Launched in September 2005, Booked.tv is an interactive online companion to the Canadian broadcast television series Booked, which asks real crime professionals just how realistic crime novels are. Similar to its television counterpart, Booked.tv offers a series of webisodes that interview these professionals not only on the authenticity of crime fiction, but also on the intricacies of varying aspects of criminal activity (whether it be bomb-threats or blood stains). The creator, Canadian writer and director Ava Karvonen, wanted to take her love of reading to television, so she and her own television production company, Reel Girls Media, decided to address a rising trend in crime novels and create a kind of televised book club in which crime fiction could be discussed by fans and experts alike.

Booked.tv emulates the format of a book club, but it’s better. Instead of hearing interpretations only from your friends, you have access to the valuable insight of specialists. The site is not just another form of crime entertainment, like CSI, Law and Order, or the best-selling John Grisham novels. It is more of a research tool, providing valid information as a challenge to our sometimes incorrect assumptions about criminals and the nature of crime, which are often perpetuated by the entertainment industry. Each two to three-minute professionally-produced episode features a different forensic specialist who addresses a single question. For instance, criminal intelligence analyst Jonathan Alston speaks on the question of why women commit fewer crimes than men, and psychiatrist Dr. Judy Ustina judges the accuracy of the portrayal of the psychopath in Jeff Lindsey’s book, Darkley Dreaming Dexter. The interviews are tremendously informative and fascinating, and when paired with the “casebooks,” – written statements from specialists on issues like kids with psychiatric disorders or protecting women on the street – you can learn a huge amount about crime. In fact, the whole site is geared toward learning, with resources about forensic education, tips on starting a book club, reading lists with discussion questions, and book reviews.

The episode with homicide detective Cathy Oakden is a good example of an honest description of detective work that is worth watching. She emphasizes the uncomfortable and difficult aspects of her line of work, like informing families of a deceased or missing relative, that comprise a huge part of her job, not just the exciting and dramatic activities that stereotype detectives.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Kate Dundon
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In April 2006, Miss Kitka decided to end her popular vlog Kikast after just 20 episodes. Instead of continuing with the sexually-charged news show, she traded in her pasties for a Star Trek sweater and a plastic ray gun. In May 2006, the creative, nerdy minds of Rudy Jahchan and the former Kitka, Casey McKinnon launched Galacticast – a temple to all things Star Trek, Star Wars, and the universe of campy, intergalactic travels. The site’s content covers every corner of Sci-Fi media, from the critically acclaimed (A Clockwork Orange) to the downright forgettable (Lost in Space). There’s nothing too obscure for this “Lo-Fi Sci-Fi” comedic duo.

Basically, McKinnon and Jachan make shows to the beat of their campy, parodist, Stormtrooper-helmed drummer. Some entries are acute send–ups of popular sci–fi, sometimes they parody trailers and safety videos, sometimes they talk shop, sometimes they interview prominent scifi personalities like comic book creator George Perez, and, occasionally, they just freak out. They’re the kind of people who relish in rumors about a new Night Rider remake and the 29^th anniversary of the release of the original Star Wars. All videos are short (usually two to five minutes) and extremely low budget (handheld video camera, minimal lighting, and free-for-all acting), but that doesn’t stop McKinnon and Jachan from utilizing fast-paced editing, costumes, special effects, and more green screen superimposing than I’ve ever seen in a internet television show (well, almost).

In one of the more original entries, the pair argues over prospective names for its upcoming sci-fi baby. Some suggestions include Gurney, Starbuck, Zargon, and Prince Adam, a reference to the old Masters of the Universe cartoon. As the two say in the skit, “normal is the new strange.”

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Nicholas Mosquera
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Along the coastal reefs of Bonaire, a beautiful island in the Dutch Caribbean, Roger Burnham and Marcia Leatham took a permanent leave of absence from the working world in 2002 and set up shop as contract scuba videographers. For $100 a day, you can have them film your vacation dives and get an insider’s guided tour of the island’s reefs from behind the camera. Roger has been shooting professional underwater videos since 1996 while Marcia picked up her trade from a lifetime of shooting scuba vacation videos on trips with friends and family. In September 2006, the duo brought much of its content to the web on Blennylips Bonaire in order to promote its scuba services and show off the site’s amazing content.

