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First Look: Rockville, CA

BuzzSugar — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 13:30:32 -0800

From The OC to Gossip Girl, every Josh Schwartz project has always used great music - usually thanks to the handiwork of superstar music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas. Now, the two are teaming up for a new online series called Rockville, CA, an online soap for theWB.com set in a fictional rock club.

From the look of this trailer, all the standard Schwartz components are present: hipsters, snappy (if occasionally cheesy) dialogue, possible bar fights, and lots of making out. According to the official description, the club in question "is a place where a group of twentysomethings from diverse backgrounds gather regularly to hear their favorite up-and-coming bands, blow off steam, fall in love with the wrong people, and then talk about how they've fallen in love with the wrong people." What's really impressive, though, is the lineup of bands that will be performing for the show: Lykke Li, Phantom Planet, Kaiser Chiefs, and Eagles of Death Metal are just a few (full list here).

When I talked to Schwartz in January, he said he'd enjoyed experimenting with a web format for the first time: "Each episode isn't like, somebody had a twin brother and somebody drove off a cliff in the car," he said. "It's smaller. But the cumulative effect, I think, of all those 20 episodes is, 'Wow, I really went on a journey with those characters.' Smaller moments just take on a bigger reverberation." Hey, I'm in. Rockville, CA premieres online March 17, and to check out the trailer, just read more.

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Jimmy Fallon Starts His Hosting Duties Online Tonight

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 10:31:13 -0800

It'll be a few months before Jimmy Fallon officially slides into Conan O'Brien's chair as the host of NBC's Late Night, but starting tonight, he'll be doing some practice runs - and we can all watch online. At 12:30 a.m. each day, NBC will post a new video of Fallon on this new website.

The idea is that people will get used to seeing Fallon at 12:30 - and that he'll be able to test out material without having to see how it goes over in front of a live TV audience. Variety says the five-minute webisodes will be "lo-fi, freeform-style looks at what Fallon is up to on the eve of his hosting gig."

NBC's supposed to be announcing an official premiere date for Fallon's show this week, but March 2 is the latest rumor. That would give Conan O'Brien a few months off the air while he prepares to fill Jay Leno's Tonight Show shoes starting in June. Most of you thought Fallon would make a good Late Night host before, but now that the transition is getting closer, do you still feel the same?

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Mindy Kaling, Kristen Wiig, and More Launch Strike.tv

BuzzSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:32:02 -0700

Well, at least one good thing came out of last Winter's writers' strike. This week brought the launch of Strike.tv, a venture for comedy writers to put their own content on the Web without the interference of networks. (Think Dr. Horrible, but with even more people involved.)

Several of the web series are up now, including one called House Poor starring The Office's Mindy Kaling as a new homeowner who will stop at nothing (er, not even faking a pregnancy) to set up her dream house. Kaling also pops up in Global Warming, a series starring Kristen Wiig and The Daily Show's Aasif Mandvi as two coworkers and possible lovers connected only by their online tech support chats. There's lots more to come; check out the whole list.

Not only is it good content, but it also has a good cause: Its ad revenue benefits the Actors Fund's Entertainment Assistance Program, which distributes money to Hollywood workers (camera crews, set decorators, carpenters, etc.) hurt by the writers' strike and the threat of an actors' strike. This year, the fund has already given $1.3 million dollars in aid. So, get clicking!

The shows will also appear on YouTube and other video sites. To check out the first episode of House Poor, just read more.

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PSA: ABC Now Streams My So-Called Life

BuzzSugar — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:00:35 -0700

Well, here's the most fun discovery I made this week. While pulling up a recent episode of Brothers and Sisters over on ABC's online video player, a few little words suddenly caught my eye. Did that really say My So-Called Life?

Indeed! ABC is currently streaming four episodes of the show online, including two of my very favorites, "The Substitute" and "The Zit." I'm not sure if they're adding more as time goes on, but I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it while I'm watching "The Substitute" for the six millionth time. To get to them, go here, click the "full episodes" link in the upper left, and then click My So-Called Life.

So if you've never seen the show or just need a fix, there's another place you can get it. Granted, it doesn't exactly make up for ABC canceling the show in the first place (some wounds will never heal), but hey, I'll take what I can get.

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Do You Like Watching TV Premieres Early Online?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 07:30:20 -0700

Earlier this week, I told you about a bunch of NBC shows that were premiering online early. Two Showtime shows that premiere later this month, Dexter and Californication, are also getting into the act with free online premieres (just enter the password "Lady Killers"). All of this has made me wonder: Do you actually like watching premieres before they air on TV? Or does it take the fun out of it when you just have to wait longer to see the next episodes?

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Lipstick Jungle, Knight Rider Premiere Online Today

BuzzSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 05:30:52 -0700

If you're wondering whether Lipstick Jungle or Knight Rider will earn a spot on your Fall TV viewing schedule, you won't have to wait till their TV premieres next week to find out. Both shows are premiering online today as part of an NBC plan to get shows into online viewers' hands early.

