Jon Hopkins "Collider" (Tom Haines, dir.)

It's a tale of two journeys, both of which are hopefully imaginary, in this jarring and compelling video for EDM artist Jon Hopkins.

Tom Haines, director:  “Jon’s music has a transportive quality, which can be blissful and expansive, but can also be internal, and more aggressive, and Collider is at this end of the spectrum. We wanted to create an internal journey, which was unflinching, singular and claustrophobic and at the same time liberating. The video is like a voodoo ceremony, where the lead character dances herself into frenzy, and through the dance gains access to a parallel dimension; it’s her unfurling thoughts, her dislocated mind, and hints at something more apocalyptic - an end game for her and us."

2013's Most Popular Music Videos on YouTube

Thought that VEVOs Top 10 Most Watched Music Videos of 2013 would be the same as YouTube? Guess again.

Our old friend PSY is still #1. The Korean pop star had the most watched video with "Gentleman," duplicated the same feat he had in 2012 with "Gangnam Style." Also appearing here, but not on VEVO's list, are Selena Gomez and Avicii.

What accounts for the differences? PSY "Gentleman" is easy, since it's not on VEVO. The others are likely due to how YouTube isn't involved in VEVO's distribution chain for mobile and connected devices like AppleTV, Xbox and Roku. 

YouTube's 2013 Most Watched Videos:

1. PSY "Gentleman" PSY, dir.

2. Miley Cyrus "Wrecking Ball" Terry Richardson, dir.

3.  Miley Cyrus "We Can't Stop" Diane Martel, dir.

4.  Katy Perry "Roar" Mark Kudsi & Grady Hall, dir.

5.  P!nk f/Nate Ruess "Just Give Me A Reason" Diane Martel, dir.

6.  Robin Thicke f/T.I., Pharrell "Blurred Lines" Diane Martel, dir.

7.  Rihanna f/Mikky Ekko "Stay" Sophie Muller, dir.

8.  Naughty Boy f/ Sam Smith "La La La" Ian Pons Jewell, dir.

9. Selena Gomez "Come And Get It" Anthony Mandler, dir.

10. Avicii "Wake Me Up" Mark Seliger & CB Miller, dir.

The End of NSFW?

The UK talk about music videos and sex takes a step toward action with a proposal to amend the 1984 Video Recordings Act, which failed to imagine a future where media isn't consumed via physical formats, or the emergence of full-scale nudity in music videos.

The '84 act stipulated that any movies you buy or rent on DVD, BluRay, VHS, etc, must be rated by the British Board of Film Classification, ranging from Suitable For All to Suitably Only For Adults, with stopovers at ages 12 and 15 (which are essentially the equivalent of PG and PG-13). The proposed change would broaden the net to also cover content that's viewed and/or distributed online.

The other change deal with the actual content itself. Long exempt from the act, however, have been products which are primarily about music, sports, religion and education. That could be changing for music videos that meet any of the below criteria:

Britney Spears "Perfume" (Joseph Kahn, dir.)

Director Joseph Kahn constructs a tale of two loves in this unexpected video from Britney Spears. "Perfume" is Britney unguarded — favoring a soaring, yet barbed ballad that's worlds away from her recent electro facades — with a video that does away with the occasional superhero and dominatrix motifs she's used in the past: This is the pop star at her most vulnerable, but still stronger than ever.

She's Back > Rebecca Black & Dave Days "Saturday" (Chris Greider, dir.)

Will Rebecca Black be making her way through all the days of the week? Will there be a Bloomies underwear of the day tie-in? Will this thing chart thanks to the YouTube impact on the Hot 100? 

And can Rebecca possible top the pop culture phonemon of "Friday," especially when she's clearly progressed beyond "so awkward it's good" territory?

PS: This is already 9 million views strong after just a couple days...

Lupe Fiasco + Ed Sheeran "Old School Love" (Coodie & Chike, dir.)

Lupe Fiasco digs into his memories, when things were pure and simple, before Chicago was the murder capital of the USA. Ed Sheeran sings the effective and perfectly wistful hook, but it's directors Coodie & Chike who surely rummaged through their own Chicago roots in creating the handmade dreamscapes of childhood innocense to stand in stark contrast to the current chalk outlines.