Dives and guide logs are available to watch on the site or to purchase as a full-on Bonaire vacation starter guide. They’re a few minutes long and are spectacular by virtue of their content. It’s amazing to see some of the couple’s underwater exploits, which is why Burnham and Leatham have catalogued their videos of island wildlife for casual viewers who aren’t interested in the site’s videographer services. Another way to experience the site’s video content is by its map of the island. Roger and Marcia have thumbtacked their taped travels for site visitors and each location has a series of wildlife and diving videos attached, so you can really feel the differences in the island’s reef and land terrain. There’s everything from videos of the easily-spotted to the well-camouflaged, from flamingo flocks in flight to iguanas lazing around the beach, that will surely absorb more of your time than you would expect. Overall, it’s a very good site if you’re considering a Caribbean getaway and looking to do some activities research.

The underwater eccentricities will definitely catch your attention if you’re part of that breed of television watchers who grew up watching PBS and the Discovery Channel. My favorites are the golden coral shrimp, that looks as though is made by a glassblower until all of its spotted limbs come to life, and the Spanish lobster that resembles a manatee

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Rebecca Halpin
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Black20 is a young, Brooklyn-based production team that creates comedy-oriented broadband entertainment. Its creators J. Crowley and Neil Punsalan planted the seeds of Black 20 back in their days of working as NBC tour guides. They wrote a script for a broadband comedy news show (a little like the Daily Show) called “Out of Context,” and pitched the show to the president of the network, Jeff Zucker, in an elevator. This could have been their big break into broadband television, but network politics and bureaucratic red tape prevented it from ever being produced. Crowley and Punsalan decided to independently release another short video about the secret life of the Easter bunny entitled, The Easter Bunny Hates You, which became one of the most popular viral videos in 2006 and made Crowley and Punasalan realize that they could completely bypass the networks. After a fortunate spin on the roulette wheel, Black20 set up shop on the web in early 2007. 

Not only has Black20 continued with “secret lives” videos (Cupid, Santa), but it also produces a number of hysterical sketch-comedy based shows. The Network follows the lives of two viral internet video producers who make fun of Black20 itself and the whole concept of viral internet culture by taking themselves way too seriously. The Middle Show is a kind of stand up/news/pop-culture/public harassment show (think the Tom Green Show), in which host David Price asks strangers awkward questions, and also includes some episodes of the Black20 team messing around in the office. Finally, Black20 News, hosted by Jessie Cantrell, is kind of a spoof on Rocketboom, with news about less-than-newsworthy things like making a Valentines day reservation at White Castle. All in all, these shows are some of the best free entertainment on the internet, especially because they all self-consciously reference viral internet phenomenon. The website also offers hilarious “news” articles, with titles like, “Two African-American coaches in the Superbowl?”, and “Teen Nintendo Death,” as well as a forum and a merchandise shop.

A good place to start with Black 20 is the first episode of Network, entitled “First Day.” Two top-notch viral internet producers, played by Mike O’Gorman and Michael Torpey, start work at the Black20 office, where there is a lonely girl, scientists experimenting with Mentos and Diet Coke, and a dog rolling by on a skateboard (how I hope the Mad Magazine offices are like.) It’s all about the characters, their chemistry, and some amazing improv comedy.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Kate Dundon
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The history of G4 TV is complicated. It began in April 2002 as the first network dedicated entirely to video games. But in May 2004, Comcast purchased TechTV, a broader network with a general focus on technology, and merged the two channels. After a brief period known as G4techTV, both the “tech” and “gaming” angles folded into what marketing executives call a male lifestyle umbrella—the current G4 TV, which so many young men have come to know and love. Viewers can expect lots of women, low-brow comedy, blockbuster movie news, popular music, iconic TV shows like Star Trek and Arrested Development, and, of course, video games. Ripe TV fans might notice a few similarities between the networks, whose competition is one of the fiercest that the online world has seen yet. It’s also worth noting that after being interviewed on NBC’s Today Show, famed lifecaster Justin of Justin.TV compared his experience with the television network withhis experience on G4 TV, who he said was far better prepared, organized, and staffed with knowledgeable journalists.

