Happy Digital Christmas!

Christmas 2.0:

Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Fröhliche Weihnachten :)

Ben Stiller's online entertainment activities

With Little Fockers hitting German theatres tomorrow, I just read about another project of Ben Stiller.
It's called Billy Glimmer and Ben Stiller stars in this web series as Glimmer, a celebrity entertainer in Las Vegas. Glimmer does a million impersonations and is very popular, but unfortunately not very good at it.

Billy Glimmer is Stiller’s latest project in online entertainment. Just recently, he directed his parents on the Stiller and Meara web series for Yahoo (http://video.yahoo.com/watch/8289104/22097975) and has plans to launch a Zoolander animated series (http://www.socialtimes.com/2010/10/zoolander-web-series/) before Zoolander 2 hits theaters in 2013.

ITV boosts its online activities

Just recently ITV launched Corrie Nation - an online social game - and also scripted online videos - which are entitled Tram Crash News Flash - in order to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its flagship soap opera Coronation Street:
 
The online videos contain specially filmed news bulletins, live reports and eyewitness accounts from the scene of a horrific tram crash:
http://www.itv.com/coronationstreet/corrieextra/tramcrashnewsflash/

Now, ITV plans a 5x5 series of webisodes to coincide with the return of sci-fi series Primeval. The webisodes will launch on a new Primeval website and they are set in the period between the third and fourth series. They will introduce new characters, such as Philip Burton, Matt and Jess, while giving fans their first glimpse at the new ARC facility.

Here is the trailer:

What do you think about ITV's crossplatform activities?

Most Popular YouTube Videos of 2010

YouTube is one of the most popular platforms to share your videos. Here are the Top 10 of the most watched videos of the year:

#1 Bed Intruder Song

#2 "Tik Tok" KE$HA Parody: Glitter Puke

#3  Greyson Chance Singing "Paparazzi"

#4 Annoying Orange Wazzup

#5 The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

#6 Giant Double Rainbow

#7 This Too Shall Pass

#8 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Trailer

#9 Jimmy Surprises Bieber Fan

#10 Gymkhana Three, Part 2

My favourite was the Old Spice commercial. Which one was yours?

Endemol develops Foursquare TV format

As C21 Media reports "Endemol USA has signed an exclusive development deal with Foursquare to produce an original TV format that will integrate the location-based check-in service."

Foursquare has about 5 million users worldwide. The deal with Endemol is happening out of the US, but the ambition is to produce a TV format which can travel and help building up a Foursquare user base beyond its domestic market.

I think that's an exciting, innovative idea and I'm looking forward to hear more about this project!
What about you?

Blip.tv content viewable via the "New Twitter"

Back in September, Twitter unveiled a new homepage design which included an enhanced sidebar that allows users now to incorporate YouTube videos, Flickr photos, Ustream, and iTunes's Ping social network, without leaving the news stream.

On Monday Twitter announced several new media partners, including Instagram, Dipdive, Rdio, and SlideShare. In addition, the social network has added Blip.tv to the list. Blip.tv is the next generation television network: http://blip.tv/

It gives Twitter users the ability to integrate more than 50,000 independently produced web TV shows from Blip.tv within their tweets.  

LAX - Follow The Black Pony

It's a Reality-Soap about 4 teenage boys who try to make their dream come true! The American Trevor, the Canadian Ryan and the German boys Eugen and Kevin want to start a career in the music business. They created the band "The Black Pony" and make now their first career steps not anywhere, but in Lalaland.
Within 10 episodes you can follow the young artists on their way to become popstars.

Take a look at LAX - Follow The Black Pony

5th season of The Temp Life starts tomorrow!

The Temp Life was a nominee in the category Best Branded Entertainment web series at the Streamy Awards 2010. The series 5th Season debuts on December 6.

Check out the Season 4 recap:

And the Season 5 trailer:
Someone on the inside is plotting to have Nick humiliated and fired. Is it one of the temps? His boss? His own brother? Everyone's a suspect!

To watch previous episodes, go to www.mydamnchannel.com/thetemplife or subscribe to its YouTube channel!

Final Chapter of Ruby Skye P.I.

Have you checked out the Canadian comedy web series for tweens Ruby Skye P.I. yet?
If not you should at least watch the final episode today! Can Ruby solve the final mystery and win her friends back?

Here is the link:
http://www.rubyskyepi.com/

Ruby Skye P.I. is a detective series for tweens. In her first mystery, "The Spam Scam", 15 year old Ruby discovers that a neighbour has fallen victim an email scam and vows to get her money back. The clues lead in all the wrong directions, though. Pretty soon, Ruby has no friends left...

