Take Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, mash it up with Kung Pao: Enter the Fist and what do you have? Johnny Raikou.

At first, the plot appears simple: a couple of wannabe vigilantes with outrageous haircuts and little skill hit the streets of Los Angeles to fight crime. Still, behind the tongue-in-cheek nature of the show is a story which aims to bring awareness to human trafficking. Beyond that, it is difficult to tell where the show will take its viewers since only three episodes have been released.

If you want visual comedy, this web series has plenty of it. From thought bubbles to slapstick combat, Johnny Raikou takes classic comedy staples like facial expressions and gestures and churns into an entertaining show. Thought-bubbles and comic-book swipes can seem gimmicky, but clever writing mixed with quizzical stares make them worth plenty of laughs. Also, Raikou makes good use of otherwise normal objects. From staple-guns to microwave-safes, standard tools and appliances become comical objects in this creative show. Though the series does have a couple of serious moments (Jaden Adventure (Hana Mae Lee), is dragged by her hair through a hallway kicking and screaming), it never quite takes itself seriously, and that’s a good thing.

Jonathan Hance (Johnny Raikou) and Portis Hershey (Friend), do an admirable job as quirky justice-seekers. In truth, I can’t imagine anyone else playing these roles. Hance (who also directed the show) does a remarkable job playing the part of a clumsy but quiet hero, often using his character’s silence to emphasize his bizarre nature. Hershey, the talkative one of this dynamic duo, plays off his partner’s silent nature with some well-timed lines and funny faces.

The settings in the series are spot-on, set in slummy-streets perfect as a backdrop for our courageous characters. The direction and production value, while not flawless, makes the show a pleasure to watch. Finally, the music in the show, an almost-retro electric-guitar riff, sets up the viewer for smiles and a good time.

Still, the show could use some work. Johnny Raikou’s third star, Lee, has a lot to live up to in her role as woman held hostage by what seems to be a small crime ring. At times, like the above mentioned scene, she flourishes, but other moments her lines fall flatter than Wylie Coyote on the Grand Canyon. Even in comedy, especially one that focuses on such a hot-button issue, emotion from the actor must be captured and experienced by the viewer. The audience needs more here.

Speaking of needing more, the show simply feels too short. While leaving your audience wanting more is a good thing, clocking in around two to four minutes a-piece, each episode barely has enough time to fit in all of the action, dialogue and plot necessary for a complete series.

Related News:

1. NYTVF Winners: ‘Johnny B Homeless,’ ‘Satan’ and ‘Odd Jobs’ Score Big
2. ‘Captain Alpha Male’, Middle Management Superhero Plans Summer Launch
3. These Comic Bookies Have ‘Issues’

This is how Twilight should have ended (see above video first). But it didn’t, and we’re left with another chapter delaying the inevitable, leaving us scratching our heads at the thought of an actual long term romance between mortal Bella (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson).

The team behind the widely popular How It Should Have Ended series have released their latest animated alternate ending today. Also today comes news that it has inked a long term license and production deal with Starz Digital Media.

HISHE dates back to early 2005, explains co-creator and producer Tina Alexander. “We were watching Flight of the Phoenix and a group of us were talking about the ridiculous ending about how it should have gone,” said Alexander. From there the group, which includes co-creators Daniel Baxter and Tommy Watson, whipped up a number of comedic alt endings to blockbusters like Superman, Lord of the Rings and Transformers.

Starz came calling in the form of Marc DeBevoise, SVP of Digital Media, Business Development & Strategy, in fall of 2008. It would be almost a year until a deal was completed. “We wanted to help them take it to the next level,” said David Katz Starz’ Executive Director of Digital Media. “What we’re tying to do is expand the distribution,” he added noting that HISHE’s popular YouTube channel and newly revamped website will remain the primary hubs for the show.

