Last week marked the five year anniversary of the war in Iraq.  Our heads of state commemorated the event with familiar political rhetoric; the Republicans vehemently defended the invasion and touted the war as a “major success,” while the Democrats criticized the Administration’s strategy and politely called for an end to the war. 

The presidential candidates capitalized on the anniversary as a media event; John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama all took to the soapbox with finely-tuned messages about plans to win/end/contain the war in Iraq.    

One way to observe the anniversary is to acknowledge how the war has changed the day-to-day existence of soldiers and their families.  With the development of Web 2.0 (a term which is younger than the Iraq War), a “living-room war” has evolved into the “YouTube war.” 

With sites like iFilm, LiveLeak, Green Marines, Alive In Baghdad and YouTube, the American public can gain access to the unadulterated, daily existence of those who know the war firsthand:

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Julia Lipkins
No Comments »

With no great fanfare or hullabaloo, both YouTube and Yahoo announced their 2007 Video Awards Winners.  As Podcasting News points out, the sites treated it more like an afterthought than an event, with no promotion beyond a few blog posts and press releases. It’s a missed opportunity for the awards, the finalists, and potential sponsors.

Tay Zonday, the voice behind Chocolate Rain that won for YouTube’s Best Music, said of the awards, “It’s the new Emmy’s.”  Maybe…but it sure ain’t treated that way.

Anyway, The Guild won Best Series….in both (Felicia Day is so hot right now). Other notables include Doogtoons (Yahoo’s Best Animated Video), What the Buck (who we recently interviewed and beat out Chris Crocker’s Leave Britney Alone for YouTube’s Best Commentary) and DadLab’s Bike Rap (Yahoo’s Best New Uploader). Check it out:

Yahoo’s winners get bragging rights, while YouTube’s get bigger bragging rights plus a sweet mantelpiece and “a special invitation to an event later this year.” If that event is anything like YouTube’s Videocracy party, it’s a prize worth winning.

Find all Yahoo winners here, check out YouTube’s over here, and here’s your 2007 YouTube Best Sports vid / moment of zen:

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

If Scorsese were a bracketologist, Departed would’ve looked look a lot more like this:

If you believe March Madness is responsible for the $1.7 billion loss in US productivity that the Associated Press reports, then Fark TV’s send up (above) actually doesn’t look that ridiculous.

But forget about the video’s fantastic cheap shots at Duke and the NIT, and stop worrying about the economy and how, if the NCAA just canceled the Men’s Basketball Championship, that’d put enough money in the pockets of Americans to buy six or so Bear Sterns. You wanna watch the games.

Me too (BTW, I’m so gonna win a cool $10K from CBS’ Facebook App. Contest). And there’s no better way than NCAA Sports March Madness on Demand. Powered by CBS Sports, the video isn’t HD quality and the sound has some digital static, but overall it’s a pretty damn good experience. Plus, every single game – from the 63 in the First Round to the Championship of the Final Four – will be available online, on-demand, for free.

Awesome. And it begs the questions, why the $#% aren’t other sports organizations doing the same thing?

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

Viola’s post is the first in a series of video love letters between the unlikely couple. As Ace and Viola start to regularly post weekly messages to one another, they become more attached, while the question of an actual in-person meeting remains to be seen. Without spoiling too much of the story, I can tell you that week by week, we learn more about Viola, a troubled but lovely woman-child, whose mother’s suicide has sadly impaired her sanity, and Ace, a loose canon, living in a halfway house in California.

Truth be told, they’re both nuts.

Conceptually speaking, Viola and Ace exist on MySpace in a very unassuming way. While the series is on MySpace TV, Ace and Viola primarily live within two below-the-radar individual profiles. Each profile is constructed to flesh out the characters. Viola’s page has the tinkling, yet haunting accompaniment of a music box, while Ace’s profile, nicknamed “Rosehill Cemetery,” is set against the backdrop of a graveyard photo and a Johnny Cash tune. The meta-fiction spreads to each person’s friends – of real and fictional people – comments, and profile details, but could do more with blogs and photos.

In reality, some folks could – and do – think that the video posts in the Meet Me in the Graveyard series are true.

Meanwhile, for this break-out writer/actor (who also plays the loony PYT), the series perfectly captures Sanders interests and influences as an artist. “I love the genre of domestic horror, people in their spaces, stories about men and women – all with gothic influences…There’s always the possibility of the supernatural.”

When I asked Sanders if Viola and Ace will ever meet face to face, she wouldn’t reveal to me one way or another, but did say that in her most recent installment, Viola pulls a 90DayJane and sets a “suicide clock,” thereby upping the ante.

