The success of YouTube has seemingly been on a down turn since its purchase by overlords of the Internet Google, which is no doubt due in large part to the fact that every television network, production unit and joe blow has slapped them with countless cease and desist notices and lawsuits. With the rash of lawsuits and cease and desist notices being filed, YouTube has lost a significant amount of its television content, which certainly accounts for a portion, if not the majority of the down swing, but the guys definitely came up with a golden idea in the 2006 YouTube Video Awards.

Though the idea behind the 2006 YouTube Video Awards is a great one and has definitely pumped YouTube up yet again, but I gotta say, I’m not feeling the Best Comedy Video Award winner. I know, I know, the winners were all chosen by “the people”, but “the people” seriously screwed up when it comes to the Best Comedy award. The winner of the 2006 YouTube Video Award for Best Comedy was “Smosh Short 2: Stranded.” I’ll give the guys behind the video credit, it was witty and mildly entertaining, but in my books, the fourth place “Ben takes a photo of himself everyday” video was a lot more entertaining and without a doubt the funnier video.

Watch the “Smosh Short 2: Stranded” and “Ben takes a photo of himself everyday” video below and choose for yourself!

2006 YouTube Video Award Best Comedy Winner - Smosh Short 2: Stranded

Ben takes a photo of himself everyday

YouTube held its first annual YouTube Video Awards last week, honoring the best of the best from 2006 in seven distinct categories: Most Creative, Best Comedy, Best Commentary, Best Series, Best Music Video, Most Inspirational and Most Adorable.

This post is dedicated to the winner of the 2006 YouTube Video Award for Most Creative video, OK Go - Here it goes again!

OK Go’s video for Here it goes again is one of the most popular videos on YouTube and has been viewed more than 13.5-million times. The video cost the group little, if anything, to create and has made OK Go a name synonymous with choreographed treadmill dancing amongst tech geeks across the globe! Here it goes again is the pinnacle of viral marketing and is well deserving of the 2006 YouTube Award for Most Creative Video!

OK Go - Here it goes again!

NBC Heroes has, without a doubt, been the most successful new show on TV this season, and along with the success of the show has come a whole slew of new innovations. NBC has joined the social networking wave and is not only offering viewers the ability to watch heroes online, in full, but is also offering exclusive behind the scenes videos, interview videos, a ton of pictures, a whole new user experience in Heroes 360, an interactive Heroes message board, an online comic book that fills in all the blanks and now, now you’ll be able to play Heroes: the Mobile Game on your cellphone!

“Recreating the mind-bending universe of the television phenomenon of 2007, Gameloft®, a leading developer and publisher of games for mobile phones, today announced an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with NBC Universal to develop and publish Heroes: The Mobile Game.”

Now the ultimate Heroes fan can watch and play Heroes anywhere! Just recently NBC teamed with MobiTV to offer Heroes on your cellphone, and now a deal with Gameloft is taking the Heroes experience to a whole new level!

Heroes: The Mobile Game will allow fans of the show and casual gamers the chance to experience the thrill of the superhuman abilities of the show’s characters. The game’s action will be based on the events from the electrifying first season as well as the hotly awaited second season with the game script being contributed to by writers of the hit television series. Players will assume the roles of the time-travelling Hiro Nakamura; the beautiful, but deadly Niki Sanders; telepathic cop Matt Parkman and the enigmatic Peter Petrelli, as they enjoy game play styles based on their unique powers.

Source: Gameloft Press Release

Yesterday I talked about all of the Spring TV Finales, some new shows and some old, that are coming to an end over the next few months, and I have to admit, looking back on the post, the number of really crappy shows out weighs the number of good shows by a 10 to 1 margin. It’s sad, really, that there are so many networks and shows to choose from, but only a select few are even worth the time watching. Sometimes it makes me wonder what I even have cable for, then a show like NBC Heroes comes along and blows me, and a large portion of TV watching North America, away. Shows as good and as original as Heroes are few and far between, but there is always hope.

With the large batch of shows checking out during the Spring, there are going to be just as many kicking into gear to pick up the slack, some of which will have to be good. The majority of TV shows returning this spring are veterans of the TV arena and are either continuing an existing season or kicking off an all new season, but either way, you can bet there are going to be a few keepers. I already have a couple favorite in mind that are making their returns to the air, and let me tell you, I’m really looking forward to having some good TV to watch again!

