Oppan Gangnam Style?

This week, I am going to discuss something that has become all the rage in North America since its release on July 15th, 2012. Gangnam Style by PSY has become an internet and media sensation in just a few months. But why do you think it has become so popular? Why this song? Or, more importantly, why is it still going strong three months later and, in fact, gaining popularity even still. Will PSY have the staying power to fully enjoy fame in the west, or will he fade into oblivion as was the fate of fellow viral video phenoms such as Rebecca Black and the infamous Chris Crocker?

                                                      



K-Pop Star Issues?

I've read on http://www.allkpop.com that a lot of Korean stars are really confused about how popular PSY has become in North America. The reason for their confusion is that many K-pop stars have tried very hard to become famous in America. Girl group Girls' Generation (SNSD) even came out with an English version of their popular song "The Boys", and they came to North America to perform their song in New York but have yet to gain even a fraction of the popularity level of PSY. Weird. Nine gorgeous Korean girls with a super-catchy song (featuring Snoop Dog...err...Lion) can't catch the eye of those in North America, but this silly Korean dude can? What's he got that they don't?

How These Things "Usually" Go!

(Rebecca Black vs. Justin Bieber)

Those in the viral video category can go one of two ways -- sky high or quickly into the toilet. There have been quite a few phenomenons in the past decade, two of the most known are Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black, who are perfect representations of both sky high and the toilet, respectively . Both of them were discovered on the internet; one blew up and became the famous "heart throb" we know today, and one just plain blew up and faded away. I think PSY has become so popular, because in North America, people love a good joke; they see the video and find it funny. The question is, will he be able to overcome the silliness and make a good career over here for himself, or will he continue to be the joke of 2012 and fade away? Will he be our next Biebs or will he fade into oblivion a la Miss Black? Only time can tell us that!

My Outlook On PSY's Outlook and K-Pop In The West

I personally believe K-pop is amazing, and many of its stars could become very popular in the West, but people need to open up to it. Has PSY opened the door, and will we soon see an influx of Korean stars on our North American TV? If they play their cards right, we just might. I believe, since PSY got signed with Justin Bieber's record company, he may have a chance at serious success over here. If his fellow K-pop guys and gals jump on board with the right songs and the right timing (now!), they may soon be taking over the airwaves.


Side Note

http://www.youtube.com/charts/videos_views?t=a

Gangnam Style (as of this writing) - 405,854,844 views
The current #1 listing on the YouTube chart for most viewed - 136,814,353 views

There is something wrong here! When you click on the link provided, you will notice that Gangnam style is not on any of YouTube's ranking charts, when it should currently hold the place of most views, most discussed (comments), most likes and most favorited. Yet it does not appear on any of those lists. Weird, right?

Here is an article on the subject:

http://www.allkpop.com/2012/09/psys-gangnam-style-music-video-removed-from-youtubes-most-liked-chart

Image: Toby Turner vs. PewDiePie

I am going to discuss a person's image today. I feel one's image is what can make or break them in seconds. I am always a big fan of someone with a great personality. There are certain elements to one's image that are the most important, such as being able to make your audience laugh and fall in love with you. You need to know how to work your audience to be able to gain more and more interest; if not, your interest will backfire on you, and you will have nothing to have an image for. Today I am going to be talking about the images of  two people in particular, two famous YouTube stars, Tobuscus (Toby Turner) and PewDiePie. Both of these men are in pretty much the same category on YouTube Wikipedia (http://youtube.wikia.com/wiki/YouTube_Wiki). They are both best known for their "Game Commentaries" . A game commentary is when you record yourself playing a game and post the video on YouTube. Being so similar to each other, people argue which one of the two is better all the time. In my opinion, it's Toby Turner. The reasoning behind this choice is purely "image". They both have an image of their own, but one owns their image, and one doesn't.

Toby first joined Youtube on June 14, 2006, and PewDiePie joined YouTube on April 29, 2010. This suggests to me that one of these men is trying to imitate the other, considering their similarities. Obviously, PewDiePie drew inspiration from Toby Turner, who did it first (and does it better).

Toby's Image - Toby Turner has a much cleaner image through and through. He does not swear whatsoever in his game commentaries. What he does instead is come up with random funny words instead of swearing.  He is also very sharp and quick witted. He has a certain personality where he can say whatever he wants, and it comes out of him so quickly and sounds just right. Most people can't speak freely like that. Anything Toby says is funny; he makes me laugh constantly. Also, he has multiple channels to appeal to various types of audiences. His "Tobuscus" channel is his main channel where he adds videos of things such as songs he has created and little fun stuff to watch. His "Toby Turner" channel is where he uploads "vlogs", and right now he is in Berlin, Germany and uploads daily videos of his experiences there. His "Toby Games" channel is simply for game commentary, and he often uploads one or two videos per day. He has some of the best catch phrases, such as at the beginning of his videos when he says "Hello once again, Audience..." and at the end when he says "Thanks for watching. Ba da do do do do do do do, subscribe. Peace off. BOOP!" -- so funny! Also, in most of his videos, he puts his finger up to the lens of the camera and says "Intro (or Outro) of darkness, then redness, then whiteness" as the camera lens adjusts to the changes in light -- clever!

PewDiePie's Image - PewDiePie, opposite from Toby, swears constantly in his game commentaries. He is always dropping the "F" bomb, and he is always screaming. He is very harsh and more obnoxious. He is sometimes repetitive, but it doesn't seem to be funny. None of this to me says "Watch me over and over again". He has only one channel, appealing to only those who want to watch someone playing a game. This does not appeal to everyone. 

My Personal Opinion - I love Toby so much! I've tried watching PewDiePie's commentaries, but I just can't seem to like him. His personality just doesn't appeal to me in any way. Toby makes me laugh every time I watch his videos, he draws me in, and I watch his videos pretty much on a daily basis. He just seems like such an amazing person inside and out. He is so funny and energetic, and I <3 Toby Turner!

                                      So, which one has the better image? That is the question. You decide, tell me what you think! <3 <3 <3

Toby Turner (TOBUSCUS)

(Tobuscus - Main Channel) -   http://www.youtube.com/user/Tobuscus

(Toby Turner - Daily Videos) - http://www.youtube.com/user/TobyTurner?feature=watch

(Toby Games - Daily Game Commentary) - http://www.youtube.com/user/TobyGames?feature=watch

                                    

PewDiePie

(PewDiePie - Main and only Channel) - http://www.youtube.com/user/pewdiepie?feature=results_main