There’s no doubt that Bush is everyone’s favorite politician to parody. Oliver Stone is now even in on the action, getting criticized for rushing W in post to get out the bio pic in time for election day. I enjoy my Bush impersonators as much as the next guy, but as times get tougher, now is also the time for even sharper political commentary.

Right now the liberals owe a debt to Tina Fey, SNL, Stephen Colbert, and Jon Stewart as a huge portion of voting Americans continue to crave political satire on a daily basis. There’s no doubt that getting news with a side of humor just seems less depressing in times of national crisis. The Onion News Network gives us more than straight parody by embracing full-on fake news allowing us to, for a moment, fully embrace the ridiculous state of the union.

Creating a political scripted web series, however, is a tough challenge. I don’t think many Americans could fathom how politics have progressed—or digressed—on a daily basis within the last month. Staying relevant with a 24/7 spin cycle is no easy task for a web series, and so far no one seems to have mastered it just yet.

Fun With War Crimes faces the challenge of having wrapped production of the series several months ago, although the season finale posted just recently. While the premise of the show is sufficiently wacky—put George W. Bush in a cracked-out version of Deal or No Deal, throw in a side of reality game show challenges, and give him the sorry life lines of Rove, Rummy, Condi, and Dick.

Howie Mandel and Bush do make a joyously odd duo, but there’s something missing from this wacky game show. While the average American would probably love to watch Bush hooked up to a lie detector a la Moment of Truth, most Americans are also ready to move on. Perhaps this explains the nation’s fascination with Palin—love her or hate her, there’s no denying she’s not your average politician.

While Fun With War Crimes may also not be your typical web show, it’s definitely behind the 8-ball. Poking fun at the mistakes that cost us so dearly is almost no longer funny. While it’s clear the show is taking a liberal stance (they have a count-down banner to the end of the Bush era), they have yet to skewer what Americans are talking about most—the upcoming election.

Filed under: Action, Articles, Comedy, Comedy Central, Featured, Web Series by Lindsay Stidham
No Comments »

PG Porn has been up on SpikeTV for a little more than 24 hours, and has already had over 200-thousand views. Just goes to show you don’t have to bere all to be popular on the internets. The success of the PG-rated porn-star spoofing show undoubtedly comes from the fact that it’s damn funny, but probably also from the fact that creator James Gunn (writer of Scooby-Doo, Slither) is a brilliant self-promoter with quite a cult following. The premiere episode, “Nailing Your Wife,” features Dr. Horrible’s Nathan Fillion with porn star Aria Giovanni.

On top of a great interview posted yesterday with Ain’t It Cool News, Gunn also loyally updated his fans throughout day on Twitter. Here’s a brief recount from Gunn’s Twitter-athon:

6:08 AM–Check out PG PORN online NOW – http://tinyurl.com/3hjvbk – and share it with your friends!

8:58 AM–“Almost 6,500 hits on PG PORN before 9 am. Not bad. Pass it on!!”

10:49 AM–“Give a positive vote to PG PORN. I need sleep!”

11:11 AM–“Interview on AICN- also, to sign up at SPIKE.COM I think you can use any email. Don’t tell on me.”

Around 4pm– “Gonna be on PLAYBOY radio on Sirius at about 5 discussing PG PORN – now getting a thousand hits every 10 mins – up past 36,000!”

Around 5 pm–“We’re so close to 50,000 hits that I’m about to do the PG PORN unthinkable – COME!!”

Around 6pm–“50k!!!!!!”

Around noon today–“Over 200,000 hits in a little more than 24 hours! And getting bigger every second! Thank you, f–kers!!”

Filed under: Articles, Comedy, Featured, News, Web Series by Lindsay Stidham
No Comments »

The premise of I’m Sorry Melissa is simple–(a) dude cheats on girl, (b) dude makes apology video, and (c) dude stubbornly believes he will win girl back. Wayne Parillo is the name of that dude, and what Wayne and his show have going for him is total unabashed honesty. In the show’s first episode, “I’m Sorry,” Wayne’s apology feels real–scary real–like Wayne might be apologizing to his real girlfriend that he might have actually cheated on. To get to the bottom of this v-pology that started it all, Tubefilter and Wayne had an honest heart to heart about love, betrayal, and forgiveness–and of course, John Cusack.