Get the 2007 Spring TV Debut schedule after the jump!

Continue Reading: (”Spring TV Premieres: All That’s Old Is New Again”)

Good things come and good things go, but TV is forever. Brilliant, I know, I swear it just came to me. Like anything in life that is enjoyable, the good stuff always seems to come to an end a hell of a lot faster than you want it to, and the same goes for reality TV and TV shows alike.

This season has certainly been an interesting one. Some old classics have come back for another shot at TV super-stardom (The Apprentice 6 Los Angeles, Survivor Fiji, Amazing Race All Stars), some newcomers have taken the TV world by storm and made an impression that won’t soon be forgotten (NBC Heroes, The Black Donnelley’s, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader) and some shows, old and new alike, have flat out sucked (Desperate Housewives, Gilmore Girls, 24, House, Lost and the list goes on, and on, and unfortunately, on some more). Needless to say, some shows you wish would never end, where as others can’t end soon enough. Either way, you’ll need to know when your favorite shows will be coming to an end

Get the 2007 Spring TV Finale schedule after the jump!

Continue Reading: (”Spring TV Finales: What’s Worth Watching?”)

Another Sunday night has come and another episode of The Apprentice is here, you know what that means? It’s time for a live blog!

This post will be updated at every commercial break so refresh your page every 30 seconds or so to catch the newest updates.
The Apprentice 6 Los Angeles: Episode 10

• Muna got the boot last week, Kinetic returns to camp to whine and complain.
• Frank, Tim and Nicole chilling out beside the pool, drinking and talking about being the final three and three musketeers.
• Trump calls, James answers. Trump says one member of Arrow must move to Kinetic. No one volunteers. James has to pick someone to go. James chooses to send Nicole to Kinetic. Nicole and Tim are both pissed for being split up. They get there hugs and kisses in and Nicole packs up. James apologizes for sending her away and Nicole says she’s taking it personal, she’s definitely gunning for James now.

Continue Reading: (”Live Blog: The Apprentice 6 Los Angeles Episode 10″)

ABC has decided to try and salvage the reality TV show American Inventor by completely overhauling the second seasons cast. I actually really liked the idea behind the show and enjoyed watching it, but I definitely agree with ABC’s decision to overhaul the cast as the judges were terrible and the host was almost non-existent. The foundation for a great show is there, it’s just a matter of finding the right mix of judges, host’s, contestants and inventions to set things ablaze.

Only one of the first seasons judges managed to keep his head off the chopping, “U.K. Mogul Peter Jones“, and I have the sneaking suspicion that might just have something to do with the fact that he was and still is an executive producer for the show. Well duh.

Filling in for the three dearly departing judges are “entrepreneur and former talkshow host Pat Croce”, inventor Sara Blakely and most notably, the former heavyweight champion of the world, Olympic gold medal winner and namesake of one bad ass grilling machine, George Foreman! Along with the fresh blood of the judges comes a new face as host of the show, Nick Smith, a former news anchor for ABC’s San Francisco station.

But wait, there’s more. There’s always more, isn’t there?

Not only has the cast and crew been given a complete overhaul, the show structure itself has undergone some restructuring. The first six weeks of the show will now take place on the road, as each week will see the American Inventor 2 crew pull into a new city, only to leave again with a single inventors idea. The six cities that will be featured are: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Orlando and Houston.

A special 2-hour episode will kick week seven off as the six finalists will have to create and perfect their invention prototypes, presenting them to the judges. The judges will, no doubt, tear them apart and spit in their eyes until they’ve decided on the final three. Then, all that’s left is for America to cast their votes and a choose the American Inventor 2 winner! The winner of American Inventor 2 will walk away with a $1-million grand prize and the chance to mass produce and market their inventions. But don’t worry, just as happened in season one, I’m betting second and third place will get some love too.

American Inventor 2 starts June 6th at 9pm and will air every Wednesday night on ABC until the lucky $1-million winner is chosen!

Think you have what it takes to be the next American Inventor? Try your luck!

American Inventor 2 Casting:

• San Francisco - March 25
• Chicago - March 31
• New York City - April 4
• Orlando - April 10
• Houston - April 15

Want more Heroes? Subscribe to dingoRUE for continued coverage of Heroes Season 2.

