Reel Pop

Did 'Gossip Girl' gain sans streaming?

By Andrew Wallenstein

No doubt you'll see some question the conventional wisdom that streaming episodes of TV series online helps maximize exposure for a show once ratings for last night's edition of CW's "Gossip Girl" get out there. The episode experienced a small rebound in the 18-34 demographic, registering its best numbers since November. Someone out there is bound to credit the uptick to CW's decision to cease putting "Gossip" episodes online so as not to cannibalize the original broadcast.

Not so fast though. Truth be told, increasing a few tenths of a rating point is hardly worthy of champagne popping. Plus the increase is just as attributable to the fact that this was the first episode of "Gossip" to hit the airwaves in three months, and came on the heels of a buzzed-about marketing campaign. It's also worth considering that as much waves as CW's decision made in the media industry, it's not like the average 18-year-old will catch on for another week or so. If "Gossip's" numbers stay up for several weeks, then it might be a different story.

CWTV.com silences 'Gossip Girl'

By Andrew Wallenstein
CW has met the enemy, and it is its Web site. Amazing after all this hoopla about distributing TV episodes online that new series "Gossip Girl" is finding it is its own worst competition. More here from me.

HBO throws 'Molotov' online

By Andrew Wallenstein
No better place than the Internet for HBO to release a new documentary set in virtual reality. "Molotov Alva and His Search for the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey," which premieres on Cinemax on May 15, will also be shown on Cinemax.com and on the Second Life virtual area Cinemax Island. In addition, HBO will tease "Molotov" in the coming weeks with an iTunes podcast and sneak peeks on Cinemax’s YouTube page and Cinemax On Demand.

Viralcom, the new Warner Bros. bomb

By Andrew Wallenstein
What to make of Viralcom, a new online video series launching today with what passes for pedigree on the Internet: the producer is Warner Bros. Studio 2.0, and the talent behind it, the comedy duo known as Joey & David, are represented by CAA. With such boldfaced names in their corner, it only makes it more difficult to explain why Viralcom is a muddled, unfunny mess.

Here's my explanation of what it is, though its aforementioned muddled-ness may mean I'm getting this wrong. Viralcom is a fictional production unit run by Joey and David in which all of the amateur, user-generated sensations we've come to know and tolerate -- Tay Zonday, 2 Girls 1 Cup, etc. -- are revealed to be carefully staged productions shot on soundstages. The trailer teasing Viralcom is a surreal sweep through what appears to be the Warner Bros. lot featuring either mock replications of UGC highlights (i.e., two girls wrestling in a pool of what I pray is not their own excrement) or cameos from real UGC stars (i.e., Zonday, as if he has anything better to do).

Bizarrely, the trailer teases to a season premiere today, but today's episode is a behind-the-scenes episode that doesn't do much to clear up what exactly Viralcom is ... and it also teases to a season premiere. And all this confusion doesn't help considering I can't figure out what Viralcom is meant to be. And I don't feel like I want to, either. Neither Joey nor David are particularly compelling, and the whole meta-viral approach feels a little played out after the "South Park" episode earlier this month that has an eerily similar animated version. Coincidence? Yes, but still problematic for Viralcom.

There's also something pathetic about a studio financing a skit that reimagines amateur hit programming as their own -- it's like their own fantasy of online success laid bare. If this is the best Warner Bros. Studio 2.0 has got, it's not nearly good enough.

UPDATE: Turns out my confusion had a reason--the behind-the-scenes episode I came across on the premiere date for Viralcom was just a behind-the-scenes episode I assumed was an episode. Uploading of the first and second episodes didn't happen until later in the day, but are available now. I'll check back in on Viralcom in time to review its progress.

Zuiker eyes 'CSI' convergence

By Andrew Wallenstein
You gotta love Anthony Zuiker, the producer who masterminded the CBS mega-franchise "CSI." With all his success in ye old media of television, you would think he would be the least-informed on the promise of the Internet. But he is very much in the know, having already experimented with a Second Life tie-in, and no doubt more on the way.

So it shouldn't come as much surprise that he was in Vegas this week at the NAB convention pledging to bring TV and digital platforms together lest the former be cannibalized by the latter. Which is all well and good, but here's the question: Is "CSI" the franchise to make this long-awaited convergence happen? Everything about "CSI" is so steeped in conventional storytelling -- the murder-mystery whodunit -- that I'm not sure this is the one that can really pioneer this. Were Zuiker running ABC's "Lost" or CW's "Gossip Girl," which at least have more natural Internet tie-ins, not to mention a younger audience, maybe I'd be sold. Still, it's hard not to wish him well.

Movies without pity

By Andrew Wallenstein
Perhaps it was inevitable that Bravo would expand its dot-com acquisition TelevisionWithoutPity.com into the film realm, given today's announcement of the formation of MoviesWithoutPity.com. Lord knows the Internet is experiencing a desperate shortage of snark devoted to current film releases. But what to make of the selling point to the new site, as expressed in the Bravo press release on the subject: "In keeping with the site's unique sensibility, it will feature 'reviews you haven't seen,' where the film reviews will be written by editorial staff who've seen the trailer or poster for a film, but not the movie itself."

Well, it's about time. Finally, reviews of films without actually seeing the films.

Madonna video on PerezHilton.com

By Andrew Wallenstein
You know Perez Hilton is becoming a big deal when no less a personage than Madonna plans on creating a video just for his website; it premieres tonight 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Sounds like Madge knows what side her bread is buttered on and is looking for Perez to establish online street cred. Looking forward to it.

For more on the rise of Perez Hilton, here's my column in last week's THR.

Uwe Boll goes 'Postal' over petition

By Andrew Wallenstein
Uwe Boll, German director of tender, coming-of-age weepers like "Alone in the Dark" and the upcoming "Postal," is not happy with a petition circulating online begging him to simply stop making his heart-rending films. In the video above, he fires back at his critics with great humility and insight. And I quote his closing words: "I am the only genius in the whole fucking business. Goodbye."

No 'Room' for stars at Sony's C-Spot

From Crackle: Writers Room: Episode 1

By Andrew Wallenstein
Checking out C-Spot, the new comedy channel at Sony-owned Crackle.com. With six new short-form series to boast, I was most keen on checking out "The Writers Room," which the press release bills as being "hosted" by comedian Kevin Pollak. He's a veteran comic actor who I've long enjoyed, particularly for his dead-on imitations of celebrities like Christopher Walken.