Tubefilter: How did the whole concept of I’m Sorry Melissa come about?

Wayne Parillo: It’s based on a true story. Or maybe it isn’t. Or maybe it will be. It all comes back to Say Anything. I found it fascinating that people love John Cusack outside her window. Meanwhile, I was horrified: he’s standing outside her window. Isn’t that stalking? It really is how you look at it. The whole concept developed along those lines: it’s how you look at it. Cheating also happens to be a subject that is extremely subjective and people are fiery about. A subject I’ve always been fascinated about. What are you willing to forgive if someone hurts you?

I used real people and their stories because I didn’t want people to watch the show and think, “Yeah, the writer is manipulating me.” People only take away what they want from a story. So if you agree that Wayne should be forgiven–you’re going to agree with some of the videos, or vice versa. The audience needs that option of drawing their own conclusions.

The apology video also takes—and again I’m not saying whether I ever did this or not—takes John Cusack outside the window to another level. Or at least tries to. The other thing about Say Anything – he never quits, which when talking to women about the movie, they love that in a guy.

That is also part of the concept: Wayne did wrong. He apologized. He seems sincere. Do you forgive it?

The apology video also plays into my thoughts that technology can be used really inappropriately. People will text break-ups, post terrible things about each other on websites, and do everything but talk to the person directly. It’s the thought that if enough people agree with what you did, then you must be right. A court of public opinion; which all ties nicely with the audience vote on what is going on– really play into people having an opinion that matters. I wanted a concept that would allow complete freedom and be something people could relate to.

Read On…

Filed under: Articles, Channels, Comedy, Interviews, Web Series by Lindsay Stidham
No Comments »

To say that Scissor Cop, this month’s number one show on Channel 101: NY, has a little bit of everything would only tell half the story. The show combines drama, comedy, emotion, action, gritty reality and even surreality to create colorful characters and interesting storylines; but it’s only when you see just how well the elements are mixed together that you discover that Scissor Cop provides some of the most entertaining 5-minute episodes found online.

Scissor Cop, the first web series from Escape Pod Films (previously focused on sketch comedy), tells the story of a Jack Bauer-esque cop who won’t let go of his scissors. The show balances the serious police drama aspect with great (albeit low budget) action sequences and very surreal comedy. Personally, I think Scissor Cop will be a hit or miss show with audiences. Normally, I probably wouldn’t have watched past the second episode, but since I happened to in this case, I found that after watching the show for some time, and getting used to the little quirks and nuances, I actually enjoyed, and let myself get involved in, the story line of the series. There’s also something to be said of the production value; while you occasionally see signs of cheap effects (specifically, one of the worst blood-spewing effects I’ve ever seen), the shots are otherwise well done, locations are excellent, and you can see how much the people at Escape Pod Films care about their product.

I recently had a chance to talk to Chris Prine, editor and producer of Scissor Cop, who also plays “Driggs.” I asked him how Escape Pod Films came together, and how they launched into Scissor Cop. “Most of us went to school together at the University of New Hampshire where we made a long running sketch comedy series. Then we all regrouped here in Brooklyn, where we met some new folks. Tom Silvestro had originally written the first episode as a sketch,” he explained. “A while after we filmed it, we thought it would work as a series where we could parody genre cliches and develop an interesting story of our own. A major factor is that it’s a real group effort; everyone puts their ideas in at the start so we can make the best possible episode. Having a core group of committed people has made this no-budget show a reality.”

