Florida Republican Debate You WEREN'T Supposed To See

HEY! That's not Wolf Blitzer!

Actor/author/director/satirist/musician/radio host Harry Shearer's found footage of the CNN team prepping for the Florida Republican Debate using civilians as stand-ins for the candidates might be the best thing to happen to the GOP Debate since Michele Bachmann took the longest pee break ever.

Newt Gingrich is looking decidedly more feminine since the last time we saw him. When the petite redheaded woman introduces herself as "Newt Gingrich" and proclaims "I just ran a marathon before I got here," Fake Wolf Blitzer chuckles and her fellow faux candidates smile.

Could they possibly find her more charming than the real thing?

Hey GOP Candidates, relax a little! Slip into something more comfortable! Let your hair down!



That's more like it. Now how about we whistle the National Anthem?

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LABOR DAY

Brad O'Farrell gave our almost official mascot the Labor Day treatment. Njoy. He's linked to one of our happiest videos of all-time.

New unemployment stats are the worst in 26 years. If you're like any of the dreamchasers at My Damn Channel, it's a fair bet you're no stranger to losing a gig in TV, radio, music, or the arts & little sciences.

"Go Your Own Way" may be a lame, overplayed, 70's sing-along...but it's also fine solution for what to do after getting tossed out of a gig.

We're raising a glass to everyone with the brains and the backbone to embrace a new way to get your work seen by an audience large enough to actually make you money.

One last-ever reference to Fleetwood Mac...

We got some sad news over the weekend, that one of our best co-cons at My Damn Channel is moving on. Vivian Kyinn provides much of the mystical glue that holds this house together. She wrote and co-produced a film called White Wall which got her to Cannes and now she's decided to get after her movie-making passions full-time. BIG THANKS & BIG LOVE to one of the better humans we know.

Warren Chao posted the replacement gig based in our LA office this weekend. Economic insanity created hundreds of candidates in hours. If you're read "The Night Feed" and know the best human for this gig - email: Jobs@MyDamnChannel.com

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RED MEAT

7 days to go. If you watch and listen to all the blabber, you'd think we can't keep a thought in our head if it doesn't fit into the smallest possible soundbite to stir up the greatest possible doubt.

Here are some of the code words to move you to VOTE like a simpleton.

Terrorist
Tax
Spend
Republican
American
Democrat
War
Hope
Congress
Liberal
Abortion
Conservative
Bush
Experience
Change
"Joe"
Oil
Polls
Bailout
Rescue
Hero
Socialist
Battleground
Iraq
Drill

This red meat sampler only scratches the surface of the games played on all sides behind McCain and Obama to scare you into action.

Do something COMPLETELY AMERICAN - in 7 days (or sooner if you can early vote) - walk into a voting booth - put all the bullshit aside - and make the smartest possible choice to elect your next President.

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THE FINAL SILENT DEBATE

Harry Shearer & My Damn Channel present the last word on the Presidential race: no words at all.



Don't just sit there watching TV - get involved - EMAIL this link:

http://www.mydamnchannel.com/Harry_Shearer/Silent_Debates/TheFinalSilentDebate_972.aspx

and please - for the love of god - V O T E !

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HEADLINING VEGAS

Thanks to the NAB and especially to Ashley Howell, Chris Marlowe, and Rochelle Winters for inviting us to present in Vegas yesterday. Thanks to Jon Healey from the LA Times for moderating - and to Harry Shearer & Andy Milonakis for making the trip.

We filled a room of about 350-400 humans and started by showing a few of our original videos. Fun seeing hundreds LOL at YSAP - up on a huge megascreen - and cool to see a crowd feel the bass of music produced by Don Was.

Harry Shearer made news - announcing "THE ALPHAS" - a project he's been developing for 10 years - and the most ambitious new work making its way to My Damn Channel.

"THE ALPHAS" is motion-capture animation of the highest quality (Beowulf) - done in the fastest turnaround ever achieved (less than 5 day production cycles). Here's more:

Imagine seeing the best-known people in politics and the media, every week, in hilariously private situations. Not actors in makeup, but what looks and sounds like the real President, candidates, anchors, and the rest. That’s the idea behind “The Alphas”, a revolutionary new concept in topical sketch comedy. Written and performed by Harry Shearer, who’s notched more than two decades as a creator of topical satire on his weekly public radio broadcast, “Le Show”, along with two memorable seasons on “Saturday Night Live”, “The Alphas” includes no makeup, no celebrity cameos. Instead, utlizing a trio of cutting-edge motion-capture technologies--harnessed for the first time to a “week-of-air” production schedule, “The Alphas” features startlingly realistic computer-animated versions of the movers, shakers and yakkers. They’re not lifelike--thanks to the technology and Shearer’s performances, they’re alive. And every week, they’re deftly and drolly revealed for all their pretensions, resentments, jealousies and anxieties--all the good stuff, online just days after production.

