Gear Live is an online publication with a blog and vlog for the tech savvy. It’s part of the network of websites owned by technology lifestyle and shopping guide I4U. Bleeding Edge is the video component of Gear Live, which began in spring 2006 and has had a prolific amount of updates and fresh daily content ever since. Editor and co-host Andru Edwards is something of a blog expert, contributing as a founding editorr for blogs like TV Envy, Unboxing, Food Squeeze, Seattle Mind Camp, and Endscore, among several others.

Andru and his host of co-hosts and contributors – including Jesse Easley, Oscar Cantu, Kristin Wenzel, and Greg Norton, among others – review new gadgets for about five to seven minutes in videos that are released weekly. When they’re not having a two-person panel discussion in front of the garish orange background that’s been a constant on their set, the team treks out to conventions, studios, and offices. It’s a moderately low budget series that gives detailed evaluations of products that range from obscure to mainstream. There are a lot of online shows like this, but Bleeding Edge does indeed have the edge since their episodes are updated regularly, and are easily categorized by product tags, so you can find exactly what you’re looking for. The site also straddles that fine line between colloquial banter and technical detail, where as most shows rely too much on one or the other.

Episode 56 is a good summary of what this show is about: humor, industry knowledge, and crazy tech culture, all brought together in a format that’s easy to digest. Also check out their Mind Camp wrap-up, to get a very good idea of what it’s like to attend the “unconforence”.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Kate Dundon
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TCB Café Publishing & Media, an innovative multimedia lifestyle brand based in San Francisco, first created the Indie Food Channel in 2004 in an effort to bring real stories, recipes, and food ideas to the Northern California population. With a distinct lack of overly produced segments, celebrity chefs, and blatant food porn, it’s become a sort of anti-Food Network.

With the realization that the internet was the best way to inexpensively reach a broad market, the channel changed its name to Taste TV and made the move to the web in early 2006.

Oenophiles and foodies alike will find something they love on Taste TV.   There’s Chocolate TV, which features Bay Area chocolatiers like Charles’ Chocolates and his signature fruit ganache; Chefs Specials, where real chefs – like James Ormsby – who actually cook in their own restaurants, give recipe instructions; Drinks & Wine, with series like Million Dollar Wines, in which sommeliers suggest wine pairings; Cool Restaurants, which introduces viewers to Bay area eateries like Sutro’s; Cooking Shows, like Art of Food with Wendy Brodie; Music & Movies, which includes trailers of foodie flicks like Chocolat and Sideways; News/Reviews with host Susan Jones; Taste TV Picks, a Showcase of suggested products; and Style & Design, in which dishware becomes the center of the table.

The site also has retro videos, including Emily Post etiquette tips overlaid with classic video instructions, and music videos like “Cake,” which mixes a classic cake-baking video with music from Charity and the JAMbands. In addition to the video content, there is a newsletter, a list of resources, recommended blogs and podcasts, and bios for the hosts and Producers.

The indie network’s ultimate stab at its celebrity-driven counterpart is the homemade, New York-based, 16-minute Average Joe Cooking Show, in which a regular guy trades in take-out menus and fast food for home-cooked meals in order to live a more healthy lifestyle. Joe’s recipes are easy to cook and geared towards average Joes like himself, each one requiring only six ingredients (beat that, Rachel Ray).

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Rebecca Halpin
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Fulfill your directorial dreams with the help of Indy Mogul, a site designed for independent filmmakers looking for cheap solutions to create sweet special effects on a budget.  A vlog version of MAKE magazine for the amateur filmmaker set, the site’s weekly show “Backyard FX”, was launched in December 2006 by Next New Networks, a media company which specializes in creating internet-based “micro-television” networks.

While the content is geared towards aspiring filmmakers, anyone with an interest in special effects, or a penchant for theatrics will get their money’s worth from Backyard FX. Host Erik Beck, the site-proclaimed “zero-budget wizard,” takes weekly requests from film folk who need to know how to create breakable glass, resurrect a zombie, build a jetpack or simulate a gunshot.

Beck’s delivery is clear and concise, and his do-it-yourself solutions to directors’ woes can be created with inexpensive, everyday household goods. He leads viewers through the creative process of crafting effects with a signature, wacky style and has a noticeably good time doing it. His low-budget epithet is also no joke – at the high-end projects cost $50 to complete.

The shows range from 5 to 8 minutes long, and include clips from viewer submissions, which are also featured on the site’s blog. In fact, like most Next New Network shows, the site’s relationship with its viewers is a large part of what makes Indy Mogul so good. The community has some questions on how-to and Beck provides easy-to-follow, DIY answers accented with advice from his viewers. It’s a combination that’s well put together.

