Posted in
Daily Grace,
Josh Meisel,
My Damn Channel,
My Damn Channel Blog Network,
Slacktory with tags
Daily Grace,
Grace Helbig,
chuting,
planking,
Josh Meisel,
My Damn Channel,
The Slacktory,
My Damn Channel Blog Network,
owling on 7/29/2011 11:09:08 AM by Josh Meisel
Now at this point, you may be thinking "WHAT ON EARTH IS CHUTING?!?!" Webster's dictionary defines chuting as "the act of utilizing a chute (as by passing ore down it)." But Webster's dictionary is an idiot.
In the 21st century, chuting, invented by Grace Helbig in a recent Daily Grace, is an alternative to planking (pictured above), which is for babies. Here's two chuters inverted chuting at the American Museum of Natural History.
If you want to see what normal chuting looks like, you could hold your computer upside-down, or keep it rightside-up but look at it while inverted chuting yourself, or build a time machine and travel to 1897 to partake in George M. Stratton's perceptual adaptation experiment, in which participants wore goggles that inverted their vision vertically until their brain eventually inverted the image back to normal, at which point when the subject would remove their googles, their vision would be permanently upside-down.
Or you could check out this photo of a very athletic Darlene Contreras chuting on a soccer ball.
Or Taylor O'Brien 'chuting hoops.
And if you can't get enough of planking variants, check out this brief article from My Damn Chanel Blog Network member The Slacktory.
TGIF, HAGS, and happy 'chutin'!
Posted in
Harry Shearer,
Matt Warren,
My Damn Channel,
YouTube with tags
Harry Shearer,
TSA,
air travel,
Spinal Tap,
Rob Reiner,
Touch My Junk,
PS22,
TSA pat down,
airline security,
airport security on 4/15/2011 9:47:53 AM by Matt Warren
In case you haven't heard, the TSA is now giving pat-downs to six-year-olds. And while we admire the TSA's consistency, we can't help but wonder if this is one of those times when common sense could have prevailed and an exception perhaps been made. I'm guessing the biggest threat poised by the girl in the video is the possibility of getting roped into a hyperactive, one-sided conversation about Justin Beiber. God, kids will not SHUT UP about that guy.
Nevertheless, maybe instead of wasting their time with Journey, the kids of PS22 should brace themselves for the realities of modern air travel and instead do a cover of Harry Shearer's "Touch My Junk." In fact, I can't think of one single reason why this might be a bad idea. Oh wait, I just thought of about five-hundred. Never mind.
Posted in
Events,
Facebook,
Gigi,
Josh Gad,
Live Shows,
Matt Warren,
My Damn Channel,
New Series,
The Book of Mormon,
The Lost Nomads with tags
Book of Mormon on Broadway,
broadway tickets,
broadway musical,
South Park,
Matt Stone and Trey Parker,
South Park creators,
Josh Gad on 4/8/2011 10:01:27 AM by Matt Warren
So if you're here on My Damn Channel reading this blog, then you're OBVIOUSLY in the top 1% of cultured Americans, fingers no doubt coated with ink from the latest New York Times book review, the scent of a well-aged Malbec still lingering in your nostrils from last night's upscale wine tasting.
And you're undoubtedly a lover of the finer things in life: air travel, social satire, Broadway musicals. Lucky for you, we've rolled all of your interests into one amazing sweepstakes opportunity. In honor of My Damn Channel's new show Gigi, we're flying one lucky winner to New York to see the new hit musical The Book of Mormon, created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and starring Gigi himself, Josh Gad.
So put down your Chaucer, readjust your monocle, and head on over to our Facebook page to enter for your chance to win. And what the hell, here's the Gigi trailer again. YOU'RE WELCOME.
Posted in
Subway with tags
jeff and ravi fail history,
subway,
fresh artists,
jared,
foot long,
five dollar,
5,
time travel,
future,
past,
present,
USC,
filmmakers,
filmmaking,
sxsw on 3/14/2011 8:15:55 AM by Dubs
"Sandwiches & Shorts" screened the winners of the Subway Fresh Artists Filmmakers Challenge at the IFC Crossroads House at SXSW. Grace was there as hostess with the mostest, Rob made his way around the scene, and the Fresh Artists winners were there in full effect. SXSW was a blast (but we've gotta get back to work now).
Hope you followed us on Tumblr & Twitter!
If you're already hip to Harry Shearer's latest video, "Touch My Junk", then feel free to jump down to the links below and check out two new videos documenting the making of. Or maybe you just want some tips on fashionable dress and sassy dance moves?
If you haven't seen the original yet, stop everything -
and start watching. Then watch the behind the scenes videos, linked below.
