Girls Talking Pop

Perfect for chicks who read Wired and Real Simple – who would flip channels between Discovery and the DIY Network – Revision3 launched a spunky female-oriented talk show called popSiren, which will include everything from DIY projects to interviews to science experiments.



popSiren is hosted by Sarah Lane and Jessica Corbin, two pretty and intelligent ladies – lest you think beauty and brains can’t co-exist within a single woman – who navigate the show through cute banter, on-location segments, in-house interviews, Mr. Wizard-type demonstrations and the term of the day. 

(Episode 1’s term of the day, by the way, is an acronym from UrbanDictionary.com – "ACB" – which translates into “Air Conditioner Booty,” the phenomenon by which a woman’s posterior protrudes not unlike an air conditioner window unit. It also happens to be a feature which co-host Corbin is to proud to demonstrate on her own person.)

“Anyone who is interested in pop culture will love popSiren,” Lane, co-host and Director of Production at Revision3, stated in a release. “It’s all about the practical application of technology, science and culture, topics that reach far beyond the celebrity gossip that dominates mainstream media.”



###For its premiere, popSiren introduces a number of segments for its variety-style show. Some of the stronger material includes the hosts direcing the viewer to useful places on Web. For example, Lane hosts a bit called "On the Prowl," where she points to fun and useful Websites, like iwantsandy.com ("Your Personal Email Assistant) and sleeveface.com (a series of photos of folks obscuring their body parts with record sleeves to create clever illusions). Video of Lane interacting with the sites and showing off how to use their features is informative and helpful, and makes the viewer want to check out the sites on her own. Also, on popSiren’s site, under a tab called "Show Notes," the links to the featured Websites are available. No note-taking necessary.

Another segment that proves popSiren’s mettle is a craft project co-hosted by Jen Trolio of ReadyMade Mag (it’s like Martha Stewart for hipsters), in which Corbin and Trolio create comic book stationery from scracth. Like a lot of craft projects you watch on TV, the chance that you’ll actually replicate their stationery is slim, but the way that Trolio delivers the do-it-yourself instructions is fast and easy and the final product is pretty cool.



Like a lot of Revision3 shows, my only real issue with popSiren is its length.  It comes in just under forty minutes.  Don’t get me wrong; I can, and do, watch lengthy programming online. Believe me, if I miss an episode of Lost, I’m streaming it the next day from ABC.com.  But I think it will be hard for popSiren to find and build a large committed audience who can watch over a half hour of content without clicking over to check email or play a quick word on Scrabulous. 

I suppose a comparable format has worked for Diggnation, but I don’t see Lane and Corbin amassing Rose-like, rockstar following any time soon.  Unless you’re crowned King Geek by a horde of social news contributors, its hard to command a significant audience with all the other fun distractions online. (Wanting to check out a Website featured on the show itself, for example, may send viewers off on a clicking tangent.) 



Still, popSiren is a fantastic concept and the show whizzes along as it illuminates the need for more female-skewed programming online. Just remember: we ladies have short attention spans too.