In the last year, piano player Ethan Bortnick has taken the world by storm, dazzling audiences with his prowess on the old ivories: abilities that would be impressive for an eighty-eighter of any age, but when found in the hands of a 6-year-old are nothing short of miraculous. In this clip from Ethan’s May 10th 2007 appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno we learn a little bit about Ethan’s past and are treated to a performance of several song clips, including an original composition by the boy wonder himself.

I urge music lovers everywhere to get in on the ground floor of the Ethan Bortnick phenomenon now, before the pressures of being an internationally famous child prodigy lead to his inevitable nervous breakdown. 25 years from now, when he reluctantly comes out of seclusion and embarks on a small, but critically successful, tour, you can stand tall and tell folks that you’re no Johnny-Come-Lately Ethan Bortnick fan. You were there at the beginning, man. Watching this video now is like FedExing your lame, middle-aged Future Self a cache of fully redeemable cool points.

The Hillary 1984 ad's massive viral success has created a new standard of YouTube success: being personally interviewed by a YouTube editor about the creation of your video. Given the controversy generated by this video, it seems like the perfect opportunity for Hillary 1984's creator to step forward and answer some questions. Some fun facts learned from this conversation: ParkRidge47's real name is Phil de Vellis, he lives in Washington DC, and the reveal of his identity has cost him his job.

De Vellis's new place on the unemployment line is a shame. But his statements about anonymous protest and political commentary being a proud tradition -- not to mention his clearly demonstrated abilities with Final Cut Pro and Adobe Photoshop -- ought to help him out on the job market. After all, "Created huge maelstrom of political debate with homemade viral video" looks great on a resume.

Oh Britney. We knew it wouldn't be long before you fell back into the cultural dialogue. Sure, the world recently beheaded a murderous dictator and lost a former president and the Godfather of Soul, but what's news without a little drunken, careening Brit-Brit to get one's blood rushing?

According to none other than Robin Leach(!):

Less than one hour into the New Year, pop-princess Britney Spears collapsed at the PURE nightclub inside Caesars Palace. Just 50 minutes earlier, she had hosted two countdowns to usher in the New Year...

Mystery now surrounds Britney's collapse early this morning. She had been seated on a VIP tented-cabana bed overlooking the dance floor at 12:50AM talking with one of her male dancers. She intimated she wanted to leave and as she stood up, "she went into a dead faint and just fell right to the floor."

The Spears camp is denying any alcoholic involvement in the fainting and instead asserts that Brit-Brit, like any new mother, was just too damn tired for NYE.

Whatever, both versions are fine by us; fainting is just so medievally melodramatic! To showcase our devotion, here's a thoroughly inaudible clip of the poptart just after she rings in the New Year and just before she hits the floor. Enjoy!

This short -- a parody of 1950s educational films -- has been making the rounds from inbox to inbox all week. The PMS how-to was copyrighted in 2003 and has only been online for a week. With a million and a half views on YouTube, this is one of the most commented and linked to video online. And why shouldn’t it be? It is absolutely frightening.

Offering tips in “home etiquette” when dealing with the dreaded PMS (Prehistoric Monster Syndrome), this clever short is a spoof on both vintage propaganda and the horror of the everyday.

Even the YouTube "celebrities" are drowning in the content being streamed by NBC, CBS, and YouTube's many corporate channels. Can a guy with a Mac book and an idea compete with YouTube’s sponsored channels? He can’t and he won’t.

Over the past few months, Renetto and many other popular vloggers have found a home on YouTube, helped others see how valuable this new technology is, and stood up for what they believed in.

In his latest video, Renetto addresses Chad and Steve, the founders of YouTube, and expresses his personal view on the future of YouTube. Watch as Renetto vents about commercialization and the effect that sponsored channels have had on the YouTube community.