Reality has been good for Scissor Cop. The series, which placed 5th at the screenings of the first two episodes, has moved steadily up the rankings, claiming the top spot by its 5th episode and solidifying its position in Channel 101’s “Prime Time Shows.” I asked Prine why he thinks audiences love Scissor Cop, and what Escape Pod plans for future web content. Prine responded, “We had a mixed response (or no response) at the start, but once we found our groove, people loved it. This is our first web series, so we really had to figure out how to tell a story in 5 minutes. We have some top secret plans for future web series’… Pretty much all of our projects are online-exclusive, the Internet is the best method of content delivery. Who actually watches TV on the TV?”

Filed under: Action, Articles, Channel101, Comedy, Production Companies, Reviews, Web Series by Arjun Sharma
No Comments »

Tubefilter News got a new look today. (If you’re reading this in your RSS reader, click here to check it out.) We’ve organized our site into three main categories:

News: General and breaking news in the web television world.

Interviews: In-depth conversations with the creative talent in front and behind the camera of the best web shows.

Reviews: Critical reviews of scripted web shows.

At the top of the main page, we now feature a lead story. After a featured piece, like our interview with Joss Whedon, is done basking in the limelight of the top spot it will move down into the Interviews section. Make sense?

We’ve also made navigating through past articles much easier. Say you want to find out more about the hit show The Guild, simply use the Shows pull-down menu above, to find all our of articles about the show. Or maybe you just want to discover a new show in the comedy genre. Just use the Genre pull-down menu and select “Comedy.” You get the idea.

Be sure to check out the Tubefilter Web TV Schedule up at the top right, where you can subscribe to the calendar of upcoming episodes from top shows. You’ll never be the last to watch the latest episodes of your favorite shows again.

And finally, yes, a few ads have made their way onto the site. We aim to keep these to a tasteful minimum, and only work with advertisers that are relevant to you, our readers. If you are interested in reaching a wide audience of web TV fans and creators as well as entertainment professionals, why not advertise on Tubefilter News?

We appreciate your feedback on the new site layout, so please feel free to leave comments on what you think. Ultimately this site is for you, our readers, and we want to know what makes it best for you.

What do you think of the new design?

Filed under: Articles, News, Tubefilter by Tubefilter News
No Comments »

There’s no doubt a huge part of the web involves self-promotion, and 30 Rock actor Keith Powell is not ashamed to self-promote. Powell, who satirically describes himself as an “unqualified genius” on his website, has just launched a web series to coincide with the debut of a new musical he is directing. Keith Powell Directs a Play is a fictional six part web series chronicling Powell’s foray into directing Uncle Vanya at a repertory theatre group, ripe with a whole lot of self-mockery on Powell’s part.

Powell actually majored in directing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and on summer hiatus from 30 Rock decided to make a show about getting back into the medium.

Powell created the show with childhood friend, Patrick Flynn. Of his collaboration, Powell says, “Patrick has known me since I was 14 years old, so he knows a lot of stuff that directly makes fun of me in real life. A lot of the stuff in the show is very accurate to who I am. We put it in there and made it more obnoxious, and annoying. We took all of my annoying and real personality traits and turned up the volume.”

We couldn’t help but ask, if there are any parallels between Powell as a director on Uncle Vanya, and as a director in his real career. “I hope not,” says Powell. “I really screw up on Uncle Vanya… I do love to hear myself talk though, so that’s a parallel. Let’s see–I don’t want to ruin any surprises but, you know, there are times when you question am I a mad genius, or just mad, you know? I pretty much abuse the actors in the production, but I definitely dance that line… Is what I am doing effective, or is what I am doing just destructive?”

Powell joins the growing crop of web series from up-and-coming stars poking fun at their newfound fame – Michael Stahl-David: Behind the Star and Clark and Michael. As expected he called upon a number of actor friends to drop in on the self-financed production. “I just thought it would be really, really funny to make fun of me, with a group of people I really enjoy and care about, ” he adds.

New episodes of Keith Powell Directs a Play will be posted monthly, at the beginning of each month, on iTunes, YouTube, Funny or Die, and CollegeHumor. The actual Powell-directed stage production of Whisper House will debut in March with the Delaware Theatre Company, featuring what we’re told is a rockin score by musician Duncan Sheik.

