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16 articles
‘Ugly Americans’ Sneak Peek Shows ‘5-On’ Web Roots
16 hours ago
Remember 5-On? Devin Clark's animated alien and robot obsessed news show on Atom? Well it was a year ago this week that news of Comedy Central ordering up Clark's Ugly Americans for a pilot. Now the pilot turned into pickup with the series set for a March 2010 debut on the cable network and a sneak peek (below) via the Atom blog shows hints of the monsters-living in a modern world. As a web series, the 8-episode 5-On (above) debuted back in June of 2007 with an intrepid reporter, Alan Whiter, interviewing “five of anything about everything"—five aliens, five robots, five monsters. Comedic writers Nick Kroll (Cavemen) and John Mulaney wrote and voiced the series along with Clark. Ugly Americans is another example of Comedy Central tapping its web comedy arm, Atom, as a form of development pipeline. Already it showcases the best of the online comedy site weekly on air via its AtomTV block, »
- Marc Hustvedt
Friday Rewind: Tubefilter News of the Week – November 20, 2009
20 November 2009 7:47 PM, PST
We really thought we would make it through this week without getting sucked in to the Twilight: New Moon vortex. We were wrong. That tractor beam of teen pop culture pulled us in like the rest of the internet today. At least it was an animated alt ending. The Temp Life showed up on Monday with the premiere of its fourth season with staffing firm Spherion happy to be on board with a new crop of web series stars. Plenty of chatter around the Dark Horse one-shot comic which tells the Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog origin story, sans music. That's okay since A Comicbook Orange decided to lay their own Dr. H riff down. And for those in Los Angeles, we'll be announcing the next Tubefilter Web TV Meetup next week, so be on the lookout. (Think never-before-seen awesomeness and mid December.) Related News:Friday Rewind: Tubefilter News of the Week »
- Tubefilter News
‘Johnny Raikou’ Has Coolest Superhero Hair, Comic Swipes
20 November 2009 1:14 PM, PST
Take Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, mash it up with Kung Pao: Enter the Fist and what do you have? Johnny Raikou. At first, the plot appears simple: a couple of wannabe vigilantes with outrageous haircuts and little skill hit the streets of Los Angeles to fight crime. Still, behind the tongue-in-cheek nature of the show is a story which aims to bring awareness to human trafficking. Beyond that, it is difficult to tell where the show will take its viewers since only three episodes have been released. If you want visual comedy, this web series has plenty of it. From thought bubbles to slapstick combat, Johnny Raikou takes classic comedy staples like facial expressions and gestures and churns into an entertaining show. Thought-bubbles and comic-book swipes can seem gimmicky, but clever writing mixed with quizzical stares make them worth plenty of laughs. Also, Raikou makes good use of otherwise normal objects. »
- Jacob Nahin
Twilight: ‘How It Should Have Ended’ Sees Starz
20 November 2009 9:05 AM, PST
This is how Twilight should have ended (see above video first). But it didn't, and we're left with another chapter delaying the inevitable, leaving us scratching our heads at the thought of an actual long term romance between mortal Bella (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson). The team behind the widely popular How It Should Have Ended series have released their latest animated alternate ending today. Also today comes news that it has inked a long term license and production deal with Starz Digital Media. Hishe dates back to early 2005, explains co-creator and producer Tina Alexander. "We were watching Flight of the Phoenix and a group of us were talking about the ridiculous ending about how it should have gone," said Alexander. From there the group, which includes co-creators Daniel Baxter and Tommy Watson, whipped up a number of comedic alt endings to blockbusters like Superman, Lord of the Rings and Transformers. »
- Marc Hustvedt
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Births ‘On Call’ Companion Web Series
19 November 2009 7:04 PM, PST
Another companion web series coming out of a major TV network today as ABC launches its Grey's Anatomy companion Seattle Grace: On Call. It premiered tonight 10:00 Pm Et, immediately following the latest episode of Grey's, which featured promo for the new sidekick. It's a faux documentary, set at Joe's Emerald City Bar where seemingly all of the Seattle Grace surgeons frequent to booze it up and make bad decisions. A handful of the lesser known stars from the TV version will appear in the 4-minute episodes, like Joe the Bartender Steven W. Bailey and Sg interns Brandon Scott and Gloria Garayua. Italian food brand Bertolli signed on as lead sponsor of the series. "Our goal with the Web series is to expand the Grey's universe by offering a unique perspective of the various happenings at Seattle Grace, while paralleling some of the same story lines seen on the show, »
- Marc Hustvedt
Catch UK’s ‘Girl Number 9′ Before You Have to Pay For It
19 November 2009 11:33 AM, PST
Within seconds of beginning my search for where I could watch this six-part UK-based web thriller, it had been compared to not one (Saw) but two (Seven) American movies and not one (24) but two (Lost) American television series. At almost the same time, Girl Number 9 was letting me know it was made specifically for the internet, and unlike anything I had seen before. Written by James Moran (Doctor Who, Torchwood,Severance) and starring Gareth David-Lloyd (Torchwood), Joe Absolom (Doc Martin, Personal Affairs), and Tracy-Ann Oberman (Doctor Who, Eastenders), the series has a lot of BBC talent to back it up—along with a huge advertising campaign. The Guardian in particular did a very interesting piece that was open-ended: it began its review at episode 1 and then added information as each subsequent episode was released. The author also encouraged its readers to join in the discussion in the comments section, »
