Can Chris Meloni Appear in a Wainy Days Episode, Please?

David Wain tweeted this tribute to Chris Meloni's Wet Hot American Summer character, "Gene From the Kitchen" this morning. And it made us think... why hasn't Chris Meloni appeared in an episode of Wainy Days yet? His Law & Order contract is up pretty soon... so we imagine he'll have a lot more time on his hands... so maybe...right? Right?!

And who else belongs in an episode of Wainy Days? Leave me a comment!

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The 5-Day Internet Detox

This is Mark Malkoff

And this is Mark Malkoff:

And this is Mark Malkoff:

Does he look familiar?  He should... because Mark Malkoff is just like you: ADDICTED TO THE INTERNET.

He decided to check into his bathroom (like, REALLY check-in, not virtually check-in on Foursquare or Facebook or Gowalla) for FIVE STRAIGHT DAYS to see if he could shake his reliance on technology and rebuild some of the attention span he lost over the last four or five years

Was he successful?  Did he survive?  Did he actually learn to make ramen using an electric tea kettle and the kitchen sink?  Is he less of a person because he missed TMZ for a week?  Find out in PART ONE then come back to My Damn Channel on September 15th to see the rest... unless you're inspired to spend a week in your own bathroom to do an Internet Detox.  In which case, we'll see you on the other side, kids.  See you on the other side.

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CAPTAIN'S BLOG: THE COLLECTIVE

It's been a week since we relaunched My Damn Channel. We're 90-95% of where we need to be with the new redesign. We're attacking that last 5-10% with the help of loyal co-cons writing and attacking us with ideas to fix last fixes. We're also gathering your hit lists for additional ideas to make your house and this new Enterprise more 'be all.'

The new Star Trek entered our brains the same night as our relaunch.

The amount of online communication bout our fave TV franchise is staggering.

Full disclosure - before we continue - somewhere here - in a box - there are 79 memorex audio cassettes - the ones with the 2 little white things in 'em - holding the recordings of every single original episode of the series - taped by a little fat white kid - off the speaker on the tiny TV in our kitchen back in Fort Lee, NJ. When you listen closely - you can hear Mom YELLING: "DINNER!" And you can hear me YELLING back: "SHUT UP! I'M TAPING "STAR TREK!!!'"

If you published any form of digital media in the past week, you're likely part of a mass collective of humans who are 'one' with the 43 year-old phenom of Star Trek.

Here then - a list - to ask ourselves WHY:

Star Trek Assumptions:

 1.  We need to believe in heroes and in the possibility that we are capable of heroic acts.
 2.  The future needs an organizing principle to deliver answers we seek.
 3.  We long for the past while embracing the future.
 4.  Obama reminds us of Spock.
 5.  Kirk represents the ideal leader (or father figure, brother, husband, best friend, lawyer, coach, boss, starship captain.)
 6.  We want to have sex with a green-skinned goddess.
 7.  We like to see things explode.
 8.  We like to sit in dark rooms and fantasize with an about others.
 9.  J.J.
10.  Nerd is the new black.

Found this amazing video yesterday of William Shatner being made to watch the new movie trailer. Watch his face:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDEJXdEcV7U

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ANOTHER CHEF IN THE KITCHEN

ANIMATION BLOCK is premiering new toonage every Monday.

Today's vid features Oregano (animated):

CHEF BARRY

If you're still in the mood, here's live action Coolio.

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COOKIN' WITH COOLIO interview

You Got Served: Cooking With Coolio By Dove ~Sheepish Lordess of Chaos~

Published Thursday, February 14, 2008

In doing his show independently on MyDamnChannel.com, Coolio is able to give an uncensored, humorous edge to the culinary arts. We caught up with the veteran rapper to chew the fat about the ways he turns soul food healthy and how he’s making true entertainment out of cooking.

AllHipHop.com: Tell us a little about how you came up with the concept for your show and how things developed.

Coolio: The concept came about from just playing around. Me and my cousin was in the kitchen one day hooking up a meal and I said, “Wow, what if we had a cooking show? It would be like this” and then we started acting it out. So we did that for a year to a year-and-a half - people would come over and if I was cooking I would pretend like I was doing a cooking show. It grew from that.

