Video games have come a long way since  Nintendo’s oldschool Super Mario Brothers and Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog.  Nowadays, it’s hard to find a video game that isn’t brimming with 3D graphics or complex character avatars – not to mention the global interactivity of MMOs (massive multiplayer online games, which allow hundreds or thousands of players to simultaneously cooperate and/or compete with one another via the internet).

Riding the tide of these current gaming crazes, the folks over at Next New Networks have decided to launch Total MMO Update, the first online network for MMO news, tips, strategies, reviews, and interviews. Written and edited by Southern California-based host Abra Chouniard, the podcast has been pulling together resources from around the gaming world since June 2007 to help MMO fans get their game on.

Though it will sometimes feature other games like Lineage and Everquest, Total MMO Update primarily revolves around the ever-ubiquitous World of Warcraft. You know, the fantasy role-playing game that has raked in at least 9 million online subscribers worldwide and has become a staple of almost every guy’s college dorm room in the last few years. 

Each week, Chouniard imparts helpful and detailed tips and strategies for WoW gamers or directs them to informative sites/blogs that further spill gaming secrets. She’ll also provide updates on regional competitions, the latest in graphic design/content, and game-related news (such as New York Senate’s crackdown on video game violence).

And, if you’ve “pwned” someone lately in a game and captured it on video, Chouniard wants your viewer submissions to be featured on the site. There’s also a Total MMO blog that accompanies the video digests with even more gaming news, reviews, and points of interest – all presented with a casual, unpretentious, and laid-back vibe.

Never played World of Warcraft before? Not really sure what an Orc is either? Don’t worry. Occasionally, you’ll see a non-fantasy MMO game thrown in here too, such as this uber-cool Korean hit: Freestyle Street Basketball.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Pearl Chen
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Jon Brunson, a self proclaimed lover of nature, started his online career in 2000 with sportsmanlog.com, an online information exchange for the hunting and fishing communities, which also spawned HuntingLog.com and FishingLogs.com. Jon Brunson Outdoors was conceived as a “reality nature show” for viewers who had grown weary of more traditional outdoors programming. As such, he travels widely, though mostly throughout the southern United States, with gun and often his wife, Regina, in tow, as he shoots everything from alligators to wild hogs. The show can also be seen on various cable television stations, such as Wild TV and The Men’s Channel. 

Brunson lives a life that might seem unfamiliar to those raised near an urban environment. He appears on camera in camouflaged clothing, sharing tales and advice with ominous rifle, handgun, or bow in hand, plodding carefully and confidently through a wooded area. The site is packed with images of he and Gina posing over the bodies of their prey, weapons displayed. Fishing trips are also common, often in the Florida Keys, and they provide him with plenty of opportunities to display his latest catch, be it grouper or sea turtle. Episodes run roughly 30 minutes, with commercials. The site isn’t for the squeamish or those with any qualms about hunting. Images of everything from gophers to gators to Asian buffalo being shot can be quite graphic. As an admitted novice when it comes to such activities, however, it was interesting to see how the process works. For something a little tamer, check out fishing trips – some are more exciting than others, but the seaside imagery is always enticing. Check out the “Fan Corner” for live chats and information on becoming a “Featured Viewer.”

Although I don’t have much interest in hunting, the fact that he uses a bow and arrow in a marsh to spear fish from a boat is pretty awesome to see in action.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Nicholas Mosquera
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Sega geeks rejoice! There’s a series – and hero – for you called The New Adventures of Captain S. As created by Chad Williams, the show follows Chad Belmont, a perfectly normal teenager whose only idiosyncrasy is possessing the power to enter his favorite Sega Genesis games to battle the evil Game Genie and NES (Nigel Edmund Silverman). Captain S is produced by PBC Productions, whose four masterminds – Williams along with Lindsey “Z” Briggs, Devon Riley, and Brett Vanderbrook – contain three of the stars/creators of the show. Released at the start of 2007, Captain S’s first season can also be seen on ScrewAttack

The New Adventures of Captain S is a deft combination of the classic high school comedy genre (think Saved By the Bell and Degrassi), in which lessons of adolescent life are learned with a touch of whimsical fun, and the fantasies of every video game enthusiast who daydreams of experiencing their favorite titles from within. Thus the show contains a reliable stable of characters: Becky, the bookworm friend who quietly worships Chad; Stacey, the elusive dream girl; Lunk, the kindhearted jock; and Nigel, the black clad nemesis. (And to top it off there’s a ridiculously catchy theme song). As for what’s going on in the show’s ever-deepening Sega-oriented plots, those of us without a proper knowledge of video games will become promptly lost after the more grounded first episodes (one and two are particular standouts in this regard; it gets weird around episode six when a back story about Chad and NES’s former friendship makes an appearance), but thankfully the show is human and funny enough to enjoy it on purely entertaining level. As for those as absorbed in Captain S as Chad is in his games, the site provides additional fun in the form of Becky’s Bulletin that offers insights into the characters concerns for Chad, extra “filler” clips of outtakes and bloopers, and a messageboard for fans.

