Another Year, Another April 1 Google Prank

Ray William Johnson's one-man show has 1.5 billion views

(NEWSER) - Sure, it's full of keyboard cats and double rainbows, but these days, YouTube is also a serious moneymaking machine. YouTube star Ray William Johnson is showcasing the medium's potential: With more than a billion total views, he's making about $1 million a year through his clips, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal . Thanks to a twice-weekly show that gets 5 million regular viewers, the comedian—who mocks other popular YouTube clips—currently boasts the site's biggest audience. He goes by RayWJ. More»

Parent Google plans to create about 20 premium channels

(NEWSER) - Those videos of napping pets and lame karaoke are nice and all, but YouTube is looking for something a little more ... professional. The Wall Street Journal reports that big changes are in the works at the site, which plans to put a much heavier emphasis on its own original content. Parent Google is spending $100 million to create programming—figure up to 10 hours a week—that would be featured on about 20 premium YouTube channels. It's already in contact with Hollywood's big talent agencies, and the changes could begin by the end of the year. More»

First and most importantly, be aware of the date

(NEWSER) - Welcome to April 1, “the day when every office jokester and petty prankster thinks up some gags at your expense that they think will be hilarious,” writes Brian Moylan on Gawker . “Well, not this year, jackass.” Moylan offers a foolproof five-step plan to make yourself, well, foolproof:

1. Know the date: You’re most likely to fall for an April Fools Day prank when you don’t realize it’s April Fools Day. But “not this time around. If you're reading this, you have been informed. Use that to your advantage.”

'Now you can control Gmail with your body,' says April 1 announcement

(NEWSER) - Google proudly unveiled Gmail Motion today—today, of course, being April 1. The new application "uses your computer's built-in webcam and Google's patented spatial tracking technology to detect your movements and translate them into meaningful characters and commands," Google claims, offering a helpful guide to the necessary gestures. To open an email, for instance, act as if you are opening an envelope. To send an email? Just lick an imaginary stamp and place it down. (Watch the video for a demo of the "ergonomic" movements.) More»

In talks with studios for movies, TV

(NEWSER) - Pay-per-You-Tube? Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to watch all the goofy home movies and webcam confessions you can stomach for free, but Google is hoping to launch a new, paid section of its video behemoth by the end of the year, the Financial Times reports. Google executives are in talks with top Hollywood studios, selling them on the international benefits of a partnership. More»