A behind-the-scenes look at a faux talk show, "Room" is OK (I preferred "Gaytown," easily the best of the bunch). With a cast of TV writers who are actual TV writers, the conference-room banter is cute if not quite "Larry Sanders Show"-worthy. The funniest thing turns out to be what Crackle considers "hosting"--Pollak never actually appears in any episodes. Instead, since he plays himself as the host of the faux talk show, he simply calls in on the speaker phone. He does the Walken impression et al, but without him actually being in the room it's not quite the same thing.

Still, "Room" speaks volumes about the state of online video entertainment today, where the very thing that might generate interest -- participation by even a D-level star like Pollak -- just isn't affordable yet.

Leno apologizes for 'gayest' gaffe

By Andrew Wallenstein

It took two weeks, but Jay Leno issued an apology for a comment he made on air that triggered a protest site, My Gayest Look, complete with photos hundreds of middle fingers raised in uproar (even squirrels). He tells Us magazine, "I certainly didn't mean any malice."

I, for one, agree. Here's my column in today's THR that chalks this up as much ado about nothing.

TedMosbyIsAJerk.com gets TV nudge

By Andrew Wallenstein
Blink and you missed it, but there was a clever online shout-out on last night's episode of "How I Met Your Mother." When Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) confronts a waitress he once bedded, the spurned lass informs him she set up a Web site intended to dishonor his name -- only she doesn't know that Barney used his friend's name, Ted Mosby, when they met. Hence, the creation of Ted Mosby Is a Jerk, which is something of a virtual shrine of hate. The highlight: a deranged song roasting Ted sung by the character, Wendy the Waitress, that runs over 20 minutes long. Not as funny: faux Ted Mosby porn posters (one pictured below).

Touched base with CBS and 20th Century Fox the morning after and it was indeed a creation of the series. "Mother" executive producer Carter Bays came up with the song while in the shower; he even plays saxophone on the track, which was originally intended to be just three minutes long. The song, which was crafted in Bays' backyard ministudio over the course of two weekends, is performed by the actress who plays Wendy the Waitress, Charlene Amoia. If you can hang onto the end, there's some Beatles-esque backwards messaging, where you'll hear, "Wendy the waitress is the mother." -- a reference to the show's titular mystery -- but the fifth time it plays it clarifies, "Wendy the waitress is not the mother." (Awww, come on!)

"Mother" has played around online before, perhaps even funnier in the form of pop-princess Robin Sparkles, the teen alter ego of character Robin (Cobie Smulders). It's a great way to spread the love for a series online, as Conan O'Brien also found a few years ago when an offhand reference to Horny Manatee led to the creation of a website that garnered 3 million hits in a matter of weeks.

Leno gets 'My Gayest Look'

By Andrew Wallenstein
It all started with a seemingly innocuous talk-show appearance by actor Ryan Phillippe on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on March 20. Then it snowballed into the kind of backlash that gives publicists acid reflux. A bizarre, offhand remark by Leno to Phillippe, directing him to give the camera "his gayest look" during a broadcast has spurred the creation of My Gayest Look, a protest site of sorts in which various offended parties pose for pictures in which they flip the bird and make other obscene gestures.

After watching the footage, I can't say I see what the hubbub is about. Yes, Leno's comment was ridiculous, but it seemed less like a burst of latent homophobia and more like a weird echo of their earlier conversation, which centered on a homoerotic commercial Phillippe filmed when he was 19. Michael Richards, this isn't.

The sad saga of Steve-O

(Illustration from Jackassworld.com)

By Andrew Wallenstein
When MTV's "Jackass" franchise made the move this year from movies and TV to the Internet, fans of its patented blend of comic sadomasochism had reason to rejoice. Surely JackassWorld.com would allow these gross-out artists to push even further beyond the boundaries of good taste in a medium with few content restrictions.

So who could have foreseen "Jackass" would be upstaged online, and by one of its own people?

Continued

'Starcrossed' sent to SciFi.com

By Andrew Wallenstein

Sci Fi Channel's loss is SciFi.com's gain. News out of the upfront presentation Tuesday: "Starcrossed," which the network announced back in January was being developed as a half-hour comedy, is now being turned into an original Web series for the brand's dot-com. Makes sense when you consider that its creator and star, David Hewlett (pictured) of "Stargate SG-1," has a pretty rabid fan base online; MGM debuted his independent film "A Dog's Breakfast" on iTunes for that same reason. This is Hewlett's blog for the movie.
To be released in the winter, "Starcrossed" is said to be a "Larry Sanders Show"-ish look at an actor starring on a fictional sci-fi show. "Galaxy Quest" fans rejoice.

'The Love Guru' cheaps out

By Andrew Wallenstein

Come on, Paramount Pictures. Was it really worth it to skimp on paying Mike Myers' just a little extra to participate in the new online promotion that started this week for the June 20 release of "The Love Guru?" For a series of comic insights delivered by the title character -- they call them "sutras," natch -- Paramount didn't get Myers to reprise the role. Instead, they pulled a Conan O'Brien and superimposed another actor's mouth over an image of the Love Guru (whose name is Pitka). Lame. And after watching the first sutra, here's some advice: Brevity is the soul of wit. 3:35 might seem like a pittance to you movie folk, but online it's practically a miniseries.

CBS Interactive gets into the game

By Andrew Wallenstein

Gotta hand it to CBS Interactive -- they understand the value of good timing. CBS Corp.'s digital division has been talking up a storm as of late -- Monday's OMMA Global Hollywood event featured a keynote from chief marketing officer Patrick Keane, and CBS Interactive president Quincy Smith held a press conference last week with his team in Los Angeles. What better time to raise your visibility with tip-off for March Madness on Thursday, which will quite likely set records for online video viewership. Here's more details from THR's Paul Gough on CBS's full-court press.

One of the interesting takeaways from CBS came from Keane, who took Nielsen to task for not giving a full picture of the audience that sees its TV shows on both living-room sets and online. "Jericho," for example, may have premiered in the midseason at a 4.2 rating, but it adds a not-insignificant full rating point when various online windows for the show are tallied up.

