In Buzzed, we take a look at three things that trended over the weekend while you were away from your keyboard getting buzzed.

On Twitter
Bringing her trademark kooky humor, actress Lauren Graham arrived on Twitter this weekend. Perhaps better known as the fast-talking Lorelai Gilmore to millennials, the Parenthood star welcomed her 15,000 followers by announcing she'll live-tweet the NBC season finale Tuesday.

On YouTube
BBC Radio 1 host Nick Grimshaw has the honor of interviewing countless celebrities and musicians that stop by his acclaimed morning show. So he has the influence to corral them all together and force them to make a lip-syncing video—not to "Call Me Maybe" (refreshingly). Rather, the boys from One Direction, Ellie Goulding, David Guetta, and others sing Kanye West's "Clique."

On SoundCloud
Kelly Rowland, one-third of the sort-of-reunited Destiny's Child, released her new song, "Kisses Down Low." With that name and lyrics like "makes me arch my back," we hope we don't have to spell out what the song, from her upcoming fourth studio album, Year of the Woman, is about.

Photo via Lunchbox LP/Flickr

By mirandate, FluffPo Correspondent

Morristown, NJ - Murphy, a 9-week-old basset hound, is already dreading Valentine’s Day, even though it’s a month away. Sources close to the situation have described how he balefully glances at the holiday-themed store displays and jewelry commercials. He has also been listening to romantic songs on repeat, howling along with great sadness.

In fact, the mere mention of the holiday causes Murphy to droop and drool with what can only be described as despair.

A source close to the situation said, “His neutering appointment is already scheduled for February 13th, so I don’t know why Valentine’s Day is so important to him. I’m starting to think he’s just a naturally sad dog.”

Via Aroddy08.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have determined that Facebook statuses are more memorable than human faces. 

Read that again. A team, led by visiting scholar Laura Mickes, found that social-network keyboard mashings stick in our minds more than the unique features on the front of our heads, the infinitely expressive collection of organs through which we communicate, physically and verbally.

In the study, people were two and a half times more likely to remember incoherent Obama rants, "KONY 2012" shares, and boastful wordvomit (an actual status from the experiment: "My math professor told me that I was one of his brightest students") than a human face.

Could that actually be true?

I don't think it is. I think the experiment was rigged. Or maybe the subjects were face-blind.

Let me try to prove it.

Is this status… 

… more memorable than Tyra Banks? 

Or Jennifer Lawrence?

Or Peter Dinklage?

Or Nicolas Cage?

Or how about Kristen Wiig?

Try really hard not to remember Marion Cotillard's face.

Or Emma Stone's.

Or Eddie Murphy's. You see what I mean?

Look at Gary Busey.

Just look at him.

Ad infinitum.

Or Jim Carrey.

Right?

OK, I know what you're thinking. These people are celebrities. We know their faces better than we know our own.

So here's a regular example: Daily Dot Internet rights reporter Kevin Collier, a regular schmo.

Look at him. He's holding a lamb. 

He's way more memorable than this: 

And this:

And this:

And this: 

And this: 

And this: 

I rest my case. 

Anger, pain, hope, aggression. If Martin Luther King, Jr. had any effect on American music, it's that he forced it to react. The artform couldn't sit still on the topic of the fallen civil rights leader. It had to do something.

A great deal of the music that came in the wake of Dr. Martin Luther King's death has been the type that would fall under the umbrella of hope and optimism. There's Bob Dylan's "When My Ship Comes In," which envisions a time when "the sun will respect every face on the deck," and Sly & the Family Stone's "Everyday People."

There's Elvis Presley's "If I Can Dream" and Bobby Womack's "American Dream," which samples the preacher; a live rendition of the timeless "We Shall Overcome" and the Game's proud "Letter to the King," a collaboration with Nas rapped 40 years after King's death.

Martin Luther King inspired a great collection of musicians to rise up and preach the virtues that he'd offered as gospel throughout his short life, but the emotions that derived from his death weren't so simple. His April 1968 assassination also brought forth an immense sense of anger, a sentiment that bleeds through every heated note contained within Nina Simone's fiery "Mississippi Goddam."

Later, after the people of Arizona voted down a proposal to create a state holiday for King in 1990, Public Enemy carried that anger into "By the Time I Get to Arizona." The battle was hardly about respect anymore—that was supposed to be over. Chuck D was out to put Arizona in its place.