G4 is categorized by show. Whether the shows were made for the network’s online audience or its traditional TV viewers, the latest episodes of each can be viewed online at any time with earlier installments in the archives. The in-house player is known as “The Pile” and is divided into several sections, most of which are inspired by the most popular shows in the repertoire. “X-Play,” one of the vestiges of the original format, features reviews and previews of upcoming video games, while “Cheat!” offers up the latest gamer tips and codes. The programming is always changing, but you can be sure to find shows that cover viral videos, blog news, hot girls, extreme sports, classic shows like “The Man Show,” and anything else that’s popular with G4’s demographic. For example, at the time of this writing, there’s a slew of shows emphasizing street culture, from graffiti art to underground hip hop. But some of the network’s other stalwarts include “Icons,” which airs interviews with celebrities, and “Attack of the Show,” the flagship program that contains a news segment known as the Daily Feed, a roundtable argument called The Loop, and feature stories on comics, girls, and cinema.

Nocturnal Emissions is a show that probably hits closest to home for G4’s target demographic. Dedicated to exploring violence and porn in video games, it’s surely a hit amongst its post-pubescent tech savvy male base. 

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Nicholas Mosquera
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It’s a concept brilliant in its simplicity – videotape yourself mocking the news and creating satiric skits, all while half naked. For such a task it helps to look like busty mock news anchors Jen Jackson and Mary Clark (each of whom also broadcast on their own individual video blogs), who wear their bikinis well while peddling sex-infused guffaws. And that’s more or less it, except to note that Bikini News launched on Livevideo in November 2006 and that Clark replaced Jackson’s original co-anchor – cute and cuddly Rachel Jacobs – five episodes later. Did I mention it features girls in bikinis?

Let’s face it: would anyone care about the Daily Show-lite material of Bikini News if it weren’t delivered by two hot, squeaky-voiced females? Probably not, although calling it out for low-minded intentions is like trying to divorce Baywatch from its titillating agenda. So, sure, the show’s pranks, parodies, and puns are pretty damn lame, with typical targets culled from the latest in TMZ and UsWeekly headlines – Paris, Britney, and Lindsay all get theirs in short sketches where the girls dress up as the notorious celebrities and interpret scripts written, it seems, during bathroom breaks. But like Stuff4Dudes and a lot of the programming on Ripe TV, Bikini News knows how unashamedly vapid it is, and spoofs itself with episodes that take viewers behind the scenes and revelations of the show’s origins. So one can’t blame it for being what it isn’t, or for not being sufficiently aware of its tackiness. OR for not featuring girls in bikinis.

Episode 37 perfectly encapsulates Bikini News’ trash-tastic, wink-wink-nudge-nudge, ongoing-Ninja plotline sensibility, while Mary Clark’s Guide to Getting Your Crappy Video Seen Online demonstrates their media-savvy humor. Plus, they also feature girls in bikin….sorry, I’ll stop.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Michael Joshua Rowin
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Most websites related to G Living’s focus are centered on either environmental politics or organic food. But this online magazine/network, which has over four million viewers, is one of the first to package all of those things together to promote a fully green lifestyle from organic designer jeans to renewable cardboard moving boxes. The California-based network’s primary host, Boise Thomas, has been headlining the network’s shows since they began with G Living Live in July 2006. He was joined by co-host Marie Westbrook a month later, giving Thomas the opportunity to host the network’s cooking show GreenChefs.

G Living Network’s frontrunner show is G Living Live, which is also currently its only show. It addresses the possibilities of living greener in every imaginable way through interviews, guest chefs, and product demonstrations. Its cooking shows are filed under the subheading of GreenChefs, where host Boise Thomas mingles with in-house chefs and guest celebrity chefs while making some truly delicious vegan, vegetarian, and raw food. General fitness episodes and product reviews are also produced, though somewhat irregularly. Length varies, but the high quality of the sets and camerawork, the knowledgeable hosts, and inventive episode topics are always constant. This site is an industry standard as far as raw food and green living video content goes, but it’s also an online magazine with news and op-ed articles about over a dozen different green-related categories.