"We want Nielsen to have a cumulative audience," Keane said. "They're not measuring what is the total opportunity."

Fair enough. But it will be interesting to see whether this full rating point matters much as CBS deliberates over whether to actually bring back the series for another season. As THR's James Hibberd spells out in his recent column, "Jericho" could use all the help it can get.

'Guild' Star Felicia Day's Big Week

By Andrew Wallenstein
The Internet gods definitely dig Felicia Day, creator and star of online series "The Guild." Things started nicely in Austin, Tex., where she won for best original digital series at the SXSW/On Network Greenlight Series Awards. In the following days, she has picked up nominations in similar categories at the Yahoo Video Awards and the YouTube Video Awards.

In the modestly budgeted world of online video, that's like being honored by the Oscars, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild in one week! Coming out of nowhere to such fevered heights of awards glory, one is tempted to draw comparison to Marion Cotillard, the French actress who won every piece of hardware in sight this year for her star turn in "La Vie en Rose." But Day has an intelligence and pluck that reminds me of another awards-friendly actress-writer, Tina Fey. And what the hell, throw in a little Claire Danes circa "My So-Called Life" given the reddish hair dye and ghostly pallor.

Said pallor feels right for her role in "Guild" as ringleader to a circle of sarcastic MMORPG-addicted shut-ins. After seven episodes of watching them crack wise via voice chat, you might get addicted, too.

'Gay Robot' finds love

By Andrew Wallenstein
Score one for DRM-free distribution given the news this week that Comedy Central is re-developing "Gay Robot," a project from Sony Pictures Television and Adam Sandler's Happy Madison production company. After the cable network rejected it in 2005, Sony dumped it on Bittorrent in order to gin up interest. Strangely enough, it came back in the form of animated series, which really twirls my knobs because if you're going to do a show about a gay robot, I want the real thing! But since dreams never die online, take another peek above at the original live-action "Robot" still kicking around on MySpace.

Cisco boosts GridNetworks

By Andrew Wallenstein
From Akamai to Limelight, there's no shortage of companies out there facilitating the delivery of Internet video. But little-known start-up GridNetworks got a big boost in that field today with infrastructure giant Cisco joining its opening round of investors. But the money isn't in the key part, according to Tony Naughtin, president and CEO of the Seattle firm, who chatted me up last week about the deal. Now when he pitches media companies on letting GridNetworks power HD-quality broadband video, GridNetworks will be able to deliver scale by embedding its P2P technology in all the hardware Cisco produces, from Linksys routers to the Scientific-Atlanta set-top box. "Cisco allows the dispersion of grid technology to audiences big enough for major companies to take notice," Naughtin said.
Here's the release on the Cisco-GridNetworks deal.

NBC Uni's Firebrand extinguished

By Andrew Wallenstein
Alas we hardly knew ye, Firebrand, the soon-to-be-defunct website where the cream of the commercial crop got an online/TV showcase. It launched last October with the financial backing of NBC Universal (the New York Times reports the venture "burned" through at least $30 million), but with little traffic traction to show for it, Firebrand has been tossed on that scrap heap in the sky along with ThisJustIn.com, another conglomerate-backed (Time Warner) entertainment site that went nowhere fast.

Moral of the story? I could give you the standard shpiel on consumer distaste for overt commercialization, except I don't really believe it. The point really is that there is no sense building a single destination for great commercials to live online when they are already distributed virally on plenty of other sites.

Here's what I had to say about Firebrand when it first launched.

Celebrity Endorsements Get Weird

By Andrew Wallenstein
Are we getting to the inevitable point where celebrity endorsements made online are strange enough that they actually backfire? We're either there or pretty damn close judging from a new pair of promotional spots issued for Hillary Clinton from Jack Nicholson and a second installment in support of Barack Obama from Black Eyed Peas front man Will.i.am (see below).

This pro-Clinton spot splices together clips of various Nicholson movies from "Batman" to a "A Few Good Men," interspersed with text touting the candidate. It's topped off by a few seconds from Nicholson himself. That Clinton utilized an aging celeb on YouTube is a strange choice to highlight for a campaign that could use younger voters on her side. Plus the clips aren't all that clever; they beg for parody that will only make it look silly.

That said, you would have to add up all the B-list celebs in the Will.i.am spot to get the Hollywood wattage Nicholson delivers alone. Hist first video for Obama was brilliant, but as Advertising Age points out, this one veers uncomfortable close to the tone of a "Hitler rally."

SuperDeluxe's Bathtub Talk Show

By Andrew Wallenstein
Those crazy kids at SuperDeluxe.com are taking a novel approach to that hoariest of TV-show genres: the talk show. Craig Bierko, star of the upcoming Fox sitcom "Unhitched," plans to host an online talk show in a bathtub which he will share with assorted guests including John Malkovich. I want to make fun of this, and yet I'm sure I'm going to watch at least once, so who are we kidding?

Tweaking the talk-show format has been done before -- see "The Jeannie Tate Show," live from a soccer mom's minivan--but this takes it up a notch. For my money, the bar has been set by "Between Two Ferns," the talk-show satire on FunnyorDie with Zach Galifianakis.

Herskovitz regrets 'quarterlife' TV move

By Andrew Wallenstein
THR had to travel to Harvard Business School to hear it, but Marshall Herskovitz was there having, shall we say, second thoughts about "quarterlife" airing on NBC. Prolly had something to do with the abysmal ratings of the premiere, which our own Steve Bryant predicted. Now let's see if cancellation will come mercifully, or NBC Universal will just move it to cable.

To remember waaaay back when Herskovitz and NBC were young and in love, visit quarterlife.com for a video interview the show's creator did with the network's head honcho, Ben Silverman.

Akimbo Thinks Outside the Box

By Andrew Wallenstein
Akimbo CEO Thomas Frank stopped in at THR this week to talk up the new direction for his company. If you're not familiar with the brand, Akimbo made for a name for itself in recent years by striking enough deals with content companies to launch its own set-top box that gave TV viewers an alternative (or supplement) to exorbitant cable subscriptions. But then Akimbo discontinued the box mid-last year, though it still provides content for the more successful AT&T Home Zone.