You can hear hints of that same sentiment in the "All my life I been searching for money and power" message that emanates throughout Kendrick Lamar's "Backseat Freestyle."

Equality is power. Dr. King knew that all along.

Photo via Martin Luther King/Facebook

The 7th installment of the CAPSOFFPLEASE podcast is guest hosted by tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams. In this podcast we discuss bypassing school computer firewalls, the little giants, ladyboys, backhand swings, alien genitalia, classic childhood games, creepy crawlers vs. easy bake ovens, celebrity sex changes and more on this holiday/new year edition of the podcast. 

It is extremely not safe for work, unless at your workplace you openly discuss the countries that generate the most shemales per capita.

The standard disclaimer applies: Views presented here are not the views of the Daily Dot.

Right click the following hyperlink to download the segment.

Two things happen when the New England Patriots lose football games: quarterback Tom Brady eventually falls dejected onto the ground and stares longingly, and the Internet goes hog-wild in celebration. 

Yes, there may be no athlete the Internet loves to revile so much as the golden boy Tom Brady—he of fame and wealth and prodigy and slender Brazilian wives. It seems to happen every time the QB goes down. Remember last year's discovery of Bradying? That was awesome. 

The Patriots took the loss last night in a wild AFC Championship game that went the way of the Baltimore Ravens. Tom Brady threw two interceptions and got caught by cameras sitting like a lost boy on the turf at least once. The Internet rejoiced—it always does. Here's a roundup of the hivemind's best and brightest.

One of the biggest sources of Brady hate came in response to this sketchy slide. Watch him lift his right foot in an apparent effort to spike Ravens safety Ed Reed in the leg. 

He didn't get flagged, but it was universally shady. Everybody knew it, especially those on the Internet. 

Photo via Big Stomping Ground/Tumblr

Even YouTube comedian Philip DeFranco got in on the action.

Shortly thereafter, there was that play where Brady tried to avoid Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis by running into a referee. 

Which the Internet obviously appreciated.

Things only got worse after one of Brady's passes got picked off by Ravens linebacker Dannell Ellerbe.

Photo viaTosdo/Tumblr

It was just a few minutes later that the Internet got its first glimpse of Brady descending into his classic losing pose. It happened after the Patriots failed to convert on a costly fourth down, one that gave the Ravens the ball with a 15-point lead and less than eight minutes to play. 

Everybody jumped in.

Photo viaSparksandhoney/Tumblr

Even Barack Obama had a laugh. 

Photo viaAfroforestry/Tumblr

To be honest, it's worth it to watch the whole thing transpire on a loop. 

Brady threw another interception just a few minutes later, effectively nailing the coffin that is the Patriots' season in 2012. When it was all said and done, all the man could do was take a seat next to his two best friends. 

It's a long offseason, Tom Brady, but there's always next year. Just be forewarned: Even then, the Internet will be sure to watch your every step.

Photo viaNFLNewsandTalk/Tumblr

Girlshave more rules than you think. Especially when it comes to GIF animations.

A new Tumblr from HBO called "What Should We Call Girls" (WSWCG) is the official home for GIF animations for the hit TV show. Fans of the show, which follows four women as they navigate relationships and jobs in New York City, are also encouraged to submit their own, only there's a catch.

The blog's right hand column features the "GIF (SPIRIT) Guidelines," a list of requirements that must be followed when submitting animations gleaned from the Golden Globe-winning show, including “All GIRLS content in GIFs must be obtained from authorized sources of HBO programming.”

"What Should We Call Girls" borrows its name from a meme, and its format from other successful single serving blogs like  #myfriendsaremarried, which feature funny GIFs with funny phrases above them. But in this case, each funny phrase must be “a direct quote from GIRLS.”

Despite the strict GIF rules, WSWCG has published more than 100 animations, averaging around 100 notes each. But that hardly compares to unofficial Girls-related Tumblr blogs like Fuck Yeah Girls HBO and Girls Caps, which are stocked with random GIFs and images that have collected thousands of notes.

Such restrictions on how content is shared or interacted with are nothing new for HBO.

Over the past year, HBO has refused to offer its beloved HBO Go streaming service to people who do not have a cable subscription. Currently, HBO Go is free with the purchase of an HBO subscription, but many people are willing to pay between $4 to $40 a month just for the
streaming service.

