issue for the Philly teen. When asked by ESPN if there’s a major leaguer she pitches like, she responded, "I throw my curveball like Clayton Kershaw's and my fastball like Mo'ne Davis.”

H/T Digg | Screengrab via the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon/YouTube

When Joan Rivers passed away Thursday at age 81, social media quickly become a place for us to channel our grief and reflect on the life and work of a comedian who worked harder and longer than most of her contemporaries to make her own lane. And, inevitably, people referred to her as a woman in comedy. 

Rivers has long been cited as a role model for women who came after her. In a Fresh Air interview from 2010, she addressed this belief that all she did was open doors for women:

“But I think of opening doors not just for women comedians — I never think about women. I think just [that I'm] always trying to push for myself, push the boundaries, [and] make them listen. Make them listen to the truth and laugh about it."

And she did. That was her job, and she took it seriously. She was sharp, able to cleave open the double standard and add her insight, as seen in this 1967 clip of Rivers on The Ed Sullivan Show:

You'll read about how she opened doors for women, and it's true, she did. But even Rivers bristled at the past tense, opened. In the documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, she claims, “I’m still opening the doors.” She picked the locks, too. 

Once asked Joan what's the biggest mistake young comics make. She said focusing on who doesn't want them. Fuck em keep moving. Good advice.

— Kathleen Madigan (@kathleenmadigan) September 4, 2014

Joan Rivers had a library-style filing cabinet containing 1000s of jokes that she wrote. Hilarity + hard work = genius.

— Neal Brennan (@nealbrennan) September 4, 2014

You don’t get to choose being funny—or how you channel it. One of her more famous quotes touched on that: “Winston Churchill said if you make someone laugh, you give them a vacation. And maybe you take the worst thing in the world, make it funny and give them a vacation from horror."

Rewatching her appearance on Louie late last night, I was struck by how raw her monologue is. She gets at why comedians do what they do, and it’s heartbreaking.

If anything, read Julie Klausner’s Vulture piece about working with Rivers. She was one of the first guests on Klausner’s podcast, How Was Your Week, and Klausner points out that “Joan got a lot of shit for having the nerve to say 'yes' to opportunities that came her way, from cruises to lecture circuits to dinky podcasts like mine. But when the alternative is fading away, the possibility of burning out gets smaller every day you decide to participate in life instead of observing it from the sidelines.”

Klausner also talked about the criticism Rivers received in the online circus:

“We called her a throwback when she was actually ahead of her time. We used the internet to call her mean. Everybody made fun of her face, as though any of us were ever given a choice to look like Angelina Jolie at birth but just checked the wrong box. She took jobs that weren’t cool, and her only reward was more work. She was never — EVER — given her due.”

She defended herself to the very end, even when the appropriateness of her comedy was questioned. She remained fearless. She worked until the very end, because that’s what she knew to do. She had to keep opening doors. She had to keeping reinventing. She had to exist. 

Now we just have to make her funeral wishes reality.

Photo via Underbelly Limited/Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0)

Biatches, Comedy Central’s new animated webseries, aims to be the female Beavis and Butt-Head but instead gives us an unintentionally humorless version of that Idiocracy in-joke, "Ow My Balls!" 

Is swearing funny? Of course it is. What about queefing? Again, hilarious. They are delightful glacé cherries that sit resplendent atop the delicious cake that is ribaldry and bawdiness. 

But does anyone like them on their own? Of course not, they’re horrible things—sweet, oddly clear, and filled with enough sucrose and glucose syrup to cause some sort of damage. As anything more than decoration, they are redundant.

Biatches, co-created by Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov (of MTV’s Faking It) and one of the six new comedies from CC: Studios—the digital arm of Comedy Central—is all garnish. It makes me feel old to say this, but the show really is just swearing and two girls talking about their private parts. Other than a couple of racist caricatures, that’s about it. It’s an arduous 3:28; watching the first episode is akin to being squawked at by a parrot that lives in a locker room that only idiots use. 