Now Akimbo is back, and in much different form. Today the company formally announced its shift from hardware to software, not to mention b-to-b from b-to-c, offering content companies a do-it-yourself solution to online video distribution. Akimbo is now something of a virtual Swiss Army knife that allows programmers to self-publish through whatever means they choose to explore--streaming, download-to-own, a combination of both, etc.--rather than the costly alternative of outsourcing that to other distributors or aggregators like, well, what Akimbo used to be.

The irony isn't lost on Frank, who surprisingly comes from the content side of the business, being former head of programming at Dick Clark Prods. He sees Akimbo benefiting from the constant shape-shifting that marked its early years. "I was able to take the best of these technology stop-starts," Frank told me. "I don't have to be in the hardware wars anymore."

DVR Strategy No Match for ABC.com Ambitions

By Andrew Wallenstein
ABC's controversial plan to disable fast-forwarding of commercials on VOD got plenty of attention in the blogosphere yesterday, from AllThingsD to TechDirt. While I get that this kind of DVR-counterattack is interesting, I wouldn't be so quick to lose sight of a point in the plan that seems to be getting glossed over, pertaining to the unspecified "expanded opportunities" ABC's affiliates are granting the network in online distribution.

Perhaps I should have seen it coming when I attended the Jack Myers Future of Media Breakfast at the Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles last week. Albert Cheng, executive vp digital media at Disney-ABC Television Group, spoke about the network's outsized ambitions in attracting advertisers to ABC.com with a zeal that struck me for someone who is typically pretty soft-spoken.

The Momentum at ManiaTV

By Andrew Wallenstein
Really interesting stats out of research firm Compete today showing that online original programmer ManiaTV cracked the top 10 video properties in January, surging 40%, ahead of the likes of Heavy and Metacafe. Shows you what having name-brand talent like Tom Green and Dave Navarro can do if you give it time. Up next: National Lampoon struck a deal for a series based on its live production, the Lemmings Comedy Troupe, to premiere in April on ManiaTV.

Loving Ben Affleck Can't Be Wrong

By Andrew Wallenstein
It was hard not to be star struck Sunday night, what with Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, Harrison Ford, Don Cheadle and Robin Williams sharing the screen. Except I'm not talking about the Oscars; it was a howlingly funny sketch that aired after the event on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," tastefully titled "I'm F**king Ben Affleck," that managed to squeeze more A-list wattage into a few minutes than the Oscars managed in three-plus hours.

Whether Kimmel topped girlfriend Sarah Silverman's original "I'm F**king Matt Damon" is not the question here. It's what the Oscars and really all of mainstream Hollywood has to learn from the sketch, which may have premiered on TV but is likely to be seen by exponentially more viewers on YouTube, just as the "Damon" one did. After the lowest-rated Oscar in history, you have to ask yourself why many of the stars mentioned above took the time appear in this bizarre, racy sketch but didn't show up on the red carpet (the only one I remember seeing in both was Ford, who really needs to lose the earring). For A-listers whose every public appearance is quite calculated, that tells you plenty about what is more culturally relevant right now: viral video or stuffy award shows.

The Real Joke at Comedy.com

By Andrew Wallenstein
Were Comedy.com just the 72,394th new Web site to make a go of it online in original comedy, it might not be worth blogging about. But the news out today on the man behind the site is funnier than anything on the site: Dean Valentine, former president of former broadcast network UPN. He ran UPN from 1997-2001, a span which yielded what might possibly be the most notoriously awful comedies in TV history, especially "The Secret Diaries of Desmond Pfeiffer."

If you happened to blink in October of 1998, you may have missed the brouhaha over this bomb, in which Chi McBride played Abraham Lincoln's black butler during the Civil War. Yes, you read that sentence correctly, as did the critics who savaged the sitcom for racial insensitivity and for just plain sucking. Valentine was also responsible for other comedy bombs like "DiResta" and "Reunited" (I don't remember them either), which were part of his grand plan to reach out to the great swaths of blue-collar viewers who didn't really relate to NBC's "Friends." Either that audience segment didn't exist, or Valentine wasn't the man to reach them.

In either case, Valentine's UPN tenure is worth noting given he is back at the helm of a comedic venture. "Desmond" sequel is a must.

In Treatment: HBO Has Abandonment Issues

By Andrew Wallenstein

Though it's all too cool to bash HBO in the post-"Sopranos" era, I will do nothing of the sort regarding its new series "In Treatment," a thoroughly riveting drama set entirely in the office of a psychotherapist played by Gabriel Byrne. It took me a few weeks to find the time to sample the series, but now I may have to seek out an addiction specialist to get me to quit.

But as it turns out, you don't necessarily need a subscription to HBO to get hooked. The network has taken the unprecedented step of making the first 15 of the show's 45 episodes online, free to all. While strangely counter to the HBO on Broadband plan just announced last month, which applies a nice subscriber-only bear hug, I can't recall any TV network moving this far beyond the traditional premiere-episode sampler approach that is practically de rigeur for any new show (e.g., midseason NBC abomination "Lipstick Jungle" pilot on Yahoo).

So why is HBO suddenly giving away the milk for free given how notoriously protective the network is of its cash cow, the subscription business? Well, if you are a subscriber or not, "Treatment" is an acquired taste. Maximizing sampling opportunities is essential for getting viewers hooked on a very demanding series: It airs half-hour episodes five nights a week. Early ratings indications are not good, so HBO is going to do everything in its power to make sure this show isn't abandoned before its time.

As far as nonsubscribers go, imagine someone bingeing on 15 episodes of a show they grow to love, only to be cut off midway -- that's like cutting off a crack addict. Perhaps HBO is taking a bold step to incentivize new subscribers by giving them more than just a taste, but less than the whole store.

Don't be surprised if you see other networks start mimicking the multi-episode freebie approach.

P.S. Have you seen HBO's promotional microsite for the show, Heslistening.com? Freaky, but not quite deaky, trip into the synaptic pathways of the brain belonging to the show's shrink.

TV Without Pity Does, Um, TV

By Andrew Wallenstein

Have been waiting for some kind of upgrade over at TelevisionWithoutPity.com since NBC Universal's Bravo purchased the site last year. That has come in the form of "The Week Without Pity," a weekly Web video series that looks back on the week in television. Given there's maybe, oh, four TV shows on right now in original episodes due to the strike, this probably isn't the best time for a program like this, but what can you do? Bravo hands you a check, and you can't just subsist on written summaries of every episode of watercooler TV shows like "American Idol" and "House."