The restriction inspired the poll Take My Money, HBO! in June where people could vent their frustrations and share how much they would pay for HBO Go. The Girls Tumblr blog has not caused any sort of outrage (yet) but has made GIF artist collective Mr. GIF question HBO’s intentions.

"It is pretty funny that they put so many constraints on what you can submit," Mr. GIF told the Daily Dot. "It looks like its a legal thing. I mean it seems like a odd barrier for entry though. You would imagine that the goal is to get as many people as possible to submit."

Images via What Should We Call Girls

With more than 72 hours of footage uploaded every minute, it's physically impossible to keep track of the content on YouTube. But in YouTube Guide, the Daily Dot will curate its five favorite finds for each workday.

1) CGPGrey, "The Debt Limit Explained"

Now that the Presidential Inauguration is over the focus will soon go back towards the debt ceiling, but if you find yourself confused over the jargon, C.G.P. Grey breaks down the concept of a debt limit and the current financial situation.

2) 105-106 Capital FM "Google Translate Cover Of 'Call Me Maybe'"

After CDZA ran "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" through Google Translate, it was only a matter of time before someone tried another song as one radio station runs "Call Me Maybe" through 14 different languages in Google Translate, although end result doesn't flow with the music nearly as well.

3) Davey Wavey, "What Gay Guys Think About Vaginas"

Gay men have a lot to say about vaginas. In a series of interviews, they reveal through their giggles and explanation of what female genitalia looks like that, while it's not for them, they wouldn't be here without it.

4) Roman Atwood, "Feeding The Homeless Prank"

In his latest prank, Roman Atwood and his friends aim to feed the homeless as they call a local pizza joint and order food for the "undercover agents." The reaction is priceless.

5) John Elerick, "Shortest Film"

A short film about one man trying (and failing) to find the time is eclipsed by the Easter egg-filled credits, but at least they run slowly enough that you can actually read all of the names—because otherwise we would have missed such important people as Downton Abbey for Scenic Charge, Usain Bolt for Tracking, and countless others who worked on the film.

Photo via CGPGrey/YouTube

Every evening, the Daily Dot delivers a selection of links worth clicking from around the Web, along with the day's must-see image or video. We call it Dotted Lines.

• Classic video game company Atari files for bankruptcy.
• Meme alert: Here’s an epic list of celebrities and their equivalent Pokémon.
• Nick Offerman returns as the voice of Axe Cop in an animated version of the best comic ever created by a 5-year-old.

• William Zabka, famous for “sweeping the leg” in The Karate Kid, is on Twitter. He’s already been endorsed by comedian Patton Oswalt.
• Did Bill Clinton just photobomb Kelly Clarkson at the inauguration?
• “Blue Monday” is a mathematical myth.

Here at the Daily Dot, we swap GIF images with each other every morning. Now we’re looping you in. In the Morning GIF, we feature a popular—or just plain cool—GIF we found on Reddit, Canvas, or elsewhere on the Internet.

Kim Dotcom (nee Kim Schmitz) has reason to celebrate this week. He launched Mega, a replacement for his previous site, Megaupload, and it was an instant hit—so much so that traffic forced it offline.

The charismatic Dotcom boasts more than a quarter million Twitter followers, who hang on his every uncensored thought. Someone, however, needs to give this man his own reality show. As you can see from today's GIF, he's far too animated to be contained to mere text. Posted to Qil.me, it's collected 101 notes in one day.

Until he gets another outlet, though, sit back, relax, and try to decide what he's singing. Whale noises? Disney tunes? Who knows.

Photo via Qil.me/Tumblr

Johnny Depp has one. Richard Branson has one. Celine Dion has one. Tyler Perry has one. And now Winnifred the bear is also the proud owner of a private island.

The bear cub reportedly paid $3.7 million for a four acre island in Puget Sound, capping off a lavish spending spree after striking it rich with a Mega Millions ticket late last year.

“She plans on using it as a retreat for herself and her friends,” said real estate agent Vivian Harden.  ”You know, to get away from the hustle and bustle of zoo life.”

Via travelSD

If nothing else, you can say this for the recently launched Video Podcast Network: They take the modern axiom “Go big or go home” very seriously.