Though plot-wise the show can be difficult for an unsavvy gamer such as myself (though I did have my own short-lived Sega period), the eighth episode exemplifies the complexity and wit of Captain S, including a clap-along cribbed straight from Peter Pan. Heck, I found my own hands coming together in percussive rhythm to save Chad, that’s how involved I got.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Michael Joshua Rowin
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Tom Green, once famous for having a popular show on MTV, marrying and divorcing Drew Barrymore, and battling testicular cancer, has been producing a live and 24/7 on-demand show in partnership with ManiaTV since June 2006. Shot from his living room and other locations around the house, Tom Green – The Channel is undoubtedly the internet’s first live phone-in celebrity talk show.

The Channel features all things Tom Green, including film clips, segments from his old television shows, news segments that features his fight with cancer, random occurrences, and his internet show, Tom Green LIVE!. The show airs almost nearly weeknight at 11PM EST from his living room. During that time, viewers can call his living room line (323-845-9976) while Green hangs out with celebrities, chatting about anything that comes to mind. Everyone from Xzibit and Maria Sansone (Yahoo’s The 9) to Bob Sagat and Steve-O has stopped by to chat with Green on his easygoing, loosely formatted channel. There was another show on Mondays called Girl Talk in the site’s infancy. It featured four busty girls who talked, but Green simply cancelled the show (only to bring it back as The New Girl Talk several weeks later, and then cancel it again) when several people complained about it on his blog. Apart from some self-promotion, there is also Jack The Sheriff Cooper, an old friend of Green’s and administrator of the site’s Deputy Blogs, where random people film random moments from their lives and post them on allotted blog sites with the potential of having their vids shown on Green’s live broadcast.

Ever wonder what it might be like to be Andy Dick’s son? 

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Zach Jones
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Jon Brunson, a self proclaimed lover of nature, started his online career in 2000 with sportsmanlog.com, an online information exchange for the hunting and fishing communities, which also spawned HuntingLog.com and FishingLogs.com. Jon Brunson Outdoors was conceived as a “reality nature show” for viewers who had grown weary of more traditional outdoors programming. As such, he travels widely, though mostly throughout the southern United States, with gun and often his wife, Regina, in tow, as he shoots everything from alligators to wild hogs. The show can also be seen on various cable television stations, such as Wild TV and The Men’s Channel. 

Brunson lives a life that might seem unfamiliar to those raised near an urban environment. He appears on camera in camouflaged clothing, sharing tales and advice with ominous rifle, handgun, or bow in hand, plodding carefully and confidently through a wooded area. The site is packed with images of he and Gina posing over the bodies of their prey, weapons displayed. Fishing trips are also common, often in the Florida Keys, and they provide him with plenty of opportunities to display his latest catch, be it grouper or sea turtle. Episodes run roughly 30 minutes, with commercials. The site isn’t for the squeamish or those with any qualms about hunting. Images of everything from gophers to gators to Asian buffalo being shot can be quite graphic. As an admitted novice when it comes to such activities, however, it was interesting to see how the process works. For something a little tamer, check out fishing trips – some are more exciting than others, but the seaside imagery is always enticing. Check out the “Fan Corner” for live chats and information on becoming a “Featured Viewer.”

Although I don’t have much interest in hunting, the fact that he uses a bow and arrow in a marsh to spear fish from a boat is pretty awesome to see in action.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Nicholas Mosquera
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On May 1, 2006, Marc Lesser, Matt Kalman, and Nicole Stagg started what they hoped would become an immense online collection of jokes—no amusing Flash shooting games, no ironic eBaum’s World videos, just plain and simple jokes. What started as a few crew members messing around during a break on a movie set evolved into what they call their “joke-u-mentary.” The Joke Project is not just about recording the jokes, but documenting the ways in which they are told. To make each daily one-minute podcast, the crewmembers take to the streets of the New York area to record random pedestrians telling their favorite jokes. Since their start in May 2006, they’ve recorded a new joke every weekday. 