The episode on “How to create a Giant Sandwich” out of cardboard, foam, and spray paint is anthropomorphically hilarious – after the Sandwich is born it launches a protest outside a park, and chases down a hapless, hungry bystander.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Anusha Alikhan
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Dave Aizer and Brent Popolizio may be familiar to Nickelodeon viewers for hosting shows like Figure It Out and U-Pick Live, but they also have expanded their audience beyond teens and tweens.  They produced and co-hosted a Spike TV pilot called The Men’s Room, which was a reality show with guys in bars talking about sports, women, and movies.

And since July 2007 they’ve been at Bleacher Bloggers, an online hub for sports talk that scours the web for the interesting insights into both major and minor league stories.  The site is owned and operated by Next New Networks, which has over a dozen websites for communities ranging from recent brides to car enthusiasts.

Bleacher Bloggers evolved out of Aizer and Popolizio’s mutual love for sports, as well as Aizer’s prior experience hosting Disney’s ESPN Club, where he interviewed the likes of Reggie Jackson, Barry Bonds, and Joe Namath.  He also had been a sports director and play-by-play broadcaster for WVUM, the student radio station at U of Miami.

Bleacher Bloggers serves those in need of “bragging, belly-aching and blogtificating” about sports.  It combines sports-related humor and commentary from other Internet sources along with postings made directly to the site.  And on each Tuesday and Friday it releases a new video co-hosted by Aizer and Popolizio, who discuss sports headlines while sitting in a tiny studio surrounded by sports caps and jerseys.  The timing of the video releases is great for both leading into weekend games and sifting through Monday morning quarterbacking.  Dave is tanned and jock-like, though he also resembles Adam Carolla and is described on the Nick website as the “Carson Daly of Nickelodeon.”  Brent is nerdier, with bad hair and big glasses, but not without some wit and charm.

In the videos the guys mostly chat, make wisecracks, and show blogger sites and comments.  Sometimes they interview bloggers from sites like Yankees Chick or Blogging The Boys.  There are segments such as “Blog of the Day” and “Get Off the Bench,” the latter being a question posed to viewers, such as how they think their favorite football team will do this season.  Another segment about the likes of soccer and women’s basketball is called “Sports the Average American Fan Really Doesn’t Care About That Much But In the Interest of Drawing a Wider Fan Base We’ve Decided to Mention.”

Aizer and Popolizio say their site is “the greatest thing to happen to the Internet since those drunken pictures of David Hasselhoff.”  Self-mockery aside, they do help sports fans filter the growing mass of blog materials and connect with other fans who are writing, arguing, and sharing stories about their favorite teams and athletes.

See the episode that gives the results of their poll identifying the top five “crappiest sports movies ever.”  About one of them, Brent says “I think Charlie Sheen had a better performance in rehab.”

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by James Latham
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Steve Gadlin plays Sasha, the show’s outspoken Russian host and international comedy sensation. The Noob, played by Paul Luikart, is Sasha’s mute, slide whistle-toting sidekick. The characters appear on Gadlin and Luikart’s comedic game show Don’t Spit the Water, a live performance overseen by Blewt! Productions that can be seen each week at Chicago’s Playground Theater. In October 2005, Gadlin discovered a program that would allow non-profit organizations to produce live, half-hour call-in shows for free. So they created Talkin’ Funny, a weekly call-in talk show that promotes their game show and their theater, while giving a voice to Chicago’s improv comedy community. The half-hour show airs live on CAN-TV’s Channel 21 when in season, but now non-Chicagoans can watch too.

The show relies almost entirely on viewers calling in to play interactive games with the hosts and to learn about comedy goings-on in Chicago. Sasha takes callers, creates new games, and interviews guests, while The Noob gives reactions in the form of facial expressions and slide whistles. He often gives weight to Sasha’s punchlines or covers for them in their absence with his deadpan looks. Each week, in addition to accepting live (often repeat) callers, the boys read aloud viewer e-mails, discuss the ins and outs of improv comedy, and give a voice to many of the comedy makers in the Chicago area. The previous night’s episode is posted the next day, with each one building off the last by taking suggestions from the previous show’s call-in. For example, they did a few shows in which they traveled into the future, donning Rip Van Winkle beards. In a more recent show, a viewer requested they visit the past next time, which they did in the following season. Occasionally, new hosts will replace them in their absence. In those cases, Paul often appears as himself in lieu of Sasha, with either Steve or an unidentifiable man named “Carl” in The Noob’s place. It’s a nice shift from their usual routine, which can be exhausting after several seasons.