The network—created and produced by Emmy-nominated producer Daniel Kellison—launched last week with live broadcasts of some of comedy podcasting’s heaviest hitters, including The Adam Carolla Show, Call Chelsea Peretti, the Nerdist’s You Made It Weird, and Earwolf’s Comedy Bang Bang and Who Charted?, the latter four all recorded live in front of an audience at the Sundance Film Festival.

In the weeks to come, the Video Podcast Network will livestream “exclusive and fully produced” tapings of podcasts from Carolla, Earwolf, and The Big 3 three days a week from its YouTube channel, with episodes also available for later viewing. Of course, you’ll be able to listen to the episodes as pure-audio podcasts, the way you always have.

It’s a bit of an unexpected marriage between the very different sensibilities of Earwolf and Adam Carolla—and an auspicious stab at carving out a space in video for some of comedy’s most popular podcasts.

I doubt very much that it’s going to work in any major way—and moreover, I’m not convinced that it deserves to.

To evaluate the Video Podcast Network, I watched one show in its entirety—Friday night’s Comedy Bang Bang, featuring host Scott Aukerman and guests Thomas Lennon, Riki Lindhome, and Mary Lynn Rajskub. And I popped into The Adam Carolla Show, Who Charted? and You Made It Weird for about half an hour each. And while what I witnessed was far from an interminable slog, it also left me with pretty serious doubts about whether video versions of these podcasts will hold much interest for anyone but the hardest of hardcore comedy podcast fans.

Since the Video Podcast Network is still in its first week, it probably goes without saying that there are small technical glitches—audio issues, difficulties with playback, problems with the availability of shows—that I have every reason to believe, given the level of talented involved, will be resolved in due time.

But some of the issues I observed are more structural. Here are five fundamental problems that serve as reasons to doubt the long-term appeal of the Video Podcast Network.

Hosts Howard Kremer and Kulap Vilaysack tape an episode of Who Charted? with guest Rob Corddry.

Photo via Video Podcast Network/Facebook

1) Serving two masters is awkward.

Since the shows on the Video Podcast Network will be available both as pure audio podcasts and visual feeds, they obviously have to function well in both formats. But that’s a tall order; visual shows have entirely different—and in some cases contradictory—needs than audio shows. Simply film a show that’s designed largely to be listened to, and you’ll wind up with a video podcast that’s visually drab and unattractive to watch. Load a show up with too many visual elements—props, graphics, sets, costumes—and it risks becoming confusing for the audience that’s only listening. Reconciling those two mediums is challenging, and there’s little evidence that the shows on the Video Podcast Network have figured it out.

The video version of The Adam Carolla Show, for instance, is essentially a camera trained on Carolla’s studio—not exactly captivating viewing. It worked for Howard Stern on E!, but that was a trimmed-down, best-of version of Stern’s radio program, and Stern could always fall back on a steady stream of strippers and porn stars to add some visual spice to his show. And the visual component actually undermines Comedy Bang Bang; seeing Thomas Lennon playing the character of cohost Little Gary is nowhere near as entertaining as the scene your brain would conjure up if left to its own devices. The show’s impressions and characters are best suited to the imagination-stoking medium of audio podcasts; seeing how the sausage is made threatens to rob Comedy Bang Bang of a bit of its comic mystique.

To the extent that the Nerdist YouTube network works, this is a big part of the reason why: Chris Hardwick was smart enough to put together a roster of shows that are more than just visual feeds of his popular podcasts. Instead, the Nerdist’s webseries play to the strengths of the visual format, while the podcasts are left, wisely, to do their own thing.

2) Portability is key to the appeal of podcasts.

"If you were to distill the appeal of podcasts down to a few key points, their portability would be chief among them. You can queue up a podcast for your morning commute, use it to soundtrack your workout at the gym, or throw it on while you clean the house. It’s one of the medium’s greatest strengths. Ater all, everybody’s got some variety of regular menial task to perform, a task that could doubtless be enlivened by a witty episode of The Bugle or an intriguing installment of Radiolab.

A video podcast, however, is a more active commitment. Like a TV show, it demands that you sit down and actually watch, and while this may be an acceptable proposition for a podcast’s most devoted fans, it’s a harder sell for casual fans. Podcasts are second only to music as the quintessential take-it-with-you entertainment; requiring that you set aside time to enjoy them removes one of their principal strengths.

3) The podcasts aren’t visually interesting.