There are two aspects of the site that really make it stand out: the recipes and guests. Yes, almost all of the GreenChefs recipes include agave syrup and the tendency to refer to food as “living, plant-based” and “delicious” can get grating if you’re not that into it, but it’s hard not to get into healthy chocolate ice cream made raw and without an ice cream maker, jerk kabobs naturally cooked via salt and citrus juice, and zucchini shredded like pasta and covered in walnut pesto. And the show’s guests range from the famous to the just plain interesting. Howard Zinn, the creators of LoveCraft Grease Cars, celebrity restaurateur Sarma Melngailis of Pure Food and Wine, and the directors of independent film “U.S. vs. John Lennon” are just some of the guests who have come to discuss topics of interest to the green demographic.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Zach Jones
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Along with shows like “The Biggest Loser,” “Ugly Betty,” and “The Office,” The Big Debate is created by NBC Universal darling Ben Silverman for MSN Originals, Microsoft Network’s video channel. His online show is the perfect fix for everyone looking to get the latest scoop on Britney and TomKat but too sheepish to pick up an Us Weekly in the checkout line, since the show’s commentators use the day’s freshest gossip to debate the worth, talent, and personal virtues of various celebrities. Sherman’s company Reveille began production on The Big Debate at the start of the entertainment awards season in January 2007, but appeared to go on hiatus only two months after launching.

Staged like episodes of Crossfire, Big Debate is a gossip rag that presents the most contentious and buzz-worthy issues in pop culture as debated by two page-six addicts. During each episode, viewers are asked to weigh in on the issue, voting either side of debates as trivial as “Rachael Ray or Martha Stewart: Who takes the cake?” and as mildly thought-provoking as “Should celebrities preach their politics?” As the episode wears on, the “live” viewer poll sways back and forth with the efficacy of the arguments before revealing the total tally. Each crisply edited and fast-paced episode stresses the nitty-gritty details that keep Hollywood atwitter without taking itself too seriously. The glitz stays glorified and the depth is left for the real news to cover. But while Silverman boasts that the site has “the ability to capture the immediacy [of the entertainment world] and build a community dialogue,” the forums covering each debate are more like sounding boards than well thought-out conversations.

Leading up to the 2007 Superbowl, the show’s “Debate-A-Bowl” pitted Bears and Colts fans against each other. Who cares if the game discussion devolves into naughty puns and a debate over kegs vs. cans? These are fans slightly more accustomed to arguing the finer points of fashions than defensive lineups, but that’s exactly the kind of fun, fresh perspective that The Big Debate brings to the table.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Joel Withrow
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House concerts have been bringing folk singer/songwriters into intimate home settings for years and now some websites are sharing those performances online. In order to entice musicians into one such private venue, Jon and Luana Eckhard have agreed to record the occasion and have been sharing their unique home videos with others through the web since December 2005.

The Eckhards clear the furniture out of their living room in Boulder, Colorado once every month, make some snacks, invite their friends, relatives, and some internet fans, and set the stage for some of their favorite performers.

The Eckhards don’t just feature local artists. Musicians like Christopher Williams, who tours year-round with a schedule of over 130 performances, finds time to play a set at their house. Their schedule gives a three-month heads-up for upcoming concerts, but their Past Shows and Videos pages are the main draws of the site. Arranged by artist, these archives provide downloadable music, streaming video, information, and links to more detailed information about the performer’s style and song choices. The artist’s video page brings all of the videos together (about 3 to 12 vids for each artist).

For live home concert recordings, the quality is surprisingly high. The steady camera zooms in tight on the performers to catch all their movements, while the stage is lit to show the intimacy of the venue. Because the site creators are actually present at the concerts, deal with all of the arrangements, and have handpicked each performer based on previous encounters, they know a lot about the artists. This is evident from their artist descriptions, such as their warm review of Cheryl Wheeler’s performance style.

The video clip of Arthur Lee Land performing “U R A Song,” which was co-written by Land’s wife, begins with a close-up of his bongo and percussion skills before zooming out to catch the entirety of his awesomely languid 8-minute live-looping song.

For those of you who haven’t listened to singer/songwriters since Joni Mitchell or think of the phrase in terms of Sufjan Stevens, Willy Porter’s soft voice and incredible guitar abilities make a smooth introduction to the genre’s contemporary scene.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Rebecca Halpin
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Host Tanja Andrews and director Oscar Grimm of Oakland, California, are not your mama’s hippies. The first shot of the second episode shows Tanja in a bikini with her characteristic Afro and nose ring, promoting the idea that environmentalism and the “new green” can be hip and cool. Tanja is a raw foodist and former hippie of the patchouli-wearing, unshaven breed, while Oscar hails from independent media and animation. Launched in August 2006, Tanja, Oscar, and their correspondents’ goal is to help spread the word about ways people can improve the world through smarter daily choices, while confirming to viewers that such a lifestyle can be “sane and fun” as well as healthy and environmentally sound. After winning three awards at the 2006 Vloggies (two of which were viewer’s choice), it looks like Tanja and Oscar are on their way to making that dream happen.

