Lexus today launched L Studio, a new web hub for creative innovation, featuring an eclectic mix of snazzy original web video content. Headlining the debut is Web Therapy starring and created by Lisa Kudrow (Friends) where she plays a less-than-stellar therapist offering sessions over video chat. Kudrow’s Fiona Wallace character delivers her smart brand of lingering awkwardness in perfect form. The first three episodes are up on L Studio, with Groudlings-alum Tim Bagley guest starring as Wallace’s first patient. Other actors coming up in the 15-episode season are Bob Balaban, Jane Lynch, Rashida Jones, and Dan Bucatinsky. The series is produced by Kudrow’s Is it or Isn’t It Entertainment.

The other scripted series rolling out soon on the site is Puppy Love from Sex and The City producer Amy B. Harris set to start October 6th. The 40-episode urban comedy charts the lives of a group of “dog lovers and those that love them,” according to the trailer for the series (below.) Notable cast members include Janel Moloney, Heather Burns and Famke Janssen.

The other videos on the site are all highly polished, yet maintain the air of open creative expression from their auteurs. There’s a few fascinating ones on Doors‘ bassist Ray Manzarek, another one on designer Patricia Field and even a feature piece on the Found Magazine story.

Essentially Lexus is aligning itself alongside premium content looking to further the brand beyond just its core base. Having complete control over what goes on its new channel is good way to make sure those ad dollars are well placed. Kudos to them for not forcing integration of the latest Lexus lineup into every series. This kind of gentle branding is a welcome refresher to some of the overly sponsored content coming out recently.

What do you think? Will you watch any of the new shows at L Studio?

Filed under: Articles, Comedy, L Studio, News, Web Series by Marc Hustvedt
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What better way to work with one of the industry’s best than spoofing his own show and hoping it gets his attention? Last year’s surprise hit 2/8 Life, which makes a generous nod to Marshall Herskovitz‘s quarterlife, helped ICN jump on to the web comedy scene in force.

Now ICN and Herskovitz are joining forces on a new project called Your Name Here, which is just starting production. In fact, they are just finishing up casting right now, with hope of having the first season shot in the next month or two. The series will follow a fictional sketch comedy group on their quest to make it to the big time. It sounds like perfect web material, with everything from watching their online sketches come to life and even the inside of network pitch meetings. The project is co-produced by ICN and Herskovitz’s Quarterlife Productions and is slated for an early 2009 release.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, Comedy, News, Production Companies, Web Series by Marc Hustvedt
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Tubefilter is gearing up for the fall season, with brand new shows about to launch left and right as more studios and independent producers catch the web television bug. But in this week’s picks we take a look at the sequels–a testament to the power of web shows to engage audiences and keep them hooked, and a lesson to all the neophytes scrambling to gain traction on the web.

Pink – Season 2: Magnum Cum Laude

The sassy assassin is back and hotter than ever in the return of the Webby-nominated series about an unstable gun for hire who has never failed to get her man…yet.

Easy to Assemble

Illeana Douglas is back with her gang of celebs from Supermarket of the Stars (including Jeff Goldblum, Tom Arnold, Craig Bierko, Kevin Pollack, Greg Proops, Robert Patrick, Justine Bateman and Ed Begley, Jr.) in this zany series about a Hollywood actress leaving show business to take a job at the local IKEA furniture megastore.

LG15: The Resistance

A continuation of the controversial smash success lonelygirl15 (the self-proclaimed “most popular show on the internet”), The Resistance features the signature first-person vlog format centering around a group of teens fighting back against “The Order,” a mysterious group that kidnaps young girls with a rare blood type.

Filed under: Articles, EQAL, Production Companies, Tubefilter Tuesdays, Web Series by Tubefilter News
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If you’re attending Streaming Media West or will be in or around the San Jose, California area this evening, be sure to come by the Tilzy.TV and TubeMogul Video Producers MeetUp.

Meet and network with fellow online video creators. Share ideas, find collaborators, promote your work and enjoy a few drinks on us!  Details below:

Who: Online video producers and anyone interested in online video production.

When: Tonight – September 23, 2007 @ 7PM

Where: San José McEnery Convention Center, San José , CA – Convention center lobby area outside the Streaming Media West exhibit hall.

Come by and say hey to Jamison while you’re there.  And for anyone attending the NYC NewTeeVee Pier Screening tonight who wants to get together, drop me a line (joshuaATtilzyDOTtv).

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Joshua Cohen
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Internet pop culture show, Epic Fu left its home at new media studio Next New Networks for new diggs last June. Now, two more NNN networks have left the company to either be put out to pasture or search for greener ones.