Lipstick and Knight Rider are just two of the shows NBC is premiering this way; Chuck, Life, and 30 Rock will also be up on NBC's website a week before their premiere dates. Hulu and Amazon Unbox are also getting early looks at some NBC shows.

I'm never sure whether an early online broadcast is a good move or just silly. On the one hand, it could help build buzz for shows if people who watch online like what they see. On the other, it has to cut into broadcast ratings, at least somewhat. Do you think you'll check out either show? To watch some scenes from the season premiere of Lipstick, just read more.

Photos courtesy of NBC

The WB is Back - Online

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:31:54 -0700

Who didn't love at least one show on The WB? Back in the day, it was the one network that spoke to my generation, with shows like Dawson's Creek, Felicity, and Gilmore Girls all reaching the ranks of must-see TV. But ratings dropped over the years, and in 2006, The WB and and UPN merged into the new CW; The WB was no more.

Until today, that is. As of now, the network is back as The WB.com, with full episodes and full seasons of favorite WB shows (and Warner Bros.-produced shows that aired on other networks). At its launch, the lineup includes the whole first season of Veronica Mars, 10 episodes of The OC, and a sampling of episodes from Friends, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Gilmore Girls, among others.

The site's also loaded with special features for folks who like to make their own videos, including a clip maker called the "Wblender," and a bunch of quizzes and games (I'm a little embarrassed to admit I just killed some time playing The OC Memory Match, which is just an online version of the childhood game Memory but with pictures of those pretty, pretty Orange County kids). The site will also be rolling out a bunch of original shows in the coming months, so to hear about those and watch a trailer, just read more.

TheWB.com has recruited Josh Schwartz, McG, and other big-name producers to create original online series for the site. Among the shows lined up:

Sorority Forever - from McG, this show is a mystery/drama set in a sorority house. It'll premiere Sept. 8.
Blue Water High - Up now, it's about an Australian surf academy.
Whatever, Hollywood - Up now, this show's about three best friends making online videos (how meta!).
Untitled Josh Schwartz Project - Schwartz and music supervisor extraordinaire Alexandra Patsavas are teaming up for a show set in the LA music world.

Here's a video taste of what it's all about. Do you think you'll check out the The WB.com?

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What Was Your Favorite WB Show?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:30:17 -0700

The WB network, once home of greats like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dawson's Creek, met its demise in 2006 when the CW was formed. But starting next month, the WB will be revived - this time as a website that will stream classic WB series and new content from producers including Josh Schwartz and McG.

It's not clear yet exactly which shows will end up on the site (I'm assuming the popular ones are a lock - but what about the short-lived ones like Grosse Point?) The site will also show series produced by Warner Bros. Television that aired on other networks, including Friends and The OC. I'm most excited about having Dawson's Creek and the other shows of my teen years at my fingertips any time I want.

That got me thinking: Which show from the heyday of the WB was your favorite?

No Online Streaming for Gossip Girl: Yay or Boo?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:29:24 -0700

Despite being one of the most buzzed-about shows of the season, Gossip Girl has never gotten great ratings. The conventional wisdom has been that the show's young, tech-savvy audience is simply watching the shows online rather than on TV. Now, the CW apparently wants to see just how true that is. The network has decided not to stream the final five episodes of the season. (Older episodes will still be available, and the show can still be purchased at iTunes.) As a CW representative told the New York Times, the idea is to see whether this "moves the needle" of the ratings at all.

So: good move or bad move? Do you think the show is wise to try and force people to watch on TV? Or did the CW just take away the primary way you watch Gossip Girl?

Photo courtesy of The CW

Rosario Dawson to Star in Online Series for NBC

BuzzSugar — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:34:17 -0700

From big screen to computer screen.
Rosario Dawson, action-movie star, is now taking on a project of a different sort. She'll be starring in an online sci-fi series called Gemini Division, which will air on NBC's website - and maybe, possibly also on TV.

What's Dawson's role?
She plays a New York cop who discovers that "simulated life forms" have assimilated with the public as part of a global conspiracy. The series will be paired with another online show, Woke Up Dead, described simply as a zombie comedy. Together, they'll air online in 50 three-minute installments, and NBC also has the rights to turn them into TV series if the network so desires. The two series are expected to start airing late this Summer.

This career move: brilliant or baffling?
This is NBC's second try at proving Internet TV is where it's at - the first being the less-than-successful Quarterlife. This time, though, only the first few episodes are expected to air on TV. The main goal is to get people to watch the show online. So, will you? And do you think that the presence of bigger stars like Dawson gives online TV more credibility?

And hey, if it doesn't work out . . .
Dawson has another sci-fi project in the works: a potential series for the Sci Fi channel based on a comic book she co-created.

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