To go by this weekend’s shows, the Video Podcast Network’s principal sponsors at the moment are Captain Morgan and Ciroc vodka, and that’s no wonder—it would take a stiff drink or two to make these podcasts seem visually intriguing enough to watch.

It would be excessive to expect very high production values from any of these shows. But to be worth watching the Video Podcast Network’s shows have to exhibit some visual flair, and that was largely lacking from last week’s offerings. The Adam Carolla Show was a particular offender in this regard. With all due respect to Carolla, a not-unhandsome man, it’s hard to justify watching his face for two straight hours.

4) Without a live audience, the shows lack energy.

Many of the concerns I have with video podcasts, of course, also apply to live podcasts—except that live podcast tapings are a proven phenomenon, done well by everybody from Doug Loves Movies to Never Not Funny to Girl On Guy to The Nerdist.

Part of the reason for that is the live audience. For both podcasters and listeners, a live audience adds energy to the room that enriches the experience. That kind of energy might make the podcasts more worthwhile as viewing—except that, presumably with some occasional exceptions, the Video Podcast Network’s shows are slated to be taped in a studio. Taped in a studio is fine for most podcasts, but for video podcasts, the added charge of a live audience would be especially helpful.

5) Video podcasts are a massive time commitment.

Closely related to the Video Podcast Network’s aforementioned lack of portability is the time commitment required to dive into its shows. A central appeal of podcasts is how well they lend themselves to multitasking; it’s easy to find time to listen to Who Charted?, Comedy Bang Bang, and The Big 3 every week as long as you have some time to throw on some earbuds while you work, commute, or otherwise perform some sort of relatively passive activity. It becomes a lot harder to justify keeping up on a group of shows when you need to actually watch them; what’s easy to squeeze in around your life instead becomes a three-hour stretch of time you need to block off. It’s a lot to ask of listeners—and for relatively little reward.

None of this is meant to read like a blanket condemnation of the Video Podcast Network, mind you. After all, no one’s forcing podcast fans to watch the network’s video feeds, and the pure audio experience will remain an option for those that choose it. At the end of the day, the Video Podcast Network is simply another option, and no doubt some slice of the podcast-listening population will dig it.

But video podcasts have never penetrated the popular consciousness to the extent that standard podcasts have, and barring some changes, I see little reason why the Video Podcast Network and its shows will have much more luck.

Also this week in Podspotting:

For over two years Andrew Johnstone’s been chronicling the ins and outs of the podcast world—through reviews, interviews and commentary—in his podcast about podcasts, appropriately known asPodcast Squared.

Despite my mediocre cellphone connection, this week I had the pleasure of guest-hosting an episode of the podcast, discussing everything from Jeff Garlin’s new Earwolf podcast By the Way to the Video Podcast Network to my fondness for the Nerdist podcast The Mutant Season. Check it out here. 

Photo via Video Podcast Network

All eyes were on the former Sports Illustrated cover model turned cybernerd—also known as John Legend's fiancée—who shared every moment of her afterparty with fans on Twitter and Instagram yesterday.

Teigen, whose playful and goofy repertoire with admirers has made her a must-follow, didn't disappoint.

"I don't even know what to say. It's 3:15am and I just teared up seeing our president getting down at the white house," she said of her whirlwind two days in Washington, D.C. 

Here's how Teigen partied in the most Teigen (read: nerdy and amusing) way possible.

Photo via chrissy_teigan/Instagram

"One-man medleys"—the phenomenon in which talented YouTubers record, edit, and sync their own voices singing in harmony—are innumerable on YouTube. But recently, one viral video and one perennially popular 15-year-old musical have combined to produce an irresistible combination.

That's right. It's a YouTube theatre crowded with one-person renditions of Les Misérables, and we flock to it like students to a barricade.

Oh, YouTube, you know what we like.

Popular ever since its 1986 premiere in the West End, Les Mis's giant cast and string of powerhouse ballads and eminently singable ensemble numbers have proved a lethal combination for audiences ever since. Now, with the advent of the film, YouTube is rediscovering its love for revolution and counterpoint.

At 1.5 million views, the champion Les Mis medley-maker is undoubtedly Nick Pitera, whose song stylings have made him a YouTube sensation with over 300,000 subscribers.

