The Timekiller: State of the Web Comedy Union

As the Editor-in-Chief/Publisher/Mastermind/Guru of Whip It Out Comedy, I spend a whole lot of time checking out comedy on the web. And once a month, I examine where web comedy's been and where it's headed. This is that time of the month.

Big News: Hulu Is All It’s Cracked Up To Be (Sort Of)

There was no shortage of speculation about whether the studios and networks could get their act together to actually make something “work” on the Internet. Well, it’s been a few weeks since their creation, Hulu, officially went live and it seems surprisingly successful so far. The site’s already got a ton of great content on there that’s easy to find and embed. Perhaps more importantly, the site claims that 5 million people viewed Hulu videos in the month BEFORE it officially opened to the public at large. Pretty impressive (if it’s true). However, before crowning Hulu the king of the web, it’s worth noting this article that points out one minor detail – Hulu doesn’t actually own any of the content it’s broadcasting. Oops.

Little News: The Dramatic Hampster Can Destroy The Internet


The English aren’t always known for being the most accurate journalists in the world, but nonetheless this article in the Guardian caught my eye. It describes the dangers that the current online video boom are causing for the Internet as a whole. As the article explains, “Experts have warned that the amount of data traveling across the internet is growing so fast that the network could become overloaded and grind to a virtual standstill...Last year it was claimed that YouTube consumed as much bandwidth in a year as the entire internet took up in 2000.” Just something to think about the next time you get high and watch two hours of iguana videos on Youtube.

Trend I Love: The Media Starting To “Get It”

After years of fighting and suing to keep their content off the Internet, mainstream media and the entertainment industry finally seem to be starting to understand that online video can really help them if they would just stop trying to prosecute everybody who posts or views their stuff. Jimmy Kimmel saw his show’s ratings spike after they let people run wild with video clips of everybody that he and Sarah Silverman have been fucking. Meanwhile, fans can now find just about anything they want from South Park and Jackass online, Absolut Vodka hired Zach Galifianakis to make a viral video for them and were smart enough to get out of his way and let him do whatever he wanted, and even CNN is now trying to cater to the world of web video.

Trend I Hate: The Comedy Blogosphere’s Gallagher Obsession

Uh...did I miss a memo or something? For some reason, every comedy blogger in the world seemed to have a major Gallagher fetish this month. I confess that I didn’t even bother to read any of the posts so maybe I missed something awesome, but I find that hard to believe. I mean, it’s Gallagher. Come on people.

Welcome To The Neighborhood: C Spot

The neverending onslaught of comedy video websites continued this month with too many new entries to mention. But perhaps the highest profile (read: most financially stable) of them is the C-Spot, launched by Sony-backed Crackle. The site is intended to showcase several new weekly comedy series including Owen Benjamin’s Gaytown.

Video That Deserves More Views: Ronna and Bev

I had heard of Ronna and Beverly for a long time, but for some reason never bothered to check out their live show or videos. Probably because I am a self-hating Jew. Turns out that was a mistake. Because their videos are pretty damn funny and deserve a lot more views than they seem to be getting.

Video That Got More Views Than It Deserves: The Rick Rolling Phenomenon

Sure, I helped contribute to the Rick Rolling phenomenon, but that doesn’t mean I’m proud of it. It’s kind of funny, but do we really need to help Rick Astley make a comeback?

Just Wondering...

There's a good chance that we're going to be adding a couple columnists to the site soon, so now seems like as good a time as any to ask what kind of columns you'd like to see us add. Got suggestions for column themes? Interested in joining our team yourself (assuming you're not illiterate)? Feel free to leave any suggestions you've got as a comment or email me at whipitoutcomedy@yahoo.com. Thx!

Josh Spector is the "mastermind" behind Whip It Out Comedy. His column runs every Monday, assuming he remembers to write it. He has recently written about bachelor party surprises and the secret to standup comedy success. He can be pestered at whipitoutcomedy@yahoo.com.