There’s been a whole lotta buzz about one of our latest pieces, Crankin The Commish, so 12 Angry Mascots creator Scott Rogowsky thought he’d set a few things straight:

In the absence of the NFL due to the ongoing league-imposed lockout, there has been a corresponding absence of NFL news. And who wins when the sports media machine gets desperate for a story? Comedy troupes making spoof videos!

When we launched “Crankin’ the NFL Commish” – 12 Angry Mascots’ latest video starring Chester Pitts and Raheem Brock of the Seattle Seahawks (REAL NFL PLAYERS!) – on atom.com last Monday, I don’t think any of us involved could have expected that a week later, we’d be watching clips of the video being played on ESPN. But that’s just what happened when the morning news program “First Take” on ESPN 2 brought on Chester and Raheem via satellite to discuss their controversial roles as juvenile pranksters, crank calling NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in our video.

The video first made waves in Seattle, where Seahawks beat writer Danny O’Neil’s investigative report into its production process became front-page fodder for The Seattle Times’ sports section. Then the bloggers and NFL websites started picking up on it. Pro Football Talk posted the link and invited its readers to determine the sketch’s comedic worth (sample comment from these great arbiters of humor: “Why are they laying together on a bed?”). Deadspin ran a transcript of a radio interview given by Pitts regarding the video. Yahoo’s football blog Shutdown Corner called Pitts and Brock the “Jerky Boys” of the NFL. Even the Gray Lady (New York Times) got in on the action with her Fifth Down blog.

Why the coverage? What the controversy? If you read the headlines, it’s because an NFL player called NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a “douche.” But really, that’s just an NFL player, impersonating President Obama, telling an IMAGINARY Goodell to “stop being a douche,” in a satirical video that was produced for COMEDY CENTRAL. There truly wasn’t any offensive or malicious intent behind the jokes, as Chester and Raheem were forced to repeat on ESPN today.

But hey, we’re thrilled with the coverage! So desperate sports media, keep it coming! And in the meantime, we’re already at work on production of our next video, featuring real NFL players. Working title: “Murderin’ the Commish’s Family.”

Oh, and in the meantime, check out the OUTTAKES reel from the crank call shoot!

You have 21 days left to submit to the Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge, which is 21 days longer than it took me to pen the winner of the Most Expository Headline Of The Day Challenge.

For your shot at your own (way more illustrious) award, upload your fan vid by the deadline, follow all pertinent directions, and use the FORCE, duh.

Here’s a previous submission, in case you need a little inspiration:

Well friends, it’s been a long road, hasn’t it?

A little over a year ago, we were a bunch of scrappy kids armed with nothing but a camera and a dream. Now? We’ve been on TV, we’ve earned cash, we’ve been decked out in swag.

Don’t despair. When God closes a Tournament, he leaves open an upload page. Yes, you can still upload videos to Atom. Heck, you can even tell us when you do. If it brings a nostalgic tear to our eye, a yearning for the days that were, or, if it’s…you know…funny, we might just feature it.

Until then, here are the last Atom Tournament Winners:

The Tournament is winding down, and with it, the selection of Atom Picks. It’s been a great run, and we’ve been psyched to have the power to control destiny and reward greatness, but, sadly, all good things must come to an end.

OK, so, like, not really. The actual dude (or ladydude) is probably way too busy snuggling baby eaglets and taste testing government-grade apple pie whiskey out of Babe Ruth’s baseball glove to be shenaniganning in some dive somewhere. But I want to believe. Rob Riggle for president! USA! USA!

The second to last episode of a TV show is always kind of sucky, right? It’s not the finale, but it’s impossible to view it as a regular episode of the show. Well, this is the second to last time that I write one of these blogs, so I’ll save the sentimentality for next week*. Hit the jump to see who’s won the big cash, the big prizes, and the big chance to be on Comedy-mother-lovin’-Central.

*The Tournament’s final week is May 9th – 15th, so get your videos in now before it’s too late to win!

Hey Birthday Boys, We hope you get really, really, reeeaaaaaally drunk celebrating your selection as our latest pick.

Here’s $500—the cab’s on us.

Welcome to the AXE Dirtcathlon! Rob Riggle and his right hand man Owen Benjamin have a series of four fun (and dirty) challenges that our four teams have to conquer in hopes of scoring a trip to sunny Spain and a shot at the Dirtcathlon trophy.

We enlisted Team Tiger Awesome to help create the challenges, in which pairs of hot teammates get down and dirty in the back of a taxi, some body paint, and a shared toga. The scores are neck and neck, but we won’t be releasing the grand finale til the end of the month, so be sure to come back and see which couple will soon be frolicking in Espagne.

Episode 1: Taxi Dash

Episode 2: Art Smear

Episode 3: Toga Party

As we embark on our penultimate week of the Tournament, let’s look back at the last week’s winners. Some made us laugh, some made us cry, some made us marvel at the wonder that is this planet and these giant bipedal creatures we call humans (and their flipcams).

Onward!

1. Drunk Driving by The Birthday Boys with 29183 plays.
2. Order and Law SJDPD – The Punniest Short Ever by Justin with 11268 plays.
3. Welcome to San Marcos by Coqui with 10649 plays.
4. Guaranteed Sex by torreymeeks with 4058 plays.
5. Undocumented Worker: The Auditition by The Second City Network with 1720 plays.
6. My Moment of Greatness At Wondercon by sociallyawkwardhuman with 1229 plays.
7. Meeting, Interrupted by Rue Brutalia with 1117 plays.
8. The Frank And Susan Show by Frank Faucette with 868 plays.
9. Newark Times Weddings: Ted & Gracie by Jena Friedman with 442 plays.
10. Wrong Kind Of Threesome by The Shelter with 304 plays.