Newteevee reports that the comic book talk shows of Pulp Secret are on hiatus as the network hasn’t attracted enough of an audience to continue in its current form. While NNN is “actively working on Pulp Secret to see if there’s a way to releaunch it,” amiable supergeeks Alex, Pete, and Justin can be found waxing superhero wisdom on the Comic Book Club on their own YouTube channel.

That’s also where you’ll find Joshua Micah Marshall’s Veracifier. The political show helmed by the online pundit of Talking Points Memo fame changed its name to Talking Points Memo TV and permanently moved to its channel on YouTube. “They wanted to own us,” Marshall told PaidContent, “But we didn’t want to be owned. We wanted to stay independent. So we amicably parted ways.”

NNN is still trying to figure out and define how new media’s newfangled studio system operates. Founded by esteemed cable television vets, NNN is doing an excellent job of finding tomorrow’s talent and giving them the tools, environment, exposure, and salaries necessary to create great content (without an opportunity at NNN, Erick Beck might still be a temp at a loan office in downtown Oakland, not the star of a DIY film network).

Read On…

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Joshua Cohen
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Jimmy Kimmel might have a mainstream network talk show (Jimmy Kimmel Live!) but online fans know he racked up some serious web video cred via the tit-for-tat battle with then-lover Sarah Silverman and Matt Damon. (See: I’m F–king Matt Damon and I’m F–cking Ben Affleck.) Not surprisingly, some eager young web series creators are looking to tap into the Kimmel love fest and ride it up the YouTube charts. (See video above.)

The stars of TheWB.com’s new series Whatever Hollywood, luckily have the chops to make it happen. These girls are masters of musical, ranging from bumpin rap vids (“Spray Tan Rap“) to near-Broadway dance numbers (“Unfamous”). Since being picked up as part of the launch of TheWB’s fall lineup, the trio – Suri, Apple and Shiloh, have been picking up heat, with their videos reaching over a million views on their year-old YouTube channel.

Their playful honesty is what really sells this series for me. Three bright young college grads living in LA trying to make it might not be anything new (see: quarterlife) but it’s their creative energy that sparks. Instead of sitting around complaining about not getting anywhere, they headed out there and had some fun with their predicament. A nice mix of talents also help balance it out – Shiloh is the singer-songwriter/musician, Apple is the actress and Suri is the brains pulling it all together. For more on the series check out their new home on TheWB.com.

Filed under: Articles, Comedy, News, TheWB.com, Warner Bros., Web Series by Marc Hustvedt
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Koldcast’s newest show, Poor Paul is definitely not exploring new territory. Three guys live in a small apartment, and struggle to cohabitate harmoniously, and title character Paul keeps a vlog about it.

What’s great about the show, however is it’s willingness to spontaneously dive into Paul’s wacky subconscious thoughts. These random non sequiturs range from jumping into surgery working on a horny roommate to saving the world from a Hiroshima-sized disaster with some seaweed. Paul’s weirdo brain, and his on-camera charm are highly reminiscent of Scrubs’s king of the non sequitur thought, Zach Braff.

The real show-stealer, however lies with roommate Justin played by Kevin G. Schmidt of The Young and the Restless. Justin is like a sweet-faced Michael Cera with a side of realistic asshole. Perhaps the most realistic roommate character of them all, Justin has the ability to rationalize his existence until you can’t help but agree with him. He only Tivo’s Bloomberg so why should he have to pay his entire share of the cable bill.

Poor Paul’s strength’s undoubtedly fall in it’s willingness to be wacky. To that, I say wack-it-up. If Koldcast remains true to it’s mission: “We’re going to try new things and we won’t be afraid to do it. Some might not work, but we’re going to be adventurous anyway.” Then hopefully viewers will be in for a solid experimental ride.

Poor Paul debuted last week. New episodes will be airing every Tuesday on Koldcast and MySpaceTV.

Filed under: Articles, Channels, Comedy, Web Series by Lindsay Stidham
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James Gunn’s PG Porn is not porn.  It can’t be.  Like Beautiful Agony, there’s no naked, no sex.  But unlike Beautiful Agony, PG Porn doesn’t spotlight the “tense breathing and expectation, the occasional contortion of neck muscles and eyebrows, an outburst followed by glowing relaxation” associated with sexual release.  It focuses on what everyone’s actually watching porn for anyway: the story.

It’s got all the fabulous acting, cinematography, and dialogue you’ve grown accustomed to fast forward to, without that annoying people-having-sex thing in between.  Just at the point where you think things could get hot, heavy, and nude, something happens to spoil the mood.

The Scooby Doo and Dawn of the Dead writer explains with adult actress Aria Giovanni below :

Read On…

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Joshua Cohen
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Prior to creating hit series Wallstrip (Tilzy.TV Page), creators Jeff Marks and Adam Elend spent four years in Georgia and Florida working on a documentary about capital defense attorneys; they were struck by a justice system in Georgia that’s prone to rash, knee-jerk execution.