I’m a fan of the short films created by Sasha and The Noob that appear on the show’s off-seasons. There’s a Basketball Tribute, in which the hosts shake their bottoms to the beat, and a vaudeville-style sketch in which they teach viewers how to tie the Windsor knot. These shorts are even more bizarre and kitschy than the show itself.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Zach Jones
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Creators of Blame Society Productions, Matt Sloan and Aaron Yonda, are primarily known for their Chad Vader series about a day manager in a supermarket, which was originally created for Channel 101 in 2006. Soon after it became a viral phenomenon, receiving over 13 million downloads, several million on You Tube alone, and write ups in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times Magazine.  The series was also featured on Good Morning America and BBC News Online. Sloan has a background in sketch comedy and acting, while Yonda has won various awards and nominations from film festivals around the world. In 2002 they helped to found Wis-Kino, a Madison-based chapter of Kino, an international movement born in Montreal in 1999 that organizes both professional and amateur filmmakers to make and show short films. Blame Society Productions is also run by Courtney Collins (production assistance, music composition, acting), Tona Williams of Bigbite Productions (cinematography, art direction, production assistance, website design), and Andrew Yonda of the band The Buffali (soundtracks, acting), and who made a number of festival and special appearances.

In additon to the Chad Vader series, Blame Society produces a number of serials, including the hilarious McCourt’s in Session, a spoof on courtroom shows like Judge Judy in which Judge McCourt (Sloan) serves idiotic justice to idiotic people. Other serials include: What is Rolphing?, an improv exercise with words; Fun Rangers, two guys that are so normal they’re weird; My Old House and it’s sequel, Down Home Cookin’, a stupidly funny spoof on the show This Old House; Super Shooter, a play on action dramas that is really only funny when Matt Sloan is involved; Uncle Jimmy’s Fuck Farm, a poorly thought out skit about a different kind of farm with incredible clip art; and Caught Red Handed, sketches that all involve dumb male characters doing really dumb things and getting caught. The shows are between 4 and 8 minutes long, are incredibly funny, and are clearly low budget, but are nevertheless well produced and the sharp editing usually makes up for any improvised dialogue that doesn’t exactly work. Blame Society also produces some entertaining short films such as Darth Vader Taking a Bath, Teletubbies Redubbed (scary), and various parodies on commercials like, Salsa Chassis, Dynatrim, and Questions. Listen to the site’s audio clips and vlog to stay abreast of its happenings, interviews, and production adventures which appears to be updated about once a month, or visit the forum for some instant interaction.

Remember that SNL parody skit where Chris Farley goes on a binge of violence when he finds out his regular coffee has been replaced with decaf? Blame Society’s short film version, Absurd Coffee Commercial, takes it one step further into insane paranoia.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Kate Dundon
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Produced by the French music blog, La Blogotheque.net, The Take Away Shows is a Paris-based weekly series of live and uncut recordings of bands playing short impromptu concerts outside the conventional arena of a venue (usually literally outside). Conceived by the artist Chryde, and photographer and video artist Vincent Moon, the show’s director, The Take Away Shows are supported with cameras and crew by Kidam, a French film production company specializing in life musical performance. They also have help in the English department from Daytrotter, a music project of Sean Moeller in which he records live, original, “re-worked, alternate versions of old songs and unreleased tracks by some of your favorite bands and by a lot of your next favorite bands.” The first episode of The Take Away Shows was posted in April of 2006.

This project is brilliant. Moon finds talented musicians touring around Paris and other areas of the world and convinces them to take their instruments outside of the concert halls and into the streets to play a free show for the public. Moon records and posts these unexpected happenings on his website, thereby allowing the whole world to experience an entirely free and unique performance. But, these shows are not just about music. Watching the artists interact with their environment and entertain unsuspecting crowds is an event of beautiful spontaneity. Check out the episode featuring The Shins walking around a beautiful part of Paris in springtime bathed in sunlight drinking white wine and playing acoustic guitars. Also uplifting are episodes with Au Revoir Simone, three girls playing keyboards and singing while strolling down Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Bear In Heaven, another indie band, although quieter and more experimental, playing in a car in Manhattan. Episodes can last anywhere between five minutes and an hour (these are usually split up into several videos) and are often accompanied by lengthy yet charming written accounts of where and when the bands played, what the weather was like, the public’s reaction to the music, and other nuances of the performance that give the reader an idea of the intimacy of the event. Because the nature of this project requires portable equipment, the videos can definitely get a little shaky but, at the same time, portability allows for a greater sense of inventiveness and creativity.