Finally, some action!

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Sarah Ricard
No Comments »

A year or so after the Chicago Blacksox intentionally blew the 1919 World Series, Shoeless Joe Jackson walked out of a crowded courtroom after being arrested for gambling and some other trumped up charges. Charley Owens of the Chicago Daily News reported that a heartbroken, sweet, little boy with a South Side accent pleaded with the baseball star, “Say it ain’t so, Joe!”

Forget the fact that Jackson later said the quote was completely fabricated; the sentiment’s a good one. And it’s how I feel whenever the creators of a show to which I’ve grown attached decide to call it quits.

First there was Ze (though he did give us a year’s notice), then Winelibrary’s Gary Vaynerchuck teased at throwing in the towel, and now comedian Maria Bamford looks like she’s off to non-Internet things.

At least that’s what Super Deluxe is saying. As the almost believable story goes, Bamford was quarantined to her parent’s house in Duluth, Minnesota after having a nervous breakdown at a stand-up club in Los Angeles several months ago. Now she feels ready to give LA another try. (I was kinda sad when I first heard the news and thought about how her family members might miss having her around.  Then I remembered that it’s a one-woman show and she plays the entire family. Yes, it’s that’s good.)

We’re big Bamford fans, so if it’s true, we wish her best of luck in the meatspace, but we’ll be sad to see her go.

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

Rob Barnett – the creator and CEO of MyDamnChannel – is, I think, the only old media executive to successfully bridge the gap between old and new media.

Rob began his career in radio, worked in television at MTV and VH1, and was President of Programming at CBS Radio before he came to the conclusion that the media tides were shifting.  As with most great ideas, his was decidedly simple: sign true talent with vetted careers and “get the hell out of the way.”  Rob is a notoriously quick deal-maker, and he’s got a knack for discovering and harnessing  creative people.  That winning combination is a talent in itself.

The result of Rob’s, his team’s and his creative partners’ efforts is some kick-ass content (Cookin’ with Coolio, Carnival of Stuff, and Horrible People, You Suck at Photoshop, Wainy Days) that rivals (and usually beats the hell out of) traditional television.

I’ll have the pleasure of continuing this conversation with Rob, and a few other internet-video production visionaries, in a panel discussion at Jeff Pulver‘s Video on the Net conference this coming May 13 and 14 in New York City.

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

While one “expert panel” decided who to choose for the 2007 YouTube Awards, another whittled down thousands of entries into the site’s second annual sketch comedy Sketchies contest to a mere 20 semi-finalists. YouTubers’ votes then cut that number in half.

Announced today, the 10 final-finalists have until April 6 to create a video around the theme “Living the Dream” that also incorporates the word “indubitably.” (Note to finalists: Urban dictionary can provide some compelling inspiration if you’re looking for some meaning.  And anyone that can pull off an inconceivable reference has my vote.) On April 9, voting opens again and the masses will decide who gets $40,000 in cash and prizes.

To get this far, the top 10 had to create a sketch centered around a road trip that pictured at least one musical instrument. They’re all good, but these four are my favorite:

Last Pictures – Shotgun Sketch

A small downtown, NYC-based production crew created this song fit for an 80’s movie montage about the relatively luxury of the front seat and the need to call it before your friends do. If you’re unfamiliar with the rules, read this site first. Then watch the video with greater appreciation.

###Waverly Films – Instrument Roadtrip

Their About Us page nonchalantly reads “Waverly Films is a Group of Filmmakers who Live in Brooklyn.” Sure, it’s true, but it fails to mention that the crew got picked up to produce a new Comedy Central series, made music videos for notables like Fatboy Slim and Death Cab for Cutie, and has a list of commercial clients that range from MTV to FedEx. All that talent and experience certainly shows itself in this clip where the musical instruments take the wheel.

The Attack – Goin’ to Napa

Since we interviewed this LA-based comedy duo last month, they’ve created this lovable ode to male bonding. You can’t help but smile at two white dudes singing and playing guitar in the car like there was a camp fire in the front seat. Why isn’t something like this listed on Stuff White People Like?

Those Aren’t Muskets – The Hot Farts

Another great entry that made it to the finals from a group we just profiled. Though based on an absurd premise, I don’t recall ever seeing a stereotypical band argument acted out with such believability. Watching an irate Tim Waymouth question Greg’s inappropriate sacrifices “for the band” is priceless.

Catch the rest of Finalists and Semi-Finalists here on YouTube.