Touch My Junk - Behind the Scenes:
Wardrobe
Touch My Junk - Behind the Scenes:
The Shoot
Posted in
Gigi,
The Book of Mormon with tags
Gigi,
Almost American,
Josh Gad,
The Book of Mormon,
Trey Parker,
Matt Stone,
Broadway,
South Park,
Big Love,
Viagra on 2/24/2011 7:10:44 AM by DannyMoney
Today is the day: previews begin for the new Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon" and I, for one, could not be more excited. Why? Three reasons.
1) Josh Gad, star of "Gigi: Almost American," My Damn Channel's original series premiering on 3/23, will also be starring in "The Book of Mormon" as Elder Cunningham, one of the two missionaries who travel to Africa in order to spread, eh-hem, the Book of Mormon.
2) Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, TREY PARKER AND MATT STONE!!! "The Book of Mormon" is the brainchild of these two dudes who also created "South Park," you know, that show that's been hilarious for over a decade now. These guys always go for it: it's guaranteed that "The Book of Mormon" will bring the hot fire cuz Trey and Matt they don't ever quit bringing the heat.
3) It's Broadway, baby! I've seen every single show that's ever opened on Broadway since "Show Boat" opened in 1927. I can't get enough of it! The pageantry, the hot lights, the buzz, the singing, the dancing...at this tender age of 114, Broadway is more potent than a fistful of Viagra.
So scoop up your tickets right now. Why wait? WHY WOULD YOU WAIT? There are no reasons. Do it.
Harry Shearer is angry, y'all.
Air travel used to be romantic. Boyfriends and girlfriends could drop each other off at the airport and make out until the final boarding call sounded over the intercom. Whole families could wait at the gate for their kids to come home from college at Christmas. Travelers used to be able to choose belts and shoes for reasons that had nothing to do with how easy they were to remove quickly in airport security lines.
These days it's a good day if your flight takes off within three hours of its scheduled departure time.
So for every one of us who has been subjected to a random luggage screening, or forgotten to take off our earrings before going through a metal detector, or had half a bottle of water in his carry-on, or had a tube of toothpaste larger than 4 ounces... for every one of us who has had to explain an oddly-shaped item in our suitcase, had to pay an extra $100 just to take luggage on vacation... for anyone who has embarrassed herself by forgetting that she had her phone in her back pocket when she went through the scanner, or anyone who has had an anxiety attack when a TSA agent picks your bag up off of the conveyor belt and asks, "Is this yours?" For anyone who has ever fantasized about screaming at the family with five kids and the stroller: "JUST FOLD THE DAMN THING UP BEFORE YOU GET IN THE SECURITY LINE!"
For everyone who's mad as hell that a trip through airport security might mean an inadvertent game of rub and tickle, this song's for you:
TOUCH MY JUNK!
Posted in
Bob Dylan with tags
Bob Dylan,
Bill Flanagan on 4/11/2009 9:27:53 AM by Rob Barnett
A new
Bob Dylan album is on the way. Here's an excerpt from a new interview by Bill Flanagan with a link below to much more. He talks a bunch about Obama, about dreams, and his work.
Are you a mystical person?
Absolutely.
Any thoughts about why?
I think it’s the land. The streams, the forests, the vast emptiness. The land created me. I’m wild and lonesome. Even as I travel the cities, I‘m more at home in the vacant lots. But I have a love for humankind, a love of truth, and a love of justice. I think I have a dualistic nature. I’m more of an adventurous type than a relationship type.
But the album is all about love – love found, love lost, love remembered, love denied.
Posted in
John Sykes,
MTV,
VH1 with tags
John Sykes,
MTV,
VH1 on 3/12/2008 10:04:00 AM by Rob Barnett
Do you remember your first secret Rock & Roll moment? You're in your room, with the door closed. The music's up loud. You're fairly sure you've got at least a few minutes of privacy before one of your parents barges in to shout: "turn it down." Pre-iPod, Pre-Guitar Hero. In that room, in that moment, the music moves you to the mirror. You strap on the imaginary air guitar - for a moment you are the singer and the song.
The rock beast born inside you is a hungry monster that has to be fed. Few take the brave path of opening up that bedroom door and walking out into the world committed to life as "the artist."
Most grow to a certain age where they ignore the hunger long enough to starve the monster to death. These secret settlers head for a straight path to adulthood without causing too much damage. Others have a wellspring of sacred angst that eats them up inside.
Certain rock disciples choose a middle path. This is a road traveled by souls who never stray far away from their original rock inspirations. These souls find careers as DJs, A&R execs, MTV execs, VH1 execs, concert promoters. JOHN SYKES has done ALL of that.
Along the way, he's honored the music; celebrated it; televised it; played it; inducted it; he took us BEHIND THE MUSIC; he POPPED it up; he backed STORYTELLERS, saints & sinners...he even dedicated himself to SAVE THE MUSIC.