So what does TWOP do? They migrate their special blend of snark and more snark into videos that I hesitate to call videos because "Week" is really more a slide show of stills set to a voiceover cracking wise about what's hot (not much) on TV right now. Foolish me expecting we'd see actual full-motion excerpts from TV shows in a Web series about TV.

National Geographic Pulls a YouTube

By Andrew Wallenstein
I was curious to see how the National Geographic Channel would make the transition to short-form video this week in its newly launched site, NGCvideos.com. There's something compelling about watching a classic, dare I say stodgy brand reinvent itself on a new platform. And though I associate Nat Geo with musty magazines collecting cobwebs in my grandparents' attic, there is also something quite relevant about the brand in comparison with YouTube: Both are about striking visuals that leave your mouth agape. Just check out the Nat Geo video above featuring "cow jumping."

What's smart about what the channel is doing here is that this site is not primarily a promotional platform relentlessly marketing its TV presence; yes, there's some of it, but it is mostly a source of 1,000 different short-form videos culled from Nat Geo's library, from the surface of the moon to the savannahs of Africa. Leave it to a company that has chronicled the survival of the fittest in the wild to skillfully adapt to the Internet jungle.

Greatest American Hero Returns

By Andrew Wallenstein
Believe it or not, as its theme song once drilled into our heads, the 1980s ABC series "Greatest American Hero" is coming back via the Internet. Entrepreneur Caesar Collazo is bringing it back in the form of webisodes beginning July 4, and get this: a woman, Kimmy McKinley (above) will now be in the role originated by William Katt (though who could tell the difference given his shiny blonde curls).

Personally, I would have preferred a "Manimal" revival.

Super Bowl Ads Go Overtime Online

By Andrew Wallenstein

Maybe I ask too much of Madison Avenue, but I went into this Super Bowl expecting to see new creative heights being hit by this year's ads. After all, with viewers now trained to expect the advertising experience to continue online, surely marketers understood that the big game was just the first window in which their spots would be seen; and if you don't believe me, ask Comscore.

So I figured we'd see ads this year that really took into account the potential for viral afterlife. Something that made you just have to go online for repeat viewing or to pass along to a friend. But, no, it was the same collection of instantly forgettable mind mush...nothing funny or visually memorable enough to merit online viewing. It would stand to reason that considering it cost $2.7 million to get 30 seconds of airtime, a marketer might want to cobble together something that could live on just a little longer.

If by chance you missed the big game, AOL Sports has a nifty area where you can see all the ads you missed. Not that you missed much.

Steve's .02: I would add that the frequency and success of online vids makes the Super Bowl's own vaunted snack-size ads less compelling.

Stats about the game's effects on online traffic are mixed. Akamai reports that Super Bowl advertisers' web sites saw no dramatic increase in traffic, as opposed to years previous. Meanwhile, according to Google Trends, the most popular search for Super Bowl ads, "Super bowl commercials", comes in at an anemic rank of 21 for Monday, the day after the game. (Best search of all time: "How old is Tom Petty", coming in at #27).

Neither of these stats, though surely disappointing to advertisers, are conclusive. For all I know, the advertised products are racking up sales and putting up townhouses in the real estate they've bought in our minds. But anecdotally, I can say I haven't had a single conversation about superbowl commercials with my friends. No one in my office has forwarded a link to an ad. That's a change from years previous. Nobody seems to be talking about the ads this go around (except the Doritos mouse enraged to the point of fisticuffs, which ruzocked).

Back in the day, Super Bowl commercials were events. Kinda like FDR's fireside chats. And they showed the best and brightest ideas. But now the best and brightest ideas are online, and they're shown at such a great frequency, that it's possible we've become too accustomed to bite-sized entertainment to care. Every day is Super Bowl commercial day when you're online.

BTW. Budweiser. Next year, if you do yet another Clydesdale ad, may I suggest instead of hairy-ankled equines you substitute women in Uggs. Just sayin, ladies. Your shoes are fugly.

 

Barely Political, Barely Funny

By Andrew Wallenstein
With the release this week of the latest edition of the Obama Girl series, "Super Obama Girl," I have two questions. One, who out there actually finds this clever? The first version was mildly amusing at best; why it is viral-worthy is mystifying to me. It's not that a hot chick crushing on Barack Obama to the tune of cheesy R&B just doesn't do it for me--there are plenty of things on the Internet that I don't personally go ga-ga for, but I understand their appeal. This, I just don't get what anyone would enjoy here.

Secondly and most importantly, Obama Girl was largely responsible for its host site, Barely Political, getting acquired by Next New Networks, Herb Scannell's growing roster of niche video sites last year. But a visit to the dot-com left me wanting; what is this site really beyond Obama Girl videos and the weakest collection of political-related content I have laid eyes on. In the midst of an election year, you've got to have more than this to attract eyeballs.

Barely Political feels like post-"Landlord" FunnyOrDie.com, a site unwisely built around a single video phenomenon with little else to bring to the table. FunnyOrDie in recent months has corrected the problem and rounded out its content offerings; is Barely Political up to that challenge?

The Hulu Highlight at NATPE

By Andrew Wallenstein
Stuck around until the last panel of the day at the National Assoc. of TV Programming Executives annual conference in Las Vegas to hear from Jason Kilar, CEO of Hulu, the NBC Universal-News Corp. joint venture once billed (incorrectly) as the anti-YouTube. It's been in beta for the three months, with little said about its performance to date.

True to his corporate parents, Kilar didn't offer much in the way of details. But he did admit one tidbit that was at once humorous and revealing: the long-forgotten 1980s series "Air Wolf" is something of a hit on the platform, among the top 30 series viewed. Other relics like "The A-Team" also do well, so well in fact that they rival the Hulu viewership of shows you would assume are the top of the pile.

"All these shows that you think are left for dead do better than current primetime," said Kilar, who seemed genuinely surprised that "Wolf" is still howling all these years later.

Odd resurfacing of cultural arcana? Yes, but also something that potentially carries with it real business implications: Even in a top-shelf programming environment like Hulu, the long tail of content remains powerful. If you make contemporary hits and primetime errata equally accessible on a platform, don't be surprised to see the latter actually attain some value.