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

Three weeks into March 2008 is a good time to look back on whole of 2007 with a discerning eye. You’re far enough removed from the year prior to keep the retrospection fair and balanced, close enough to still remember wtf happened, Spring and a sweet scent of new beginnings are in the air, and you’ve had more than enough time to waste a lot of it reviewing Rex Sorgatz’s year-in-review list of year-in-review lists.

At least that would seem the case considering both Yahoo! Video and YouTube decided this week was opportune for their respective 2007 Video Awards.

Editors from each video-sharing site culled through tens of thousands of vids uploaded last calendar year and selected half-a-dozen or so finalists in a number of familiar categories. Said finalists then spammed, begged, pleaded, and bribed anyone in possession of an e-mail account with instructions on who to vote for in hopes of winning what’s no longer much more than a popularity contest.

There’s still a few hours left to include your say on which videos win- YouTube’s contest turns into a pumpkin after midnight tonight and Yahoo’s is done at 11:59PM tomorrow – but who wins between the two contests?  YouTube, and it’s a blowout.

The finalists are good on both (Cooties, Break a Leg, David Blaine Street Magic, Potter Puppet Pals), but YouTube has way better categories (“Adorable” and “Eyewitness”), an awards page that’s one of the best designs for a video site I’ve ever seen, and big ass “play” buttons as prizes. Check ‘em out:

Winners for both will be announced later this week, and then we’ll see which video creators had access to the biggest rolodexes….or possessed the most talent….or, I suppose, a mix of both.

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

The concept behind goth web series Drawn By Pain came to writer/producer/director Jesse Cowell nine years before the technology – the prosumer version anyway – would catch up with his vision. “I came up with a short story about a young girl whose drawings could come to life to defend her.  But over the years, I got more interested in what would happen to that same girl once she grew into adulthood.  Would she be normal or be a product of her environment?”

After graduating USC Film School and spending several years trying to break into Hollywood, Cowell returned home to New York City and began putting his work online (including his feature length comedy Shades of Gray). Since his day job was “Director of Encoding” for a large streaming company, Cowell became more than familiar with the web and the amount of people he could access.  So, of course, he put his stuff online.

“It seriously was best thing I ever did, as the thing I wanted most – people to see my stuff – was finally happening.  I can’t tell you how good it felt to read the first reactions to my film.  Let’s just say it made all those years of trying to make things and the entire struggle worth it.”

But create the world of Drawn by Pain, a visual landscape somewhere between reality and animation, Cowell needed help.

###“The look I was going for was something akin to the 80’s A-Ha Take On Me video, but minus the shading. But I had zero ability to draw it.” He scoured animation web forums for talent, and didn’t have to look far before finding what he wanted. “Posted all over Erica Langworthy’s forum profile were these sick – in the awesome sense – drawings of women wielding swords and kicking ass. It turned out she went to school for Animation at the Columbus School for Art and Design, and loved my idea! A year later, after many long distance tests, she moved to NYC from Ohio and we started work on the project.”

Drawn by Pain has been downloaded 400,000 times, billing itself as both a series and a feature film experience that has potential for cross-platform distribution. “In writing it, the feature structure was always in mind, but 12 very specific character points were also created to make for a friendlier web viewing experience. Episodes are not all completely stand alone.  What’s happens in moments in episode one will have payoffs throughout the rest of the series. We have found that those that take the time to watch it all the way through enjoy it much more than those that watch an episode or two.”

Despite visual innovations, the series tends to be a bit heavy-handed in its depiction of a monstrous father, a brutalized mother and Emily, the abused young girl turned cold vigilante. Drawn by Pain takes itself quite seriously, not unlike its Anime influences, but carries more weight because it tries to exist in the “real world.” Don’t expect to strike a smirk.  Between swordfights and spiky-haired animated protectors, the series could use a joke or two to give the audience a chance to breathe.

But even if the gravitas is too much to handle, it’s still fun to see ass kickin’ animation play out in a crude, Roger Rabbit kind of way.  Catch all the episodes at DrawnbyPain.com.

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Greg Rock
No Comments »

Last week, I wrote about how SXSW isn’t your average white-collar conference, and how nerds neck deep in the internet know how to have a good time. Rocketboom’s vid of Anil Dash’s epic awesome karaoke-cum-powerpoint-cum-improv presentation elicited a few awestruck e-mails from readers exclaiming how much cooler the event looked than any conferencey thingy they ever attended.