I started telling people about it, and I met this guy that was a writer - we were working on something else together - and he was interested in the cooking show. He had some people draw up some things for kitchen gear, and then he wrote an outline and we just took it from there. We shopped it for a while, and though we had a few offers, nobody wanted to let us do what we wanted to do in order to make it the way we wanted to do it. That’s how we ended up taking it to My Damn Channel, because they gave us the freedom to do it the way we wanted to.

AllHipHop.com: How do you go about creating an episode?

Coolio: That’s Elan’s job, one of our writers and producers. He came up with most of the concepts for the shows - we gave him our recipes and then he tried to come up with concepts for each show. Originally it started out as cooking and comedy, it ended up getting to be comedy and cooking. [laughs]

We started out with concepts for the first couple of episodes, and then we found out that only worked for a few of them. We scrapped some of the ideas and then we just started --freestyling stuff towards the end. After we shot the first day-and-a-half all the ideas started to grow, and then somebody would throw in an idea and it just came together.

AllHipHop.com: Are these recipes that you’ve created personally or are they family recipes?

Coolio: It’s kind of weird, I’ve changed all of my family recipes, because my mom used to cook with all of those high cholesterol ingredients and high fat ingredients. So I just took a lot of her basic recipes and added to them. I think my spaghetti is better than hers, and that was one of my favorite things that she cooked. I just made it a little bit better, I just took some of those flavors out that weren’t absolutely necessary and turned the fat and cholesterol meters down and we just came up with some good things.

Then I create as well. It’s all experimentation, it’s just like making music or doing art or making clothes. You do a model, a sample and then you let people try it and you try it. Usually if I like something everybody else is gonna like it, because I’m real critical of food. If I go to a place and buy a meal and it’s not good, I’ll never come there again.

I pick up some concepts from restaurants that I go to, I’ve even went in the kitchen and asked the chef, “What is this? How do you make this?” I’ve had a bit of formal training, I don’t have a diploma or anything, but I almost finished the whole course.

AllHipHop.com: As far as being on tour and on TV sets where you’re in trailers with catered food and in different environments where you’ve probably eaten really bad food over the years, have there been any red flags for you that said, “Hey I need to change the way I’m cooking right now?”

Coolio: Nah, not really, I got a cast iron stomach and a high metabolism and I’m regular. [laughs] My body does its job pretty well, I don’t have ulcers, stomach problems, problems with gas or anything like that. People get older and they start going through that kind of stuff. No high blood pressure or cholesterol, because I stopped eating that way when I was in my early 30’s. When I cook, or when I’m paying for something and I have a choice, I’m eating pretty healthy stuff. I eat my greens and I get it going, it’s pretty easy for me though. I’ve never had a problem with that.

AllHipHop.com: Has anyone influenced you in particular, watching them go through having high blood pressure, diabetes or things like that?

Coolio: No not really. One of the things that influenced me a lot was eating in Italy, and being in Italy for over a month and how they don’t use butter really at all. They use olive oil, so for a lot of dishes I substitute olive, sunflower or peanut oil for butter.

AllHipHop.com: How many episodes did you start out with?

Coolio: We did 10 for the first season.

AllHipHop.com: Would you entertain doing it on television or are you just really adamant about sticking with this plan [on the internet]?

Coolio: Well, I suppose at this point we’re gonna stay on the net because we have a lot of mature content. But if the money’s right and people are gonna make it worth our while, then we’ll take it to network television or to cable. It’s hilarious, but you don’t even realize that you’re watching a cooking show at some points in it. It’s like you’re watching some comedy, but then at the end when you see the finished product you realize, “Damn, he just showed me how to make some s**t! I could use this.”

AllHipHop.com: What are some other ways that people can reduce cholesterol and unnecessary fat when they cook soul food?

Coolio: You can use sugar substitutes. When recipes call for pork or beef, you can use turkey instead. It just depends on what it is you’re cooking, you look at what you’re cooking and say, “Should I use butter here or not? What kind of oil should I use? Should I use pork in my greens or smoked turkey necks?” When it comes to soul food, that’s all you can do.

