Comic-book artist turned animator Brad Neely's latest foray into historical events (he's taken on Sodom and Gomorrah and George Washington, among others) isn't really satire. Why? It's just too damn strange. Set over a low-fi trip-hoppy beat, American Moments of Maybe takes on video games, Nat Turner, and the Lincoln Douglas debates and a whole lot more. More graphic novel than bonafide animation, the video falls squarely in the Midnight Madness category, and not just because Neely uses the word "pig fucker."

Produced by comedy troupe The Message for ThisJustIn.com, "Race Flag" takes a controversial point-of-view towards race relations, suggesting that before calling someone on their potential bigotry, one might look towards oneself first. The use of a literal referee to judge when the race card is being unfairly played gets implemented in an extremely clever fashion, especially when it comes to the implementation of instant replay. By demanding true equality across race lines -- in fact, by addressing race issues at all -- "Race Flag" is a fresh voice in the realm of online video. No one's going to flag that play, right?

Just in time for Independence Day, Karen Lurie and Nick Poppy (director of "Zombie-American" with Ed Helms) have crafted a sly patriotic how-to video about that most all-American of tasty treats: apple pie. The first of a number of forthcoming "American Cookbook" episodes -- "inspired by our love of America, the Cold War, instructional films and baked goods," says Poppy -- the film is a clever and simply-constructed send-up of all of the above. Three or four other episodes are on the way, one a week for the next month, according to Poppy, who also makes a living doing behind-the-scenes videos for Comedy Central. The duo have several other short-form comedy videos in the works.

Created for the Drug Policy Alliance by Brooklyn-based artist Haik Hoisington, this brilliant and satirical faux ad-spot highlights the wonders of a fictitious drug called Incarcarex. Aimed at politicians who favor imprisoning drug-users instead of a more comprehensive and constructive drug policy, the mock-commercial suggests, "Talk to your spin-doctor about Incarerex," says the voice-over, sounding like an ad for Viagara. "It's simplistic and fast-acting."

Drug Policy Alliance's Jeanette Irwin admits, "We definitely chose to do something a little risky." The organization sought out Hoisington after seeing a stick-figure animation he did skewering New York's harsh Rockefeller Drug Laws, and then worked with him on the concept and the script. While the Alliance welcomed Hoisington's elegant graphics and skillful design sense, Irwin admits there was some resistance to the project, she says, "but we knew this viral video wouldn't work unless we had something edgy."

After shout-outs from Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish blog at The Atlantic Monthly and Reason Magazine, the video has received more than 50,000 views on YouTube, and favorited more than 250 times. For more of Hoisington's sharp, socially-conscious animations, you can check out his website: http://www.blackmustache.com/.

And if you're a politician and decide to take Incarcarex, remember "common side effects include the loss of civil liberties, police corruption, racial injustice, increased terrorism, spread of HIV, AIDs and crime. Do not mix Incarcarex with the Constitution or common sense."

The "my dad can beat up your dad" dictum is as old as combat itself, but the guys at Team Tiger Awesome put together this literal interpretation of a tired threat to show you just how gruesome dad-on-dad warfare can be.

This is the group's first video for SuperDeluxe, and it's pretty hilarious. We're particularly into the flashy graphics (love the slouched posture) that cut up the action; they were made by (TTA member) Clint's sister, a graphic designer. According to Nicholas Mundy, "We have the banners all over our house; it's how we decorated for the summer."

Mundy also informs us that TTA decided to cast fellow LA-based comedians (and TDR crushes) Invisible Engine after helping that trio out behind the camera on their St. Patrick's Day video. Ahh, we love the smell of online video collaboration on a crisp Hollywood morning.

She may be a toddler, but Pearl McKay is already a first-ballot lock for the Viral Video Hall of Fame. Sadly, the adorable little tyke has already announced her retirement -- but what a ride it was.

We first ran into Ms. McKay in The Landlord, in which she played an alcoholic landlord who terrorizes her poor, broke tenant (played by some schlep named Will Ferrell). The clip was a smash hit, racking up millions of views and instantly making it clear that upstart Net outfit FunnyOrDie.com was a site to be reckoned with. For her swan song "Good Cop, Baby Cop," Pearl again takes on the role of alpha dog -- in this case, a tough-as-nails police interrogator who'll stop at nothing to squeeze a confession out of a stone cold assassin (again, that Ferrell guy). The clip went live Monday night, and is already racking up views at an astounding clip.

"Pearl was talking about her career the other day, and she really summed it up well when she said, 'Oh what a long strange trip it's been,'" says Adam McKay, Pearl's father (and Ferrell's partner.) "The reason we stopped is that we don't want to expose her to the evils of the industry. She's at a stage where she's become slightly aware of what's happening, and as soon as that happened, I said, 'That's it, we're done.'"