Though his Les Mis medley, created four months ago, is a hit, it's not the first.  YouTubers have been solo-blasting their way through the show's powerhouse ensemble number, "One Day More" for years. Not to be outdone, in the years since, and especially since Pitera popularized his own version, one-man medleys of the show have abounded. Enjoy some more of our faves:

1) Shyaporn

In 2009, Shyaporn set the bar high, when he tackled the number complete with epic costumes, wigs, and, uh, Star Wars action figures:

2) Danny Fong

This pristine barbershop rendition of "Bring Him Home" is enough to melt even Javert's cockles:

3) Lin Ying

This 18-year-old from Singapore does all her medleys by ear, which makes her transitions in this piece a refreshing change from the medleys you've heard countless times by now.

4) Nick Depuis

French voice coach Nick Depuis goes for theatrics in this "mad" a cappella medley:

5) Brian Nash

Performed live at a "Mostly Sondheim" cabaret in 2007, fans familiar with the original Broadway cast recording will enjoy Nash's hilarious spoofs on Colm Wilkinson, Francis Ruffelle, and the rest of the gang in this version of "One Day More."

Screengrab via YouTube

Beyonce's spectacular performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at President Barack Obama's inauguration Monday was too good to be true.

The songstress did indeed lip-synch the words to the national anthem, Kristin DuBois, a representative for the United States Marine Band, told the New York Post.

"All music is pre-recorded for the ceremony because there are so many eventualities and conditions that day,” DuBois said. “We performed, live, the band. But we received last-minute word that Beyonce was going to use the pre-recorded vocal track. Those were the instructions we were given. We don’t know what the (sic) reason why.”

Beyonce and the National Anthem have become Twitter trending topics Tuesday with more than 90,000 people combined freaking the heck out for no apparent reason (or just having some fun at the expense of the pop idol).

"Beyonce lip-synching the Star Spangled Banner makes me question fundamental truths of human existence," tweeted Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post.

So the question is, how does Beyonce's performance match up against other famous lip-synching fails? You be the judge.

Mariah Carey, 2008

Ashlee Simpson, 2004

Lindsay Lohan, 2007

Ashley Tisdale, 2007

50 Cent, 2007

Britney Spears, 2007

Milli Vanilli, 1990

C + C Music Factory, 2007

Photo by AlexJohnson/Flickr

Comedian, actor, and talk-show host Dennis Miller fielded questions from redditors—and one celebrity troll—during a Jan. 22 "Ask Me Anything" on the popular social news site.

As redditors filled the session with questions about Miller's life and career, Tim Heidecker, one half of the comedy duo known for Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, crashed the discussion. Tagging each of his posts with the hashtag #230PST, iamTimHeidecker attempted to get a rise from his fellow comedian through questions such as "Was the inauguration a hoax? do you know?" and "Do you love?"

Redditors responded to Heidecker's sabotage, which was announced on his official Twitter feed, with downvotes and negative comments.

"You're fat and annoying. Your show sucks and you are not funny," redditor thisneedstobeupvoted wrote in response to one of Heidecker's questions.

Miller himself addressed Heidecker only once, answering his question "did you ever have red hair?" with, simply, "Where?"

Redditors also turned their ire toward r/IAmA moderators. In a thread posted to r/subredditdrama, redditor GreatestDenier proclaimed "Tim Heidecker and his drones sabotage Dennis Miller's AMA, IamA mods do absolutely nothing to stop it." The issue was addressed in the thread by r/IAMA moderator puredemo.

"In general, we don't moderate /r/IAmA comments unless they are threatening or spam. That's important so users can ask blunt, potentially insulting questions to the OP when needed," puredemo explained. "Some AMAs are going to be contentious, and that's alright."

Heidecker's comments were eventually deleted from the AMA itself but are still visible on his Reddit account overview. The deletion, according to puredemo, stemmed from the questions' constant usage of the #230PST hashtag and its link to a podcast. As a result, it was considered spam. The comedian has since apologized to Miller on Twitter.

Miller didn't let Heidecker's trolling attempts get to him. During the remainder of the AMA, he revealed insights about his career through comedy, politics, and sports to interested redditors.

What can a comedian do to make themselves easy to work with? What makes people say, "I want to work with him again."? (MasterOfTheMoon)

Well to be honest, stand up comedy is pretty cut and dry. If you are funny enough, you can be a prick and if you are not funny enough, no degree of sainthood is going to save you.

