Of course, nearly 42,000 people watched the sixth installment, but that one had a thumbnail of a girl in bikini.
Produced by Endemol, The Cell bills itself as a series about “a man who finds himself locked in a lawless prison, with no notion of how he got there, who is holding him or why, and with no hope of escape.” It has a striking, sepia-toned, Sin City-aesthetic with characters out of a Guy Ritchie flick, but unfortunately by episode 10, no enticing plot has yet to surface.
Ever get the feeling that the world as we know it is essentially a very poorly run corporation? That God may be making it up as he goes along? That he is more than a little incompetent at his job as the universe’s acting CEO? If so, you’ve got company – that’s the premise behind Brian Keith Dalton’s hilarious religious satire, Mr. Deity, which just concluded its second season this March. Each season of the series, produced by Lazy Eye Pictures, consists of ten 2-4 minute episodes which initially premiered on YouTube but has since migrated to Sony’s Crackle.com.
Dalton writes, directs, and stars as Mr. Deity, the all powerful creator of heaven and Earth whose intelligence and work ethic is on par with Steve Carell’s Michael Scott on The Office. Mr. Deity sets about creating the universe with his long suffering assistant, Larry (Jimbo Marshall), who is given the unenviable job of pointing out the contradictions in Mr. Deity’s largely improvised and evolving religious doctrine. The first episode depicts the book of Genesis as a poorly conceived business plan. “The whole thing is a train wreck,” exclaims Mr. Deity as he surveys his newly created universe. “You had six days to work on this,” replies Larry. “Actually I had seven, but there’s no way I’m coming in tomorrow. I’m so depressed.” Jesus (Sean Douglas) is portrayed not as the son of God, but as a young corporate go-getter eager to move up the company ladder (Mr. Deity often mistakenly refers to him as Jesse.) While trying to sell Jesus on the idea of his own crucifixion, Mr. Deity describes it as a “really good career move for you – get you in on the ground floor.” The devil is Mr. Deity’s on-again off-again girlfriend, Lucy (Amy Rohren) who is outraged to find out that she’s been depicted as a snake in her ex-boyfriend’s first attempt at scripture.
All said, Mr. Deity is a model of innovation and professionalism in web-based television. The writing and acting are first rate and the minimalist set design and top-notch production value add up to something that is wholly original. The show looks to be heading to cable TV as Dalton signed a deal with Sony Pictures at the end of season one and is currently trying to get the show on HBO. In the meantime, the show is still up on Crackle and continues to rack up its view counts. Episode 1 (above) has netted over 2.8 million itself. Even the requisite un-official fan site and Wikipedia page have popped up.
Scissor Cop, a short on New York’s Channel 101, is a high octane thrill ride set in a post-industrial Brooklyn landscape with one odd caveat: the protagonist, a bad-ass cop named Johnny, carries a pair of scissors at all times. And most of those times, he’s running with ’em.
Like many male leads in action films, Johnny’s ability to form lasting emotional relationships is inhibited by his dedication to being a cop, and his attachment to those scissors.
The show consists of extended action scenes spliced with black and white flashbacks of Johnny’s formative experiences – his mother telling him not to run with scissors, his girlfriend saying the scissors will have mortal consequences, run-ins with evil doers with scissors, etc.
Fans of Romany Malco have made it clear that they were unhappy when his character did not return to Weeds this season. Well, those fans now have a reason to celebrate in the form of Tijuana Jackson.
Still I Riseis the new web series created by and starring Malco as Tijuana Jackson (T.J.) as a paroled convict living under a wacky house arrest arrangement.
According to Malco,”[It is] the thing I’m most excited about. T.J. is a former convict currently under house arrest. He has three women that he lives with, women he utilized to solicit sex. So the court has made a stipulation: You stay out of jail as long as you support these women. I’m going to be releasing one episode a week on YouTube to test out the response.”