HISHE will join Starz’ portfolio of popular animated web series, including 30-second Bunnies which has been an international breadwinner for the company. The bite-sized cartoon series has been sold in several countries—France, Italy and Germany—and dubbed in their native languages. The company also owns a network of online animation sites like AbeToons.com and Manga.com which may also factor into the distribution of HISHE.

Specifics of the deal weren’t disclosed, though the core team was able to quit their days jobs, they told us. Now the series plans to release new episodes monthly. For December, Alexander says it’s safe to say that Wizard of Oz will be in play. Alexander also hinted that they would love to tackle an ending to a popular TV series down the road. Later in the interview she mentioned the team’s love for ABC’s soon-to-be-ending LOST.

In terms of any legal pushback from the movie studios themselves, so far they say there haven’t been any problems. “We feel that fair-use for parody is where we stand,” said Katz. “I don’t reign these guys in at all.”

Related News:

1. Starz Looking For Animated Web Series Pilots For ABE Toons, Offers Up Cash
2. Twilight Sucks in the ‘Key of Awesome’, Barely Digital’s New Series
3. ‘Dilbert’, New Yorker Cartoons Head to Babelgum First

It’s a faux documentary, set at Joe’s Emerald City Bar where seemingly all of the Seattle Grace surgeons frequent to booze it up and make bad decisions. A handful of the lesser known stars from the TV version will appear in the 4-minute episodes, like Joe the Bartender Steven W. Bailey and SG interns Brandon Scott and Gloria Garayua. Italian food brand Bertolli signed on as lead sponsor of the series.

“Our goal with the Web series is to expand the Grey’s universe by offering a unique perspective of the various happenings at Seattle Grace, while paralleling some of the same story lines seen on the show,” said Grey’s creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes to MediaPost.

Some of the character bios:

Joe the Bartender – Born and raised in Seattle, Joe is the owner of the Emerald City Bar and unofficial therapist/babysitter of Seattle Grace. When he’s not serving drinks to hyper-emotional doctors, he’s spending time with his boyfriend Walter and their beautiful twin babies. His favorite food is Spicy Buffalo Wings, which can be (conveniently) found at the Emerald City Bar in downtown Seattle. We’re open 10am til’ 2am, so stop on by. –Mention this ad and get a free shot.

Steve Mostow – A surgical resident at Seattle Grace, Steve is a newlywed expecting his first child with his wife Megan, whom he met during his intern year. When he’s not competing for surgeries at the hospital, you can find “The Pick-Up Sticks King,” as he is known to himself, hanging out at The Emerald City Bar. Steve looks forward to becoming a neurosurgeon and being called “Daddy.” PS: Hi Mom and Dad!

Megan Mostow – Megan, a soon-to-be Mom, is a former surgical resident who was recently (and WRONGFULLY) terminated from Seattle Grace hospital after its merger with Mercy West. Before she was UNFAIRLY fired from Seattle Grace (for being PREGNANT, nonetheless), her aspiration was to become a pediatric surgeon. However, with her dreams on hold, she’s decided to focus on her future child with the man who helped make that happen. She is also not very into writing about herself in the third person.

Pierce Halley – A Seattle native, Pierce was the president of his fraternity at Washington State University. Like Megan, Pierce was also a victim of the Seattle Grace—Mercy West merger. However, Pierce found life after the death of his job: by working in the morgue. Instead of seeing dead people, Pierce would much rather see his ex, Megan. And that is all I would like to write for this bio—make sure Mostow reads this.

Related News:

1. Alloy Goes ‘Private’ School, Makes Open Casting Call

Within seconds of beginning my search for where I could watch this six-part UK-based web thriller, it had been compared to not one (Saw) but two (Seven) American movies and not one (24) but two (Lost) American television series. At almost the same time, Girl Number 9 was letting me know it was made specifically for the internet, and unlike anything I had seen before.