Filed under: Articles, Comedy, News, Web Series, YouTube by Lindsay Stidham
No Comments »

No, it has nothing to do with YouTube’s Higher Quality videos, the site’s experimentation with Theater View, or any other imminent feature offerings.  Just a little bit of internet wonderful courtesy of Mr. Doob. Click on the below to check it out (via Fimoculous): 

Though it’s created by a seasoned experimenter, who concocts projects “mainly with flash, pv3d, ape, and God knows what else,” I’m honestly a little disappointed with YouTube Super HD.  Haven’t we had enough of Rick Astley?  I’d like to elect a different Online Video Ambassador. Like tinaemusic. She’d be awesome in fake high-def.   

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Joshua Cohen
No Comments »

These are dark days. For the first time in decades the public chatter is turning to talk of a Second Great Depression and panicked allusions to the world descending in to chaos. I’m talking about the real world here – the world that entertainment as an art looks to examine. What’s interesting is that while on the one hand we have shows and films of pure material and social aspiration – Gossip Girl, 90210, Entourage – there is a growing fascination in just the opposite; stories of a dystopian world deprived of even basic necessities. Jericho, I Am Legend, Children of Men andThe Road (2009) come to mind. Once just a trend for sci-fi die-hards, the recent post-apocalyptic craze has reached the mainstream.

After Judgment premieres today, transporting us to a familiar but terrifying version of earth where chaos has taken over. We pick it up 100 years after Judgment Day has happened. We’re not supposed to know what happened as we are thrust into this grim reality and introduced to the rag-tag group of survivors that carry the story – led by a mysterious ex-priest name Steven (Joel Bryant). Here’s what we do know: all the children simply vanished and time ultimately stood still- the sun doesn’t set, no one can bleed, no one can die, nothing works and you don’t want to go into the ocean or the rivers. The rest is up to us to figure out.

Creator-director Michael Davies wrote the series originally planning it as a feature film, but later adapted it to a serial format perfect for the web. Teaming up with actress and producer Taryn O’Neill under their Captain Films outfit, the two pulled it together and shot the first season back in April 2007.

We asked Davies what inspired him to write this dark tale. “I’ve always been fascinated by the post-apocalyptic and dystopian storylines.” Davies is no stranger to sci-fi, having made several short films in the genre (Ashes, Message:Received) “I like to create new worlds,” says Davies, “with regular people and ask what would happen if they woke up one day and the whole world was different?”

O’Neill plays Michelle, whom she calls “a brash ‘woman of the night’ (though there’s no night anymore)” tagging along with Steven and his crew in search of a young boy that could be their only hope for salvation. If this sounds a bit like Children of Men, it’s somewhat intentional, as Davies says it was one of the inspirations for the project. Rounding out the cast alongside Bryant and O’Neill are web-vet Tim Halling (Sam Has 7 Friends, 60Frames’ Cockpit) and Stephanie Thorpe.

A separate site, or perhaps really a separate prequel series altogether, called Before Judgment, features charged video blogs from present-day witnesses to the unfolding chaos years before the main narrative begins. The two series will each release a new episode a week, letting viewers try to piece together what happened from both sides of the event. Reminds me a bit of the flashback sequences in Lost. There’s even a fan interaction site, again separate from the main AJ site, www.PreventTheEnd.com, that will serve as a platform for fan involvement – presumably for sharing theories and digging deeper into the mystery.

As for future plans for the series, Davies says he has over 75 episodes written and ready to be shot and is now looking for the right deal to move forward on a second season. At least one deal is already in place, as Toronto-based distributor OUAT Media has already snatched up foreign broadcast distribution rights. US rights are still up for grabs apparently. Davies hasn’t ruled out a transition to cable TV, ala Sci-Fi Channel’s pickup of web hit Sanctuary, though he intends to “keep it on the web in some form.”