We’ve seen the formula before—two sex-obsessed, fractious teenagers—but Beavis and Butt-Head had more than just dirty mouths and one-track minds. As shallow as the boys were, they lived in opposition to other characters who actually cared. There’s nothing like that here. After three episodes, I can’t even remember what the two main characters’ names are.

It’s an unfortunate waste of Bento Box Animation. Someone should have realized that before they started drawing. There will always be a place for the joys of crudeness, but that doesn’t mean that it can stand alone as comedy. 

Screengrab via Comedy Central/YouTube

EA Games just gave the world an unexpected GIFt in the form of its new Madden Giferator, a special virtual GIF-creation site that has exploded memes all over Tumblr and the rest of the Internet since its appearance earlier this week.

EA made the GIF generator as part of a promotional website for its new Madden NFL 15 football video game. The generator lets you pick your favorite team, player, and sports movies, then add in custom backgrounds and a meme-riffic slogan. On Thursday, Polygon had fun with the meme, posting a series of hilarious GIFs that promptly went viral on Tumblr and prompted the Internet to join in the fun.

The results have made the Madden GIF generator unquestionably the best meme of the year. We won't waste too much time talking when we can just show you the epic results.

The meme is great for snarky social commentary...

GIFs via KnowYourMeme

...and for commenting on other hilarious memes:

GIF via idealawesome/Tumblr

GIF via Polygon

There are fandom references...

GIF via peaceloveteemo/Tumblr

...and more fandom references...

GIF via Polygon

Photo via funtimeswithfinandbarry/Tumblr

Fittingly, there are references to Kanye West, references to Seal, references to Tommy Wiseau. The Madden GIF-erator can contain all of these things, because the Madden GIF-erator contains the universe. It is me and you.

GIF via gamebrah/Tumblr

GIF via megabarker/Tumblr

As a marketing strategy, the GIF generator is brilliant. It has all the hallmarks of a viral success mixed with an interactive component that has apparently proven irresistible to those of us who like memes. And thanks to the meme, we're now 100 percent more excited for the Madden video game than we were last week.

The real question: What can EA possibly do to top themselves for the release of Sims 4?

Photo via Bago Games/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” video has been subjected to thinkpieces and fart jokes, but you can’t get a real solid grasp on its cultural implications until you’ve shown it to your reluctant grandma.

YouTuber Kevin Droniak, a.k.a. thiskidneedsmedicine, subjected his mee-maw to an intimate viewing of “Anaconda,” and she didn’t have a lot of positive things to say about it. Grandma does not want none of Minaj’s buns, but admits, “That’s her style butt that she’s got and it’s OK.” However, when Droniak tells her he might want to marry a girl like Minaj, grandma assures him the marriage wouldn’t last. Not if she’s flaunting her assets.

He has a whole series of videos with his grandma. I’d suggest starting with the one where he tells her about Dylan Sprouse’s nude pics.

H/T Digg | Screengrab via thiskidneedsmedicine/YouTube

Following in the footsteps of Kristen Bell, Bret Easton Ellis and Zach Braff, fashion model Andreja Pejic is the latest celebrity to use online crowdfunding.

Pejic is turning to Kickstarter to fund Andrej(a), a documentary about her life. Part of the film has already been shot, but as Pejic points out in the Kickstarter video, the main draw of this project is finding out what happens next. Over the past three years, Pejic rose to fame for her androgynous appearance, before coming out in July 2014 as a transgender woman. The question is, how will this revelation affect her place in the fashion industry?

Pejic’s life has already been tumultuous, spanning time in a Serbian refugee camp as a child, to becoming one of the most famous models in the world.

That alone would be enough to fuel one documentary (although whether it can crowdfund $200,000 remains to be seen), but the real hook is the uncertainty of Pejic’s future. The fashion world is notoriously fickle, and since many of Pejic’s most high-profile jobs played with the idea of her being a “male” model working with women's wear designers, it’s possible her career will wane now that she's open about her gender identity.

As well as being a documentary about Pejic herself, Andrej(a) cannot avoid exploring the fashion industry’s current attitudes toward gender identity. Pejic is in a unique position because while she isn’t the first transgender individual to make it as a mainstream fashion model, she’s definitely the first to achieve this level of worldwide fame before transitioning at the height of her success.