Written by James Moran (Doctor Who, Torchwood,Severance) and starring Gareth David-Lloyd (Torchwood), Joe Absolom (Doc Martin, Personal Affairs), and Tracy-Ann Oberman (Doctor Who, Eastenders), the series has a lot of BBC talent to back it up—along with a huge advertising campaign. The Guardian in particular did a very interesting piece that was open-ended: it began its review at episode 1 and then added information as each subsequent episode was released. The author also encouraged its readers to join in the discussion in the comments section, and the dialogue that resulted was often heated but with several extremely valid points about the weaknesses and strengths of the series.

The format of the show itself is an almost unique approach, if not a bit on the transparent side: six episodes running at less than five minutes each were released over a span of six days beginning on October 30th. The show will be viewable for free for 30 days, at which point it will go offline and offer a DVD of the series, which promises to be jam-packed with special features including a behind-the-scenes documentary, commentaries, interviews, script, gallery, trailers and other special features. According to the show’s website, the DVD will also contain “a feature length version”. No word on if this means they originally shot the series as a feature film and then cut it down into a half-hour format, though this seems unlikely since all the press boasts that the show was specifically written with the web in mind.

Needless to say, I’m confused by the show’s seeming intense need to be exclusively for the internet yet making all it’s comparisons to traditional media. The show also does a half-hearted attempt at interactivity with a few in-your-face ARG elements. Within the first minute, the killer is giving you a web address and a number (incidentally, I watched the episodes at the web address he was giving…so I was a bit confused as to what I as a viewer was supposed to do with that information). They track locations using IP address, which is the very first thing any mildly tech-savvy puzzle-solver would instantly try. Basically, I wish that if they had gone for ARG elements, they really would have committed to them and offered the viewers a bit of a challenge.

The plot of the show itself definitely does have its comparisons in films like Saw and Seven, so much so in fact, that I was calling the killers moves before he even made them. Whether this is just plain creepy on my part, or actually positive in the fact that it gives the audience a sense that they are smarter than the killer and thus invests them in the story…I’m actually leaning towards thinking this was probably not what the creators of the show intentionally had in mind. Also, SPOILER ALERT: if you are going to make it clear this show is “mature” by cursing almost a dozen times in the first minute, at least have the guts to show us the little girl getting ripped from limb to limb instead of using horrible sound design and over-the-top reaction shots.

Girl Number 9 will be available until November 30th on the shows webpage at http://www.canyousaveher.com. You can pre-order the DVD of the series at the site as well.

Showtime has been having fun with these companion web series this year, like Dexter’s animated origin story Early Cuts and Weeds‘ stoner run University of Andy. While Weeds takes a long holiday snoozer until early 2010, Andy Botwin (Justin Kirk) is back with a fresh crop of new classes this week, after its own hiatus since premiering this summer.

The new courses are just in time for the holidays—The Perfect Thanksgiving (above), How to Break Up with Someone, Surviving the Apocalypse, How to Deal with Bullies and How to Tell if You’re Dating a Crazy (below). They still stay simple, with no signs of the rest of the Botwin clan dropping in. We thought at least Doug (Kevin Nealon) would come in for a guest lecture on couch surfing.

New episodes of Andy will be out every two weeks. Now, if only Californication would commission Hank Moody’s musings on how to be TV’s biggest tail chaser. That would tide us over.

Related News:

1. ‘Weeds’ Prep Online at ‘University of Andy’
2. ‘House Arrest With Andy Dick’ Traps You, Never Lets You Leave
3. ‘Narrow World of Sports’, Peter Mehlman’s Fresh Jock Comedy

A web series spoofing a comic based on a web series… that has to be a first. A Comicbook Orange, the popular series for all things comics, released its latest episode today reviewing the new Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog comic form Dark Horse which hit stores today. Host Casey McKinnon crafted a special musical number (why not) to kick off the episode before giving a mixed “3 orange” review of the Dr. H origin story.

The full color 40-page comic, written by Joss Whedon’s brother Zack, is what comic junkies call a one-shot (in japan it’s yomikiri 読み切り), not too unlike the live action series itself which has been teasing fans with talk of a sequel for over a year.

