The Kevin Bacon Game used to be the ultimate litmus test to gauge your level of connectedness in Hollywood. You just tried to link up your name to King Bacon and if you were three links or more, you couldn't even get a Melrose Avenue street bum to spit on you for a quarter.

That game has officially been replaced by something much narrower and definitely much cooler. It also puts me a link away to the Hollywood machine, which bumps me up to not having to pay that bum to spit on me.

I recently got an advance copy of MTV's long awaited DVD box set of all four seasons of The State and found this personal connection in a sketch from the third season called "Fan Names."

When Michael and Michael Have Issues premieres tonight at 10:30 PM on Comedy Central, it'll be a return to sketch comedy of sorts for Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter. The pair started out with The State on MTV, as this week's boxed set release reminded us. Their most recent TV project, Stella, the show, with former State member David Wain, wasn't really sketch as much as it was an exercise in absurdist slapstick.

Comedy Central has been showing episodes from the single season the show lasted in the run up to Michael and Michael Have Issues, and it has been a pleasant reminder of Stella's brief experiment with a half-hour TV comedy. It's hard to imagine keeping that premise going - Wain, Black, and Showalter free associating with different guest stars season after season. But it's been fun to watch it again.

TV bloggers get a lot of free DVDs to review. They range from the dull and drab to titles that some people would run over someone on the way to the movie store to get.

It's very rare, however, for anyone to get their grubby little hands on a title powerful enough to reverse the polarity of the universe and restore order to chaos. I managed to score that very thing a week before anyone could and I didn't have to sell my soul, my first-born child or any of my bodily objects to get it.

Get ready to utter the biggest "At last!" since NBC put the Knight Rider remake out of its long and winding misery.

TV Shows on DVD reported MTV's official announcement earlier this morning that the entire sketch comedy series will hit store shelves on July 14th. That was followed by a trailer release of the DVD on The State's official site. It's going to have full commentary from the cast, four interview features on the troupe's origins and the show's many catchphrases, some unaired sketches and outtakes. It sounds like this five disc set will be chocked full of Stately goodness. You'll want to do a lot more than just dip your balls in it. Please keep those things to yourself.

Founding State member, writer and Role Models director David Wain was nice enough to give us his first interview (via IM, no less). He talked about the work that went in to getting things to this stage, why the announcement first appeared on cast member Joe Lo Truglio's site and what he and the rest of his crew hope to accomplish with their DVD.

There seems to be some mixed messages on the status of The State DVD. Those of you who are sitting on the edge of your computer chair, chewing your fingernails down to the marrow know this isn't really new news.

This time, however, there seems to be disagreement within the ranks of the comedy troupe.

We reported earlier this month about State member and recent Reno 911! addition Joe Lo Truglio announcing a release date for the long beleaguered DVD of the complete series. The following week, the group's official site, run by writer, director and cast member David Wain according to their FAQ, denied that any date for the DVD's release has been set.

Nothing has frustrated TV fans more than the never-ending release of The State DVD from MTV. It has become the Duke Nukem Forever of the television universe.

One minute, it's on and the next minute, it's off. Then it's back on again, then the whole thing gets called off. Then it rises from the ashes like a flaming phoenix into the never-ending sky only to get doused with a fire extinguisher by an MTV Home Entertainment executive.

Now it appears that ill-fated collection of magic discs is coming soon to a DVD store near you until MTV decides it's time to destroy your dreams and tell your children there is no Santa Claus again.

If you grew up watching MTV in the '90s, then you probably remember The State. If you don't – and you're an American between the age of 30 and 35 – do a YouTube search for "I wanna dip my balls in it" and let the memories flood right on back.

I credit the irreverent MTV sketch comedy show with keeping me from slipping into a full-blown depression during my teenage years, aka the angsty, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains-drenched years. The State ran from 1993 to 1995 and helped launch the careers of some of my favorite comic actors, writers and filmmakers, including David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer, Role Models), Thomas Lennon (Reno 911, Balls of Fury) and Michael Ian Black (Stella, Ed). All 11 members of the comedy troupe reunited recently to perform new material at SF Sketchfest in January. The A.V. Club talked to State alums Wain, Lennon and Kerri Kenney-Silver this week about the reunion and about their future plans. Among the things that came up in the interview was the status of that promised complete-series DVD.

Mad TV came along at a time in American television history when America had an excuse to get out of the house and live healthy and productive lives on Saturday night.

But eventually, the show evolved into a 60-minute scream fest of recurring characters spouting catchphrases over and over and celebrity satire that taught lessons about the proliferation of pop culture and ignorance. Important lessons, such as "Boy is Anna Nicole Smith dumb and fat!" and "Hey, is that Paris Hilton a whore or what?" Every episode felt like a hand was reaching out of the TV and rubbing a cheese grater across my face. Now 14 years after its inception, Fox has finally decided to pull the plug on Mad TV and let it die a slow horrible death instead of taking it out Old Yeller-style, the way God intended.

Comedy Central is giving some alumni of Stella and The State another crack at a show. Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter will be the co-stars of the half-hour pilot Michael and Michael Have issues.

The premise is a show-within-a-show, with segments from the stars addressing issues that the Michaels have with "themselves, each other and the world at large."

I missed The State, but I did catch episodes of Stella (also starring David Wain), which was another attempt by the same comedians to create a show that blurred the line between reality and fantasy (such as having character with their actual names. You know, the old Jerry Seinfeld trick).

I liked Stella, but didn't think it would last more than a season (and it didn't) because the humor is very abstract and cerebral (sort of the anti-According To Jim). My gut instinct is the same for this show even though I want it to succeed. Is it better to have a good show that lasts one season or a mediocre-at-best show that lasts eight? I vote for the former.

Comedy Central is presenting it's first unscripted series this summer called Reality Bites Back. Ten comedians will compete by making parodies of the most infamous reality shows. Whoever makes it to the end will win $50,000 in cash and the title "Lord of All Reality." And guess who's hosting? Michael. Ian. Black. The former State cast member will get to explain the absurd challenges and kick someone off the show each week.

Comedian contestants include Kyle Cease, Chris Fairbanks, Jeff Garcia, Red Grant, Tiffany Haddish, Bert Kreischer, Mo Mandel, Donnell Rawlings, Amy Schumer, and Theo Von. The series will satirize shows like American Idol, Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Biggest Loser, American Gladiators, Dancing with the Stars, and So You Think You Can Dance.

"Don't get high on your own supply." --Thomas Lennon on how he doesn't have basic cable.

Thomas Lennon, the star and co-creator of Comedy Central's Reno 911!, got to together with Mahalo's Lon Harris to talk about basic cable, the how it's not gay to love Sting in Dune, Christopher Walken's answering machine, and Falcon Crest. He also dishes about the finale of Reno 911! (currently in its fifth season), the Upright Citizens Brigade, and Balls of Fury. Oh, and he might mention something about The State reunion.

Fans of Thomas Lennon and all things Reno 911! will enjoy this interview. Lennon is genius! The video is after the jump.

I have never bought a television show from iTunes... until now. MTV's sketch comedy show The State is now for sale only on iTunes (it's not even on DVD). The State aired on MTV from 1993-1995. It was both weird and hilarious. The network essentially gave a bunch of college graduates free reign over their own show. It gave some of my favorite comedy actors their start, including Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, David Wain, Kerri Kenney and Thomas Lennon.

Season one is currently for sale, and it includes characters Doug, Louie, Barry & Levon... and $240 worth of pudding. According to The State website, run by David Wain, MTV will release subsequent seasons if downloads are popular and the network may even decide to put the damn show on DVD already.

[Via Pop Candy]