Celebrity crowdfunding campaigns can inspire a lot of criticism, but Andrej(a) seems like a good fit for Kickstarter. The idea may have been too offbeat for a major studio, but considering Pejic’s iconic status, $200,000 isn’t an unreasonable goal.

Photo via Kickstarter

Drew Carey wants to help catch the teens involved in dumping a bucket of urine and feces on a 15-year-old Cleveland boy with autism, so he’s putting up $10,000 as a reward or donation to Autism Speaks.

Carey, a Cleveland native, saw the video after it aired on Fox 8 News. The parents of the victim, who thought he was taking the ice bucket challenge and raising money for ALS research, asked to publicize the incident. Yesterday, Carey tweeted his mission to his nearly 700,000 followers. 

If the Bay Village PD wants to start a reward fund to find who did this, contact me. I'll donate $10k. http://t.co/ugqeLbu5ob

— Drew Carey (@DrewFromTV) September 6, 2014

If they find them w/out reward $, then done :) RT @sonicslifer: @DrewFromTV They'll find them no problem. Give the ten k to Autism Speaks!

— Drew Carey (@DrewFromTV) September 6, 2014

Carey said the prank was “horrendous” and said the teens needed to be arrested and expelled from school. No word yet as to whether the perpetrators have been apprehended. 

H/T Fox 8 | Photo via Greg Hernandez/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Digital video's biggest night has arrived with the 2014 Streamy Awards honoring the best and brightest of YouTube, Vine and various digital video platforms, live from Beverly Hills.

YouTube stars like Tyler Oakley, Pentatonix, and Michelle Phan are all up for awards tonight, to celebrate their contributions to the growing world of digital entertainment. During Thursday's pre-show event at the YouTube Space L.A., 33 awards were handed out, including nods for comedy and drama actor and actress, best cover song, and several technical awards. The remaining 14 awards will be handed out tonight by hosts Grace Helbig and Hannah Hart, and fans can watch from the comfort of their own home. An awards show called the Streamys can't not be livestreamed. Show starts at 9:30pm CT. 

Catch all the must-see moments live, and check back for a recap from inside the Beverly Hilton Ballroom on Monday.

Photo via the Streamys

Dirty Dancing is nearly 30 years old, which should make some of us feel pretty ancient. But one part of the iconic movie has never aged: the final dance scene between Baby (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny (Patrick Swayze).

The song that soundtracked that scene, “(I’ve Had) the Time of My Life,” is part of what makes it so iconic, and went on to fill mixtapes and wedding receptions for decades after. So what would that scene be like with no music? Well, awkward.  

Mario Wienerroither brings you this latest musicless video, which features no music but lots of squeaking and heavy breathing and grunting added in for comedic value. If you just listened to the clip, it might border on NSFW. 

It's not as good as "Dancing in the Street" without music, but it's close. 

H/T Digg | Screengrab via Mario Wienerroither/YouTube

From video games to vloggers, digital video celebrated its biggest night Sunday when the 2014 Streamy Awards were handed out in Beverly Hills.

The ceremony took place in the same room in the Beverly Hilton where Hollywood annually throws the Golden Globes, giving the fourth annual awards a shine of legitimacy as digital video finds its place in the greater world of entertainment media. The evening had more polish than years past, and hostsHannah Hart and Grace Helbig called out to other high-level award show moments like Ellen DeGeneres' infamous Oscars selfie. Epic Meal Time's Harley Morenstein and Epic Rap Battles of History's EpicLLOYD had one of the most lighthearted yet honest moments of the night, going off script to remind everyone that anyone who'd touched the microphone that night was a millionaire, and that YouTubers were big business, not just side gigs. While that's an exaggeration, the super popular YouTubers who took home awards do command legions, and broker powerful brand deals.

Of course, the show was still a celebration of all things digital, meaning sometimes the video screens futzed out.   