In this One-Shot Wonder, Zack Whedon and artist Joelle Jones (Token) establish how a young, impressionable, but brilliant Dr. Horrible was drawn into a world of crime. Readers are reacquainted with the charming, brawny, crime-fighting superhero extraordinaire Captain Hammer when Dr. Horrible crosses paths with his greatest enemy in an all-out showdown of immeasurable proportions. Special guest appearances include Dr. Horrible’s love interest, Penny; his sidekick, Moist; and a meter man.

For a mere $3.50 (or $3.15 on TFAW.com) it seems like an easy buy for fans of the web series looking for a fix. Of course the sing-along part is now entirely user gen. So sing away.

Related News:

1. ‘Dr. Horrible’ Comic Goes For Origin Story
2. ‘Dr. Horrible’s’ Singing Fans Rock PaleyFest
3. ‘Dr. Horrible 2′ and a Joss Whedon Digital Studio?

Have you ever seen the first season of Seinfeld, or even The Simpsons for that matter? They are both kind of terrible. But when you watch them you do see glimpses of what they eventually became. I’m not about to put Agents of Cracked on cracked.com in the esteemed category of those shows, but it’s possible there is something here worth looking at. Maybe.The show, created by Abe Epperson, Daniel O’Brien and Michael Swaim, is relatively terrible for the first six episodes with tiny bits of funny, or at least funny ideas tossed in there. However, I look at episode 7, ‘The Curse of the Idol’ and things seem to be beginning to coalesce. Somewhat.

Michael Swaim, former host of CrackedTV, playing Michael Swaim, is a raw, exciting talent throughout the series. The character Swaim is a hapless idiot-savant, a kind of Hunter S. Thompson as played by Bill Murray in Where the Buffalo Roam, only dumber. Way dumber. At the moment, Swaim-the-actor’s energy and delivery make me want so badly to guffaw at his antics, yet most of the time I find myself left with my mouth open and nothing coming out. Like an aborted sneeze, let’s say. Though I’m absolutely sure, over time, as he fills the shoes of Swaim-the-idiot, he will have me rolling on the floor.

Dan O’Brien, Assistant Editor of Cracked, playing Dan O’Brien in the show isn’t quite as exciting…at first. At times it felt like he was channeling Woody Allen and failing miserably. O’Brien, playing the ‘good cop’ to Swaim’s ‘bad cop’ is a geeky, buttoned up babysitter for Swaim. He plays the straight man a little too straight to the point of dullness all the way until the seventh episode, and then…the seventh episode happens. But we’ll get into that later.

What I want to discuss with you right now is why I have not mentioned what the show is about. The reason? I’m not totally sure what the show is about. I know it takes place in the cracked offices. I know that these guys create content for cracked.com. And I know that they are given tasks like ‘brand development’ from their mysterious boss, The Chief. But the jobs and stories feel so random and the fact that they are described in the cracked.com’s ‘About’ section as being ‘trained to handle anything the world of internet comedy throws at them’ makes me totally confused sometimes as to what the hell I’m watching.

I’ll explain by example: the first episode, Swaim’s eighth partner has died and Dan is assigned to be his new partner. Partner in what, you ask? I have no clue. In the second episode, Swaim spends the majority of it coming up with lame nicknames for his new partner while Dan tries to figure out who the best Care Bear was for The Chief. Any ideas what’s going on yet? Me neither. The third ep has Swaim upset because his readers and viewers of his vids have called him a fag. And THAT’S when I realized they are content providers for cracked. Wow. Third ep? That’s not too good. And when I finally did realize that I also realized that I just didn’t care about them or what they did and I wanted to stop watching, but alas that’s what I get paid for, lucky you.

