Tubefilter News

Following up on May’s announcement that USA Network would bring its hit drama Monk to the web, network parent NBC Universal made it official with formal details of the 10-episode web series.

Set to bow during one of the few remaining new episodes of its final eighth season, Little Monk will premiere Aug. 21 on USA with a two-minute sneak preview sending viewers to the web to “discover the details” of how Adrian Monk (played on TV by Emmy-winner Tony Shalhoub) became the obsessive-compulsive detective.

Alexandra Shapiro, senior vp of brand marketing and digital at USA Network, said the live-action web series “felt like a great way to send off the series in its final season and to give fans some insight into a small part of his childhood.”

In partnership with Sleep Inn hotels, each episode of the spinoff web series follows young Monk (newcomer Aaron Linker) and his brother, Ambrose (Christpher Lizardi) as the junior high students solve small crimes like missing bracelets, stolen money and graffiti, the network said. Little Monk is written by executive producer and head writer Andy Breckman and directed by Randy Zisk, who both work on Monk.

Looking to “stand out in the fierce competition for tourist dollars,” the Visit Pennsylvania Tourism Department has turned to the web to attract visitors via its new original web series, Peter Arthur Stories.

Featuring a cast made up of all Pennsylvania residents, the series revolves around Peter Arthur and his quest through the state via an orange scooter to find Meg, a waitress who served him a perfect slice of pie during a family road trip years ago that he treasures as one of his favorite moments in life.

With USA Network’s Emmy-winning drama Monk set to wrap its eight-season run beginning in July, the cabler has announced that the series starring Tony Shalhoub as an obsessive-compulsive detective will live on after the drama concludes its run in the summer.

USA recently confirmed that it is developing a 10-episode web series revolving around Adrian Monk’s childhood.

Monk has been a ratings hit for USA, recently hitting a series-high in total viewers for its Season 7 finale in February. The series, which recently added Hector Elizondo to its cast as Monk’s therapist, returns for its seventh and final season July 18 on USA.

In front of an exultant packed house in the Arclight Cinerama dome, with fans gleefully singing along during the opening screening before Tuesday night’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog panel, Felicia Day, the queen of Internet comedy, called Joss Whedon’s three-act musical is a “turning point” in web-based series.

“When we look back at Dr. Horrible, I think that Dr. Horrible will be the groundbreaking turning point for people doing media on the web,” Day (The Guild) said at Night 4 of the 26th annual PaleyFest, where Dr. Horrible became the first web series honored by the Paley Center.

Creator Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) said that he would like to create a system that makes producing web series easier for those who aren’t in the industry and who don’t have access to the means with which to produce something along the lines of Dr. Horrible.

Brothers Benny and Rafi Fine, fresh off the second episode of Prop. 8: The Web Series, are keeping busy with today’s bow of My Profile Story, a satirical look at the drama that can come from changing your No. 1 friend on social networking sites.

The brothers wrote, directed, produced and appear in MPS and penned all the content on the microsite as well. The cast of MPS also includes faces familiar to fans of the Fine brothers: Lisa Schwartz and Kristin Findley.

MPS was produced by Streamy Award nominees Leah Mann (The Guild) and Sevan Najarian (The Legend of Neil, The Pop) did the editing and visual effects.

Having found success on the original web series front with Roommates, Special Delivery and Married on MySpace, the 130-million-user-strong social networking platform launched its first game show with BFF.

The original series — created by Meryl Poster, former co-president of production at Miramax, and former fashion executive David Rubin — tests how well best friends know one another through a series of questions with prizes awarded after the “Would You Rather,” “Music Matters” and “Speed” rounds.

Launched last Thursday, there are 20 episodes set for BFF, with new installments set to premiere twice a week through June 30. NBC’s Last Coming Standing finalist Amy Schumer hosts the series, with episodes running three to five minutes at www.myspace.com/bff.

Clara Cannucciari is 93 years old and knows her way around the kitchen – and how to make cost-effective meals. Her skills, which she learned from her mother during the Great Depression, are coming in handy given cutbacks, layoffs and the nation’s overall recession.

Christopher Cannucciari launched the first three episodes online in summer 2007, without a distributor. “As a filmmaker, I am excited to distribute independently,” he said. “Technology has finally reached a place that makes distribution costs so minimal that the artist can self-distribute and retain the rights of their works.”

Web video pioneers Benny and Rafi Fine have joined the fight to overturn California’s ban on same-sex marriage with Prop. 8: The Web Series, a five-episode social satire that pokes fun at various rights from the state’s Constitution via a “what-if” scenario.

The series, in which the brothers will appear, also features familiar faces in the Web video community, including Sara E.R. Fletcher (Secret Girlfriend), Maxwell Glick (lonelygirl15) as well as Tubefilter’s own Lindsay Stidham. Filming took place in the home owned by series music composer Joseph Carrillo and his husband Gregory Frye, who assisted the production with filming locations. The fate of the couple’s marriage is now in the state Supreme Court’s hands.