Overall, the awards were well spread out, with few nominees taking home more than a single award for their work. Video Game High School, which premieres its third and final season in October, took home awards for Best Ensemble Cast and Sci-Fi/Action Show. Other exceptions included Tyler Oakley, who snagged both an ICON award for his activism with The Trevor Project and an audience-voted Entertainer of the Year award, as well as The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which won for Drama and saw actress Ashley Clements awarded for her breakout role.

The show also paid honor to recently departed Joan Rivers, who last year started her own YouTube show after a storied career. It was the evening's most somber moment, since the genre of YouTube is so new that it doens't have need for an in memoriam section. Overall, the show felt more grown up than years past, and more focused on digital-only talent instead of bridging the gap between digital and mainstream, with YouTube and Vine creators standing on their own as legitimate stars.

Of course, sometimes a non-digital artist can still bring down the house. While YouTube native artists like Pentatonix and Postmodern Jukebox wowed the crowd throughout the night, the evening closed with a dance-along to Starship, the 1970s group, now a duo, who thrilled with "We Built This City" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," both featuring cameos from various YouTube singers. For all the work to make the Streamys feel like a legitimate award show, in the end it was simply a dance party. You just can't take the laid-back vibe out of a show honoring the Internet.

A full list of winners is below:

Channel, Show, or Series – Overall

Best Comedy (Channel, Show, or Series) – My Drunk Kitchen

Best Companion (Channel, Show, or Series) – Vandaveon and Mike (Key & Peele)

Best Drama (Channel, Show, or Series) – The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

Best Non-Fiction or Reality (Channel, Show, or Series) – Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

Channel, Show, or Series – Subject

Best Action or Sci-Fi (Channel, Show, or Series) – Video Game High School

Best Beauty (Channel, Show, or Series) – Missglamorazzi

Best Dance (Channel, Show, or Series) – Jabbawockeez

Best Fashion (Channel, Show, or Series) – Bethany Mota

Best Food and Cuisine (Channel, Show, or Series) – Epic Meal Time

Best Gaming (Channel, Show, or Series) – Smosh Games

Best Health and Wellness (Channel, Show, or Series) – Blogilates

Best Kids and Family (Channel, Show, or Series) – Kids React

Best News and Current Events (Channel, Show, or Series) – SourceFed

Best Pranks (Channel, Show, or Series) – Jack Vale

Best Science and Education (Channel, Show, or Series) – Vsauce

Best Sports (Channel, Show, or Series) – Red Bull

Special

Best Animated (Channel, Show, or Series) – RWBY

Best First Person (Channel, Show, or Series) – Jenna Marbles

Best Indie (Channel, Show, or Series) – Little Horribles

Best International (Channel, Show, or Series) – Noob (France)

Performance

Best Actress in a Comedy – Mamrie Hart, You Deserve a Drink

Best Actress in a Drama – Ashley Clements, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

Best Actor in a Comedy – David Milchard, Convos With My 2-Year-Old

Best Actor in a Drama – Joey Graceffa, Storytellers

Best Collaboration – Zach Galifianakis and President Barack Obama, Between Two Ferns

Best Ensemble Cast – Josh Blaylock, Johanna Braddy, Brian Firenzi, Ellary Porterfield, Cynthia Watros, Jimmy Wong, Freddie Wong, Harley Morenstein, Brennan Murray, and Joey Scoma, Video Game High School

Music

Best Cover Song – Pentatonix, Daft Punk Mashup (Daft Punk)

Best Music Video – Goku vs Superman, Epic Rap Battles of History

Best Musical Artist – Lindsey Stirling

Best Original Song – "Whistle While I Work It," Chester See

Craft

Best Choreography – Mortal Kombat: Legacy II, Garrett Warren and Larnell Stovall

Best Cinematography – Devinsupertramp, Devin Graham

Best Costume Design – Epic Rap Battles of History, Sulai Lopez

Best Directing – Video Game High School, Matt Arnold and Freddie Wong

Best Editing – Kids React, Dan Seibert, Justin Reager, Benny Fine, Rafi Fine, and Jordan Towles