And then I got to seven (above). It’s performance review time for the boys and the total absurdity and burgeoning character dynamic between our fine fellows finally becomes clear, or, clearer. And O’Brien, believe it or not, steals the show as he is tortured by The Chief (whose voice is incidentally always disturbingly distorted as he sits in a dark room with only a backlight, and, no, I don’t know why.). I won’t go into too many details here but I’ll just say that O’Brien gets a target drawn on his forehead, is branded with a hot iron and fights himself in the ‘Cave of Trials’ all during his performance review, while Swaim has an office barbecue…in the office. It’s non-stop absurdity and hilarity. And everyone nails their part and suddenly I’m seeing the insane potential of this messy little show.

Production value is fine throughout, set design is very rough sometimes which works sometimes and other times it’s distracting. There are seven eps showing and seven more to go, rolling out in a seemingly random pattern until the end of this month. The show benefits from cracked’s tried and true interface allowing you to share anywhere, comment freely and easily, etc. And I have to say, the player worked like a champ on both computers I watched it on, which is not always the case. I’m also guessing that it’s cracked’s loyal fanbase that brings in the tens of thousands of views the show enjoys. Not to mention the seemingly constant barrage of positive commentary.

Commentary which is a little bit unfounded as far as I’m concerned, until, of course that lovely seventh ep. And so, in the end, I guess my feeling is, you should watch the show starting at ep seven. It’s kind of smart in a weird way and if it continues to grow it could become some kind of absurdist wonder of the web, an interesting addition to the plethora of office comedies in existence. I can only hope that the writers would please begin to clarify exactly what the show is about and what exactly these guys do, because right now, it’s just a little too loosey goosey and only serves to diminish what could be a very funny and fun buddy office comedy.

Related News:

1. Ugly Betty’s ‘Mode After Hours’ Series Coming Back
2. Review: The Latest in Puppet-Themed Web Series

Babelgum has picked up exclusive first run distribution rights on Scott Adams’ Dilbert animated cartoon series as well as the New Yorker’s and a handful of others—Bloom County, Michael Fry and T Lewis’ Over the Hedge, Paul Gilligan’s Pooch Café and Richard Thompson’s Cul de Sac. The deal is with RingTales, an online distributor of animated cartoons, and adds to Babelgum’s previous library of non-exclusive cartoon clips from the company.

Popular cubicle dweller Dilbert had previously been a major hit on iTunes, where it claimed the #1 podcast spot earlier this summer with over 2 million downloads for the month of July. The new Babelgum deal means it will have first run on new episodes, before its other partners like iTunes, MSN and even Dilbert.com.

The short, under 30-second clips will live on Babelgum Comedy’s Animation sub-channel. Given their bite size lengths and name recognition it’s likely these series will do well on Babelgum’s not too shabby mobile app which makes for fast access to their growing library. Back in July, the site announced it locked exclusive mobile distribution rights on content from celeb-backed comedy hub Funny or Die.

This is the latest licensing deal from Babelgum, which has been on a spree of deals lately as it tries to build out its content offering. The firm’s recently hired Comedy Channel Publisher Amber J. Lawson often talks about she is crafting a curated “smart comedy” channel. The high-brow comedy of Dilbert and the New Yorker seem to be in line with that thinking. “As consumers are increasingly looking to the Web for animation content, Babelgum will provide users not just with a mere replacement of static cartoons but with a one stop shop offering an enhanced digital viewing experience,” said Lawson.

Related News:

1. Babelgum Locks Funny or Die, Ramps Up Comedy Channel
2. Dilbert Gets Animated, Again
3. ‘Your Geek News’ Gets Babelgum Channel, Bigger Soapbox

The International Academy of Web Television will be celebrating it’s first birthday next month. Looking back over the past year in web television, it’s exciting to see how much the world of online entertainment has grown, and even more exciting to catch a glimpse into its very promising future. As a community driven membership organization, composed of the leaders and pioneers of the online entertainment industry, the IAWTV is an important piece of the web television ecosystem — but its work is only just beginning, and it’s looking to expand its ranks.

