Dear Sam Pepper, Fuck You (Metaphorically)

     YouTube celebrity and former Big Brother contestant Sam pepper is coming under a ton of scrutiny this week after his latest prank video he posted this week. In the prank video, Pepper performed a bit of pranks where he touched several women inappropriately with a fake hand. The reaction of the video has been mostly negative and by negative I mean he's being crucified. Pepper has gotten a bombardment from not only people on the internet, but from fellow and top YouTubers as well. The video has been removed after people have requested.
     As a response to the backlash, Pepper has decided not to apologize on his Twitter account or make an apology video. Instead he created a video claiming that the prank video was a "social experiment" by showing how sad sexual harassment occurs with men... by touching women's butts with a fake hand. Most people didn't buy it and it is rightfully so as his explanation doesn't make the slightest sense, especially considering that Pepper has a lot of prank videos doing the same thing and he hasn't considered them to be "social experiments."
     The controversy has led to a number of women stepping up, making videos on YouTube giving testimonies about their past encounters with Pepper. They tell us experiences about how he took advantage of them and were sexually assaulted by him. YouTube user, thisbedottie, gives us an insight of Pepper's devious behavior when she agreed to go with him to see a movie after a meet and greet. Pepper told her that this will be "there little secret. At the movies Sam forced him self on the then 16-year-old by kissing her and trying to get her hands on certain parts of his body while putting his hands on hers. Again, thisbedottie isn't the only one who have had the same experience with Pepper.

     YouTuber Laci Green has reached other women who have been assaulted sexually be Pepper. One of the women Green contacted stated an encounter where Pepper forced himself on the her and masturbated on top of her.
     The only good thing about this is that people are coming forth to talk about not only sexual assault, but being sexually assaulted be a person in the public eye like Pepper.Often most women who have been sexually assaulted rarely come out to report it due to them either not being believed or based on ridicule of being sexually assaulted, especially by someone famous. This has happened before. There have been other counts of famous YouTubers that have harassed other women.  Hopefully this will lead more women to come out and Sam will get what he deserves in the end.

Smosh the Movie: Will it be a Smash or go Smush?

     YouTube viewers Rejoice! It has been announced that the comedic YouTube duo, Smosh (Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox), will be making a full feature movie. According to Variety, Smosh have partnered with Lionsgate who will be deal with global distribution rights for the movie. According to the press release, the movie is being helmed as a Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure of 2014 with a bit of Road Trip thrown in to the mix. The movie will have the duo embarking on a wacky and zany adventure to erase an embarrassing clip from being seen by all, particularly Anthony's crush in the movie, Anna.
     For those who haven't heard of Smosh, they are a part of the YouTube elite. When people say that in order to make money and be famous on YouTube you have to had an account in 2005, they're mostly referring to them. Smosh has made an empire on YouTube. Their main channel consists of them posting comedic videos from the duo that are being watched by over 18 million subscribers. They have broken off to other projects. They have a gaming channel and a channel that produces other content like cartoons.
     Smosh, new feature film adventure is the most recent of the current trend of other YouTube celebrities that are trying to venture off from the site and are trying to make some money in Hollywood. Musical comedic duo Garfunkle and Oats have a TV series on IFC, Grace Helbig is getting a show on E!, and Epic Meal Time has a cooking show on FYI. All of this has started with Fred, a character Lucas Cruikshank created by posting videos of him as the character on YouTube. Cruikshank's Fred character has led to a series on Nickelodeon and a movie, which was also distributed by Lionsgate.
     While it is cool while Smosh have a major movie on their hands, the question is how will it fare to the general public that doesn't sit down in from of a computer to watch videos all day. Honestly, they will have their work cut out for them. They will be presenting their stuff to an almost different format. These will not be the same core audience of people who sit in front of a computer to watch content.  It is known that people who watch videos on YouTube have short attention spans, so the transitioning content from a 3-5 min video to an hour and a half movie will be a big task. A matter of fact it will be really hard. Will their fans actually sit in front of a screen to see the same content for over an hour? You also risk losing the quality of the content in the video like certain jokes by stretching them out and risking them not be funny. Going back to Cruikshank, Fred the Movie was a disaster. It was universally panned by critics and moviegoers and only 7.6 million people saw it.
     I'm not dooming the movie before it even comes out nor am I saying that it can't be done. Again, it will be a hard task. There is a possibility that the Smosh can pull it off and the movie might do well. Regardless if it does well or not, it is fascinating to see Smosh try to do something outside of their comfort zone of posting YouTube videos. Like the other YouTube stars I mentioned earlier, I'm sure they know that their time on YouTube is short. You can't capitalize off of YouTube forever. You have to try other markets and do something bigger and different. It will be interesting to see if they can actually venture off from web content and make a name for themselves in Hollywood.

What are your thoughts on how the movie will fair? Do you thing it will be good or will it be bad?

Ray and Janay Rice: Why Does She Stay?

     In case you haven't heard Ray Rice has been let go from the Baltimore Raven and has been suspended from the NFL for knocking his wife out in an elevator in a hotel. There have been two tapes that have surfaced. The first one was was released to the public back in February. The first video shows Rice carrying his unconscious then fiance out of the elevator. Oops did I say carry? I meant dragging her out like he was a caveman. Rice was confronted by someone who was working at the hotel who reported to the authorities what happened.
     A second video of the attack has surfaced recently. This time we actually see him actually knocking Janay out. They have an argument and she approaches him. Rice then punches her and she goes down, hitting her head on the rail. Rice then proceeds to drag her out like the first video. A man shouldn't hit a woman in ANY circumstance. It shows lack of character and lack of manhood. As shocking as what Rice has done to her, Janay, now his wife, has decided to stay by his side. Why is that? Why do women who suffer abuse, never leave until it is too late and the abuse gets intense?
     Abuse comes in different forms. It can be physical or mental. It can also be verbal. Whether it is any of those things, it brings down a person's self esteem. It gets them to a point that they do feel like they are worthless and they deserve this punishment.Along with the punishment, the man secludes the woman, keeping her from friends and family and threatens her to kill or harm them even more if they try to seek help. Leaving an abusive relationship doesn't happen in a blink of an eye. It is a process. Most importantly it is a plan. If you are in a abusive relationship, there are steps you can do to ensure the safety of your life.
     Bottom line if someone has to control or abuse you, it isn't love. Love doesn't knock you out unconscious in an elevator. It doesn't give you a black eye and it doesn't make you feel like you are worthless. There might be a chance Rice may have learned from his mistakes but, the is a greater chance that he hasn't. Most abusers don't. As Oprah said to Rihanna in regards to her relationship with Chris Brown, "If a man hits you once, he will hit you again."

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)