Something The Streamy Awards Did Right

Despair not, Web TV producers. Sunday night's Streamy Awards, despite the bad behavior and poor planning, may have done some justice: It exposed an audience of onlookers to new programming online they might have never have known before. Twitter chatter today is suggesting as much. As one Tweeter mentioned, "when life give you lemons..." Now he, and loads of people who suffered through technical problems and streakers, have a list of online shows they want to check out. Here are some that strike my fancy:


The Guild, starring and co-created by Felicia Day, is a funny, quirky show about a group of online gamers. I'm just starting to watch this series, and so far - it's quirky and fun. Watch The Guild at http://www.watchtheguild.com/





Easy To Assemble. This comedy is created by and stars Ileanna Douglas playing a fictional version of her actress self who quits the Hollywood acting rat face to work at an Ikea in Burbank. Justine Bateman co-stars, also as herself.

Watch Easy to Assemble here: http://www.easytoassemble.tv/


The Kevin Pollack Chat Show. This is an entertaining video podcast talk show hosted by the actor/comedian. Pollack's comedy, stories and ease make him a great interviewer and host. His guests are amazing: Jon Hamm, Kevin Smith, Huebel and Scheer, Kevin Nealon, Henry Winkler, Hank Azaria. The show streams on iTunes and on his site. Watch Kevin at: http://www.kevinpollakschatshow.com/



Wainy Days. Ah, Wainy Days. One of my all time favorite web series. Created by, written by and starring David Wain, it chronicles his fictionalized pretend lonely life picking up the ladies. (Paul Rudd starred in an episode entitled "The Pickup" as seen in photo). David won a 2010 Streamy for best writing. Watch Wainy Days here: http://www.wainydays.com/




What the Buck Show. This started out as a YouTube web show that I subscribed to and love, love love. Now it's a big deal. Michael Buckley reports on Hollywood and pop culture with breathless speed and humor. He's super fun. "I had to have it!" What the Buck is at: www.buckhollywood.com



So, perhaps something positive came out of the craziness of Sunday night's fiasco. I discovered more original content and hard working creative professionals trying to do something independently. It might take a few years to wash the stench of this weekend off, but even the pioneers of the wild west had to dig a few stinky muddy trenches before they built their homestead.

There's more to watch. Check out the following shows:
Diggnation
The Bannen Way
Know Your Meme
The Totally Rad Show

New Pilot for Fox: The Station

Pretty cool news, this...

Ben Stiller will be Executive Producing a comedy pilot for Fox Television about about CIA operatives in South America called The Station. David Wain (Wainy Days Stella) will direct. As for the cast, John Goodman (Roseanne, The Big Lebowski) has just signed on to star. Joining him will be comedian Whitney Cummings (who I saw at the Hollywood Improv last month opening for my funny friend Bryan Callen and she killed), Justin Bartha, the missing groom, found sunburned on the roof of Caesar's in The Hangover, Julio Oscar Mechoso, and the awesome Rob Huebel (Human Giant) who should be appearing on Michael and Michael Have Issues in upcoming weeks and currently appearing in the video below.

Source: Variety

Here's a funny video short just posted on Tom Lennon's (or Reno 911's Jim Dangle's) MySpace site: Point Break

DVD of the Night: Stella

I'm watching Stella on DVD for the first time in a while. David Wain, Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black comprised this oddball conceptual bizarre comedy show back in 2005. These guys are nuts - a big bowl of mixed crunchy nuts you can't stop eating until you go into anaphylactic shock - if you are so allergically inclined. But it's worth it just to see Black get all weird. I mean crazy bat shit weird, but it's amazing. Wish I knew it was on Hulu before I waited days to get the DVD from Netflix. Watch it now. (http://www.hulu.com/stella)

More to come from Showalter and Black with Michael and Michael Have Issues, premiering on Comedy Central in July. Also check out David Wain's Wainy Days.

What to Watch...On The Internet

Jason Sudeikis in Crackle.com's "The Line"

Yes, there is good comedy on the internet. Fresh baked, ready for the clicking kind of sketch comedy/talks shows, slickly produced and cast with the funny and the famous who've by passed the fundamental television path and did a Sarah Palin by going rogue. Thanks to the advent of Funnyordie, Crackle and MyDamnChannel, familiar comedy talent is cranking out ideas and baking up new comedy for the taking. Whether you're taking a break from work, or need a diversion from network television, which is eroding due to distractions that include viewers turning more to the internet for entertainment, you will always find something hilarious to hang your hat on.

Here are my top favorite online comedy selections found in recent weeks:

TheWB.com's "Children's Hospital" on thewb.com

"Children's Hospital" TheWB.com, already reviewed in a previous entry (just below) here at TVblogster, is a hilarious hospital parody written, directed and co-produced by Rob Corddry, with the help of David Wain and Jonathan Stein. A parade of familiar faces from comedy abound: Megan Mullally, SNL's Jason Sudeikis, The Office's Ed Helms, Desperate Housewives' Eva Longoria-Parker partake in the satire. It's raunchy fun, and worth viewing all ten episodes, now available at thewb.com.

Joe Lo Truglio and Bill Hader in "The Line" on Crackle.com

"The Line", Produced by Broadway Video and directed by Seth Meyers, was originally filmed and released on Crackle.com last summer. Bill Hader (another SNL-er) and The State's Joe Lo Tuglio play die hard SciFi geeks who camp out two weeks before a long awaited movie release, only to be met with the trials and tribulations of sidewalk treachery. See our heroes as they swelter in the heat, don't shower, tackle a trio of shape shifting creepy guys, placate a pissed off theater manager, and out smart an annoying party crasher called "The Spoiler" (played by Paul Scheer) who threatens to spill the movie's highly secretive twist. But most of all, see them try to keep their place in line. Catch it on crackle.com.

Paul Rudd in "Wainy Days: The Pickup" on mydamnchannel.com

My Damn Channel harbors one of my favorite series of comedies from one of eccentric talents of The State - David Wain. Wainy Days is the ongoing saga of Wain trying to get a date. The episode near and dear to my heart is The Pickup. It co-stars Paul Rudd as the master of picking up chicks. He is too beautiful and funny to be real. Watch it on mydamnchannel.com.

Jon Hamm guests on "Between Two Ferns" on FunnyorDie.com

The masterminds behind FunnyorDie have created a goldmine of original, funny and highly silly comedy shorts online. Of course, The Landlord starring the two year old Pearl and Will Farrell is now infamous. There is so much to explore on this site; however, my personal favorite lately is Between Two Ferns, a three part chat show starring host Zack Galifianakis who interviews Mad Men's Jon Hamm (who appears to be a true comedian at heart), Jimmy Kimmell and Michael Cera. Galifianakis is a frightening interviewer whose questions are uncomfortable and insanely funny. Find all three parts at FunnyorDie. Click on following links: (Michael Cera), (Jon Hamm), (Jimmy Kimmel).

The spectrum of good quality comedy that is comparable to television fare is out there for the plucking. Not all online comedy content is pitch perfect, but if one searches enough, there is plenty to enjoy.