This is a little more info on the series since we covered it back in June. No official start date has been set but if the trailer is any indication as to what’s in store for the series, it should be very funny. (Trailer NSFW)
Most people wouldn’t peg a “how-to” show for using a computer program as a viable form of entertainment. And it probably wouldn’t be, with the exception of My Damn Channel‘s hilarious web series You Suck at Photoshop, which is currently on the 14th episode of its second season. Winner of a Webby Award for Best How-To and DIY Series (as well as the People’s Voice Awards for Best Comedy Series and Best How-To and DIY Series) in 2008, the show helpfully spurs along computer-challenged viewers by creating “real-life” scenarios (together with a sarcastic and deadpanning narrator named Donnie Hoyle) to assist in the Photoshop-learning process. Episode 14 was just released today:
Real-life, you ask? Well, it’s real life if you can relate to the following example, taken from episode 13, as Hoyle attempts to adjust some writing on a jersey -“Right, now these words are just hovering…unnaturally…like a certain man, again, had been hovering in front of your house, not too long ago…”. Regardless of whether or not you have stalkers gathering outside your home, you’ll find something to love about this show. New viewers of the show shouldn’t be surprised to see various episodes themed around Donnie’s stories of child-support woes, his marital troubles, and even his sperm (affectionately named “Ronnie”).
Whether you are an avid Photoshop user, or a beginner, this show will work for you as long as you have an open mind and a sense of humor. My Damn Channel supports the series with advertisements on their site, thereby giving the artists complete control over their content. Their website states, “We produce a diverse array of programming and….blah, blah, blah. Are you still reading this crap? If you really want to see what we do, then start exploring now.” Seconding that opinion, I’d say check out Photoshop and get a laugh with your learning. While its arguably the most successful show to use the screencasting format, YSAP isn’t the only one on the block, as the techie-hit The Website is Down gears up for more episodes this fall.
The web video world’s awash in showsabout superheroes and existential crises these days, but they’ve all been amazing so why not add one more to the group? Enter Captain Blasto, an eleven-part, biweekly series that just aired its sixth installment and is gaining popularity on YouTube, iTunes, and other channels.
The show’s main character, Colin Carter, is your standard nerdy high schooler whose best friend is the janitor, Daryl Karameikos. Tired of being bored and ignored, Colin decides to assume the identity of his favorite comic book superhero, stage crimes around town, rescue the unknowing victims, and reap the rewards. This all gets laid out pretty well in episode one, but the hijinks (and killer editing – watch for the chase scene) pick up as the first “caper” goes down in episode two:
Altitude training is a staple of Olympic-grade endurance athletics. If you’re participating in a event that tests the limits of your aerobic capacity, science says that living, sleeping, and exercising in the mountains of Colorado – or a tent that simulates the atmospheric conditions of the mountains of Colorado – will increase the oxygen-carrying capacity of your blood. This gives you benefits in energy, endurance, and not getting in trouble for doping because The International Olympic Committee says its a completely legit training technique.
Science doesn’t say this, but maybe a better regimen for athletes prepping for the 2008 Beijing Olympics would’ve been to smoke a pack or two of Marlboro Reds a day. In a city where, “there is no rain or wind, ozone and fine dust accumulate, often to a rate that is two or three times the maximum levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO),” smoking certainly would’ve more appropriately replicated the conditions.
Or, the 10,000 or so athletes could’ve just trained in Linfen.
Rewind of the week on Tubefilter News – top stories in case you missed them. This week was one for the veterans, who showed us that experience helps, even in the web series industry. Yumiko Aoyagi, an executive producer of the recently concluded lonelygirl15, pulled together over $5 million for her latest project, The Scary City, although whether the high rolling gamble will come through remains to be seen. Abigail’s X-Rated Teen Diary, by web veteran Hayden Black (Goodnight Burbank), showed us that even in the (creepy) face of “Bloomberger’s Syndrome” an eighth grade girl can flourish. Meanwhile, Stephen King’s new series N. jumped out at guest writer Alec McNayr, who commented, “It’s the creepiest online series I’ve seen (and I’ve seen a lot).” Rounding out our top stories was a new series from three USC graduate students entitled The Clean-Up Crew, a self-funded show that also serves as creator Scott Rickels’ graduate thesis.
Jim Tews has been a working stand up comic for almost five years now, but you’ve never heard of him, because he was stuck at the bottom.
That was before, Maria Bamford — whoose self-effacing wit has brought her to the pages of Tilzy.TV timeandagain — pulled him out from under that weight of self-defeat. And her process is just so succinct…
I’ve been offered similarly intangible advice for this website…visuals included!
