Well, well, how things are changing. Not to be left behind as the paradigm shifts from traditional cable and satellite networks towards what paid subscription services like Apple, Hulu and Netflix are doing, YouTube today announced the first channels that it will offer via monthly subscriptions.

Following a 14-day free trial period, channels such as Sesame Street, Baby First Plus, Cars.tv, HD Net, Coreman’s Drive-In and UFC Select will be available for monthly fees raging from $2.99/Month to as little as $.99/Month. Payment will be accepted via credit card or Google Wallet.

According to the announcement, some of the programs will feature ads, but a majority won’t, with most of the content being available as on-demand. Google will reportedly collect about 45% of the subscription ad revenue.

While this list of channels and programming is not that extensive yet, Google expects other channels and networks to launch subscription services on YouTube soon and will roll them out over the coming months. For the full list of content available now, go here.

With the current amount and diversity of content, it will be very interesting to see if people actually decide to subscribe to some of these channels or wait until there’s more to choose from. Will this development end up being the digital straw that breaks the virtual camels back and starts the mass exodus from more traditional cable and satellite providers? It just might be.

Obviously, we’re very curious to see new epiosdes of Community now that Dan Harmon is off the show from the beginning of the season and Chevy Chase left part way through. Putting it bluntly, we’re not optimistic about the show’s chances.

We felt that way, that is, until we saw this new mash-up featuring the cast. Seeing it almost gives us hope for the new season. Almost. You should judge for yourself.

And as if that wasn’t enough, we’ve also got a treat for Grimm fans: part one of a Grimmm web series. That’s right, check it out after the break and enjoy while you wait for the show to return on March 8th.

Oh, in case you didn’t know, Community returns on February 7th. Check out all the vids, well, you know the drill.

To be honest, I haven’t always thought much of “digital” series. In many cases they just can’t seem to hold up against more traditional TV fare. Of course, there’s many reasons for that and I don’t really hold it against them. However, as skeptical as I might be, things seem about to change now that Bryan Singer’s new digital series H+ has arrived.

The series tells the story of a computer virus that invades the global network and starts to wreak havoc on both the network and people connected to it. In other words, all hell breaks loose as we all loose connectivity . . . or worse.

The first two episodes are now up over at YouTube with new ones coming out every Wednesday. To help you check it out now, we’ve got the first one after the break. That way, all you have to do its click once. No need to thank us.

Could this be the future of entertainment? Maybe. I will say that after watching the first two episodes, I want to see more. So there’s that.

Oh, one small gripe. Can we just call it H+ or H Plus and drop “The digital series”? That just sounds dumb, especially as most network series are shot digitally these days. Thanks.

Check it out after the break and let us know what you think.

Are you tired of reading the same old crap on movie news site after movie news site with no wit, insight, or opinion to be had? Then it’s time you stepped up and joined The Flickcast as a dedicated contributor!

We’re looking for a few good geeks in the realm of Movies, TV, Comics, Tech, and Video Games to help us bring in the new year with some fresh perspectives and opinions.

Think you got what it takes to spread the news, opinions, and crucial information for the exciting things that the upcoming year has to offer? Then let us know! Send a brief email with attached writing samples to writers@theflickcast.com and let us know why you’d like to write for us.

While there are plenty of fancy paid jobs out there, TheFlickcast offers you something better than that. We can offer tons of review copies of upcoming films, TV shows, video games, music, or tech products as they come to us, and possibly even make enough contacts to be a force unrivaled with in the pop culture news game.

Depending on the workload, we are also able to offer access to some of the hottest conventions and festivals these fine United States has to offer such as C2E2, Fantastic Fest, Emerald City Con, CES, and the mother of them all: San Diego Comic-Con.

So if you think you’ve got what it takes to join the ranks of these fine digital halls, feel free to reach out at writers@theflickcast.com and we’re happy to have you help out!

While the world of film and TV awards get more and more jaded to the hardcore fans, it’s time to pay more attention to the forms of media that could, very soon, become the new medium to-be. I’m talking about the form of New Media, or “web series”, which is becoming more and more of what kids are talking about these days.

With that comes, of course, a cornocopia of popular awards to give accolades to these hard-working men and women. One of these is for the The International Academy of Web Television, a freshman organization that’s made to bring more attention to the growing medium.

Yesterday, the nomimations for the first year of awards was announced, and as expected, Sean Becker & Felicia Day’s popular web series The Guild, and the excellent drama series RCVR made out like bandits. From Variety.

“RCVR” racked up a dozen nominations. The show focuses on covert government agents that try to suppress the truth about extraterrestrial encounters and hunt humans selected by an alien species to act as channels for advanced technologies. “The Guild,” a long-running Web series that is arguably the field’s most popular, picked up nine nominations.