How much input did you have on what jokes you told when you were host of the Weekend Update? Was it mostly you or writers? Also, and I know that is always asked, but what (or who) inspired you to be a comedian? (thebigdombowsky)

For the first 3 shows at Saturday Night Live, I had no say. I wrote some jokes, but since I was a newbie, Senator Al Franken, who was my boss, picked the jokes. But then, around 3 shows in, they had a whole bunch of leaks in the dyke and they left me alone out of necessity. I would say for the rest of my career there. One other many, the great Herb Sargent wrote almost all of update, except of course the guest characters. All the guests wrote their own pieces. BTW, I never thought I would hear myself say Senator Al Franken out loud.

Who are your three favorite comedians and what are your three favorite movies? (DunDerD)

My 3 favorite comedians are, Richard Pryor, Jerry Seinfeld and Brian Regan. My 3 favorite movies are Lawrence of Arabia, Quiz Show and Brian Regan.

How do you feel about your time on Monday Night Football? (dudersmash)

I enjoyed my two years there, but I knew as soon as John Madden left Fox, Foutz and I were dead. Makes sense, if I am ever in LA on any given night and I want to jump up at the Improv and do standup and Madden is on stage, they better haul him off too.

Is it okay that I think of you and pool everytime I hear "Everybody Wants To Rule The World?" (Jermitts)

Not to mention a pool room scene I did in my magnum opus "Bordello of Blood". By the way, every time I use that song, it costs $3000. I think I fed Tears for Fears for around a decade.

Never too early to ask. Who do you want to see run in 2016? (Diggory-Venn)

It's too early to ask, but I have a prediction. I think Chris Christie will run as a democrat, be elected and a film will be made about him called "Mr. Smith and Wollensky goes to Washington"

Photo via DennisMiller/imgur

Two months after creating a divergent—and even more controversial—video for his Hysterical Literature series as a fundraiser for Hurricane Sandy relief, Clayton Cubitt's austere black-and-white exploration of literature and erotica returned with a vengeance today.

By now, the aesthetic of Hysterical Literature series, in which Cubitt films women reading from literary passages of their choice while being steadily brought to orgasm by unseen hands, should be familiar to viewers. “Session One,” featuring alt-porn star Stoya, features a reading of The Necrophilia Variations and has garnered over 5 million views on YouTube as of today. That prompted Cubitt to tweet that it was"probably the most famous book reading ever."  He also noted that "amateur porn knockoffs" of the series abound, adding that they "completely miss the point."

It's hardly surprising, then, that with the devastation of Hurricane Sandy throughout the Northeast, Cubitt felt a need to disrupt his own famously tidy, non-messy exploration of the erotic. For his fundraiser video, Cubitt hosted the video on Vimeo, where his guest, Amanda, read an ever-apropos passage from The Tempest against a retro screensaver-like background created by Turksh filmmaker Volkan Ergen.

Featuring a heavy green and red filter, the video raised money for Sandy relief, but not everyone was happy with the new aesthetic. Responding to criticism of the change, Cubitt called the critics the "'Dylan goes electric' contingent", referring to the controversy over Bob Dylan swapping his acoustic sound for electric, and threw down a challenge to the series' many viewers:

“But I’d love to give those who love Hysterical Literature but hate the Sandy session a chance to put their money where their mouth is. So, I’ll make you a deal, if you can yourself donate, and share this link with enough of your friends that we’re able to raise $2500 for support of the project and Sandy relief, I’ll happily release a traditional black and white session of Amanda.”

In December, Cubitt tweeted that so far the tip jar at Vimeo had earned him about $1500, while Google's adsense campaign had rejected the videos on YouTube, most likely for their age-restricted content. So far he has not released the original black-and-white edition of "Amanda."

Instead, he's done one better, reverting to his original look and feel—and heading back to YouTube—for the sixth installment of the series, uploaded earlier today. In it, feminist writer and performing artist Solé reads from Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Beloved.  

Immediately a convergence of difficult themes crowd their way into the video, as Solé reads a passage where the protagonist, Sethe, experiences a stream-of-consciousness memory of slavery, capture, death, and her daughter, Beloved. "I am not separate from her there is no place where I stop," she reads. "...her face is my own and I want to be there in the place where her face is and to be looking at it too a hot thing."

