FavoriteTen Film and TV Inspired, Parody On-Line Videos

If you're like me, you love a good parody... or a glimpse at what might have been. The following videos have been inspired by some of my favorite movies and TV shows: Lost, Star Wars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings... and yes, the life of entertainer Mario Lopez.

1. "Secret Tape with the Lost Writers" : This very clever video speaks to the frustration of Losties everywhere. "What's the Smoke Monster?" "Why the heck did they do that?" "Why aren't they telling us about The Others?" Every time these questions occur to me, the 'Lost Writers' sketch comes into my head. The answer for everything: "With the help of the Magic Turtle!"

2. Star Trek: the Sitcom: Oh, what a difference a soundtrack makes. What if Star Trek: The Next Generation were an 1980's sitcom? Instead of dramatic music, cast is accompanied by a live studio audience. It's surreal, and the expressions of the cast at times seem to be almost responding to the audience. Even the majestic galactic opening credits sequence is revamped-- with an oddly appropriate themesong stolen from another popular 80s show, but I won't ruin it for you.

3. Slayer Scademy - Season 2: Oh, if only... I would have loved to see this show on TV, but we have to live with the world of fan fiction. Buffy: the Vampire Slayer is over, but a show about the New Slayers learning the trade would have been great. Aside from Paris Hilton, the casting is likewise great. The shots for all the characters are really dynamic. If one didn't know better, you wouldn't really know that the credits were cobbled together from other sources. I love the song. This is really my favorite phony credit sequences for a Joss show that never was.

4. 28 Day Slater - Episode 1: The first episode of a hilariously cheesy parody of "Saved by the Bell", Brandon Tartikoff, and the 80s in general. When you put that together with an excellent title that parodies a popular zombie movie, you get comedy gold. Mario Lopez's brain gets hijacked by his old character A.C. Slater every February. Why? Wait and see. Why does everyone stil love sexist cheeseball Slater? Another mystery for the ages. Either way, it's a funny little program.