Voting is currently underway and the show hits on January 12th in Vegas the upcoming CES. Take a look at the full nominees after the jump.

Since the arrival of affordable and professional level video editing and effects equipment, it’s become more and more common for a small fan film on the Internet to have as good or better visuals (and often a story) than many of the big Hollywood  films we usually see. That case is clear once again with the new short film Robots of Brixton by Kibwe Tavares.

The film takes an interesting look at a futuristic (and not very optimistic) world where robots not only rule, but have the same hardships as humans.

With some of the most unsettling and gorgeous visuals we’ve seen in a some time, Brixton runs a short 5 and a half minutes. However, that time will go by fast and once you’re done, you’ll want to watch it again.

Check out the full synopsis and short itself after the jump.

What was the world like without YouTube? Hard to believe that was an actual thing at one time, but it’s true. There were things like TV, radio, and even books to keep people entertained long before watching 30 second videos in which a baby farts and sneezes at the same time was a national pastime.

With those early dinosaur years in mind, YouTube has decided to show us what it would be like if this free video service was available in the time of silent movies with YouTube 1911.

The site has been res-kinned for the day, and a new feature has been added to all videos, in which you can see what that video would look like in old-timey coloring and, of course, without its original audio.

One of the best things to come out of this prank is their video in which 5 top YouTube classics get recreated for 100 years ago. Take a look at the video after the jump.

We all know unconventional superhero stories are all the rage right now, between Kick-Ass, Green Hornet, and the popular BBC series Misfits. Now one indie filmmaker is taking that trend to the web with a super low-budget short about your not-so-average super powered crime fighters in Lazy Teenage Superheroes.

Filmmaker Michael Ashton, who shot, wrote, cut, and did VFX for the short, brings humor, pop culture references, and the voice of this generation all together in a classic comic team-up setting. Here’s the synopsis.

Tyler is your average awkward teenager just trying to get by like the rest of us. Until one day, he moves in with three unusual roommates – Mitchell, Calvin, and Richard all have extraordinary, super human abilities. Although Tyler still has one thing they don’t have: ambition. Lazy Teenage Superheroes follows Ty as he tries to get his new “super” friends to put down the video games, get off the couch, and use their powers to help save the world, instead of themselves.

There are some low budget elements that you have to look past in order to get some some amazing visual effects and storytelling. With any luck, this will turn the heads of a few Hollywood bigwigs and allow them to realize that productions like these are what fans of the genre are looking for, not things like The Cape or a sequel to Ghost Rider.

You can check out the short after the jump, which is rapidly approaching the 500,000 views mark on YouTube in just over a week. You can also hit up Ashton’s official site for more details on the production.

We’ve seen real innovations in the way that films are being distributed as of late.  Many films are being rolled out for a pre-theatrical release via On Demand.  This helps build word of mouth and buzz before the actual opening date of the movie, and allows people to see the movie who might not otherwise have the opportunity until the movie is released on DVD.

Now comes word that online retail giant Amazon is poised to change the very way that movies are developed. The Los Angeles Times has reported that Amazon will start a new website, Amazon Studios, that will partner with Warner Brothers for a first look option at new movie scripts and sample movies.

Here’s how it will work: writers and filmmakers will be able to upload their scripts and sample movies directly to the site. The site community then will provide feedback and suggestions for the submission. The cream of the crop will brought to Warner Brothers, and if a film is optioned, Amazon Studios might end up producing the project.

Roy Price is the president of Amazon Studios, and he claims that the idea is to update the decades-old process of script submission and movie development, and bring it  into the digital age. There is a catch, though.  People who submit their ideas will be signing off on an 18 month exclusive right to their material by Amazon Studios. Still, for the creative type who hasn’t been able to get their foot in the door, this will be a viable option.

Do you love movies, TV, new media, comics, games, and all thing geek? Do you spend lots of time on Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites sharing info and opinions with friends? Are you a good writer with a passion for sharing your insight and opinions in a comprehensive and cohesive manner? If so, we might just have a job for you.

Due to increased demand we are looking for writers to contrite to the site and to pending others. It doesn’t matter where you live (although candidates in LA or New York are encouraged to apply) or what you do for a living, if you love movies, TV, new media, comics, games and all things geek and want to write about them, we want to hear from you.

Drop us a line at the following email for consideration: jobs [at] the flickcast dot com and please include two sample posts in The Flickcast style or a link to your own previous work for consideration. We’ll get in touch with you if we think you’ve got what it takes.

Thanks.