I loved the episode featuring The Arcade Fire directly before their show in Paris. Bad weather did not permit them to play outside, so the entire band crammed into an elevator and performed Neon Bible, violins and all. The band then hurriedly informed the camera man, “we’re going in,” planted themselves in the middle of a cheering crowd and played Wake Up using a loud speaker as a microphone. Awesome. Wish I was there.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Kate Dundon
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Better Bad News comes from the uniquely creative mind of one George Coates. The San Francisco-based performance artist has been working on various projects over the years, but this video podcast is no doubt the culmination of his political views.  He refers to the site as an attempt to battle the forces that he believes are threatening the independent creative venues that he so obviously cherishes, including the often heralded “small presses, experimental theaters, and alternative media.”

While he may wear his political proclivities on his sleeve (or on his blog, as the case may be) he’s got the credentials to back them up, which include honors from around the world.

As the fake news announcer says, the news that Better Bad News – and the longer form Better Bad News TV – provides is “half true, more or less, 100 percent of the time.”

The episodes are comprised of cable news story length segments or panel discussions, dedicated to specific topics that the well-heeled news reader/watcher will recognize as the liberal rallying cry of the moment. Recent topics, which are presented as mash-ups of actual news footage, video footage from around the web – with links to the actual sources below the segment – and commentary from the BBN fake anchors, are dissected in just such a way as to provide an outlet for web-savvy politicos who may feel that their views are not well represented in the mainstream media.

Think net neutrality congressional debates, September 11^th terrorist attack conspiracy theories, Ann Coulter diatribes, and Hillary Clinton attacks, or a Daily Show without the censors. If this is your political cup of tea, you’ll no doubt leave content.

Not all segments deal with criticism of real world current events. In this expose, Coates uncovers some disturbing news about the cast of Tiki Bar TV.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Nicholas Mosquera
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In order to get your site noticed, it always helps to have either a quick-witted Australian co-host with a thick accent or a kickass name for your vlog. The Best Damn Tech Show, Period has both.

But the show doesn’t rely on Aussie host Paul “Flemo” Fleming and doesn’t hide behind its name.  Web veteran Drew Olanoff and Adam Plante round out the trio who started producing 30-minute programs back in June 2005, in what looked like a spare bedroom somewhere in Chester, PA. They posted sporadically until their one year anniversary, acquiring several dozen videos before moving on to Version 2 – their second “season.”

With popularity comes more posts, so they now upload a new show each Monday, along with several other blog postings with clips from their various trips to conventions, and other newsworthy items. The techies use the show to discuss major news stories in consumer technology and the internet, as well as to give reviews of new gadgets and websites. They call their expertise “infotechment,” which neologistically speaking, is pretty sweet.

The 30-40 minute videos themselves are anything but high quality.  Three guys sit behind tables, gulping Yuengling and cursing, while they discuss big events like Google acquiring YouTube and AOL becoming fee-free.  Beyond their friendly jeering of one another you more or less hear decent debates about what kind of lawsuits Google may have to combat, the legality of alternate music downloading sites, and the increasingly stalker-like features on Facebook.  The guys also recommend cool places to go next time you’re searching the web (my favorite so far is the incredibly addictive Google Image Labeler, which they highlight on Episode v 2.14). You can also enjoy screenshots of new programs in the Best Damn Reviews segment.

This isn’t your carefully scripted, formal tech review show, but Drew, Flemo, and Adam are all relaxed and they work well together, giving off a comfortably knowledgeable vibe that gives the viewer a good time (check out their iProduct predictions a couple minutes into this episode to see what I mean).

I personally enjoyed the videos shot on location at various conventions much better. I especially appreciated a video shot at Podcamp, where they interviewed the various attendees to get their impressions of the event.  Also check out a conversation about the size of pepper shakers during a lunch break at DEMOfall 2006 in San Diego that somehow eventually becomes a conversation about over-nighting Philly cheesesteaks.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Rebecca Halpin
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Beet.TV serves as the media interest video blog for Plesser Holland Associates, a public relations firm devoted to using unconventional technologies in their campaigns for various institutions. Along with delivering news and commentary about innovative media, the blog’s creative unit also works for Plesser Holland, developing marketed blogs for institutions like MIT and Fordham University. The site can also proudly claim prominence over colleague/competitor vlogs like Andrew Bourland’s ZBIZ.TV and Robert Scoble’s ScobleShow, which both discuss similar trends in media technology. Andy Plesser is the founder and CEO of both the company and its subsidiary blog and his expertise comes from a career of surprises: he was an associate producer for CBS, a jazz impresario, a press officer for the presidential campaign of Walter Mondale, and a senior vice president at Howard J. Rubenstein.

