We Like The Sklar Brothers

(The Sklar Brothers at My Damn Channel HQ!)

We like The Sklar Brothers.

They're funny. Their podcast is reliably funny. They did a web series with us called Back On Topps, which got us as close to Yankees GM Brian Cashman as we're probably ever going to get:

And this week they put out a new album, "Hendersons & Daughters."

In fact, it's already Number One on the iTunes Comedy chart:

(You guys knocked Daniel Tosh out of the top spot! Thank goodness.)

So check it out. Buy the album. Tell them we said "Thanks for being so nice that one time you came by the office." And always make sure that you shout out loud whenever and wherever you possibly can, "HENDERSON!!!"

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How To Be A Vlogger: Lesson One

So you want to know how to be a vlogger.

Daily Grace is pretty good at vlogging so you think we might know a thing or two about it, right?

Fine. We're going to tell you all of our secrets. But only one at a time.

Lesson One: Let everyone know this is your very first vlog and you're not sure what to say.

Like so:

As you can see in this "My First Vlog Supercut" (courtesy our sister blog, Slacktory), telling everyone it's your first time (what?) will make you seem humble and adorable. No one likes the rookie who hits a grand slam in his first at-bat! Well, everyone pretends they like him, but inside everyone is actually seething with jealousy. So, self-deprecation is totally the way to go! Also, you now have a built-in excuse for doing a terrible job. Also, I made a baseball analogy! Whoa.

Make sure you come back next Friday for Lesson Two...

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5 Ways To Make Yourself More Popular

WAKE UP and be more popular! Don't be like James Franco.

So you're back in school and you're bored already? Here are 5 Ways To Make Yourself More Popular.

1. Find someone to haze. It's still early in the school year, right? Your professor is probably still learning names. If you're in a class where your instructor calls attendance, just start hazing people. "Steve Guttenberg?" "More like, Steve Not-So-Gutten-To-Be-Back-In-School! YOU'VE BEEN HAZED."

2. Talk about how much you love Justin Bieber. His voice still hasn't broken so girls still see him as an asexual non-threatening type of fantasy crush, right? Also he's just, like, sooooooo CUUUUUUUTE.

3. Tell them how much you love animals. Cats, especially. Who doesn't love a pussy...CAT. Pussycat. Jeez.

4. Show your new roomies that you know how to cook. You should probably start with the Faghetti'wich: fries and spaghetti on a sandwich...so, you know, all your basic college food groups. Later, when the local sandwich shop starts selling it you can get them to name it after you.

5. Make a video for your new classmates telling them how much you love them. And how pretty you think they all are. And how you would totally have babies with them if they would let you. Because that's not creepy at all.

Good luck! Let us know if any of these things actually work to increase your popularity because then we will need to transfer to your school immediately.

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How To Be An Intern

(Intern Josh, wondering forlornly how he ended up here)

EDITOR'S NOTE: It's Josh's last day as an intern for My Damn Channel! I asked him to write up a post telling you what it was like for him this summer!


Coming into My Damn Channel as an intern I thought all I was gonna learn was how to file papers and fill out reports. Boy was I wrong! Friday will be my last day and I still haven't correctly filled out a single report. My boss is always saying that it drives him crazy how long it's taking me to get the hang of the office duties, but I can tell he's just joking. How I treasure that agonized look he gets trying so hard to hold back laughter.

What I learned though was way more valuable than any college education. I would say it was worth about $230,000, a couple hundred more than four years' tuition at Wesleyan. What I learned was the value of making the effort to gain the respect of your peers.

Before I ever set foot into that office, I had my work cut out for me. My future co-workers had already started gossiping that I only got the internship because of my family connections. After failing for three years to strike any gold, my great-great-grandfather started My Damn Channel during the California Gold Rush as a burlesque show designed to entertain entrepreneurs who had given up on trying to find gold and started companies catered to the needs of the gold miners. Grandpa Schmulie Meisel. I can't believe that was such a popular name back then — Grandpa.

My first day at work the guy sharing my cubicle got mad at me for unplugging his computer. "What do you need a blender for?!" he irrationally snarled. "How else are you gonna make computer smoothies silly? By hand?!" I chucked his computer into my oversized blender. He must've thought I was awfully spoiled, not making my computer smoothies by hand. I really had an uphill battle ahead of me if I wanted to gain anyone's respect.

A couple of days in I got the courage to pitch a show idea to the head of development. It was a parody of "Friends" called "Friends." He looked at me like I was an idiot. "You just handed me a bunch of "Friends" scripts. I think I know now why the printer's out of ink. Look, why don't you hold off for a bit before you make any more pitches." Apparently my scripts had gone right over his head. And "Friends" was a pretty accessible show. The guy I shared my cubicle was a rube, our head of development was dense as a neutron star, and my boss was an incorrigible prankster. My situation was less than ideal to say the least.

