Extra Medium Sketch Comedy

November 2, 2004 was a dark day for liberal-minded Americans anxious for John Kerry to turn the political future around. And he should have, too. Diebold delivered an empty victory as promised, so this short follows a disgruntled ex-pat who immigrates as a mail order husband. Get the latest video podcast here: Escape from USA

OK. This is probably the strangest film collaboration in my recollection. Portland, OR's Bear Deluxe Magazine and parent environment watch organization ORLO host a yearly film competition. What possessed us to spin the theme "plastic culture" into the story of rock monolith Ted Nugent losing his hunting bow is anyone's guess. Get the lastest video podcast here: Max Gross

Another great Animation Schmanimation short courtesy of Cinema Queso's John C. Meyer, shown at Extra Medium's multimedia comedy showcase near the final installment (we hope) of George Lucas' prequel trilogy, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Get the lastest video podcast here: Vader Vacation

About all I can say to introduce this short is that my blind roommate pretty much suggested the direction of this storyline, offering to do as many falling and rolling stunts as possible. I couldn't see much in the Scruffers costume either, so it was up to cameraman/director/conspirator Crispin "Credible" Rosenkranz to guide us across busy streets via his voice. So it's about a half-man half-dog/guy in a fuzzy car seat cover who is a terrible assistant animal. Don't get too offended. We had a lot of fun making it. Get the lastest video podcast here: Seeing Eye Scruffers

Scruffers was a half-man half-dog creation of Extra Medium's Danny Norton for one live sketch and two short films. Actually, it was just Danny in a furry carseat cover. Featuring Nicki Toma, Phantom Hillbilly and appearances by Scott "Hecktow" Klatt, Dax Jordan and Tatyana Zaytseva. The costume was very uncomfortable. The idea for this short came when Portland was experiencing a rash of animal poisonings in public off-leash dog areas, then shards of metal to cut animals' paws. Get the lastest video podcast here: Scruffers' Day in the Park

Three-part sketch filmed live at Portland's historic now-defunct Jasmine Tree tiki lounge. Man wants to do "something special" for his girlfriend on Valentine's Day, but can't afford Broadway or even Off-Broadway theatre tickets. An unscrupulous dealer in eclectic knock-offs of Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soliel and Shakespeare tries to recommend a budget alternative. Written by Tom Wolcott and Danny Norton, with Steve Libbey, Scott "Hecktow" Klatt, Adam Higgins and Laura Patterson. Ends in typical sound cue snafu, to awkward effect. Get the lastest video podcast here: Off-Off Broadway

Filmed using a Tyco Kidcam, this grainy, silent B&W short is based on Gilda Agostinone's "Zither Bit," which was originally performed live at a Tulsa, OK Mayfest. Audience response was so positive, I filmed it with a different actress five years later. I always gave Gilda credit, but felt like a bit of a plagiarist. Hopefully, my performance adds a modicum of my own original input. Get the lastest video podcast here: Un Film Sans Sonido

John C. Meyer of Cinema Queso loaned this gem to Extra Medium's multimedia showcase for our "tribute to Star Wars" installment. He and a few college friends animated this and other bizarre shorts under the moniker Animation Schmanimation. This short features Sith Lord Darth Vader having a bad day at work, unappreciated by his Emperor and getting no respect in traffic from the denizens of the Star Wars galaxy. Get the lastest video podcast here: Vader Monday

Filmed live at Extra Medium's monthly multimedia comedy showcase at Jasmine Tree Tiki Lounge, Nathaniel Hubbard steps in to tell Scott "Hecktow" Klatt and Danny Norton a few anecdotes about military life. The two boys are playing with sort-of action figures, which have an unusual back story of their own. Get the lastest video podcast here: G.I. Joe Reserves

Inspired by the passing of Pope John Paul II and subsequent scramblings to replace him, Dax Jordan, D Emanuel, Scott "Hecktow" Klatt and Danny Norton play papal hopefuls confined to a small apartment and sent to converse in a hot tub after too much wine. Parody of religion and reality television in one short, somehow failed to revolutionize the web. Get the lastest video podcast here: Vatican's Next Top Pope

