by Jonathan Hludzinski on July 21st, 2009
Dueling VHS is a mish-mosh of old and new. The conceit looks like the work of a reel to reel edit of several VHS tapes, replete with tracking lines and picture warps between cuts. The things cut-to, however, are contempto TV Satire, lampooning such fare as Dog the Bounty Hunter and the Discovery Channel among other choice rips. And if you can get past this formalistic conundrum, what you have is a pretty solid sketch show.
This type of show with so many moving parts requires a good group of collaborators and producers Larry Langton, Trevor Crafts, Santo D’Asaro and Jeremy Hoar, who all variously star throughout the show, have a nice thing going. They also write, with the help of Lou Cervantes and they do a good job on every level. Production is solid, no bumps in the road and frankly, though I imagine they didn’t go hog wild on the budget, it doesn’t look cheap. I should also mention Larry Langton’s editing because a show like this lives and dies by it, especially at 22 minutes on YouTube?!
by Jacob Nahin on July 21st, 2009
The creative team behind Bee Charmer Productions’ B.J. Fletcher: Private Eye, an online show about a witty, self-identified lesbian P.I. who gets tangled up in all kinds of relationship issues, announced a deal with Matter of Fact Media to develop a proposal for the web series to be brought to broadcast television.
Matter of Fact Media, based out of Toronto, Canada, is a production company that usually specializes in factual and documentary-type programming. The deal seems like an attempt by MoFM to diversify their entertainment portfolio with episodic, fictional content.
The series stars Lindy Zucker as B.J. Fletcher, a private investigator looking for excitement who recruits her best friend, Georgia Drew (Dana Puddicombe), to become her assistant on a quest to solve some less-than-ordinary cases. Rochelle Dancel, one of the show’s producers, said in an email with us that the Private Eye team will benefit from the company’s experience in broadcast television.
by Marc Hustvedt on July 20th, 2009
Comic-Con week is upon us and this year, perhaps more than ever, the web series world is heading to San Diego to geek out amongst the world’s finest. Sure, every major studio and comic book company is heading down to hock their wares, everything from fall TV series to loosely-related comic book and sci-fi blockbusters. But without all those generous marketing budgets are some web content gems that are making the trip and dishing the latest on their series. Who can forget last year’s standing ovation at Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible panel?
8:00-10:00 PM: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog— The California Browncoats host a screening of the original three acts, followed immediately by Commentary! The Musical. See why Joss Whedon’s (Dollhouse, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) first foray into webisodic “television” was the talk of the town with critics and fans alike in 2008. Be prepared for a night of singing and surprises hosted by the fans who know what you like best. Dr. Horrible stars Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Nathan Fillion (Castle, Firefly), and Felicia Day (The Guild) and is written by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon (Dollhouse), Zack Whedon (Fringe), and Maurissa Tancharoen (Dollhouse). Room 6A
10:30-11:30 AM: Meet The Guild— Come chat with the creators and performers from the hit online video series The Guild. Felicia Day (Codex), Vincent Caso (Bladezz), Jeff Lewis (Vork), Amy Okuda (Tinkerballa), Sandeep Parikh (Zaboo), and Robin Thorsen (Clara) talk about the series and answer questions from the audience. They’ll also give attendees a sneak peek at Season 3 coming to Xbox LIVE this fall, plus a bonus Comic-Con exclusive video! Room 5AB (See: Microsoft Re-Ups ‘The Guild’, Season 3 Coming Summer)
by Michael Shaw on July 20th, 2009
If you happen to be a provocateurophile – one who takes great amusement from watching people publicly behave like deluded megalomaniacs – then Grass Roots is right up your alley. Created by and starring TV writer and producer Aaron Hilliard, it’s the political lackey/campaigner version of Curb Your Enthusiasm with some of The Office mixed [...]
by Drew Baldwin on July 20th, 2009
I’m usually not one to get sentimental, but I think I cried five times during the Dorm Life: Season 2 Finale which premiered today on Hulu. The Streamy Award nominated web series, which we have also confirmed is also ranked as the most popular web series on Hulu, is a comedic mockumentary following the lives of several college students thrown together on the same dorm floor.
The two-part season finale, which takes place during the last days of school before summer, provides the perfect setting to resolve the rich character development which sets this series apart from the otherwise played-out Office-style format.
Full of mischief, adventures, rivalries and romance, Dorm Life offers and insider’s view of the rocky and often awkward road to adulthood. The ten students of “5 South” span the spectrum of characters—we have the overly excited, fun-loving Steph (Jessie Gaskell), the self-conscious bully RA Marshall (Brian C. Singleton), the frustrated, pretentious artist (Pancho Morris), average-guy Mike (Chris W. Smith)
by Lindsay Stidham on July 20th, 2009
FEARNet has brought together a heavy-weight who’s who in the horror world to bring you Fear Clinic starring Robert Englund (Freddy Kruger) and Kane Hodder aka Jason in Friday the 13th. Rounding out the horrific trio is heroine Danielle Harris known for her running and screaming role in Rob Zombie’s Halloween.
The 5-part web series debuting in October features Englund as a maniacal doctor with some extreme cures for those plagued by phobias. The series sounds pretty scare-tastic, and getting a good look at two of Hollywood’s most legendary tormentors in their later years sans scary hats and fingers is also refreshing.
by Guest Author on July 17th, 2009
Who Controls the Internet?
Don’t think of this as a silly question. Politicians will be answering this question very soon.
The corporations that provide Americans with Internet access, the major cable and telephone companies, have an aggressive plan to fundamentally change the way the Internet works. These companies would like to institute a system where they can decide what sites, content and applications Internet users can access and how they can access them, essentially killing ‘net neutrality,’ the founding principle of the Internet. I think it is time that politicians start hearing from every corner of the netroots community, including new media creators – who may have the most at stake.
by Alex Crowley on July 17th, 2009
I’m not a huge Kevin James fan. Sure, King of Queens is better than According to Jim, but I’ve never found James’ brand of likable everyman humor particularly hilarious or groundbreaking. His film and television roles seem too soft around the edges. When it was recently announced that he had produced a new web series [...]
