YouTube Nation

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Lesson Three: You never know where you're going to find the next star.
Andy Samberg, once a struggling writer, got his big break a year ago when he was asked to join SNL as a featured player. But it wasn't until ''Lazy Sunday'' became almost annoyingly unavoidable a few months later that Samberg became a Hollywood name. Now he's writing for Dimension's sketch-comedy flick Parental Guidance Suggested, and is currently shooting Paramount's Hot Rod opposite Sissy Spacek. But you don't need an SNL-style platform to experience the transformative powers of YouTube. Brooke Brodack grew her cult from scratch, so she understandably suspected the work of cruel pranksters when she got two odd e-mails in June. They were from Carson Daly's company, which wanted to know if she'd be interested in signing a talent deal. An incredulous Brodack e-mailed back. Eventually. ''Like, wow,'' she giggles. ''What would have happened if I hadn't?''

Great Moments in YouTube History

If you tape it, they will come. And they have. In hordes. From the crazies to the comics, here are our top five YouTube videos.

LAZY SUNDAY
Two white boys rap about cupcakes and The Chronicles of Narnia

CHIPS
''Brookers'' Brodack's brilliant take on not being able to eat just one

EVOLUTION OF DANCE
This dance history lesson by Judson Laipply gets better as you watch

HERE IT GOES AGAIN
If Napoleon Dynamite had a music video, it'd be something like OK Go's

I WANT IT THAT WAY
These Chinese Backstreet Boys make us believe when they say...

Originally posted Aug 18, 2006 Published in issue #893 Aug 25, 2006 Order article reprints

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