Each weekday, the latest one-minute segment, containing one to six jokes, is posted on the blog. The segments are tagged with one of four ratings – SC (Squeaky Clean), RH (Relatively Harmless), PD (Pretty Dirty) or XN (X-tremely Naughty). The Index contains all individual jokes, noted by the name of the joke, while the Archives hold the daily segments, ordered by date. The collection includes jokes told by kids and adults, individuals and 2 to 3-person groups, and sometimes even jokes that have been filmed at Joke Project gatherings. Since joke-telling has long been an oral tradition, jokes can often morph and be told in various variations, such as the Interrupting Cow joke, which is retold on the site as both the Interrupting Fist and Interrupting Starfish. Some joke-tellers crack themselves up, while others remain perhaps too straight-faced, leaving an awkward silence behind. The X-tremely Naughty jokes aren’t quite as offensive as the creators might think, and the Michael Jackson jokes can get old, but something the project doesn’t do is discriminate. All jokes get published, whether they flop or not. If you are located in the tri-state area and can organize a party large enough, The Joke Project will come to you to record you and your friends’ jokes, and even leave you with your own copy of the tape.

Kids say the darndest things.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Rebecca Halpin
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While they may look alike and claim to have been spawned by the same father, the creators of JoeyandDavid.com are not actually twins. Originally hailing from Munster, Indiana, Joey Mandarino and David Young have stayed close throughout their college years, winding up at the Tisch School of Arts at NYU and Syracuse University, respectively. After having graduated with a degree in TV, radio, and film, David now works as an assistant on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” while Joey performs with the NYU sketch comedy troupe, “The Back of the Line.” Both at home in Indiana and in NYC, the two collaborate to shoot, edit, and punctually post episodes for JoeyandDavid.com every month.

Supplemented by shorter sketches, Joey and David’s longer episodes range from five to twenty minutes in length and poke fun at a variety of pop-cultural phenomena, from instant baking instructions to adopt-a-child campaigns. The longer, well-developed episodes are often centered on the two pretty boys’ tumultuous domestic relationship. Their moods change with the wind, their fights are never less that catastrophic, but the boys always hold it down in the end, kind of like a sitcom about ADHD college kids who have had too much to drink. For their shorts, Joey and Dave rip off several of television’s most obnoxious ad campaigns. In one, the duo substitutes an otherwise banal product with a femenine hygiene product, and in another, they stage an upbeat Coke jingle during a funeral. 

Nana Knows Best opens with the pair out on the town, searching for a date. These losers-at-the-game (think A Night at the Roxbury) embark on a quest to find Joey a date.   After a long search, the pair finally finds a few women willing to talk to the forlorn and lonely men, but let’s just say Joey’s tactics fall far short of chivalry. Eventually turning to the short’s proverbial namesake, Joey ends up confiding all of his problems in David’s grandmother one sunny afternoon on a rooftop in New York City. After hearing out her sage advice, Joey takes his respect for the woman all too literally (think “Mrs. Doubtfire”).

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Joel Withrow
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In 2000, Ben Freedman directed, funded, edited, and distributed his all-digital movie Secret Messages – a step-by-step tutorial subtitled “Getting Started with Digital Filmmaking.” Now he’s putting his own advice to good use with Neo-Fight TV.

There are so many consumer report and product review shows out there, it’s hard to keep track. It must be even harder to stay ahead of the pack, but Freedman thinks Neo-Fight TV has an advantage. The techie geek and owner of Roo Productions often disagrees with his co-host, the attractive engineer-but-practical-realist Tiffany Young, when it comes to the electronic and technological products they review. They hope that the “debate” element will attract people of all technological levels to the show and will help their site to avoid the one-sided commercialism found in similar review shows.

What started in April 2006 as a weekly 30-minute show, as of July 2006 became a series of 7-minute installments of technology information, released most weekdays.  But now the series bounces between both the long and short-formats.

Neo-Fight TV breaks down into segments – like Headlines, Viewer Mail, and The Spotlight (a look at a specific piece of equipment).  Product reviewes range from your typical computer software and music accessories to high-tech lamps and other household products.