Parody ad for vibrating cell phone ringers, put to inappropriate use as sexual stimulant. With Nicki Toma, Dax Jordan, D Emanuel, Lauren Sands and Danny Norton. Get the lastest video podcast here: Verizon Masturbation Minutes

Scott "Hecktow" Klatt stuck with Extra Medium as wiriter, sketch and stand-up performer perhaps longer than anyone else. His oddball takes on troubled entertainers with problem material included a Russian Hawaiian singer, his Ken & Barbie "Jack & Diane" puppet theater and this imagination-challenged improvisational comic. Hilarious reactions to his audience's suggestions are a fond alternative to "Who's Line Is It" smug, competent professionals. Get the lastest video podcast here: Improv

Painfully corny document follows two aspiring short filmmakers through writer's block to rolling on the floor laughing at their own mediocre ideas. First and probably best collaboration between The Phantom Hillbilly and Extra Medium's Danny Norton, guest directed by Crispin Rosenkranz with cameos by Eric Brockman, Wes Dilling and Jihad Qutub. Get the lastest video podcast here: Original Gags

Performed live before a coctail-infused audience, this sketch turns the tables on Dungeons and Dragons' fantasy realm. A Barbarian, Elf and Wizard meet to role play and are chided for wasting their time "not doing anything real." Get the lastest video podcast here: Condos and Lawyers

Phantom Hillbilly AKA Nick Wells' befuddled character gets new garment in the mail and must call tech support to figure it out. Get the lastest video podcast here: Shirt Support

Extra Medium not only made a sizable collection of short films, they performed live on stage at historic, now-defunct Jasmine Tree tiki lounge every month for three years. Boy, those were the days, especially when dynamic writing duo Nathaniel Hubbard and Laura Patterson took the reins. This live sketch was a universal favorite, because it dared to be almost offensive without quite hitting any awkward "Ooh" moments. Hub visits a long-lost relative, who by comparison is a sophisticate. He can't help but voice his bigoted opinions and gets all of his racial stereotypes wrong, to hilarious effect. Get the lastest video podcast here: Goat Racist

Extra Medium cofounder Danny Norton once fancied himself quite the aspiring filmmaker, so much so that he jumped at the opportunity to intern at the world's premiere film showcase in 1999. That's him behind Roger Ebert, seated, eating lunch. What a goof. As part of the American Pavilion and Kodak's student program, interns served coffee, delivered newspapers, and in his case, care package courier. Danny says, "Sure, we saw red carpet and stood next to celebrities at cocktail parties. The stars had nothing much else to do but stand next to the likes of us. If we weren't trying to photograph them or hand them a script, we were practically buddies." Get the lastest video podcast here: The Wrath of Cannes

Longtime collaborator and gifted solo director Crispin Rosenkranz brought this docu-exploitation gem our way in 2004. Those who identify with Darrel's crude, bacchanalian lifestyle loved it. Others were confused and disgusted. But universally, the scene with his grandmother was hailed as pure genius. Get the lastest video podcast here: Darrel's Gone Wild

Extra Medium cofounders Nicki Toma and Danny Norton are joined by Portland stand-up comic Dax Jordan for a tale of excess and undress. One-half arty stills-film and the other half performed live on stage at historic, now-defunct Jasmine Tree tiki lounge. Get the lastest video podcast here: Drunk Date

Featuring stand-up comic phenomenons Dax Jordan, Richard Bain and Tom Wolcott, Danny Norton embellishes his life drawing class experience at Portland State University by appearing as his professor and coaching the class to draw the ENTIRE body. Weird entendres abound, and Nicki Toma and Tatyana Zaytseva made some really strange drawings. Get the lastest video podcast here: Drawing the Figure

Extra Medium cofounder Nicki Toma and longtime collaborator Tatyana Zaytseva produced this mindboggling parody to play during our monthly multimedia sketch, music and film showcses at historic, now-defunct Jasmine Tree tiki lounge. The Portland Development Commission leveled the 29-year-old business to make a fenced-in grass lot. Get the lastest video podcast here: Bee

After much contemplation, Extra Medium Sketch Comedy have decided to learn the dark art of podcasting their short film into the worldwide interweb, a series of tubes for the transmission of informative communiques. We hope you enjoy this, the first, of what we hope to be many Media-Rich cyber-content digital mailings. Get the first video podcast here: ATF: Gun