There’s a well-trodden notion in Hollywood that pitching an industry show is a tough sell. Too inside, too exclusive. Good thing for longtime talent agent Jay Bloomberg, he’s not exactly what you’d call inside. In fact, Mr 10% sets up shop at his local Coffee Bean.
The show stars Billy Riback as the venerable Jay Bloomberg, the “Willy Loman of agents,” as Asner likes to call him. A former Hollywood player, Bloomberg once represented great animal talents in their prime (Flipper and Gentle Ben). Years later he’s on a quest to get back to at least the ‘middle’ of the power ranks.
I caught up with the show’s creators Matthew Asner and Danny Gold of Mod 3 Productions, TV and film veterans who are venturing for the first time into episodic web television. Originally shopping the project as a network pilot, the show has found a happy home as a short-form web series. Two episodes into the first season the show is just starting to gather some heat.
“This is the most fun we’ve had shooting a project,” noted Gold, lamenting on the freedom of working outside the confines of a traditional TV studio. “It’s a sandbox for us,” he beamed, giving them the chance to try casting a non-traditional actor (Riback) in the lead role.
Riback himself is a writer and producer, most notably as an Emmy-nominated producer on Home Improvement. Producers Asner and Gold actually approached Riback to collaborate on the project as a writer/producer, but quickly realized they had found their Bloomberg. “When the glove fits,” said Asner, “we knew we had him and he was a natural at it.” Gold added, “it’s always nice to find a punching bag that doesn’t mind being punched.”
Comedian Eric Schwartz, aka Smooth E of YouTube fame, stars as Bloomberg’s trusty assistant Lou Hirschorne. Schwartz brings a fresh refined wit and tight delivery to the show.
Episode 3 comes out on Tuesday (Aug. 12 on the Web TV Schedule), and guests stars the hilarious Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Studio 60) playing himself as a would-be client to the struggling agent. The producers are shooting more episodes this month and are aiming to extend the debut season into the fall. We’re promised a lineup of celeb cameos, most of which we can’t yet divulge, but let’s just say there will be a few tabloid faves in the mix.
There’s a whole ton of online sources for good gossip: Defamer, Perez Hilton… and now, a man impersonating a teenage girl with “Bloomberger’s Syndrome?”
From the twisted mind of Hayden Black (creator of Goodnight Burbank) comes the gossip-infused Abigail’s X-Rated Teen Diary. And this dude, er, chick really knows the scoop. From Shia’s recent DUI arrest, to an honest review of The Dark Knight, or merely a gushing session about her latest crush, Abigail always has an opinion on the latest celeb happenings.
The show was born from Hayden’s appetite to create a volume of web content and go easy on his wallet. A Bloomberger’s-inflicted teen still may seem like an unusual choice… Hayden admits “I was tanked up on Vicodin.”
But Hayden does not tackle unusual challenges half-heartedly. He plays the title role in the series, and says the main challenges stem from, “not having her come across as a bitchy gay guy and maintaining her positive attitude in the face of great adversity.”
So far, it’s working. Hayden says the character appeals “especially with women in high school and college who can kinda relate to being an outsider.” Last week Abigail even made it to the front page of Sunday’s LA Times Calendar section. “My parents couldn’t be happier. I mean sadder,” Hayden jokes.
Hayden’s shows have all been created under the banner of his company, Evil Global Corporation. Curious what other weirdness Hayden’s got up his sleeve, he says he’s currently working on a musical sci-fi project. Interesting.
Ever heard of Bob Parsons? He’s the entrepreneur behind domain-name registrar GoDaddy.com and the guy (at least partially) responsible for the risqué Superbowl ads that sell the brand with scantily clad, buxom babes. Novel concept, eh? Well, as you’ve gathered, his marketing style — though tasteless, some would suggest — is effective.
Bob is also the star of BobParsons.tv, a sporadic, talking-head vlog about whatever seems to be on Bob’s hyperactive mind at the time of filming — usually GoDaddy girls. I took a stroll around while searching for domains and, I must admit, on some level, I’m entertained by this character.
If Get Ripped isn’t truthful enough to stroke your moral superiority, this guy just might do the trick.
Sleazy dudes who make big careers of objectifying women never cease to impress, and Mr. Parsons is certainly no exception.
The Cell (not to be confused with that serial killer dreamscapade that starred J-Lo) started off promising enough when it debuted on Sony’s Crackle on June 4.
Fans of 