It’s shot like any other tabletop talk show with Tiffany and Ben sitting and drinking out of oversized coffee mugs, all in one take (but, mercifully, with multiple camera angles). Both Ben and Tiffany are onscreen during all reviews, though they occasionally fly solo when advertising products, which they seem to do quite often. During the times each week that they spend actually reviewing products, they take turns putting in their two cents, but often interrupt each other and even manage to sway their counterpart’s opinions at times.

Each gives the product a rating out of 5, which is then added to the other’s rating to give a total score out of ten. It’s apparent at times that the two haven’t discussed the product before the episode is recorded – such as when one notes that the Fujitsu Scan Snap S500 can scan both sides of a piece of paper at once, to the other’s surprise. I would say that this adds to the production value, since they seem to be saying what’s on their mind rather than some planned-out, pre-written fluff.

Though it came rather late in the season, a week of shows dubbed “Marine Week,” which focused on water-related products filmed on location outside their studio on a boat afloat a lake in Phoenix, Arizona (yes, you read that correctly – a lake in Phoenix, Arizona), was interesting and a welcome diversion from the software reviews. It also made me wish I’d had a sea scooter with me during my last cruise to the Bahamas.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Rebecca Halpin
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Launched in 1997, Joe Cartoon is the brainchild of Joseph Shields. Originally a t-shirt designer based in Michigan, Joe started playing on the web with a couple of shirt designs, none of which were very popular.

Once he discovered Flash, he became one of the first to draw adorable, yet foul-mouthed animated characters that early Flash users could then decimate with a BB Gun, blender, and other forms of violent destruction. Some of the more popular shorts became instant internet classics and built up enough of a cult following to inspire a DVD compilation and a variety of plush dolls. If you’re a fan of animation sites like Goonland, you’ll love Joe Cartoon.

Joe Cartoon has a rotating cast of gross-out characters that, thanks to their irreverent bodily humor, are oddly reminiscent of the Garbage Pail Kids. It’s in that same comedic vein that Joe created a series of interactive Flash cartoons named “Press & ‘Splode” so viewers could gradually increase the speed of a crudely drawn blender, leading to the death of a trash-talking frog; or help Joemamma, a depraved man-child, pump his BB gun and shoot a helpless gerbil, another recurring character.

Among the random animations, there are a few regular characters with their own series, including Thuh Greenfields, and Superfly. This sort of comedy obviously isn’t for everybody, especially those who wouldn’t describe the torture of small animals as their cup of tea. But once you’ve gotten past the inevitable cartoonish innards and blood, you’ll see a few reassuring trends.

For example, political personalities on both the left and the right are mocked with equal disdain in the aforementioned BB gun episode. The gerbil ready for slaughter is always a sarcastic, irritating gerbil and the cruelest character almost always gets what’s coming to him, which makes for a strangely rewarding viewing experience, despite the bloodshed.

If I was 12 again, I would probably be obsessed with Superfly. It’s not very political, it’s not very intellectual, nor is it very entertaining. It’s just so absurdly juvenile that you can’t help but appreciate how ridiculous it is for a perpetually intoxicated fly to yell “Yo, yo, yo. I’m so wasted!” (it’s his catchphrase) and then fly through someone’s head and kill them.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Nicholas Mosquera
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Made by a Vancouver-based group of talented misfits in a bachelor-pad turned tribute to 1950s Polynesian kitsch, Tiki Bar TV has been a cult favorite since its premiere episode back in March of 2005.

Prior to the creation of the show, producer and director Jeff Macpherson directed his first film in 2000, an independent drama entitled Come Together, which was well received yet failed to garner distribution. After a different movie deal with MTV fell through, Macpherson spontaneously decided to build a tiki bar in his apartment, and Tiki Bar TV was born. The show gained popularity immediately after Steve Jobs used it in the launch of Apple’s video iPod in October of 2005. 

The show’s three main characters are: Lala, played by Lara Doucette, who begins every episode with a flirtatious dance; the bartender Johnny Johnny, played by animation producer Kevin Gamble; and of course, Dr. Tiki, played by Macpherson.

As troubled characters – including the Limey bastard, the Stranger, The Ambassador, The Duke of Url, Drinkbot, and others – stumble across Johnny Johnny’s Tiki Bar, Dr. Tiki himself remedies his or her ailments by way of the age-old cure-all – alcohol. Slightly scripted and replete with outtakes, each episode highlights one patron’s problem, instructs you on how to make the best cocktail for its cure, and answers a piece of viewer-submitted Tiki Mail.