I don’t do a lot of soul food. I can do soul food, but people know how to cook soul food. The people that don’t aren’t gonna try to cook soul food, they’re gonna go out and buy it from somewhere. Now if you’re talking about somebody that’s just starting out and wants to cook soul food, if they don’t know anybody that cooks it, then yeah, maybe I can give them a few tips, but for the most part I do fusion more or less.

I do Mexitalian, Blasian - which is Black and Asian - like soul rolls. Soul rolls are eggrolls but they got flavor in them. You’ve never tasted an eggroll that will taste like one of my soul rolls. I came up with that because the traditional eggroll with all of the bean sprouts, they never put enough meat in it. I just kind of flipped that whole concept, I still use cabbage, but I just added a few things to it to make it taste better, and then at the same time it’s still healthy.

AllHipHop.com: Are you calorie conscious when you create your works or are you more about watching cholesterol?

Coolio: It depends on who I’m cooking for. We’re starting a catering business - it depends on what the client calls for. One thing that I refuse to substitute is flavor though. If somebody tells me, “I like really bland food” I’m like, “Oh well you need to get another chef or caterer because I refuse to make food without flavor.” Everything I cook is well-done. I don’t cook any meat rare or medium-rare over here. But one thing about my steak is, you don’t need a knife, all you need is a fork.

AllHipHop.com: It’s hard to make buttery soft steak well-done.

Coolio: Most people try to fry their steak. The only way you can do steak on top of the oven and make it get butter soft is by smothering it. Smothering takes away a lot of the flavor as well, especially if you’re not one of those people that likes some really well seasoned foods. It depends on what you like, some people don’t like garlic and onions. I can make stuff and put garlic in it, and you’ll never know - I hide it with another flavor.

AllHipHop.com: I’m sure a lot of people are going to want to tune in and see what you’ve got going on.

Coolio: I would advise people to tune in. Just go to mydamnchannel.com, it actually airs on Monday of next week. I would advise people to check it out, you’re gonna get some insight and laugh your a** off at the same time. Then I’ll give you some ways to look at some old favorites, like caprice salad. That’s pretty basic, but I’ve actually come up with another way to do it that’s not caprice salad anymore, it’s “Coolio Caprice Salad” that’s got kick. Some people like it real plain and they want to taste the flavor of the cheese, that’s what a lot of people are going for. Especially Italians, they just put a little bit of oil on it and that’s it. But I kind of flip it.

The whole premise of my style is to help people be able to go to a regular grocery store, get a two dollar steak and make it taste like a 20 dollar prime rib. That’s my thing right there.

COOKIN' with COOLIO - episode ONE: http://www.mydamnchannel.com/Cookin_with_Coolio/Cookin_with_Coolio/1CoolioCapreseSalad_530.aspx

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'HORRIBLE' NEW LINE-UP ANNOUNCED

For Immediate Release

MY DAMN CHANNEL LAUNCHES 'HORRIBLE' NEW LINE-UP

Comic Soap Opera, Animated Shorts, and 'Cookin' with Coolio' Premiere Today

Over 13 Million Views for Original 'DAMN' Videos

'Wainy Days' Season 2 Finale Today

NEW YORK, February 11, 2008 - My Damn Channel (www.MyDamnChannel.com), the entertainment studio and new media platform, today premieres three new reasons to work less and watch more video: "Horrible People," "Cookin' with Coolio," and "Carnival of Stuff." The company also debuts a new look and all-new features designed by Big Fat Brain and built by Reborn Studio.

My Damn Channel's original comedy and music videos have racked up over 13 million views since launching six months ago. The entertainment studio backs professional artists by producing and distributing videos on its own site and in broad syndication on major portals including YouTube (www.YouTube.com/MyDamnChannel)

My Damn Channel's music destination is led by legendary music producer Don Was. The comedy line-up includes web phenom Andy Milonakis. Viral hits include videos by Harry Shearer (3.5 million views) and Big Fat Brain's "You Suck at Photoshop" (3.6 million views). David Wain's episodic comedy "Wainy Days" has over 4.1 million views and celebrates its second season finale today with episode 20.