Halfway through the summer things had only gotten worse. I was miserable. My only friend was the janitor, and he was a Roomba! I'd cry myself to sleep every night, and when I wasn't feeling that sad I would get my butler to cry me to sleep. My job was a major disappointment. It wasn't at all like that show "The Office." We had TWO guys named Dwight, and the prettiest girl wasn't dating the most handsome guy (me), but instead this guy Jim who's so inexperienced with women that when I asked him to share some girlie stories he just laughed.

All I could do was trudge along until my five weeks were up, filing away papers wherever I could cram them (I may not get the job done pretty, but I'm damn fast). And just when I had given up on ever gaining a single ounce of respect from any My Damn Channel employee, a stroke of luck bolted me right in the face.

I'll always remember it like it was yesterday, even though it was only yesterday today. Jim's girlfriend (I think her name was Xamela) told him he needed to go somewhere to sign some forms. She couldn't give him a ride because she was busy. He asked if anyone else could take him, and I shot out of my chair like I was sitting on a lit match (which for the one of the first times I wasn't). Jim didn't see me at first; his eyes scanned the room for someone to drive him but everyone pretended to be hard at work because they were too lazy to take him. Finally he saw me and said "Fine let's go Josh." And fine it was. Everyone looked up at Jim and smiled at him. Their smiles seemed to say, "I'm really happy for you that you get to go on a fun/crazy/cool ride with Josh." But the smiles had a little menace behind them that signified jealousy.

When I got back my boss laughed with mirth, patted me on the back, and said, "Good job sonny." All I ever wanted was for my boss to think of me as a son, but life isn't easy. I had to put in my time to get what I wanted — let's just say I don't think I could've earned the luxury of being treated by my boss like his own flesh and blood if I hadn't given Jim that ride. And now, in these last couple of months before my summer ends and I have to go back to hitting the books trying to eventually earn my GED, I can look back at my time at My Damn Channel atop my pool float, computer smoothie in hand, and know that that one lesson I learned was well worth all my trifles. Plus it helped that I was making more than the rest of the office combined.


Thanks, Josh, er, Sonny! We will miss you! We know it will be tough going back to Stanford to get a world-class education, but it's better you than us!

We fully intend to continue stalking following you and your writing as @artsypriest and as a writer for The Stanford Chaparral.

PS: If any of you, dear readers, for some strange, maddening reason, would like to be an intern for My Damn Channel, please send an email to info@MyDamnChannel.com, and be sure to include links to your blog, Twitter and Tumblr accounts, or any other writing samples you might have! In the immortal words of the Jersey Shore kids in Italy, "Arrivederci, summer!"

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The Only Possible Reasons You Might Miss NTSF:SD:SUV::

Posted in Josh Meisel, NTSF with tags NTSF:SD:SUV::, Paul Scheer, Trent Hauser, Adult Swim, listicle on 8/25/2011 7:51:22 PM by Josh Meisel

The Only 5 Reasons You Might Miss NTSF:SD:SUV::

1. Trent Hauser's voice brings back bad memories of Christian Bale in "The Dark Knight."

2. You're a long-time fan of "Seinfeld" reruns.

3. 12:15 a.m. only means one thing to you. Omelette Time.

4. Your remote is missing the 7.

5. You're allergic to watching NTSF:SD:SUV::.

Those are the ONLY reasons you might miss this show tonight. And we expect doctors' notes from you if you do.

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Intern Appreciation Day!

Posted in Interns, Maria, My Damn Channel with tags My Damn Channel HQ, interns, internships, Adam Zeelens, Katie Needle, empty nest syndrome on 8/12/2011 12:45:29 PM by Maria

It happens all the time. The birds leave the nest. The cubs leave the cave. The horses leave the stable. Who knows if all of those euphemisms are correct? We're just happy we know what the word "euphemism" means.

But today's the end of summer internships for a couple of the good ones: Adam and Katie.

Adam helped us write pithy one-liners and articles for a blog that we might never be able to share with you at the rate we're going.

Katie dutifully sent t-shirts and pens to about five people over the summer, just like we asked her to.

We're not sure if they learned anything useful during their time with us, but we're pretty happy to share burritos and taco salads with them on their last day.  Nothing quite says, "thank you," like the gift of Mexican cuisine.

So here's to you, sweet summer interns! May your returns to your respective schools and future ventures be as awesome as this past summer, but with a lot less heatpocalypse type stuff.

Maybe our very own Dan Wilburn-- himself a former Professional My Damn Channel Intern-- said it best in his tribute to them on Twitter:

But they were also the BEST kind of mediocre. (And actually, they were awesome all the way through.  Not mediocre. Take it back, Dan Wilburn, take it back.)