Most of the video content is comprised of either interviews with popular columnists, commentators, industry leaders, and other insiders, or demos of new technology and new broad strokes in media development. Videos have a polished, high quality feel and can last anywhere from 2 minutes to 15. The site is a balanced combination of vlog and blog where new daily video content is paired with detailed written commentary, along with news and media citations about the topics that aren’t covered in the vids. Part of what makes Beet.TV so appealing is its selection of interview subjects and commentators. Well-spoken and significant to the media tech community, their guests – like Ari Pabaro of Doubleclick, Jeremy Allaire of Brightcove, Andrew Baron of Rocketboom, and Shelly Palmer of the Advanced Media Committee – can’t be beat.

It seems that Beet.TV’s edge is its insider’s look at corporate media development. Since it is a public relations firm with connections, it has landed substantial power players in the industry. This helps give a stronger focus to a website with a fairly broad theme.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Zach Jones
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Produced by On The Leesh Productions, The In-Betweens of Holly Malone is an episodic series that addresses the life of one single, painfully awkward woman in New York City. Based in New York, On The Leash produces innovative films, plays and other theatrical showcases. (Not to be confused with Off the Leash Productions, its non-profit company that focuses primarily on experimental theater.) On the Leesh also has a blog, Fetch. The show is written and created by PG Kain, who has taught writing at Barnard, NYU, and The New School, and performed by Jessica Arinella (Holly, as well as the director of acquisition and development of On The Leash), Matthew G. Rashid (Dimitri), and Julie Tortorici (Francesca). The first season of The In-Betweens of Holly Malone was filmed in the spring and summer of 2006.

Holly Malone is the quintessential single, nervous woman who manages to screw up any interaction that could possibly lead to a date. She lives in New York City, has a dog, her own apartment, a job, and of course, a token gay friend. She is basically a more believable Carrie Bradshaw. Episodes are generally around two minutes long and are shot at various locations throughout Manhattan. The first season follows Holly and her two friends, Dimitri and Francesca, as they participate in a rage of ridiculous activities such as shopping for sex toys in Episode 1 at The Pleasure Chest on 7^th Avenue (which also happens to be a stop on the Sex In the City tour), or obsessively evaluating a message left by a possible date for Holly in Episode 4, shot in the Le Gamin Cafe on Hudson street in the West Village.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Kate Dundon
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Got a needle? Stick it to the man! ThreadBanger, the first network dedicated to those who create their own clothing and styles, teaches people to break free from the limits of mainstream apparel. Launched in February 2007 by Next New Networks, a media company that produces internet micro-networks for targeted audiences, the site features “Thread Heads,” a weekly do-it-yourself show hosted by Corinne Leigh (an environmental activist) and Rob Czar (a writer and “music nerd”). Together, the pair travels across the country bringing new ideas on how to make what you wear truly your own.

There’s no doubt that “Thread Heads” will get creative juices running, but to call it a purely “D.I.Y.” show wouldn’t be fair. Yes, each 3-5 minute episode typically features some instructional component, such as tips on how to get the most out of a thrift shop or step-by-step lessons on how to screen print T-shirts and dye jeans in coffee grounds. But there’s a whole lot more. Leigh and Czar frequently spotlight interesting individuals who make their own fashion, from up-and-coming designers with special causes to street vendors mastering their crafts to even viewers at home (who can submit their own feedback and videos that can make it onto the show). The hosts also take us to cities with “revolutionary” fashion scenes, such as San Francisco and its “Weavings of War” exhibit. And they bring us eccentric trends, news, and tidbits from around the fashion world, like light-emitting T-shirts. All is presented in “devastatingly entertaining” ways. No stranger to sketch comedy and parodies, Czar and Leigh manage to educate and inspire in super creative and unconventional styles – just like the fashions they celebrate.

Need a good laugh? Check out “The World Wide Web’s Top 10 Wild and Wacky Wears” (starting from around 2:00). How some couture makes it onto the runway I’ll never know. Don’t forget to also catch the “epic drama” parody, “The Big Stitch” (at about 2:55), starring puppets with inventive names like Frankie No-Eyes, Nicky the Stitch, Johnny Starch and Pinky. You’ll never look at your socks the same way again.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Pearl Chen
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