Barring unforeseen delays, episodes are posted every Monday. With a Scriggity sense of humor, Tanja introduces viewers to news like degree programs in organic agriculture and the effects of common chemicals found in hotdogs. Episodes appear with several articles outlining other news and events that didn’t make it onto the show, which tries to stick to three major stories. And like any good vlog’s blog, it also features links to websites, companies, and green products referenced on-camera. Tanja also likes to share her raw food recipes, demonstrating wholesome meals like summer pesto and plum tarts. The show, which won a 2006 Viewer’s Choice Vloggie for Best Edited Vlog, usually takes place in an apartment, allowing its host the versatility of delivering news from her couch and showing us how to cook raw in her kitchen.

There is an endless supply of green vlogs out there, but the reason this one is so fun is its host. With her somewhat odd humor (“It sounds like there’s somebody in the drier”), her wealth of insight on “New Green” issues, and a genuinely delicious-looking array of personal raw food concoctions, it’s easy to see why the show is a viewer favorite. Check out her raw recipes for green curry (where she also goes the extra mile and explains what parts of fresh lemongrass to use and how to approach a young coconut), Analog Nog (eggnog for vegans, raw foodists, and people like me who think a drink based around raw egg is both unsettling and unappetizing), and chocolate tarts (which is only noteworthy because it looks amazing and amazingly simple).

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Rebecca Halpin
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A student and teacher in Japan (possibly with a background in cardiology), the American-born Nathan Miller has been documenting his daily travels, then sharing them in a video blog three or four times a week, since July of 2005.  His accounts give interested onlookers a clear view into the life of an expat living in Eastern Asia. 

Miller’s hundreds of posts are most easily viewed by categories, which include Interview, Education, Eat Me!, Kanji, Around Town, and more. With the exception of the videos set to music, most vids contain muted images with a small Miller in the corner narrating via green screen, recounting the experience as well as the stories behind the visuals.

He does seem to walk into some pretty cool situations, such as when he is invited to have a seat inside a promotional Ferrari. He’s also tested out a retrospective look at previous posts, which is helpful to new viewers who don’t have the time to sort through the previous videos. 

The rest of the site has a simple setup, providing a contact page, a list of links to similar sites, and a polite PayPal donation page (to help Nathan with web hosting).

Being a bit of a foodie, I enjoyed the food videos the most. I was particularly enthralled with Post #165, shot on Independence Day (which Nathan admits to nearly forgetting while abroad). In it, he shows a technique where a blowfish fin is set on fire in a glass of sake, apparently infusing the wine with some indescribable taste.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Rebecca Halpin
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After visiting Hawaii for the first time and falling in love over 30 years ago, Roxanne Darling finally lived her dream and made the move  in 2002. Two years later, she initiated her online presence by starting her own blog, In the Transition. In early 2006, after learning about video from a couple of friends and joining the Hawaii Association of Podcasters, Darling decided to take “Secret Cameraman” along for her morning walks with her dog Lexi. Offering  interesting insights into Hawaiian life and her own thoughtful musings, Beack Walks with Rox has hardly missed a day since its first show on February 22, 2006.

Each Beach Walks entry is roughly 5 to 10 minutes long, and generally features Darling’s morning walks on the beach as she inquires about a wide array of thought-provoking topics, including finances, videoblogging, and the environment. She even took her show on the road when visiting New Mexico, California and Michigan, though the shows in Hawaii are the ones to watch.

Set against the backdrop of a beautiful beach, this soothing routine becomes almost addictive. “Secret Camerman” does an comendable job capturing the Hawaiian landscape and maneuvering  the beach smoothly, and Darling is pleasant and comfortable in front of the camera.  Each video is accompanied by a blog entry that has a recap of the show and a short listing of Hawaiian vocabulary words related to that day’s topic. 

In Math with Rox, Darling discusses distribution of wealth and how the average American CEO’s pay is over 260 times the average employee’s pay.   Its a nice springing board for a discussion on greed and consciousness and a nice example of what Beach Walks is all about.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Jessica Brink
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