Steve's .02: Can you label 80s primetime TV hits as long tail content? I honestly don't know, but the term seems off to me, since the long tail refers to relatively esoteric content that's not widely promoted. Even though Wolf's decades old, it's still a huge cultural waypoint for kids my age. The relative low sales of Wolf media compared to more contemporary fare -- is the show even released on DVD? Ah, yes. -- may make it seem like long tail content, but its cultural footprint suggests otherwise. A less acknowledged show, like say, the Melrose Place spin-off Models, Inc., would be more exemplary.

Maybe I'm just splitting hairs, since the long tail is primarily an economic model. By the marketplace's judgement, maybe Airwolf isn't as rad as I remember.

MacHeads: The Movie

By Andrew Wallenstein
Perhaps it was inevitable given the never-ending hype. Now Apple has inspired a new documentary, "MacHeads: The Movie," about the cult following Steve Jobs' handiwork has engendered. Plenty of oddballs on display; my favorite line: "I've never knowingly slept with a Windows user. Never. Ever."

MacHeads was created by Kobi and Ron Shely of production company Chim65. No word on distribution yet, but if they can't at least get on iTunes...

If all this Apple love is giving you the creeps, check out a new "unscientific" poll from blog Internet Evolution where Apple ranked first as the most hated Internet company. Of course, Apple also finished second to Google on the love side, so make of it what you will.

Eisner Makes Date After "Prom"

By Andrew Wallenstein
With one of the few success stories in episodic online video series under his belt, Michael Eisner is giving it another go, and in unusual fashion. As the New York Post reports, Eisner's Vuguru Prods. is teaming again with the online production company Big Fantastic that spawned "Prom Queen" to create a new series inspired by the upcoming book "Foreign Body" by best-selling author Robin Cook.

The series will be 50 two-minute drama vignettes that introduce the characters to "Body," a thriller set in the world of international hospitals. The launch is in May, pushing to a finale in August, when the book comes out.

So essentially it's a marketing strategy, and a odd one at that--nothing in publishing to date has been successfully promoted by an online component, though plenty have tried. Reel Pop noted an interesting strategy used to market the latest Michael Crichton tome (as if he needs it) in 2006.

I was not a fan of Prom Queen, but Steve Bryant admired it in this review.

Heath Ledger Hits Google

By Andrew Wallenstein
Hours after the news broke out, it was truly fascinating to see that Ledger dominated the search engine requests that day. Not surprising of course, but it's interesting to see what form those searches took. When I checked out Google Trends at 6 p.m. PST, some interesting patterns emerged:

The first 19 most popular search terms all seemed to be related to Ledger. Breaking the streak at No. 20 was 'Beth Modica,' a New York assistant district attorney about to be indicted for providing 'booze, pot and sex' to her son's hockey team. At No. 22, the more respectable 'Louisiana caucus.' Forty-four of the top 50 search terms were Ledger-related.

Interesting to see what entertainment-news sources people turn to most in times of celebrity crisis: there are five different spellings for 'E! Entertainment' in the top 50, with 'e news' in the highest of any news source at no. 9. Then again, that could have something to do with the Oscar nominations that dominated search pre-Ledger early in the day, but I wouldn't be so sure; first mention of 'nominations' in and of itself doesn't come in until No. 87.

The second most popular news brand was 'Entertainment Tonight' (#21), 'Perez Hilton' (#24), 'Access Hollywood' (#65) and 'TMZ' coming in at a surprisingly underwhelming No. 68.

The second most popular search term was 'Keith Ledger' while No. 37 was 'Keith Fletcher' and No. 38 'Keith Legend'; that's what those fancy Australian names will getcha.

Surprised to see high visibility for Ledger's next reported film project, a Terry Gilliam film "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (no. 11). They spelled that correctly, but not Heath Ledger??? Meanwhile "new Batman movie" comes in at No. 17 while the actual title for the film, 'Dark Knight' doesn't show up until No. 19.

All in all, Google Trends leaves me with the strange feeling I've just stared into the churning abyss that is the American psyche. I need to lie down. Maybe I'll match up these results with the totals that come in at day's end.

Steve's .02: There's a predictable schload of Ledger tribute videos on YouTube as well, with this interview about the upcoming Batman movie receiving about 700k views yesterday across vidshare sites, according to VidMeter. But looking in YouTube's most viewed and discussed videos for the week, Keith Ledger vids pale in comparison to political topics and the Tom Cruise scientology footage.

New Star Trek Mission: NCC-1701

By Andrew Wallenstein
We should have known it couldn't be that simple when the trailer for the new "Star Trek" film arrived online last week. Not when J.J. Abrams is involved, master of the Internet marketing strategies that pushed "Cloverfield" to No. 1 at the box office this week and will probably bring "Lost" back to top shape on ABC for a midseason run. Sure enough, Abrams is at his old tricks again; just go visit the trailer and click on the blinking red light to the right of the "Under Construction" sign. It leads to...well, I'm not quite sure what to make of it yet, but it looks like the start of some kind of online adventure akin to what we've seen from him before. The adventure continues at NCC-1701.com

Heath Ledger Dies, and "Dark Knight"

By Andrew Wallenstein
Disturbing news just out of New York with the apparent death of actor Heath Ledger; pills were found at the scene, according to The New York Times, which suggests drugs may have been involved. His upcoming role as the Joker in the "Batman" sequel"The Dark Knight" has already been a popular trailer online. It's a reminder of what an incredible talent this guy had.

BET.com: Bikini Exit Time

By Andrew Wallenstein
Tragic news for Web surfers just starving for the photographs of swimsuit-clad females that are sorely lacking on the Internet: BET.com has dropped such a section from its website. "B-Girls" was removed either as part of a long-in-the-works plan to expand the site or as the result of pressure from online activists, depending on who you believe. Either way, it's interesting to note that this may be an example of where content companies may draw the line as they attempt to attract advertisers. Swimsuit photos are a great way to binge on page views, but not exactly the kind of thing the Krafts and McDonalds of the world want next to their banner ads.

Where Will Yahoo Axe Land?

By Andrew Wallenstein
The blogosphere speculation on deep job cuts coming at Yahoo has grown deafening enough that it's presumably true. The only point of contention is whether it is hundreds, as The New York Times insists today, or thousands (watch Valleywag weigh in next with "millions." . Yahoo PR doesn't exactly deny it here, and WSJ was kind enough to write a pre-obituary of sorts.