"The best talent line-up in the game deliver original new videos every week," said Rob Barnett, president & CEO of My Damn Channel. "We're building a big brand, mass audience and real revenues at a fast pace without any corporate red tape."

Today's premieres include:

"Horrible People" - an evil comic soap opera Actor and comedian A.D. Miles ("Wet Hot American Summer," "Dog Bites Man") writes, directs and stars in a depraved soap opera, which takes place at a never-ending cocktail party. Kristin Schaal ("The Flight of the Conchords") and Mather Zickel ("Dancing with Shiva") co-star with A.D. Miles. The series is produced by Jonathan Stern, and new episodes will unfold every Monday at lunchtime for 10 weeks of "addictive workus interruptus."

"Cookin' with Coolio" - the name says it all The award-winning Hip Hop superstar is on a mission to invade your kitchen and create funkalicious dishes every Wednesday at lunchtime. The series is produced by Dead Crow Pictures.

"Carnival of Stuff" - original branded comedy Carnival of Stuff is the new online channel for Steve Kerper, creator of HBO's cult series "Hardcore TV." "Invasion," the first of two new projects, is an animated series about two small but determined aliens ordered to conquer Earth, with decidedly mixed results. Kerper writes the series which is animated by Asterisk (SNL's TV Funhouse). In March, Kerper and My Damn Channel debut "Bedtime Stories," based on traditional children's fables retold with illustrations in a very provocative way by host Grace Helbig. Carnival of Stuff episodes premiere every Thursday.

About My Damn Channel My Damn Channel is an entertainment studio and new media platform created to empower filmmakers, actors, comedians and musicians to co-produce, distribute and monetize original, episodic video content. Programming is created for the My Damn Channel site (www.MyDamnChannel.com) and for distribution on today's most heavily-trafficked online communities and social networks, such as YouTube and MySpace. My Damn Channel gives its artists 100% creative control and produces a diverse array of music and comedy from talent including Harry Shearer, Andy Milonakis, David Wain, Don Was, Coolio, A.D. Miles, Steve Kerper, and Big Fat Brain. The company is supported by an advertising revenue model, and by licensing the studio's entire portfolio of content across all forms of digital distribution, including online, mobile, VOD and DVD.

Media Contact:
Maria Diokno
My Damn Channel
866.424.8864
Maria@MyDamnChannel.com

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ADAM CAROLLA

Last weekend, I googled the man I hired for the awesome little job called "replace Howard Stern." I found an anonymous blog that smelled like something rotten was stinking up the kitchen at CBS: http://somedudefromjersey.blogspot.com/2007/12/shit-in-my-awesome-sandwich.html Adam Carolla has a playbook filled with more options and winning strategies than any idiotic morning zoo or any hack program directors can ever hope to create. Danny Bonaduce was a desperate hail mary pass thrown by people too short-sited to see that it took Howard decades to build his radio empire. When Stern first syndicated, it took four years for him to lay waste to the competition. Adam was always first to say that Howard was irreplaceable. I couldn't have agreed more. But when 'the KING' departed for a new throne, someone was left having to figure out how to start over. That someone was me. I went home the night that I was given the ball and told my wife there was good news & bad news. The good news was that I was made President of CBS Radio programming. The bad news is that I had to figure out how to replace Howard. We'll skip the long stories here about who the REAL choice was for NY & save all that for later. The ONLY choice for LA, and for the west coast Stern stations was the man who'd been on Howard's show for scores of LIVE appearances - the man who rocked THE MAN SHOW with Brother Jimmy Kimmel - the man who made LOVELINE a latenight hit - the man with unique comic skills to improv and create immediate compelling content out of every scrap of raw material - the man who can build a house with his bare hands - and you get the drift: C-A-R-O-L-L-A. We gave Adam a new start in a new format called FREE FM. Our mission wasn't complex. Hire BIG talent and give them the support and freedom they need to build better radio on their own terms. People are sick of over-formatted radio with too many commercial interuptions. No breaking news there. Talent is the only answer to better ratings and revenues. But old media doesn't have a terrific track record backing talent. The current writers' strike is front page news that tells the same story in Hollywood. A great drama seems to be unfolding. Morning radio fans in LA, Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle, Sacramento, Reno, Fresno, Palm Springs, Portland (Oregon & Maine), Boise, and Pittsburgh wait to find out if Adam Carolla will be back on January 2nd. I'll lay down this bet with a song: Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling From glen to glen, and down the mountain side The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying 'Tis you, 'tis you must go.