The entire first season, sixteen 4-minute episodes worth, is shot, edited and ready to go. The first two eps are up today, with a third coming this Friday. Going forward, the plan is to have weekly releases of After Judgment on Wednesdays and Before Judgment on Fridays. (Use the Web TV Schedule to keep up.)

Davies seems keenly aware of the timing of his series launch. “The world right now is very uncertain about its future,” he adds. “We face so many more threats these days than back in the Great Depression – environmental, economic, nuclear, viral…” With After Judgement, while we don’t know which threat they are facing just yet, Davies hints to us, “the planet will survive, but it’s a matter of whether the humans will survive.”

Filed under: Articles, Drama, Featured, News, Production Companies, Sci-Fi, Web Series by Marc Hustvedt
No Comments »

Puppy Love

Amy Harris of Sex and The City stars in this urban comedy that recently premiered October 6 on Lexus’ L Studio about the lives of a group of dog lovers and those that love them.

Horrible People

A spot-on soap spoof brought to you by recent presenter at the SAG New Media Panel A.D. Miles chronicling some serious family drama taking place at one really horrible cocktail party.

Defenders of Stan

The longest running series on Channel 101: New York (with 19 episodes to date) follows super-powered heroes that unite to defend humanity–in this case, one guy.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, L Studio, Tubefilter Tuesdays, Web Series by Tubefilter News
No Comments »

NBC Universal Digital Studio, which recently got its feet wet in web television with the online original Gemini Division last August (and a few web-spinoffs of Heroes and The Office), has now decided to take the plunge with a slate of new original web series to be produced with 60 Frames Entertainment. NBC promises to bring the “most talented writers and producers in entertainment” in efforts to “create a much higher-quality production value than what is normally associated with digital production.”

The Studio’s “innovative new business model” will bring advertisers and content producers together “from the start,” which may require some careful diplomacy when brand managers start telling the likes of Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum), Tom Fontana (OZ, Homicide) and John August (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Big Fish) what to do. Not to mention the possible compromises that may befall these series when the slate is presented to brands for integration and sponsorship opportunities–the shows will only be produced with partners on board.

Nevertheless we at Tubefilter are excited to see what 60Frames will pull off with some real studio backing, especially in light of their new high-production web series Infamous which just premiered September 18.

Let’s take a look at the latest crop and try to pair each series with a brand (sound off in the comments):

• Loving Larry – a group of guys fake their own Bachelor-esque reality show to get girls. (60 Frames Entertainment)
• Love At First Sight & Other Dangers – Scott Burns’ investigation into the many faces of love. (An extension of the two episodes released by 60 Frames Entertainment)
• Mr. Miss Teen U.S.A. – An 18 year-old wins a sexual discrimination lawsuit and enters the Miss Teen USA Pageant with hopes to get lucky with the ladies. (60 Frames Entertainment)
• Four Corners – Four teams scattered to the extreme corners of the country compete in a race to the center of the United States. (NBC Universal Digital Studio)
• True Story – A documentary series featuring eccentric but inspiring individuals from an 80 year-old punk rocker to a tango-dancing witch. (NBC Universal Digital Studio)
• Men With Guns: The Assassins – Tom Fontana’s gritty story of a high-end, principled assassin with his sights set on the villains of society. (60 Frames Entertainment)
• The Remnants – John August’s comedy about the last living inhabitants in post-something Los Angeles. (60 Frames Entertainment)

Filed under: 60Frames, Articles, NBC Universal Digital Studio, News, Web Series by Drew Baldwin
No Comments »

When United Talent Agency and Spot Runner announced their joint digital production studio last July, we expected the then nascent 60 Frames to really engage top-tier Hollywood talent.  So far, with few exceptions, they haven’t delivered.

Today that may have changed.  NBC Universal Digital Studio and 60 Frames have partnered on an “innovative new business model” that will engage brands “from the start” for more meaningful integration.

It was indeed innovative when companies like Vuguru, NextNewNetworks, Revision3 and ForYourImagination developed this sort of deep brand integration but, today, it’s more like an industry standard.