An energetic response., and I didn’t even have the vid embedded of Merlin Mann.  He talked up FlockdUp – “a best-of-breed hosted solution for networking Thought Leaders. Our Enterprise-class suite of tools empowers Topic Experts, Blog Consultants, Marketing Minds, and Social Mediapreneurs to tag, profile, remix, mash-up, *and* monetize every person that they know (or claim to know — we’re not here to judge).”

The 43Folders founder and master of efficiency‘s artfully terrible website took home top prize in Worst Website Ever: That’s So Crazy, It Just Might Work. Roo Reynolds has the footage.  Whether or not you’re a webhead, you should give it a watch. This guy gives a #$%^in’ great presentation that anyone with any colored collar will enjoy:

(My apologies for the obvious post title, but he is.)

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

The core members of comedy troupe Those Aren’t Muskets!, Abe Epperson and Michael Swaim, met as students at the University of California San Diego and both served, non-consecutively, as editors of UCSD’s satiric newpaper, The MQ.  As a film major, Epperson made…films.  As a theater and lit. major, Swaim wrote plays, preformed in a UCSD sketch review, and became interested in the potential of the sketch comedy form.

Naturally – and considering that for a 21st century boy, putting sketch material on the internet has become somewhat of a second nature – they both got their work on the web.  But logistically and comically speaking, things didn’t really start to click until after graduation.

“Give us both a year of unemployment, make us live in the same house, and you get Muskets.” Michael Swaim told me via e-mail. “We’re both workaholics, so we get up, work all day, and in our off time (playing Guitar Hero, etc.) usually annoy people around us by talking about sketch stuff incessantly. The instant access is perfect, and working in your pajamas is a nice bonus as well. We’ve actually shot a large number of sketches in the house, and our green screen ‘studio’ is our garage.”

TAM gained viral attention with Internet Party, a premise seemingly too clever to not have been exploited before. At the Web 2.0 equivalent of a house party, a girl wanders around meeting people-as-websites, Google, Facebook, Digg, RateMyRack, etc., with attendant personality traits.

“It went huge on Digg and that basically got our work out to a wide web audience for the first time. More than just being a flavor of the minute though, we’re really proud that after the surge in hits following Internet Party, we held on to about two thirds of the increased audience. To us, that says that people saw the video, checked us out, and put us in their bookmarks.”

For a relatively fresh-faced troupe, TAM displays a cleverness above your average Smosh-style antics. Read On…

Filed under: Tilzy.TV by Greg Rock
No Comments »

When Sofia says, “You think your life sucks? Watch mine…” she means “sucks” in the most adolescent, after-school-special of ways. 

The oh-so-unfortunate 17-year-old star of Sony Pictures and UK social network site, Bebo‘s latest online, teenybopper soap opera narrates backstory in teenage anguish over footage of what would seem a relatively untroubled existence. 

Her parents are divorced.  Her father wives the mother of a sweet-smiling "devil child."  Sofia sees gal pal Trisha lock lips with her ex-beau, so she blows up the school’s chemistry lab, gets caught with some ecstasy, and mom sends her to London to attend a new college and live with said father, new wife, and toddler. 

But then again, lonelygirl15 started out with an innocuous troubled teen before it got all occult and Aleister Crowley.  I’m expecting a similar, sensationalized twist in Sofia’s Diary sometime sooner than later, and most likely involving the faceless "Jo," who’s on the other end of our protagonist’s computer convos (or maybe the "devil child" will turn out to be Rosemary’s baby).

###Sofia’s Diary, similar to its progenitors – lonelygirl15 and its English-accented spinoff, KateModern – and with a first life as an interactive, Portuguese cell phone game,  touts its viewer involvement.  Fans of the show can become a fan of the show on Bebo and answer polls that will influence the storyline.  How much of the storyline can be influenced?  Interesting question.  Unlike Where are the Joneses? or iChannel, the show appears to have big chunks of the plot already laid out, leaving only the minutia in between open for the audience to influence.

The series also diverges from the internet aesthetic.  This production value far exceeds "girl with webcam" quality.  It illustrates what happens when talent from old media gets in the business of creating new media, and how more advertisers, viewers, and $$$ effect the end product..for better or for worse.  (Check out Squeegees if you want another example – that’s a web show that looks exactly like after-school FOX.)

It’s both good and bad.  You lose all that raw, amateur YouTubeness, but gain some good lookin’ video.  So, if Sofia’s Diary sucks as much as her life does, the show will still get a few people watching.  Viewers tend to be more forgiving when there’s a pretty picture.

New videos hit Bebo every Monday through Friday at 5:30pm GMT, "so that way Jo and anyone else who fancies it can be a part of" Sofia’s new life. 

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