Picture this. 4 comedians agree to play an unsuspecting game of tag. For 24 hours. Receiving punishment if caught. What could go wrong, right?

This is the premise of an episode of Owarai, a new Japanese variety comedy show on Hulu.com.

I received an email from Erin over at GakiAttack.com (what up Erin!) promoting the launch of Owarai on Hulu.com. Owarai consists of various “channels,” one of which is Gaki, described as the the Japanese version of Jackass.

So when I watched the clip from the 24 hour tag episode, I knew full on what to expect…guys being guys and putting themselves into blatantly masochistic situations our mommas told us not to do. Apparently, this type of action gets you PAID! (I’m sure half of the Jackass salaries went to taking the barbell out of Steve-O’s ass. Steve-O, you’re one tough MOFO!)

Side note: I must be hiding under a rock because I didn’t even know Hulu.com existed before this. There are tons of free videos to watch, including television series and full feature movies. If I go on a sudden “non-productive” streak, I know who to blame. (How did Hulu.com know about my infatuation with Robocop?!? I’ll buy that for a dollar!)

Sorry about that tangent. Back to Owarai. As a fan of Jackass, I was interested in seeing what this Gaki channel was all about. We all remember playing “tag” when we were little. But Owarai took the game to a whole different level.

24 hours. Being chased by an “it.” Receiving punishment if caught. Sounds like a bad S&M experience. But who would sign up for this…or maybe all this was in the “fine” print. (You producers are sneaky, eh? Whatever, it’s good for the ratings!)

You have to watch the clip. I love how unsuspecting these contestants are. They actually seem a little cocky and a bit too casual for what they are going to experience.

But when you watch the first “it” comes out to tag the contestants, you get this “oh sh*t” feeling, kind of like the first time you talked back to your Dad and you saw him reach for the belt. (or Taser in some cases)

What ensues is full of hilarity and random violence, always a great combination. I can’t explain why watching innocent men receive senseless beatings is so damn entertaining. For me, maybe it’s because I knew the “punishments” weren’t really going to inflict severe damage, but just enough to make these guys feel the sting. And their reactions are what brought tears to my eyes.

You can see it in their faces. The whole “fight or flight” instincts kick in, and well, let’s just say they definitely don’t fight. They almost give in and accept what’s coming to them. And that’s the funniest part — watching them attempt to escape, run out of gas, then fall to the ground and take the beating. Classic.

Each “it” comes out with a “punishment” of higher degree that makes you want to keep watching to see what it’s store for the contestants. I have my favorites, and some are just plain sick. Head butting, really?

So click here to watch the clip. I’m curious what y’all think, so please leave a comment below.

Meanwhile, check out the strip below for my take on the whole Gaki tag game.

Photo credits:
Gonemovies.com
Flixster.com
Hulu.com/gaki

You’re my boy, Blue!

This old man is gangsta for real!

A man (not the one pictured to the left) nearly died from alcohol poisoning after quaffing two pints of vodka at an airport security check instead of handing it over to comply with new rules about carrying liquids aboard a plane, police said Wednesday.

The incident occurred Tuesday at the Nuremberg airport, where the 64-year-old man was switching planes on his way home to Dresden from a vacation in Egypt. He was told at a security check he would have to either throw out the bottle of vodka or pay a fee to have his carry-on bag checked.

Instead, he chugged the vodka — and was quickly unable to stand or otherwise function, police said. Now, we’ve all had shots of vodka before. In our craziest nights, I would say anywhere between 5-10 shots would get us into trouble. But I just did a quick Google calculation (yes, another cool Google function), and 2 pints equals 22 shots. 22 SHOTS OF VODKA. Wow.

This dude is either a drunk or just really cheap. I mean, how much could the airline charge to check in his bag? If the fee cost more than his vodka, that is some crappy alcohol. And if so, it’s no wonder that he got sick off it.

And I’m guess that this guy is probably related to the old man. Yes, that is a guy in a Hooters uniform hugging another guy. Don’t judge the messenger, just watch the video.

Source: AP

Dude, how’s my mullet?

Here’s a riddle…what’s buff, tanned, and is red, white, and blue all over. Yup, you guess it! It’s the American Gladiators!

After a long, long absence, American Gladiators is making its return to network television. And it couldn’t have come any sooner, with the writers’ strike still in full swing. The networks are scrambling to add more reality shows to fill in the gaps, and American Gladiators is the perfect answer to satisfy fans of My Name is Earl. But unfortunately, the show is slated to premiere on January 6, 2008, replacing NBC Sunday Night Football. Sorry NFL fans.

This show rocked back in its heyday. Nitro, Malibu, and Lace ruled the world in their way-too-tight spandex and overstyled mullets. I usually wanted the underdog amateurs to win, but it was always fun to see a guy just get slammed off the platform in the Joust, or pegged with a tennis ball from the cannon.

Malibu’s mullet rocked, but not as much as this dude’s…


If you’re in the LA area and want to check out the show live, click here to get tickets.

And NBC is always looking for contestants…just make sure you have health insurance.

Here is a video that will get you pumped up. It mixes in old footage with what looks like some newer stuff. (But I can be mistaken)