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Today we're 4 years old.

Posted in Maria, My Damn Channel, My Damn Channel Blog Network, Rob Barnett, Wainy Days, Warren Chao with tags My Damn Channel, My Damn Channel birthday, MyDamnChannel, 4th Birthday, web series longevity, original web series, original online content, we're survivors just like destiny's child in that one song on 7/31/2011 3:30:00 AM by Maria

It's hard to believe that on this exact date four years ago, we launched this site.

We had only three artists to start: Don Was, Harry Shearer and David Wain. 

Daily Grace didn't even exist in 2007, when we were born.  Did you know that we made her in a factory in late 2008? Yeah, special order from the same company that makes Segways!  It's true!

Look at all the people wishing us Happy Birthday:



We're so lucky to have so many good friends...and we count YOU, dear readers, among them.  Because if you've found our blog, it means that you REALLY like us... and we like you back.  Thanks for helping us survive another year.  When we get to 10 years old every single one of us, employee and viewser, will get all-expenses-paid vacations to the Turks and Caicos.*  Here's to us AND you!  We wouldn't be here without you!  Buy yourself a cake and have some of it!  Yay!

*Totally, absolutely and appallingly untrue.

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'Chuting!

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'!

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Wet Hot American Decade

Posted in David Wain, Elizabeth Banks, Filmmakers, Hollywood, Just for Laughs, Matt Warren, Michael Ian Black, My Damn Channel, Paul Rudd, Wainy Days with tags Wet Hot American Summer, David Wain, live shows, Just For Laughs, Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, The State, celebrities, film, Matt Warren, My Damn Channel on 7/22/2011 9:17:47 AM by Matt Warren

 

People forget how much the world has changed in the last decade.  Blogs, social networking, web video.  All of these post-Y2K innovations have radically altered the way we interact with the world—particularly the world of entertainment.  You may not remember, but back before there was such a thing as forward-thinking online content providers, there were literally only two ways to entertain oneself: by 1) burning the effigy of a rival tribal leader, or 2) firing up the ol' top-loading VCR to watch a battered VHS copy of David Wain's cult summer camp spoof Wet Hot American Summer.

Yes, long before Wainy Days was even a twinkle in the director's eye, Wet Hot showcased Wain's unique brand of unpredictable, absurdist humor, and featured a cast that now seems like a murderers’ row of the most important comedic performers of the early 21st century.

(Leslie Knope [L], and Johnny Limitless [R])

Some, like Paul Rudd and Elizabeth Banks, have turned up on Wainy Days; while others, like A.D. Miles, have gone on to create their very own (excellent) series like Horrible People.

To celebrate the film’s 10th anniversary, David Wain & Co. have mounted a nation-wide tour, featuring screenings, Q&A's, and live shows.  To wit, here's David Wain and Wet Hot co-star Jo Lo Truglio revisiting some alternate titles for the film.  And if you're jonesing for even more of Wain live, don't forget to check out the Wainy Days live show at this year's Just For Laughs.  And remember: if you wanna smear mud on your ass, smear mud on your ass, just be honest about it.

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Beat the Heat, Watch on Repeat

Posted in Back on Topps, David Wain, Hollywood, Matt Warren, My Damn Channel, Pilot Season, Sklar Brothers, Wainy Days with tags My Damn Channel, Wainy Day, Back on Topps, Pilot Season, David Wain, Sam Seder, Sklar Bros., Series, Summer, Heatwave on 7/7/2011 11:22:51 AM by Matt Warren

As we inch into mid-July and the gunpowder from Independence Day fireworks finally dissipates and settles on the ground like an ashy, foul-smelling snow, it comes time once again to face the fact that, like it or not, it's Summer.  For some, summer means long, lazy days spent at the beach or in the park, full of barbeques, bikinis, and melty ice cream cones.  These people are are insane madmen who are not to be trusted.  For the rest of us, summer is a time to stay indoors and near the air conditioning, cowering away from the sun like it was some kind of vengeful God.

Point is, it's hot out there.  Why not stay indoors and expand the depth and breadth of your pop culture acumen by doing a few complete-series re-watches of your favorite shows?  And sure, you could plow through your box set of 'The Sopranos' or 'The Wire' for the umpteenth time, but given the brain-boiling heat outside, wouldn't you prefer something a little more... digestible?  Might we suggest starting with Season One, Episode One of Wainy Days and working your way through the entire series?  Or Pilot Season?  Or Back on Topps?

It's easy, just pour yourself a nice cool glass of Four Loko, aim that oscillating fan at your genitals, click play, and check another one of your life's goals off the list.

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