I don’t know about you, but I’m seriously starting to get the shakes from being without my weekly NBC Heroes fix and it is really starting to get to me, not to mention all the awkward situations the shakes create. I can’t fill a cup of coffee without shaking half of it on to the floor, it’s damn near impossible to sleep and don’t even get me started with the typing, it took me an hour just to write this much. Needless to say, life without Heroes is rough and desperate times call for desperate measures. So what does the resourceful tech geek slash Heroes superfan do? He scowers the depths of the never ending interweb in search of any possible way to watch heroes online.

Now everyone knows that you can watch full episodes of Heroes on NBC in the USA and on Global TV in Canada, but that’s only good for full episodes that have already aired. What about trailers and spoilers for episode 19 “0.7%”, or backstage scenes and cast interviews, or talk show and conference appearances, or any of the myriad other videos any true Heroes fan wants to see? It was these questions that sent me on my journey through the series of tubes that is the Internet and here are the best sites I found to watch heroes online:

• YouTube never fails to turn out at least a few good videos.
• DailyMotion is a similar video sharing site, only they’re a lot looser with the rules, so you can always find some good Heroes videos there.
• TV.com has some great behind the scenes and interview videos that you can’t find anywhere else.
• The guys over at SuperHiro.org, a popular Heroes forum, have some great clips.
• Even though the site is fairly new, MeeVee.com not only has every full episode, but a fantastic selection of other clips and pictures too.

Don’t forget, Heroes returns to air on April 23rd with episode 19 “0.7%”, the first of the final five episodes in volume 1!

Watch Heroes Online, For Free!
NBC Heroes Episode 19 “0.7%” Spoilers
Heroes Hit with Lawsuit!

Wow, I have been trying to keep politics out of dingoRUE for quite some time now, but I just couldn’t resist spreading the word about this one at least a little. Being a Canadian, a lot of America’s seem to think we don’t really know very much about US politics, when the actual fact is that Canadians generally know quite a bit about American politics, and in some cases, more than that of Canadian politics. Much like Canada gets most of it’s TV shows and reality TV shows from American networks, a great deal of the news is also American and even those news shows that aren’t American report heavily on American news.

So, getting back to my original point, it is damn near impossible to watch any form of television without at least learning something about the impending 2008 US Presidential elections and today I came across a really interesting video online. One of the hottest topics of the 2008 Presidential election is the competition between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, well, it looks like someone (though supposedly not a member of Obama’s campaign) put together and circulated an incredibly well done campaign video on YouTube. The video is a modified version of the world renowned Apple Computers Orwellian “1984″ ad featuring Hillary Clinton as the face of Big Brother. Anyways, I’ve spent enough time talking about it, watch it and see for yourself!

The Original Apple 1984 Ad:

Hillary Clinton 1984 Ad:

According to the people over at Televisionary, the second season of America’s Got Talent is in for a bit of a shake up. As has been very well publicized, one of the shows hosts - Brandy - has a few legal matters (to say the least) on her plate that will most likely prevent her from fulfilling her show hosting duties. For those that’ve been living under a rock for the last year, Brandy is involved in a fairly heated legal situation stemming from a fatal car accident she was involved in and potentially the cause of last year. Never having been a Brandy fan, ever… I swear, I’m not especially heart broken about the possibility of her leaving the show, especially since the leading lady that may be taking over is none other than failed talk show host and reality TV superstar Sharon Osbourne!

As was reported by Televisionary, “producers of America’s Got Talent will be replacing beleaguered judge Brandy, currently embroiled in legal problems– both criminal and civil–stemming from her involvement in a fatal car crash last year, with British reality TV veteran Sharon Osbourne.”

Sharon Osbourne, long time wife of legendary rock-star Ozzy Osbourne, should have no problem filling Brandy’s tiny shoes as co-host on America’s Got Talent 2. Needless to say, she has more reality TV knowledge and experience than Brandy could ever hope to have (at least until she starts appearing on C-List celebrity shows like Surreal Life). Osbourne has hosted her own talk show, been a judge on the British reality TV series’ X-Factor and Xtra Factor and has, obviously, stared in the hit TV show The Osbournes”.

Though Sharon replacing Brandy on America’s Got Talent 2 has not yet been confirmed or made official, it’s sounding pretty likely and could prove to be a great move for the show and its ratings. I know I’d find her one hell of a lot more interesting to watch than Brandy, so here’s hoping their is truth behind this rumor!

Sources: Televisionary & Reality Blurred

America’s Got Talent 2 Homepage
America’s Got Talent News