Platitudes aside, an NBC-60Frames partnership will be a formidable force in further shaping the landscape of professional entertainment on the web.

“NBC Universal is uniquely positioned to be able to bring top-tier talent together with world-class distribution for brands in new and unique ways,” said Cameron Death, Vice President, NBC Universal Digital Studio. “This first slate of programming provides a unique outlet for our top-tier creative partners to marry their ability to tell great stories with brands’ desires to align with world-class content in new and innovative ways.”

Indeed, the NBC brand will help legitimize the medium and bring more top talent to the web. The initial slate includes work from Scott Z. Burns (“The Bourne Ultimatum”), Tom Fontana (“OZ,” “Homicide”) and John August (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Big Fish”)

Lets hope they recognize, and innovate with, the distinguishable value of new media, instead of simply creating shorter TV for it’s bastard stepchild.

Here’s some more info about the shows of the initial slate…

Read On…

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Jamison Tilsner
No Comments »

Did you see Gossip Girl this week? Was it super bad for you? Or how powerful was the newest episode of 90210? And are you so excited for Privileged? And what’s happening on The Hills lately, besides ground-breaking revelations about “friendship” and “betrayal?” It seems you can’t throw a silver spoon without hitting a show about the cool and sexy fun/drama in the lives of rich, good-looking, dumb people. Over it? Maybe it’s time to check out Valley Peaks from Chicken Cobra.

From its oxymoronic title to the hilariously overwrought theme song (courtesy of American Idol’s Brandon Rogers), Valley Peaks spoofs vapid CW-style teen soaps with deadly precision. The writers and cast create a perfect teen drama tenor; each delightfully heavy-handed line of dialogue is delivered with intentionally stilted acting from the perfectly cast players. As producer Kayvon Esmaili puts it, “Valley Peaks is what you get if One Tree Hill was on Telemundo. In English.”

Although everyone in the VP seems to have a moment of spot-on parody, a standout of the show is Tanner Beard portraying cool-guy Brady Breaker. Beard milks every long, “meaningful” soap opera moment for maximum absurdity. With deadpan self-importance he muses, “Women are like crocodiles. You never know what they’re thinking.” Skier-turned-brooding paraplegic Reese Steele (Phil Donohue–no, not that one) also shines. The archetypical rich kids characters each have their own tried-and-true quirk: Danny Ringtune loves science! Brittany Mitchell is the hopeful new girl! Juliette Vanderkill is the bad girl! As the series progresses, Valley Peaks is sure to skewer even more tired clichés of rich-kid angst.

The foursome of Beard, Esmaili, Donohue and Phil Jessen write the 24-episode series, with Beard manning the director’s chair. They were also able to nab some name actors for guest star spots throughout the season like Brea Grant (Daphne on Heroes), Kellan Lutz (90210, Generation Kill) and American Idol’s Brandon Rogers who also sings the VP theme song.

And what teen drama would be complete without a little kissing? Cathy Baron, who plays Brady Breaker’s little sister Shelly, tells us, “I’m sure you’ve noticed that the kissing scenes aren’t …well…”normal” makeout sessions but rather a strange pecking action.” Each attempt almost outdoes the previous one in level of bizarre intensity. Baron alludes to one such encounter involving “Toffuti ice cream bars…all over our faces…I had to eat 5 ice cream bars for that scene!”

With just two episodes out so far, and 22 more to come, we’re looking forward to a big season of Valley Peaks drama. The third installment is out on October 17th with new episodes will be out every nine days at valleypeaks.tv and on their YouTube channel along with extra bonus vids (like the Splash Party music video) between episodes. Be sure to watch for upbeat montages with painfully cheesy music cues–over footage of the girls splashing each other at a car wash, Rogers, channeling Michael McDonald, warbles, “C’mon and have a splash party with me.”

Somewhere, deep in the Hollywood Hills, Lauren Conrad is shaking in her fringed leather moccasin boots.

Filed under: Articles, Comedy, Drama, Production Companies, Reviews, Web Series, YouTube by A. M. Mebane
No Comments »