It's easy to forget that all the music you love takes at least two steps to get into your head. First, it has to be made - and then it has to have a champion. John is a lifelong fan and champion of great music.
In a world full of bad guys, John's raw enthusiasm and force of will have always overcome mountains. If you're a rock soul looking to lead a life in tune, you're lucky to cross paths with this guy. He's both leader and cheerleader - driven - soulful - smart - and fearless.
Thanks for every help along the way John. The future is damn full of fun. Syked to see your next great vision.
THE NEXT BROADCAST
by Ben Goldstein
March 2, 2008 -- Web entertainment enters prime time, as Internet networks start modeling themselves on real-world broadcastersBY THE TIME you finish reading this sentence, a 15-year-old mall-punk in central Michigan will have clicked on a YouTube video, gotten bored within seconds, and then clicked on another. It's that kind of insatiable thirst for the next bright, shiny Web-thing that's both fueling and challenging an emerging wave of Internet TV networks.
But for these rapidly multiplying entertainment sites that present original videos, usually released on a consistent schedule, it's also their greatest hope. Because although the audience that looks online for entertainment is fickle to the point of brutality, maybe their attention spans are so short because nobody has given them what they want yet.
Two weeks ago, actor-comedian Damon Wayans became the latest high-profile figure to throw his talent behind the still relatively unproven medium of Internet television, as he announced the impending debut of WayOutTV.com. The site will feature sketch comedy bearing the trademark Wayans Family mix of oddball pop-culture parody and provocative social commentary. Though an official launch date hasn't been established, samples are being released weekly at YouTube.com/WayOutTV.
"There is no urban destination online," Wayans says. "Everybody uses YouTube, but you have to dig deep and for a long time to find something that satisfies you. With WayOut, I'm the filter. I'm creating a brand of comedy as opposed to letting everybody just put up whatever they want."Though the comedian admits that building a Web site's infrastructure is new to him, he sounds like a veteran 'Net-geek when he talks about his big ideas, which include using WayOutTV to create viral ads for corporations, and focusing on content for mobile phones.
He'll need those forward-thinking concepts if WayOutTV is going to succeed.
As the Will Ferrell-backed FunnyorDie.com proved, it takes more than a big name to hold the eyes of an online populace in constant search of novelty. Pulling in about 2 million unique viewers per month, FunnyorDie may be a traffic success compared to other top-notch comedy destinations like SuperDeluxe and MyDamnChannel, but after drawing 4.5 million visitors during its April launch, FoD's numbers crashed and have yet to recover.Besides the fact that the site's videos lacked a predictable TV-like schedule, another reason for FunnyOrDie's somewhat disappointing performance could be its insular nature. The old model was to guard your content vigilantly so that it wouldn't fall into the hands of other video-sharing sites, where you wouldn't benefit from the traffic. (If you want to see Will Ferrell have an argument with a foul-mouthed toddler, you have to come here.)
This may have been a mistake.
New networks are distributing their content all over the Web rather than confining it to a single site, but they're doing so in a controlled way so artists' rights are protected. 60Frames.com, which launched its first series in January, follows a studio model in which professional artists are given resources to create videos that are syndicated to sites like YouTube and MySpace.
Shows produced by 60Frames include "WhoWhatWearTV," which has been theNo. 1-ranked fashion/beauty video podcast on iTunes since its debut, and the hilarious Jersey Shore-lampooning "Douchebag Beach" series."We knew there were a lot of talented artists who wanted to work in this space, but they didn't want to just upload their content to the 'Net without any support, or sell their ideas to media companies where they would be forced to give up ownership and control," says 60Frames CEO Brent Weinstein, who previously led United Talent Agency's digital media department. "When we hear an idea that's a good match for our company, we get behind it as quickly as we can, and once we're in business with artists, we give them quite a bit of free reign. We're the most artist-friendly option in the marketplace."
Of course, you might consider bypassing artists altogether.
A totally different (and more conventional) model for Internet TV is exemplified by Joost, a five-month-old service that presents more than 20,000 shows plucked from "real" TV networks such as Comedy Central and A&E. Original programming is a potential goal for the future, but Joost's main focus is on acquiring rights to existing programming and presenting it all in one place for free.But are more channels what people want?Though more than 5 million people have downloaded the Joost software to date, the company's North American GM, David Clark, says that the biggest challenge in running Joost is "helping people find what they are interested in.
"All of a sudden, that "filter" thing that Damon Wayans mentioned is starting to make sense. If you're lost in an abyss of options that aren't directly aimed at you, maybe you're in the wrong place. And Rob Barnett, CEO of MyDamnChannel, is even more critical of the repurposing strategy.