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KEY INGREDIENTS

The twins are starting to sleep more than four hours at a time. Sleep deprivation has been morphing into rocket fuel for thinking, creating, blogging for the past 7 weeks. Will more than four hours cause writer's block? This morning I awoke about 5 am - missed the middle if the night feed - gifted by my wife - but just had one of those all too rare moments - twice - once after feeding my son - and again just now after feeding my daughter. These moments shut out all the noise. The chase was off. The race wasn't being run. Time out was called - and the silence took over - rolling in like a wave. When these moments passed - I felt like I was fed well too. A meal laced with the same unnameable flavors that birthed the babies, the business, and all good times. I remembered the energy we conjured up to start My Damn Channel and the secret sauce that went into the brew. The key ingredients we left out were doubt and fear. We left those two in the kitchen cabinet - just in case anyone from old media needed to stop by and borrow some spice. We cooked with extra servings of badass and positive thinking - we threw in enough angst to keep us from ever going through the motions - because we know that breaking out of our low-rent kitchen and into profits was a mission worth fighting for. We're a little more than four months into the battle. We're not claiming "mission accomplished" yet. We're seeking new co-cons to add ideas, weapons, soul, sweat and cash. We're answering every phone call and email - even some of the oddest ones - 08 is upon us - and we're building a bigger boat to set sail for futureville. Co-cons welcome: rob@mydamnchannel.com

