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After a brief hiatus for some exciting iPad news, we return again to our guide to the Streamy awards. Today’s categories include Best Reality or Documentary Series, Best News or Politics Series, Best Animated Series, and Best Experimental Series.   Let’s get right to it…

Best Reality or Documentary Web Series

Interview Project 2:1 (Will Win)
The Secret Life of Scientists 4:1
RADAR 4:1 (Should Win)
Streak to Win 10:1
Mommy XXX 15:1

When in doubt, go with the web series produced by David Lynch.  Interview Project features 121 interviews with strangers from across the United States.   On name power and creativity, it’s got to be the favorite, though there are certainly some quality competitors.  I’d personally recommend checking out RADAR, which gives you an insider’s view into all sorts of creative disciplines.  A great example, and my personal favorite episode, takes a look at the world’s strangest patents.

The reality/documentary long shots? They have to be Mommy XXX and Streak to Win, if only because the voters must have been thinking about what the producers might wear (or not wear) on stage to accept the award.  Here’s hoping the Streamys have considered blurring technology for the live stream…

Best News or Politics Web Series

Auto-Tune the News 2:1 (Will Win, Should Win)
Rocketboom 4:1
The Tomorrow Show with Mo Rocca 6:1
VBS News 8:1
The Young Turks 10:1

Perhaps I’m biased towards less than serious news coverage, but it’s hard to deny the brilliance of Auto-Tune the news.  Ignoring for a moment the fact that T-Pain is at all responsible for its existence, the creativity is off the charts and has inspired countless copycats.

Rocketboom is an obvious challenger, having produced hundreds of news and Internet culture updates. And The Tomorrow Show, with the serious weight of CBS News behind it, lurks just behind. After all, we’re always interested in the future, especially when it involves topics like Dating… Robots. Yep, that’s really an episode.

For the world traveler (or world traveler wannabe), VBS News goes places the evening news no longer does, including an incredible half hour look into the lives of US Marines in Afghanistan.  And in the underdog spot is The Young Turks, a political show more prolific and just as controversial as The Daily Show.

Best Animated Web Series

Happy Tree Friends 2:1 (Will Win)
Homestar Runner 4:1
How It Should Have Ended 9:2
Zero Punctuation 10:1 (Should Win)
Eli’s Dirty Jokes 12:1

Another absolutely stacked category.  Happy Tree Friends’ popularity is staggering, having consistently ranked in the top 10 web series for views web wide.  And yet it wouldn’t be where it is without Homestar Runner having broken ground for animated web video.  It launched on January 1^st, 2000! Before the iPod. No, not the iPad. The iPod!

Yet it’s very possible that those two favorites split the vote and leave an opening for a surprise winner. How It Should Have Ended sets right the disastrous endings to Hollywood’s most popular movies (and let’s face it, James Cameron could have used their help).

Zero Punctuation cuts no corners in exposing the flaws in recently released video games.  Clicker’s video game loving employees are particularly fond of Zero Punctuation’s fast-talking, uncensored, British-born, Australia-based Yahtzee (yep, that’s his name, err gamer tag). Though if you happen to hold some love for a particular game, I wouldn’t recommend watching Yahtzee tear it apart. Trust me, he absolutely will.

Finally, it’s clear that Eli’s Dirty Jokes are a long shot, but if you need a quick laugh, it’s the perfect lunch break distraction.

Best Experimental Web Series

HBO Cube 2:1 (Will Win, Should Win)
Auto-Tune the News 4:1
INST MSGS 12:1
Level 26 15:1
Green Porno 25:1

If you have a moment to spare, it’s absolutely worth checking out HBO’s storytelling experiment, which reveals four sides of a single story simultaneously.  And having predicted Auto-Tune the News to take the Best News or Politics award, it’s all but a lock that HBO walks away with its very first Streamy award to go alongside all those Emmys.

Beyond these contenders, the field drops off considerably.  If you’ve ever wondered if technology is making us all dumber, you’ll likely enjoy watching dramatic re-enactments of real life IM conversations in INST MSGS.  But your suspicions are quickly confirmed.  And while the extremely fascinating “digi-novel” that is Level 26 has me intrigued, it’s begging for more video content and a better website.

And finally, why the low odds for Green Porno? For fear that Isabella Rosellini might accept the Streamy award with a live performance of an episode. Apologies to those of you who got whatever it was they were going for with this…