Each segment usually ends with a sloppy drunken dance and a recipe for the “prescribed” drink. Excellent camera work, a minimalist set, masterful editing, well-placed effects, incredibly intelligent writing and a creative cast with great chemistry all combine to create a production in which the merits infinitely exceed the slightly above shoestring budget. If you like wry, clever comedies or productions that are wonderfully put together, this is not one to miss.

It’s hard to choose a favorite Tiki Bar TV episode, but Hulla Balloo is one of the best at showing off the show’s various talents. Hilarious use of throwback visual effects, emphatic music, a great Tiki Mail, and a slightly sloppy Lala all make for a well-rounded episode. If you really want to get a feel for the show, however, start with Episode 1 and work your way up.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Joshua Cohen
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Though the comedic shorts on Invisible Engine are clearly the stars of this site, its founders will admit that they began making them – oddly enough – as a sort of after-thought. Launched in November of 2004, three University of Southern California undergrads created Invisible Engine Films to promote a full-length film the trio had recently produced, a decidedly dramatic thriller called “The Prototype”. After submitting their film to festivals across the country, the guys – Sean Bury, Chris Cantwell, and Matt Wyatt – had nothing to do but sit back, wait, and use all that swanky film equipment to create some of the silliest videos on the world wide web.

If you were in a fraternity in college, or you enjoy dating frat guys, or you think Animal House was robbed of an Academy Award, then Invisible Engine Films is the site for you. The video titles themselves should tell you something of their content – a name like Dicks Out Tuxedos can really paint an accurate picture.

Vids range from 30 seconds to eight minutes, but most hover somewhere around the two minute mark. More recent sketches are listed first, but scrolling through to the older shorts is worth the effort, trust me. The boys are also sure to include outtakes for even more funny.

The Inga Krautz Collection is the perfect send-up of every music-hocking infomercial you’ve ever seen. Because, you know, the only thing funnier than a kazoo is lederhosen. And I think Crime Wave is one of the most original sketches I’ve seen in a long time (certainly funnier than anything Saturday Night Live has put out in ages.) The on-screen banter between these college buddies is clever and off-the-cuff – watching them have fun with each other is fun for you, too.

Oh, and if you’re comedy isn’t really your thang (how is it that you’ve read this far?) then check out the official website for The Prototype. Though the trailer has yet to be uploaded, the film’s premise does sound pretty spooky.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Meghann Murphy
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Jigsaw Fanclub, a comedy puppet show that premiered in May 2006, is the brainchild of John Brodrick Jones. Based in Durham, North Carolina, Jones previously ran his own retail comic bookstore, Jigsaw Comics – the inspiration behind the show and its main characters. On his forum, Jones writes, “Every single element of the Jigsaw video show owes a massive debt to the store, from Milton who emerged from the weekly mailings to Kranium whose face I saw in chipping paint outside the window to the name of the show itself.” On average about twice a month, Jones, who holds a degree in theater, gives us a peek inside his strangely creative mind through this one-man production that, considering its origins, has a surprising dearth of comic-book related content.

Milton the Robot, a cardboard cutout of a…robot, and Dr. Kranium, his mad scientist creator, have conversations about “utterly random topics,” including comical banter about political elections, heated discussions about modern jazz, and philosophical debates about faith v. science via a clever “coat allegory”. Dr. Kranium, with his silly, pseudo-British accent, is the more authoritative and short-fused of the two, while Milton is as happy-go-lucky as a robot can be. Occasionally, they are joined by other characters, like Lump – quite literally a grunting lump of brown fluff – and Jones himself will sometimes make cameos, like this singing segment at the end of “Lupercalia.” The roughly seven minutes-or-less episodes aren’t a fancy production by any means, as the bulk of the show is invested in quirky dialogue between two characters. Like Avenue Q, it’s a puppet show for teenagers and adults, so don’t be surprised to find a few gems of wisdom (and some curse words in disguise) floating amid the seeming digressions and randomness. The show doesn’t take itself too seriously, and neither should you if you want to appreciate Jigsaw Fan Club in all its fantastic weirdness.

Want to be part of the actual Jigsaw Fanclub and converse with “alcoholic, drug-addled, godless artsy-types”? Check out the forum and show how much you care.

While the dialogue and pacing in some of the episodes can be a little bit taxing, ironically enough, one of the best installments is actually about being bored. Milton is forced to talk about his dull life, and the result is adorably brilliant.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Pearl Chen
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