McKay says that his experience with FunnyOrDie -- which hosts both professional and user-generated content -- "has just totally exceeded our expectations. We've got a full time staff, we have professional writers and directors working for us. And Will's been great -- he really enjoys making these little movies. I'd say the most pleasant surprise was how much funny stuff has been posted by the users."

As for Pearl, we wish you the best. You are living proof that the flame that burns twice as bright does indeed last half as long.

Related: http://www.bestweekever.tv/2007/06/26/icymi-pearl-is-one-bad-motherfcker/

Having commitment issues? Then check out "The Glitch," a hilarious, smartly-conceived comedy short starring American Pie's Jason Biggs, which mixes the inevitable question, "Where do you see us going?" with Groundhog Day-like insanity. Having achieved "immortal" status at FunnyorDie.com since it was posted last week, "The Glitch" has been seen more 13,000 times.

While director Mike Samonek always figured the movie would find a home on the web, "it was never my intention to see this become a 'viral' video," he says. (It's now playing exclusively at Funnyordie.com.) "I think at ten minutes long we aren't going to get the kind of instant buzz a two minute short does, and that's understandable," he admits.

Shot over two days, the film took five months to complete from conception to final cut. Directly inspired by Groundhog Day, Samonek says, "I've always liked the idea of a guy who thinks he can dodge an uncomfortable question only to see it come back and bite him in the ass again and again until he's forced to confront it."

Samonek, a self-described "comedy junky" who appreciates the "absurdist comedy of Mel Brooks and Monty Python," and the "character driven, reality based" laughs of Alexander Payne and Judd Apatow, says he's using "The Glitch" as a calling card to put together a feature comedy to star Biggs, whom he met after selling his first screenplay in 2003. "Jason has a very smart, dark sensibility and I think that is a huge part of why this film works," he says, regarding "The Glitch." "Truth is, he's a jerk and the more roles he gets that allow him to be his true self, the better."

In this CG animated gem, war comes to a fictional land. As opposing armies ready for battle, two reluctant soldiers on either side -- little Mortimer and nerdy Bracket -- eventually find themselves on the front-lines facing the blasting guns and flying dinosaurs of their enemies. Since hitting the web last weekend, Andrew Chesworth's senior thesis project at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design has exploded, receiving links and admirers from animation and art sites across the world.

Begun in September 2005, Chesworth just finished the project in May of this year. Inspired by Pixar directors Brad Bird, Andrew Stanton, and John Lasseter, Chesworth also cites such Hollywood live-action inspirations as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Sam Raimi, and Robert Zemeckis. "The film Roger Rabbit' was a huge inspiration to me as a five-year-old kid," he says. "'Toy Story' was a big event for me," he adds, "and I knew that somehow or another I wanted to align myself with the people who did that. It was so mind-blowing!" Chesworth hopes that some of his filmmaking heroes might catch his film on the Internet. And with its detailed character work and imaginative universe, they won't be disappointed.

After graduating in May, Chesworth is continuing to work on his own animation projects and has a full-time job at Make LLC, a Minneapolis-based visual effects and animation studio. This film was created using Maya 7.0, After Effects 7.0, Photoshop CS, and Illustrator CS.

When it comes to promoting a book, Michael Jaffe and Jay Peterson’s The Manny is about as creative as it gets. Based on the novel by Holly Peterson (Jay’s cousin), this 3-minute clip boasts exceptionally high production value, a Hall & Oates satire by Grammy Award-winning producer Scott Jacoby, T.V. personality Karen Duffy, and a midget. Think of it as Desperate Housewives, Park Avenue style.

“In general, we were just trying to make something funny,” says Jaffe. “We did the shoot over 3 days and it went smoothly. The weather was great, the actors were all patient and easy to work with. We did have the Sunday Styles writer Allen Salkin there for one day and a producer from 20/20 on set another day, which were both fun distractions.” For more of Jaffe’s work is available on YouTube. More information about the book can be found on its MySpace page.

Stuart Smalley, eat your heart out. For her daily affirmation, LisaNova a.k.a. Lisa Donovan, vows not to eat junk food. As she says to herself, "Your body is a temple." But on a troubled run, she finds a lonely cake that also needs a little love.

Lisa's latest project is also her submission video for YouTube's Sketchies competition; voting started Wednesday. (Last we checked, she was ranked high, in third place.) With a catchy score by John Reuben Song, "Affirmation Girl" should solidify Lisa's reign as the 15th most subscribed YouTube channel of all time.