So the layoffs are a foregone conclusion, but here's my question: How deep will the axe cut into Yahoo's media group, or what's left of it, if at all? Vince Broady obviously saw the writing on the wall and jumped ship last week after getting pushed aside. Drew Buckley took off with Terry Semel. There were rumblings that some kind of new initiative would materialize by end of 2007 after a September streamlining, but that has yet to materialize.

Damned if I know how Yahoo's content peeps will be affected, but my gut tells me we'll know just where the company's ambitions are in that sector once and for all once the cuts are made.

HBO on Broadband, Pt. 2

By Andrew Wallenstein
There's an interesting range of reactions on the blogosphere today to the news of HBO on Broadband, the most interesting being from Silicon Alley Insider, which proclaims "Why HBO's New Download Service Won't Be a Hit."

Granted, the platform is not without flaws, but the solution offered by blogger Henry Blodget is bizarre: HBO should offer its entire library online at an extra cost. Eventually, it could evolve into a "digital-only Netflix."

I'm not even sure where to begin on this one. First, that's just what cable subscribers love: an additional fee. Because the sticker shock of basic cable + digital cable + HBO + high-speed data isn't enough at this point. There's more subs out there just dying to fork over even more dollars to take a deeper dive into HBO's archives; how many times can you watch "Police Academy 5" anyway?

If you followed Blodget's thinking, you would presume HBO on Broadband is comprised of four episodes of "Not Necessarily the News." But they've got a full range of their original programming out there, more than twice the volume of HBO on Demand and the new titles get their quicker than they do on VOD. There's also studio movies up the wazoo. With 375 titles available at any given time, is depth really the problem here?

I think Blodget's misunderstanding cuts to the nature of what HBO is trying to do here. This is not an online-video strategy per se; it's really a customer-retention tool. For all of HBO's success, the subscription churn rate is ridiculously high and the company will do just about anything to make the overall service stickier.

A "digital Netflix" only makes sense if HBO were to suddenly disaggregate its business and throw open its vaults to everyone in the interest of reaching consumers anywhere. But that will never happen: Cable operators provide the lion's share of the billion-plus in profits HBO pockets annually for Time Warner. Until that business starts nosediving--and there's no indication that's in sight--protecting the gates to its library makes a helluva lot more sense than throwing them open for an extra price few will pay.

HBO on Broadband

By Andrew Wallenstein
Today's THR has a look at HBO on Broadband, especially the irony that its introduction overlaps with a somewhat contradictory Time Warner Cable initiative: metered billing for high-speed data. Imagine streaming "The Wire" when you've got one eye on the clock.

But I wanted to provide more detail on the HBO on Broadband experience here. HBO on Broadband is available via an application downloaded to the desktop in just a few minutes. It can be accessed via log-in and password.

Shows are download-to-own and expire from a subscriber’s hard drive after four weeks of becoming available on HBO on Broadband. That means if a subscriber downloads the latest episode of “Wire” three weeks after it is placed on HBO on Broadband, that would leave only one week of viewing time.

Oh Rambo, How You Slay Me

By Andrew Wallenstein
With the latest installment of the "Rambo" franchise about to hit theaters later this month, it's almost quaint to recall back in May how Lionsgate first tested the waters of the Internet with an ultraviolent trailer on YouTube. Believe it or not, there were concerns that the audience may not be ready for the kind of bloodlust Sylvester Stallone hadn't unleashed in a few decades.

Well, as the premiere draws near, it's heartwarming to see  how the latest trailers only amp up the gore factor. Here's an exclusive cut on No Good TV, and three more on the movie's official site on Break.com. Share with someone you love.

"Teeth" and Vagina Dentata

By Andrew Wallenstein
Just when I thought Internet sneak peeks at the upcoming "Rambo" were too gory, along comes footage of another new film that made my skin not so much crawl as as it did leap off my skeleton. And the kicker is there's no visible gore--it's just two kids sitting in a wading pool.

It's the first five minutes of the upcoming Village Roadshow picture "Teeth" (opens today in New York and Los Angeles) which dramatizes a mythical biological condition known as "vagina dentata"--as a God-fearing family man, I can't bring myself to explain what that is.

"Teeth" may be the most effective example yet I've seen of a film whetting viewer appetites with a little excerpts of the film, as so many (too many?) others have done lately including "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story," "Cloverfield" and "National Treasure: Book of Secrets." A film that likely would have gotten lost in the shuffle of bigger releases catches my eye with footage that would have been too risque to explain on broadcast TV.

My nightmares thank you.

Turning Back the Hands of iTunes

By Andrew Wallenstein
At first blush, the idea had a brilliant, albeit evil, simplicity to it: What better way to indefinitely extend the rental period on Apple's new movie rental service than by monkeying around with the clock on your computer?
And though Gizmodo declared a victory in that regard early in the day, it was soon forced to admit that it hasn't quite figured out how to outthink iTunes. I'd say you gotta wake up real early if you want to fool Steve Jobs, but I don't want to give Gizmodo any crazy ideas about rigging its alarm clock.

ABC's Oscar.com Wakes Up Early

By Andrew Wallenstein
Though I'm not much of a film buff, I'll cop to having woken up psycho-early on the West Coast the morning the Oscar nominations come out. Well, no more: The good folks at Oscar.com are not only distributing video of the nomination announcements on the Web, but are then archiving the footage for people who plan to wake up at a reasonable hour.

Stage 9 Takes "Trenches" Online

By Andrew Wallenstein
Stage 9, an online entertainment group housed in Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, isn't ready to launch several short-form video series in development, but that doesn't mean you have to wait indefinitely to get a glimpse of what's in the works.

One of the series coming out later this year, the sci-fi action series "Trenches," has a pretty robust website up already. "Trenches" comes from Shane Felux, who proved he could turn out a space odyssey of viral proportions on a shoestring budget with "Star Wars: Revelations" in 2005. The trailer (above) is pretty remarkable as low-budget recreations of intergalactic warfare go; believe it or not, it was shot in a quarry in Virginia.