- Jenni Powell
‘University of Andy’ Drops Fresh Classes While ‘Weeds’ Takes Vacay
19 November 2009 10:32 AM, PST
Showtime has been having fun with these companion web series this year, like Dexter's animated origin story Early Cuts and Weeds' stoner run University of Andy. While Weeds takes a long holiday snoozer until early 2010, Andy Botwin (Justin Kirk) is back with a fresh crop of new classes this week, after its own hiatus since premiering this summer. The new courses are just in time for the holidays—The Perfect Thanksgiving (above), How to Break Up with Someone, Surviving the Apocalypse, How to Deal with Bullies and How to Tell if You're Dating a Crazy (below). They still stay simple, with no signs of the rest of the Botwin clan dropping in. We thought at least Doug (Kevin Nealon) would come in for a guest lecture on couch surfing. New episodes of Andy will be out every two weeks. Now, if only Californication would commission Hank Moody's musings on »
- Marc Hustvedt
‘Dr. Horrible’ Comic Hits Shelves Today (Sing-Along Not Included)
18 November 2009 2:41 PM, PST
A web series spoofing a comic based on a web series... that has to be a first. A Comicbook Orange, the popular series for all things comics, released its latest episode today reviewing the new Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog comic form Dark Horse which hit stores today. Host Casey McKinnon crafted a special musical number (why not) to kick off the episode before giving a mixed "3 orange" review of the Dr. H origin story. The full color 40-page comic, written by Joss Whedon's brother Zack, is what comic junkies call a one-shot (in japan it's yomikiri 読み切り), not too unlike the live action series itself which has been teasing fans with talk of a sequel for over a year. In this One-Shot Wonder, Zack Whedon and artist Joelle Jones (Token) establish how a young, impressionable, but brilliant Dr. Horrible was drawn into a world of crime. Readers are reacquainted with the charming, »
- Marc Hustvedt
‘Agents of Cracked’, Cracked.com’s First Original Series Stays Familiar
18 November 2009 1:58 PM, PST
Have you ever seen the first season of Seinfeld, or even The Simpsons for that matter? They are both kind of terrible. But when you watch them you do see glimpses of what they eventually became. I’m not about to put Agents of Cracked on cracked.com in the esteemed category of those shows, but it’s possible there is something here worth looking at. Maybe.The show, created by Abe Epperson, Daniel O’Brien and Michael Swaim, is relatively terrible for the first six episodes with tiny bits of funny, or at least funny ideas tossed in there. However, I look at episode 7, ‘The Curse of the Idol’ and things seem to be beginning to coalesce. Somewhat. Michael Swaim, former host of CrackedTV, playing Michael Swaim, is a raw, exciting talent throughout the series. The character Swaim is a hapless idiot-savant, a kind of Hunter S. Thompson as »
- Jonathan Hludzinski
‘Dilbert’, New Yorker Cartoons Head to Babelgum First
18 November 2009 9:31 AM, PST
Babelgum has picked up exclusive first run distribution rights on Scott Adams' Dilbert animated cartoon series as well as the New Yorker's and a handful of others—Bloom County, Michael Fry and T Lewis’ Over the Hedge, Paul Gilligan’s Pooch Café and Richard Thompson’s Cul de Sac. The deal is with RingTales, an online distributor of animated cartoons, and adds to Babelgum's previous library of non-exclusive cartoon clips from the company. Popular cubicle dweller Dilbert had previously been a major hit on iTunes, where it claimed the #1 podcast spot earlier this summer with over 2 million downloads for the month of July. The new Babelgum deal means it will have first run on new episodes, before its other partners like iTunes, MSN and even Dilbert.com. The short, under 30-second clips will live on Babelgum Comedy’s Animation sub-channel. Given their bite size lengths and name recognition it's »
- Marc Hustvedt
Iawtv Turns 1: Announces Member Drive, NYC Meeting
17 November 2009 4:16 PM, PST
The International Academy of Web Television will be celebrating it's first birthday next month. Looking back over the past year in web television, it's exciting to see how much the world of online entertainment has grown, and even more exciting to catch a glimpse into its very promising future. As a community driven membership organization, composed of the leaders and pioneers of the online entertainment industry, the Iawtv is an important piece of the web television ecosystem — but its work is only just beginning, and it's looking to expand its ranks. On October 19, at the Digital Hollywood conference in Los Angeles, the Academy held its inaugural membership meeting and hosted a broad-ranging conversation about the issues facing our emerging industry. A subsequent New York based meeting for prospective members will be held tomorrow, November 18th in Manhattan. As Streamy Awards season edges closer, the Iawtv has formally launched its annual Membership application window, »
- Brady Brim-DeForest
Weird Al Yankovic Auto-Tunes ‘Know Your Meme’
17 November 2009 2:12 PM, PST
If the RIAA issued platinum certifications for web series, the offices of KnowYourMeme would be decked out with some serious bling. Originally conceived by Rocketboom producers way back in December 2007 as way to air daily episodes while the production team was on Winter vacay, the spinoff series has gained some serious traction as a resource and discussion board for online, cultural phenomena. Know Your Meme's informative, sporadic installments document the discovery, dissemination, and decline of internet memes. To the uninitiated, that might sound like a small, nerdy niche, but then you hear the numbers and accolades: the website's traffic chart looks like a hockey stick with well over half a million visitors a month (and growing) and Time called it one of the top 50 best websites of 2009. So, what's next? What happens after you win at the internet? In the words of Texas rapper Chamillionaire, "It's one thing to go platinum. »
- Joshua Cohen
‘Buffy’ Web Series To Be Whedon’s Next Move?