Here's the first news coverage from the LA Times and the Digital Content Producer Magazine with thanks for the 'ink' & correction to Michael Goldman.

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WE GIVE YOU 'THE NOD'

Day 2 of the NEW look & all new features on My Damn Channel. We added essential items like SEARCH - VIDEO VIEWS - RATINGS - DATE ADDED - VIDEO LENGTHS - and EVERY SHARING FEATURE WE CAN THINK OF. Go to the Home Page & check out 'THE NOD' - A thousand years ago, Siskel & Ebert scored with their THUMBS UP / THUMBS DOWN movie rating....dumbing down simplicity to a whole new level. You've got your 3 stars & 4 stars - you had your 'GONG SHOW' - your seal of approval - i'm shutting up now....

 

'THE NOD' is our way & your way - to pick ONE video every day - from anywhere - to get the My Damn Channel Home Page Luv.

Yesterday we launched 'THE NOD' with two friends - Hollywood's best couple - Sarah Silverman & Jimmy Kimmel - with Sarah's candidate for clip of the year: "I'm Fucking Matt Damon." How 'bout that ABC TELEVISION NETWORK -huh? Somebody's growing some steel ones down below.

Today, 'THE NOD' found a YouTube clip by a guy called CRanga. It's a topless/British/NINE MINUTE review of "WAINY DAYS." Put this very HAIRY dude on your calendar for a lunchtime view. Don't think he's trying to be funny - he gets so much, so wrong. Find Hairy Boy on our home page today.

Email your suggestions for THE NOD to: info@MyDamnChannel.com

Monday is the SEASON 2 FINALE of WAINY DAYS!!!

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JUST ONE NIGHT?

Was it just one night? Sounds like a bad Phil Collins song - but I stayed up late last night - did the 'night feed' with the twins - watching all the coverage I could get on the Iowhoppin'. Was it just one night? Or did the possibility of positive energy & a more honest politic squelch every cynical pundit on the tube. The talking heads still sound like they're ga-ga over Obama 24 hours later. It's surprising and fun to watch. Left my oldest daughter a voicemail early this morning to share some of the rush. So much idealism was attacked and literally murdered over 40 years ago....the caucuses felt like a night when the country was willing to hit the reset button. Washington has spewed lies for so long that the well of optimism and the hope of the great candidate was almost entirely evaporated. New voters are about to get their first glimpse at how an inspired, gifted leader could turn one good night into four better years ahead. I'm onboard.

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IOWA LISTENS CLOSELY

Presidential 08 Comedy is a small category that includes black belts like Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, & Bill Maher. These men have crafted a set of skills to allow the 'nation' to take a better look at itself and our leaders.We launched My Damn Channel by adding another skilled craftsman to this category. Harry Shearer has a resume as long as his.....well, let's just say Harry makes humans think and laugh in every medium: radio, television, films, cds, dvds, books, blogs, and live appearances. We signed Harry because we wanted to join the conversation about the 08 race for the White House. He hits the web every week with original videos produced for MyDamnChannel.com. And today, he does this...silently:

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The Little in the Middle by Guest Blogger Matt Bledsoe

Hi. I’m Matt. My partner Troy and I produce the Big Fat Brain channel on My Damn Channel. Today Rob’s letting me guest-blog, or glog, today. Which is exciting for me, but shows very poor judgment on Rob’s part. The latest episode of our series Itty Bitty Liddy premieres today, and I thought I’d take the opportunity to plug the series, because it’s something Troy and I are very proud of. Not because it’s a pioneering entry into the emerging Film-Noir-Political-Humor-Green-Screen-Action-Figure genre, as well as a scathing indictment of the sick underground chess match playing out this election year. But because there are some really funny butt jokes in every episode. To us, the G-Man is a uniquely flawed anti-hero, caught in the dark vortex between the bumbling moral arrogance of the right and self-involved amoral arrogance of the left. Liddy is just a little pawn in the middle. But then... (pause for dramatic emphasis)... aren’t we all? Anyway, we think you’ll really enjoy Itty Bitty Liddy. Unless you’re a candidate for the Presidency. In which case, you better watch your butt. ‘Cause Liddy’s coming. And there’s no end he won’t go to to keep this country safe.

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An Historic Debate

We've been planning a series of internet debates as the countdown to Iowa continues.

We were not ready to confirm the participants until word leaked out in Florida where the YouTube mothership is getting ready to land on the Republican candidates tonight on CNN.

We can now confirm that next Tuesday night, Dec. 4, Tim Russert will moderate an historic debate between Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) and Sen. John Edwards (D) on My Damn Channel.

My Damn Channel will make next Tuesday's debate available simultaneously on YouTube.

Our debate format was developed by Harry Shearer ("Le Show," Huffington Post, "The Simpsons"). Voters and caucus goers will have a unique opportunity to access the candidates without any of the usual barriers that prevent them from taking a look at the real people who want to be President.

More debate details to follow.

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