Perhaps because the words are so important, Solé struggles to keep reading until the end, which gives this particular reading a tension and a weightiness that previous readings lack. When she finally succumbs to a climax ,it's a true release and a catharsis for the viewer, as well as for Solé, who collapses in a peal of laughter after the end. "That was the best thing of my life," she laughs.

Earlier today on her Tumblr, Solé wrote a follow-up post, "My Clit Lit Manifesto," detailing her end of the experience. "As I float back to earth," she writes, "I am proud of my revolutionary act of selfishness and revel in its orgasmic goodness."

Screengrab via YouTube

The fledgling Brooklyn Nets strolled out of Madison Square Garden Monday with a big win in their pocket.

Nets forward Kris Humphrieswas quick to brag about the victory over the New York Knicks. It was the team's second in four games against their city rivals. 

But Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith didn't take kindly to Humphries's soft shot.

Smith, who missed a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, didn't appreciate that comment, retweeting Smith's comment with a jibe about Humphries's soon-to-be ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, and her new squeeze, Kanye West.

Just a reminder: Kris Humphries was famously married to Kardashian for 72 days before separating. Still legally wed, Kim is now pregnant with Kanye's baby. Kanye's best friend, Jay-Z, is a part-owner of the Nets. Awkward.

Humphries appears to have taken refuge away from the harsh winds of Twitter and Smith's biting bodyblow. He hasn't tweeted since. Who's silent now, Kris? 

Smith, no stranger to Twitter drama, is surely basking in the glory. His riposte netted more than 53,000 retweets. Until the titans of New York meet once more on the hardwood, Smith will wait patiently in the night, ready to pounce on other rivals who dare to trash-talk.

Via Kevin Lincoln/BuzzFeed. Photo by Page31TV/YouTube

With more than 72 hours of footage uploaded every minute, it's physically impossible to keep track of the content on YouTube. But in YouTube Guide, the Daily Dot will curate its five favorite finds for each workday.

1) Geeking Out, "30 Rock High Five Challenge"

Kerri Doherty and Mark Malkoff are huge 30 Rock fans, so they sat outside the Brooklyn studio in order to thank the cast for the past seven seasons with a high five, but after a number of cast members came outside, they were waiting for that final high five from Tina Fey.

2) JanAnimations, "Let's Go and Meet the Bronies"

The long-awaited Brony documentary was released over the weekend, but you can see a sneak peek with a breakdown of the many different types of Bronies (and the inclusion of female fans) from John de Lancie and Tara Strong.

3) Barack's Dubs, "Barack Obama Singing SexyBack by Justin Timberlake (ft. Joe Biden)"

Now that President Obama's started his second term in office, he's got a lot on his plate. But what he may have forgotten to mention in his Inaugural Speech is that he's pulling a Justin Timberlake and bringing sexy back with some help from the V.P.

4) Devin Graham, "Scooter Freestyle - World's Best Pro Scooter Riders"

Devin Graham spent some time with the Lucky scooter team at different skateparks and around San Diego and Los Angeles as they show off their impressive moves for the camera and an engaging audience.

5) Hadouken, "People Are Awesome 2013"

The U.K.-based band have finally released the latest in their annual People Are Awesome video series, to coincidewith the release of their latest album, and it features even more of the best extreme athletes and stunts on YouTube.

Photo via Geeking Out Show/YouTube

Here at the Daily Dot, we swap GIF images with each other every morning. Now we’re looping you in. In the Morning GIF, we feature a popular—or just plain cool—GIF we found on Reddit, Canvas, or elsewhere on the Internet.

We’re not sure how you feel about indiscreet albino ferrets, but it’s clear how Tumblr feels: very feely indeed! The image of English actor Benedict Cumberbatch playing Julian Assange in the biopic The Fifth Estate has ricocheted around the Tumblrsphere like … well, like an overcaffeinated albino ferret around a crowded London flat. The only reason it hasn’t gone as viral as Norwalk is that it is, sadly, static.

Jackie at enerJax has fixed all of that, rendering the angular and elfin Assangebatch into glorious GIF form, with a sparkling Louis Vuittonian background. Why, he’s positively Legolian in his windswept beauty.

It has racked up almost 900 notes in 15 hours, and once the rest of the U.S. Cumberbitches/Cumberbunnies/Assangeistas awaken, who knows how much that number will jump.

Game on!

GIF via enerJax/Tumblr