"I think there's a lot of cynicism in this attitude of, 'The kids are watching all this YouTube stuff, so let's go make another buck off the s - - - we already have,' " Barnett says. "It's rehashed, retreaded content that was made for a different medium. I'd rather say, 'Hey, let's blow their minds and give them something they haven't seen before.' "
Barnett managed programming and production divisions at MTV and VH1 for more than a decade before launching MyDamnChannel in July of last year. The site had 1 million unique users in January, and when we spoke with him, it was having its biggest traffic day ever thanks to a Harry Shearer-produced clip that showed candid footage of Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly during moments they didn't know cameras were rolling.
Less is certainly more at MyDamnChannel. Instead of a mass of individual videos that require searching, MDC presents eight highly produced channels, created by artists ranging from Harry Shearer to Coolio, which release a new episode every week. It's about as close to an actual TV network as you'll find on the Web, right down to the consistent scheduling, and it runs proudly against the grain of the user-generated content approach (which ManiaTV.com CEO Peter Hoskins colorfully refers to as "loser-generated content").
Like Wayans, Barnett realizes the importance of submitting to a higher power (i.e., YouTube) for exposure and distribution."If you just drop [your content] onto the Internet, you're in the biggest ocean in the planet, and you're lost," Barnett says.
Words of warning for the glut of new comedy-based Internet TV networks trying to follow the throw-it-all-at-the-wall approach set by FunnyorDie. Recent months have seen the launch of MyBlueCollar.com (Jeff Foxworthy's comedy site), NationalBanana.com (Jerry Zucker's comedy site), and the brand-new Comedy.com (Former UPN President Dean Valentine's comedy site). We don't necessarily recommend you visit any of them.Even though the trend is toward outrageous humor, not every Internet TV network goes for belly laughs. One of the most interesting new models is the development of a group of sites or channels that have nothing to do with one another, but are produced with the same aesthetic.
ONNetworks.com presents more than 20 do-it-yourself cooking, decorating, and green-living instructional shows aimed at the young and hip. The sites launched by the year-old NextNewNetworks.com, which is also led by former cable TV execs, have provided definitive destinations for everyone from vintage Corvette enthusiasts (VetteDog.com), to jewelry designers (MetalChik.com), to people who just like cute pets (UltraKawaii.com).
But there's one thing all these sites have in common: They won't ask you to pay a single dime for your entertainment.
With so much content already free on the Web, those who launch Internet TV networks know they have to be a little more creative when it comes to finding revenue streams. Hence, syndication deals, embedded ads, corporate brands integrated into programming and DVD releases.
Ultimately, Damon Wayans places his trust in the opportunity of the unknown that the online wilderness can be tamed and the pioneers of Web TV can eventually learn how to turn a profit.
"I personally feel that the Internet is what cable was 30 years ago," Wayans says. "It's like clay. Whatever you decide to make it, that's what it will become."
Channel guide: SURFING THROUGH the best of web tv
vbs.tv
Concept: Hipster entertainment from the minds that brought you Vice Magazine.
Best Show: "Shot by Kern" gives viewers insight into the artistic process of New York-based erotic photographer Richard Kern and the thought process of his models.
Also Watch: "The Vice Guide to Travel," "Epicly Later'd"
Schedule: More than 30 series are currently in rotation and are usually updated weekly.
NextNewNetworks.com
Concept: An umbrella group of micro-networks aimed at various niche interests.
Best Channel: IndyMogul.com, resources and moral support for DIY filmmakers.
Also Watch: ThreadBanger.com (fashion coverage with a punk rock 'tude), ChannelFrederator.com (animated comedy featuring Dan Meth's brilliant "The Meth Minute 39" series)
Schedule: Generally in the video blog format, each of NNN's subnetworks are on their own schedules, with daily or weekly updates.
SuperDeluxe.com
Concept: Boundary-pushing alt-comedy videos and social networking.
Best Show: "The Professor Brothers," wherein two bald, pompous community college lecturers try to make sense of the world.
Also Watch: "All My Exes," Norm MacDonald's "The Fake News"
MyDamnChannel.com
Concept: An Internet entertainment studio focusing on eight professional-quality channels produced by well-known artists.
Best Show: In "Wainy Days," writer/director/ex-State member David Wain repeatedly and hilariously fails to find his soul mate.
Also Watch:
"Horrible People," "Big Fat Brain"
Schedule:
Monday: new episodes of
Wainy Days,
Horrible People
Tuesday:
Harry Shearer
Wednesday:
Andy Milonakis,
Cookin' With Coolio
Thursday:
Don Was,
Carnival of Stuff
Friday:
"Big Fat Brain"
ONNetworks.com
Concept: Unconventional instructional shows for a range of interests, all produced in HD.
Best Show: "Dinner with the Band," in which chef Sam Mason hosts his favorite bands for an evening of cooking, conversation, and live performance.
Also Watch: "Backpack Picnic," "Stump the Chef"