On October 19, at the Digital Hollywood conference in Los Angeles, the Academy held its inaugural membership meeting and hosted a broad-ranging conversation about the issues facing our emerging industry. A subsequent New York based meeting for prospective members will be held tomorrow, November 18th in Manhattan.

As Streamy Awards season edges closer, the IAWTV has formally launched its annual Membership  application window, which extends through January 15. If you have considered applying for membership, now is the time to submit your application. As newly appointed IAWTV Chairman, Michael Wayne, said in his letter to the membership, the IAWTV “will only be as good as the collective efforts of its members. So, if you are truly interested in helping us build the IAWTV into a world-class organization, here is your opportunity.”

Interested in joining the IAWTV? Attend the New York Prospective Members Meeting this Wednesday, November 18th at 7pm at Blip.tv, followed by a networking session sponsored by Pond5, the world’s stock media marketplace. And don’t forget to apply for IAWTV membership by the January 15th deadline!

Support the IAWTV

Interested in supporting the International Academy of Web Television? Want to own a piece of Streamy Awards history? Now you can do both! Purchase a collectible Streamy Awards program, generously sponsored by our friends at KoldCast.TV. The program is a commemorative record of the first ever Streamy Awards and includes a full run-down of the evening’s show, as well as a list of the official nominees and IAWTV members. Proceeds go to support the work of the Academy.

Related News:

1. Welcome to Web Television Week!
2. Streamy Awards: Official Nominees Announced!
3. Streamy Awards: Academy of Web Television Announced

If the RIAA issued platinum certifications for web shows, the offices of Know Your Meme would be decked out with some serious bling. Originally conceived by Rocketboom producers way back in December 2007, the spin-off series and its accompanying website have gained some serious traction as a resource and discussion board for the study of online, cultural phenomena.

Know Your Meme’s informative, sporadic installments document the discovery, dissemination, and decline of internet memes. To the uninitiated, that might sound like a small, nerdy niche, but then you hear the numbers and accolades: the website’s traffic chart looks like a hockey stick with well over half a million visitors a month (and growing) and TIME called it one of the top 50 best websites of 2009.

So, what’s next? What happens after you win at the internet? In the words of Texas rapper Chamillionaire, “It’s one thing to go platinum. Where do you from there? Then Weird Al calls.”

“We were contacted by Davis Cox from Apex Exposure, who was promoting Al’s new best-of album,” say Know Your Meme stars and producers Kenyatta “Yatta” Cheese and Jamie “Dubs” Wilkinson. “Davis was already aware of both the show and the community that our viewers had built around Know Your Meme and thought it’d be a perfect fit.” He was right.

In the latest T-Pain approved episode of Know Your Meme, Weird Al joins the professors as a guest lecturer on the subject of Auto-Tune. From exploring the proprietary audio processor’s “esoteric mockery to legitimate parody,” he lays down the kind of insight that only someone with 25+ years in the parody profession can provide.

Yatta and Jamie Dubs tell me, “We’ve had plans to expand the show to include guest appearances of all kinds including internet stars, relevant real-world celebs, and the creators of memes themselves. We were just waiting for the right opportunity.” Weird Al is definitely that right opportunity. He’s our collective consciousness’ platonic ideal of a D&D dork or a tech nerd, and also a champion for those communities. He’s made a career out of mocking popular culture and been accepted by the mainstream both in spite of and because of being nerdy. Clearly, no one is better suited for a celebrity cameo on a web show that scientifically examines one of the highest forms of geek – internet ephemera.

So, where do you go from Weird Al? More celebrity appearances. Yatta and Jamie Dubs say, “With the success of this episode and the show’s increasing popularity, we’re hoping to do more of these for the 2010 season.”

Related News:

1. ‘Know Your Meme’ Schools Net Newbies, AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
2. YouTubers Like Big Eyes & More Insights From 'Know Your Meme'
3. Do You 'Know Your Meme'?