Unfazed by Couric Unplugged

By Andrew Wallenstein
Twice over the past three months, Katie Couric has seen videotape of herself talking to her crew while off-air mysteriously pop up online. The first, which emerged in November, showed Couric mocking Dan Rather. The second, above, captures Couric in the heat of election coverage chatting about everything from her head cold to Cindy McCain's distinctive eye color (ice blue).

The source of the second clip, Harry Shearer's area on MyDamnChannel, is no surprise; the comedian has been finding all sorts of obscure broadcast feeds for years. There's been plenty of talk on the blogosphere about how Couric has been the "victim" of a prank. Given the boatload of bad press she has gotten suggesting she is unworthy to host the evening news, this can't help much.

But here's the thing: I find the Couric footage strangely endearing. Her grating chipmunk laugh aside, I find I can fall in love all over again with the spunky sprite we once knew from NBC's "Today," the one that has been entombed behind her new sober, gravitas-coated facade. The evening-news stylebook dictates she tamp down any sign of warmth and spontaneity, which makes these clips feel like clandestine S.O.S. signals of the cool chick beneath the surface.

Which begs the question: Could it be that Couric actually wants these clips out there?

Black is Back in 60Frames

By Andrew Wallenstein
60Frames Entertainment is launching a slate of seven new short-form original series, the first wave of 50 programs coming out this year from the unit. It's great to see a company approach Internet entertainment with serious ambition.
Having perused the new offerings, it is great to see one of the best comics you've never heard of doubly employed by 60Frames: Jordan Black, a former "Saturday Night Live" writer who was last seen in the blink-and-you-missed-it-though-I-actually-really-dug-it Comedy Central series "Halfway Home." He's got two different series on 60Frames including "Black Version," in which the comedian re-enacts famous movie scenes from a distinctly African-American perspective worthy of Dave Chappelle. If anything on 60Frames has a chance to break out, it's Black.

Getting the Jobs Done at iTunes

By Andrew Wallenstein
There's a flurry of announcements coming out of Macworld today, but none more than astounding than the full range of movie studios that signed on to adopt a rental model. We knew 20th Century Fox was coming down the pike, but there was no indication that everyone else was jumping on the bandwagon, too--there could be no bigger vote of confidence for the new service. Apple chief Steve Jobs disclosed that 7 million movies have been sold to date, but you've got to wonder how quickly Apple will exceed that total on the rental side of the business, which is more appealing given the lower $3.99 fee for new releases.

We've knocked Jobs around a bit for his handling of the NBC Universal controversy, but the participation he is getting from Hollywood this go-round restores any faith Apple may have lost in recent months.

MGM, NBC Get Punchy For "Gladiators"

By Andrew Wallenstein
Methinks the writer's strike has created a sense of diminished expectations over at NBC and MGM given the premature boost of confidence it just gave new midseason reality series "American Gladiators". After just two primetime episodes of solid ratings, said companies aren't just renewing this revival of the once-syndicated muscle menagerie for a second season, but adding all sorts of multiplatform goodies, including a website where footage of the original series can be viewed (plus an animated series (what??) and a national tour (double what??). Let's put aside the fact that original "Gladiators" footage commands minimal curiosity--isn't all this too much of an investment for a series that has yet to prove itself in the long haul? Primetime TV is littered with reality series that started with a bang only to go to whimper mode by episode three.

Steve's .02: Soggy blanket, Wallenstein. I agree that it's too early to deem Am'r'can Gladeeayters an unvarnished success, but, FWIW, every single person dude I've talked to loves this show. And loves Hulk Hogan's blonde wig.

And with the new AG, NBC managed to do something I didn't think they could: Update '80s cheesery w/ advanced camera work and pacing, not to mention competitors with compelling backstories, w/out an over-reliance on visual effects and trickery. And, given the country's general malaise right now -- confusing primary season with undifferentiated candidates, interminable war abroad with a confusing array of political and religious parties, dire economic outlook at home -- it's no wonder AG's simple joe-versus-joe narrative is compelling.

As for the online components, I think they'll bolster the accessibility for a younger generation not steeped in AG's spectacle, e.g., the atrociously hairsprayed Malibu, and the rage-filled 'roidosity of Nitro. I have my doubts about the cartoon (the kids, they like the anime these days), but a national tour is a recreation of the wildly popular tours the original series undertook. I guarantee if AG comes to Madison Square Garden, every skinny-panted hipster and Wall Street flack'll be in attendance.

David Lynch Just Looooves iPhone!

By Andrew Wallenstein
Behold the subtle eloquence with which filmmaker David Lynch regards the gadget du jour, Apple's iPhone, and what it portends for the future of cinema. Hang on to the end of the video when he punctuates his insight with keen analytic flair. Some clever soul managed to mash-up this outtake from the "Inland Empire" DVD with a commercial for iPhone. This isn't the first time Lynch has played media critic; witness his measured, nuanced take on product placement, too.

Time to End TV Recap Trend

By Andrew Wallenstein
First, there was "7-Minute Sopranos," which hilariously condensed multiple seasons of the hit HBO series' storylines so that viewers didn't have to spend several hundreds of dollars on DVDs to catch up (that segment has since been updated to incorporate the last season, and is now "Nine Minute Sopranos." It was both creatively ingenious and, for Johnny-come-lately fans, a true public service.

Last week, ABC followed suit with its own take, "Lost in 8:15," which was a clever wink at the original "Sopranos" version as well as a nod to numerals that have taken on a mystical significance on that show.

But now that there is yet another one for "The Wire" (see above) I must declare a moratorium on this budding specialty. The bloom is off the rose now that a third show has shrunk itself; it just doesn't seem that clever anymore.

Plus, with all the energy that goes in creating these crash courses, I would rather see those resources applied to a more elaborate online presence for veteran programs that allow fans to enter the program in the middle of its run. Rather than some snarky rundown that does more to make you laugh than really understand what's going on with a show, why not try a more elaborate, but still condensed, presentation where, for instance, a video is prepared on each major character. That way you can really join a show in progress even if you've missed a few seasons. ABC has done this before in primetime, devoting entire hours to rehashing hits like "Grey's Anatomy," but why these episodes aren't prominently displayed on ABC.com, I have no idea.

So God help you if I find another entry into this exhausted genre. Knock it off. Seriously.

NBC Broadcasts From CES

By Andrew Wallenstein
Las Vegas Convention Center seemed