Best Original Score – RWBY, Jeff Williams

Best Visual and Special Effects – Action Movie Kid, Daniel Hashimoto

Best Writing – Epic Rap Battles of History, Nice Peter, EpicLLOYD, Zach Sherwin, Dante Cimadamore, and Mike Betette

Vine

Best Vine Comedian – DeStorm Power

Best Vine Creativity – Zach King

Viner of the Year – Brittany Furlan

Campaign or Event

Best Brand Campaign – Need For Speed: Ken Block’s Gymkhana Six (Need For Speed)

Best Live Event – #Tubeathon 2013

Best Public Service – YouTube Stars Talk Health Care at the White House

Television

Best Television Show – Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Audience Choice

Entertainer of the Year – Tyler Oakley

Show of the Year – EnchufeTV

Photo by sham hardy/Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0) | Remix by Fernando Alfonso III

How’s this for a game show title: Can You Outwit Ari Margolis?

Margolis, Fox's creative manager, is the Andy Warhol of the TV trailer world, and Fox recently went in search of an auteur who felt he or she could outduel his marketing genius by creating an original 60-second promo for its new show, Gotham, which airs Sept. 22. The winning clip will air during the Sept. 11 episode of Sleepy Hollow, but already debuted online to tease viewers into becoming fans of the show's new salute to the Batman legacy.

While the winner’s name has not been announced, you can see the top entry side-by-side with Margolis’ commercial masterwork, which has been successful in creating buzz for the new show. The GothamFacebook page has more than 960,000 fans, and the show doesn't debut for  two weeks.

Official and unofficial fan trailers play a major role in promoting a new television show or film. A well-made trailer can tantalize fans and encourage them to watch a new show, at least once. Getting fans involved in creating trailers has evolved from a pirate-dominated black hat space into one in which television networks offer filmmakers original assets such as short clips and images to spur creativity and lend a touch of authenticity.

Fox has been down this route before, with a contest that asked viewers to remix the promo for Almost Human (another Margolis creation), a sci-fi cop thriller. Clearly, the promos—Fox-made and fan-made—were more appealing than the show, which was canceled after one season.

Want to dive into the TV (or film) trailer business? Filmmaker Charlie Lynn, whose movie Beyond Clueless debuted at 2014’s SXSW, offers sage advice:

“Remember to always—and we mean always—put a funny bit at the end. Your audience needs to know that however gut-wrenching your war film/cancer drama/Holocaust epic might be, at least one moment is guaranteed to be chucklesome.”

Really? I have watched the trailer for Roman Polanski’s The Pianist a zillion times and have yet to even coax up a smile. Maybe Fox and its fans know better.

H/T TV Guide | Screengrab via Gotham/YouTube 

College students are already deep in the new school year, but that doesn’t mean they’re impervious to what’s waiting for them after graduation: all of the student debt they’ve acquired.

Tireless crusader John Oliver wades through the massive amount of student debt in the country; now up to $1 trillion and counting, the total debt has risen astronomically in recent years. And you can’t just try to get rid of it: Even after you declare bankruptcy, debt collectors will garnish your wages.

“Student debt is like HPV,” he said. “If you go to college, you’re almost certainly going to get it, and if you do, it will follow you for the rest of your life because legally, student debt is a special kind of debt.”

But debt isn’t only from students trying to get an education. Many for-profit colleges are taking advantage of potential students by emotionally manipulating them into attending, and one college is accused of recruiting veterans with brain damage, many who couldn’t even remember what classes they signed up for.

It’s not going away anytime soon, and Oliver even has a message for the college freshmen watching his show: Just stop watching because you might as well enjoy your college years.

Photo via Last Week Tonight with John Oliver/YouTube

Artist Heather Rooney has been showcasing her collection of photorealistic drawings on her YouTube page, where she currently has more than 400,000 subscribers. Her videos are shot in hyperlapse speed, so you can follow her process. 

She recently posted her tribute drawing of the late Robin Williams, using a prismacolor colored pencil. In just under five minutes, his face comes alive in striking color, and the detail is stunning. 

Screengrab via Heather Rooney/YouTube