16 November 2009 3:34 PM, PST
With news last week that Joss Whedon's Dollhouse officially got the cancellation axe from Fox, there's all kinds of speculation about what's next for the captain of the Whedonverse. There's still talk about Whedon's digital studio plan, which would include a second season of his web musical Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. But first up might be something else, especially with Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods film pushed to 2011. Sci-Fi Wire spotted a casting breakdown for a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer web series in the works. Jane Espenson recently talked to A Comicbook Orange about her writing work on the Buffy Season 8 comic book series, which could come into play in this new project. Whedon isn't officially listed on the casting breakdown, though casting director Jeff Shuter (Invincible) is. Related News:Jane Espenson Talks Buffy Comics and Streamys on ‘A Comicbook Orange’‘Dr. Horrible 2′ and a Joss Whedon Digital Studio? »
- Marc Hustvedt
Judd Apatow Lets Internet Interview Him, Here Come ‘Freaks and Geeks’
16 November 2009 2:57 PM, PST
Judd Apatow is letting the internet interview him, live, on Funny or Die's Writers Room series this Wednesday at 12:30 Pst. They are taking questions for the famed comedy writer-director (Superbad, Anchorman, Pineapple Express) on Facebook and so far 160 people have submitted their pressing inquests. From the looks of it, this could be worth a new lunchtime browser window. Over/Under on number of Freaks and Geeks questions is 4. Some highlights: Would you ever consider making us a good, R-Rated cartoon? Far too few of them. (Jim Moore) The Three Men and a Baby trilogy will be finishing up with Three Men and a Bride, fans of the trilogy are dying to know if you will be working on this much awaited project? (Dave Hanson) How come "Walk Hard" tanked so hard? That one was kinda not too shitty. And when I say "not too shitty", I mean "I could »
- Marc Hustvedt
‘Ryan & Collin’ Trailer Shows Raunch, Promise
16 November 2009 11:30 AM, PST
There is no MPAA for web series (yet), so that leaves sites like us with the job of throwing down the "moderately-nsfw" tag for series like this one. (In this case, headphones at the office should suffice.) Take a couple of hungry, web savvy Nyu Tisch grads and throw them into the scripted web series world and you get a promising looking comedy Ryan & Collin which premieres later this week on the 19th. The setup of the project is a classic nice guy/bad boy college roommate duo. Ryan (Rob Mor) is the hard working nice guy who's constantly tempted by his devious roommate Collin (Craig Knowlton) The four-man 20/20 Pictures team, which includes Mor and Knowlton, are all former Nyu film school friends. It's clear they put a little more polish into this one than most of the college age indies. They even have their one-liner pitch ready at the »
- Marc Hustvedt
‘The Temp Life’ Returns, Stocked Up on Web Series Stars
15 November 2009 11:16 PM, PST
Not since the Streamy Awards have we seen this many web series stars in one place. Ok not really, but with the fourth season of The Temp Life, the Spherion-backed comedy about life inside a dreadful NY temp agency kicking off today, the cast is loaded up with notable web series stars. The casting moves are signs this four-year old web show is growing up with the medium in which it plays. Call it Web TV's version of keiretsu. Creator Wilson Cleveland, Cjp Communications' Head of Digital Media, built the show back in 2006 for the firm's client Spherion. Incidentally, Cleveland also stars in the The Temp Life, as Nick “Trouble” Chiapetta, the once-ceo of Commodity Staffing, the shoddy agency. This new season picks up with some major changes once Chiapetta returns to office after a 33-week Awol. Notable guest (web) stars: Thom Woodley — co-creator and star of All's Faire, The 'Burg and Vuguru's The All-for-Nots. »
- Marc Hustvedt
16 articles