They’ve since followed the issue through many installments of their newer public interest show, Moblogic (Tilzy.TV Page), which aims to dig behind headlines to start conversations.

Troy Davis is set to be executed on Tuesday night even though he’s likely just the innocent victim of a flawed legal system.

Props to Moblogic for asking tough questions, constantly innovating, and raising the bar for journalists on and offline.

(I’m touched by Lindsay’s candid reaction to covering the death penalty.)

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Jamison Tilsner
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Motivational self-help gurus are somewhat aberrant figures when you get down to it. With devout fans pillaging their self-indulgent works hoping to find some morsel of direction to their lives, these guys are often the most messed up themselves.

From Rooster Films comes a new dark thriller series called Luke 11:17 examining the many sides of Luke Vincent, a world-renown best-selling self-help author and speaker. The charming and dapper Vincent, played by Ryan V Cafeo, bursts on to stage right from the onset to a teeming crowd hanging on his every word.

Now, the whole premise of Luke Vincent makes an obvious nod to Tom Cruise’s Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia (1999), complete with musical intros littered with magazine covers and brooding headshots. His seemingly noble acts of beneficence hint at some other darker motives. Women? Sure, he has those. Drugs? Clearly this guy has his demons.

By the end of episode one, we peel back the onion a little on this Luke character, witnessing a troubled loner darting from one gig to the next filling idle time trying to mute his own internal voices. Chasing down women and the white horse with a chilling tenacity, he is unyielding in his obsession. What unfolds about two episodes in is his next layer – a vicious one that really makes this series more like an indie-Magnolia meets American Psycho.

The show is now four episodes deep, with a new one out every Wednesday. Directed by Don Stark (Bob Pinciotti from That 70’s Show) this is the first series from newcomer Rooster Films. Executive Producer Christopher Sherman, a partner at Rooster with Ryan Cafeo, put the project together on a budget of around 50k for the eight episodes that are being released this fall. He says they developed it in-house, while later bringing in Michael Caissie and Charles Huttinger to join the writing team.

The sultry Chrishell Stause (Amanda Dillon on All My Children) also stars along with an impressive cadre of beauties including Jasmine Waltz and Sarah Butler. No doubt some of the early fans of the series are coming out of the soap world.

Luke has a story compelling enough to keep you hooked through its 9-minute episodes. The thriller is shot well for its budget and boasts a serviceable suspense track to punch it up a bit when things get slow. I do wish that the Luke character’s fame was established a bit more before delving into his vapid dark side. But I will certainly keep watching for the next four from this sexy thriller that delves deep into the homicidal narcissism of a professed exemplar.

Filed under: Articles, Production Companies, Reviews, Thriller, Web Series by Marc Hustvedt
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It’s got to be so weird to be a parent.

One day, you’re an independent person with a schedule allotted with tasks essentially of your choosing.  And then someday, all of a sudden (even, I imagine, if it’s nine months of major bloating later), a tiny little human, with impossibly small hands and toes and ever-loose bowels, is your sole responsibility.  Your life begins and ends with all your energy focused on this pudgy creature and it’s your sole duty to see that it grows up to be amazing.

Seriously, WTF???

Along the same lines as the upcoming web-to-TV series In The Motherhood is Motherhoodlum, an online series documenting the foray into motherhood taken by new mom Emily (played by Emily Wagner, who co-created the show with sister-in-law Chelsea Gilmore).

Read On…

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Eliot Glazer
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Easy To Assemble debuts today on its site along with a whole laundry list of partners – YouTube, Daily Motion, Revver, Metacafe and more. The much anticipated series created by and starring Illeana Douglas (Cape Fear, Goodfellas) kicks off its 10-episode run with new episodes following each Monday.

The IKEA-backed comedy series from production company SXM, stars Douglas as a Hollywood actor looking to quit the business and take up work at the local IKEA furniture megastore. Quickly she discovers that getting away from Hollywood isn’t exactly as easy as that, with a whole host of fans, agents, press and celeb friends stopping by to tag along.

We’ve been pretty excited fort his one since talking with Illeana back in August about the series. She has embraced the creative freedoms offered by the web medium, calling it no less that “the future of independent film.” Another excerpt from the interview:

Illeana Douglas: “The show kind of renewed everybody’s faith in everything. The whole show is about how art is where you make it. You don’t have be in a movie, and no one can say “no” to you. If you decide you’re going to do it, if you put two sticks together, and somebody enjoys it, you’re creating art.”

For more on the history of the project check out our previous coverage. And for those wondering about the music in the series, it’s a Swedish band called Spärhuson, the “almost-great band of Sweden.”

Filed under: Articles, Comedy, News, Production Companies, Web Series by Marc Hustvedt
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