Tubefilter News

This April Pitchfork, longtime online go-to for the latest in independent music, launched Pitchfork TV, an online channel dedicated to chronicling indie music. In addition to posting mini-documentaries, carefully curated music videos, and even some feature films, Pitchfork TV is also the home to the original comedy series Beardo.

Created by Tim Harrington, front man of the New York indie art punk outfit, Les Savy Fav, and all around cool bearded guy, it’s easy to see how the show gets it’s name. Known for his stage theatrics, Harrington is a natural in the format of the series, which feels almost like a one-man variety show.

Social media consultant and all around savvy-web gal Jennifer Van Grove is already well known in the San Diego blogosphere, and now a fictionalized version of her fast-paced life on the bleeding edge of all things tech is coming your way: Jenn2.0 is currently in production. For those who vlog, blog, tumble, and tweet, Jenn2.0 is the show for you. For those who don’t, this web series might help you get a clue. Tubefilter caught up with Jennifer Van Grove, the inspiration, and Rob Lewis, the creator, about the line between privacy and branding, social networking, and “info-tainment.” Just so we’re clear, there are no episodes of Jenn2.0 yet, this is a behind the scenes vlog from the real life Jennifer Van Grove.

Lexus’ L Studio unveiled a new web series this month and once again they’ve scored with a tasteful, funny, and well-produced gem. Starlee and Arthur Review brings us straight into the lighthearted banter of humorists Starlee Kine and Arthur Jones as they review, well, life. The pair explores everything from disaster movies to the internet. With simple but often hilarious illustrations underscoring Kine and Jone’s light, insightful banter, the show has a delightful highbrow tone, as you might expect from people who have the uber-cool job title of “humorists.”

In the pair’s review of Lost, Arthur extrapolates the plot by recalling Gilligan’s Island, since he confesses he has never seen the show. He says of the smoke monster “Spoiler alert! There’s a fog machine on the island. Someone needs to unplug it.” Some episodes are more successful at being funny than others—it appears the show works best when the humor is more precise. Talking about the concept of fun, Jones and Kine are less dead-on than in their pop culture critiques.

Before you dismiss Jess and Lisa of The Veronicas as just another vapid teen pop group, consider this: remember in Heathers, the seminal 80’s classic, when Veronica (Winona Ryder) meets J.D. (Christian Slater) for the first time? He says “You a Heather?” She replies “No. I’m a Veronica.” That moment is what the Australian pop duo is named after. I will forgive a lot of fashion victim accessorizing (Leopard print cat ears? Sunglasses indoors?) for that back-story.

With a lifetime of making music behind them, twins Lisa and Jess write their own songs and actually sound great live. They enjoyed big time pop stardom down under, and now they are trying to parlay that success to the screaming legions of teeny boppers in the US market. Their new web show, The Veronicas: Untouched: Stars on the Rise aims to follow the young pop stars on their journey. In the series, the Australian singers are up-front and open; they don’t seem to be “handled” by a huge PR team, like their American pop tart counterparts.

Although at times the series feels a little like VH1 Celebreality with the twins’ frequent bleeped cursing and fighting, it’s still charming to watch The Veronicas try to make a go at stardom, American style. And, no, it’s not just that they’re shrill complaints are delivered with delightful Australian accents; they’re also kind of funny. After a particularly F bomb heavy exchange, Jess remarks, “At least we’re not like the two brothers from Oasis. We don’t start punching each other out on planes.”

At the end of the pilot, we discover that The Veronicas are going to be opening for tween sensations, and fellow family band, The Jonas Brothers. With that kind of exposure, the group is likely to blow up stateside. And with their candid, no holds bard web series, we’re sure to have a real glimpse into how the twins will handle this new chapter in the life of The Veronicas.

Watching The Hayley Project, one instantly draws comparisons to YouTube juggernaut lonleygirl15. The Hayley Project focuses on a college girl’s quest to find the truth about her friend Keira’s recent death. Hayley, the series’ protagonist, vlogs in an effort to recruit her community of viewers help her decide which leads to follow. The Hayley Project is innovative in its creators’ use of the web platform. The show’s characters engage directly with the viewer to create a bit of a “Choose Your Own Adventure” quality to the show that makes it an exciting, interactive alternative to traditional television broadcasting for mystery junkies.

Non-fiction web series American Buffalo: Backstage gives fans a peek behind the scenes of the upcoming Broadway revival of David Mamet masterpiece American Buffalo. The play was originally produced in Chicago in 1976 and it won the Obie award as well as the prestigious New York Drama Critics Circle Awards. This production stars stage stage [...]

If Meet the Beckers sometimes seems like a car commercial, that’s because it is—kind of. Audi is behind the series, which is an attempt at a viral marketing campaign for the German automaker. While the show may primarily be about the Becker family and their unusual relationships, the pilot focuses on stereotyping the drivers of [...]

Oh, dog people. They bring their pets to restaurants. They coo at their pooch in baby talk. They even let their smelly little mutts into their beds at night. Is it any wonder they’re misunderstood? The pilot episode of Puppy Love, the new L Studio web series by producer Amy Harris [...]