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NEWS LEAK

Calling all Co-Cons. We’ve been getting a ton of calls in the wake of the writers’ strike and after Harry Shearer went mega-viral with Dan Rather & Katie Couric. We’re leaking our latest announcement here: My Damn Channel STRIKES BACK AT “OLD MEDIA” WITH TOP TALENT from HIPHOP, comedy central AND HBO Four original web series include a twisted soap opera, animated alien invasions, hiphop cooking and “Horrible” comedy NEW YORK, December 4, 2007 – My Damn Channel , the entertainment studio and new media platform, today announced three new talent signings. Grammy-winning recording artist Coolio; A.D. Miles (“Wet Hot American Summer,” “Reno 911,” “Dog Bites Man”) and Steve Kerper (MTV, HBO, “Amaze Your Friends”) will launch new video channels and create weekly original episodic video content for the Web. Debuting in early 2008, these entertainers will join comedian/political satirist Harry Shearer (“The Simpsons,” “This is Spinal Tap”); music producer Don Was (The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan); independent comic filmmaker David Wain (“Wet Hot American Summer,” “The Ten”); Web phenom Andy Milonakis (“The Andy Milonakis Show,” MTV); and the new comic duo Big Fat Brain, in creating weekly series for My Damn Channel. “Our new media platform is only four months old, but we’re growing more teeth and muscle,” said Rob Barnett, president and CEO of My Damn Channel. “Our biggest new videos are bringing in millions of viewers, and new sponsors such as Lincoln, Universal Pictures and ASCAP have signed on. We’re striking back at our old media competitors by giving our talent a new creative platform without executive interference.” My Damn Channel’s newest artists bring with them bodies of work that are both diverse and decorated. Following is a brief overview of each: Coolio Coolio is an award-winning Rap superstar with over 27 million albums sold worldwide. He has won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance, an American Music Award, 3 MTV Awards, 2 Nickelodeon's Kid's Choice Awards, 2 Billboard Music Awards, and 2 ASCAP Awards. Coolio continues to perform live throughout the world. He is a composer, voice-over artist, and an actor who has appeared in over 50 films and television shows. Coolio received notoriety for his recent work in reality shows such as “Celebrity Bootcamp” and “Celebrity Fear Factor.” Coolio is blazing new territory and taking on Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray and all other competitors by creating “Cookin’ with Coolio” for My Damn Channel. In this original weekly series, he will teach viewers to cook soul dishes that are fast, healthy and affordable. Using only the freshest ingredients from local supermarkets, Coolio will invite viewers into his home kitchen as he whips up Fall-Off-The-Bone Chicken, Soul Rolls and more. Coolio will be joined by two sexy soux chefs, “The Sauce Girls,” and by celebrity friends. “Cookin’ with Coolio” will be produced by Dead Crow Pictures. “When it comes to the kitchen, I’m on a mission,” Coolio said. “I’m the neighborhood ghetto witch doctor superhero and I’m gonna make you forget about every other cooking show you’ve ever seen.” A.D. Miles A.D. Miles is an actor, writer, director and comedian whose acting credits include the cult classic “Wet Hot American Summer,” “The Ten” and “The Believer,” the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Miles’ television credits include “Reno 911” and “Stella,” and he was a writer and star of the critically acclaimed series “Dog Bites Man” on Comedy Central. Miles performs regularly in comedy clubs and colleges across the country. A.D. Miles is creating the original series “Horrible People” for My Damn Channel. It’s a depraved soap opera that takes place entirely at a never-ending cocktail party, where guests drink too much and are always getting murdered or pregnant. “Horrible People” will be produced by Jonathan Stern, who also produces David Wain’s “Wainy Days” series for My Damn Channel, which has been seen by nearly 1.5 million viewers. “‘Horrible People’” is based on my belief that most of us are not as civilized as we seem,” Miles said. “We are, in fact, vile selfish beasts who are a hair's breadth away from stabbing someone over the last cocktail shrimp.” The first episode of “Horrible People” will feature Mather Zickel (“Dancing with Shiva”) and Kristen Schaal (“The Flight of the Conchords”) starring alongside Miles. Steve Kerper Steve Kerper has been writing sketches in New York City for over 150 years. The first series he created was “Pirate TV” for MTV. The late Michael O’Donoghue (first head writer for SNL) saw “Pirate TV” and introduced Kerper to HBO, where he wrote and produced “Hardcore TV.” Kerper’s series gave birth to such infamous sketches as “Raging Bullwinkle” and “This Old Whorehouse.” Over the years he has written for television at FOX, CBS, ABC, FX, Comedy Central, MTV, Showtime, TV Land and VH1. Kerper has written for films at Warner Bros., Universal, Disney, Miramax and Dimension. Since “Hardcore TV,” he has worked with such notable celebrities as Civil War General John Bell Hood, Enlightenment philosopher Thomas Hobbs, Pakistani Cricket legend Shoiab Malikatani, and tons of fat people. He missed out by only 78 votes on being Secretary of Defense of Paraguay, a bitter pill to swallow. Kerper is creating and launching two original series for My Damn Channel, on a newly-branded online destination called “Carnival of Stuff.” “Invasion” is an animated series about two small but determined aliens ordered to conquer Earth, with decidedly mixed results. The series is written by Kerper and directed and animated by Asterisk (SNL’s TV Funhouse). “Bedtime Stories” features YouTube cult personality and one-time pole vault medalist Grace Helbig. The series is based on traditional children’s fables retold with illustrations in a very provocative way. Kerper will write and direct the live action production with illustrations by Asterisk. “I’m so excited about working with My Damn Channel that I’m even thinking about getting a computer so I can watch it,” concluded Kerper. About My Damn Channel My Damn Channel is an entertainment studio and new media platform created to empower filmmakers, actors, comedians and musicians to co-produce, distribute and monetize original, episodic video content. Programming is created by artists for the My Damn Channel site (http://www.mydamnchannel.com/) and for distribution on today's most heavily- trafficked online communities and social networks, such as YouTube and MySpace. My Damn Channel gives its artists 100% creative control to develop their own brands and new storylines. My Damn Channel produces a diverse array of music and comedy from talent including Harry Shearer, Andy Milonakis, David Wain, Don Was, Coolio, A.D. Miles, Steve Kerper and Big Fat Brain. The company is supported by an advertising revenue model, and by licensing the studio's entire portfolio of content across all forms of digital distribution, including online, mobile, VOD and DVD. Media Contacts: Edelman (for My Damn Channel)

Jerry Griffin 212.704.4536

Alan Lewis 212.704.4456 alan.lewis@edelman.com

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