Weihnachts-Channel auf Myvideo (Xmas-channel on Myvideo.de)

Es ist klirrend kalt. Auf den Weihnachtsmärkten kann man sich mit Glühwein wärmen. Das erste Türchen des Adventskalenders wurde heute geöffnet.

Aber seid Ihr überhaupt schon in Weihnachtsstimmung?
Wenn ja, dann habe ich hier etwas für Euch.
Wenn nicht, dann werdet Ihr hiermit in vorweihnachtliche Stimmung gebracht. Versprochen!

Bei MyVideo gibt es nämlich seit heute die schönsten Weihnachtshits, leckersten Advents-Rezepte, Weihnachtsideen zum Selbermachen sowie Filme zum Kuscheln unterm Weihnachtsbaum.

Check it out:
http://www.myvideo.de/channel/Froehliche-Weihnachten

Twilight actor aims high

Jackson Rathbone, best known for his role as vampire “Jasper Hale” in the Twilight movie series, will star in Aim High as Nick Green, a high school student with a side job as an international spy. When he is not handling international spies, Nick is dreaming of the very charming Amanda Miles (Aimee Teegarden). The only problem is Amanda's jealous and overly protective boyfriend Derek.


Aim High is a digital series produced by McG and financed by Warner Premiere and Dolphin Entertainment.
The program is one of three upcoming online originals from Warner Bros. and will come out in 2011.

Branded web series with Shannen Doherty and Brian Austin Green

Suite 7 is sponsored by the Better Sleep Council and distributed online by Lifetime via MyLifetime.com, Hulu and others. It will premiere on December 17, following the release of an introduction on December 10. The episodes will debut weekly on Fridays.

Each of the seven episodes tells an individual story set inside the same hotel suite. Couples, like newlyweds, divorcing couples, best friends, business partners, co-workers or even total strangers, check into Suite 7 and unpack personal baggage. It kind of reminds of the anthology film Four Rooms from 1995.

The impressive line-up includes:
Shannen Doherty who directed one episode and brought former Beverly Hills 90210-colleague Brian Austin Green along. Also, Jaime Murray from Dexter, Milo Ventimiglia from Heroes and many more.

Here is the official trailer of Suite 7:

From a blog to a book to TV: "Dealbreaker"

ABC is developing a new comedy series based on the popular Dealbreaker relationship blog and book. 
The blog is created by Dave Horwitz and Marisa Pinson, and has been described as a "hilarious reference guide to the qualities that, when discovered, transform the 'date you hope to go home with' into the 'date you pray never calls again.'" In other words, all the little warning signs – aka dealbreakers – that indicate the relationship isn't going to have legs.

Check out the blog:
http://dealbreaker.tumblr.com/

"American Dad" writers Nahnatchka Khan and Laura McCreary will script the TV series.

NEWS: BBC and Shed Media Scotland prep web drama spin-off

The BBC and Shed Media Scotland are working on an internet-only spin-off of BBC1's school drama Waterloo Road. The web-only series Waterloo Road Reunited will consist of filmed episodes and online content accessed through social media websites.

When the project launches next March it will reunite audiences with pupils from the series and follow them as they find their way in the world after leaving school. Waterloo Road Reunited will use a combination of scripted episodes, fictional social media networks, audio and interactive fan sites, allowing fans to migrate from the screen to online.

Oliver Stone backs VoD service

Oscar-winning movie director Oliver Stone has invested in UK online video platform Vzaar.

The Platoon and Natural Born Killers director said that he had become a user and backer of the platform, which allows companies to upload and host their own video content online.

The service offers companies a range of premium price tiers, with options including mobile device compatibility and high-definition streaming.

London-based Vzaar was launched in 2007 by ex-eBay employees, initially as a way for eBay sellers to show videos of their sale items to buyers.

Electus creates AOL web show

Internet service provider AOL has launched a lighthearted morning news show produced by Ben Silverman's digital prodco Electus.

AOL Daybreak debuted on the AOL homepage last week in the US fronted by actress and web journalist Lindsay Campbell, who is best known as presenter of finance-focused comedy brand Wallstrip, which was acquired by CBS for US$5m in 2007.

Network news veteran Diane Masciale (Good Morning America, Today Show) is senior executive producer, with Wallstrip creators Adam Eland and Jeff Marks also onboard as exec producers. They said they wanted AOL Daybreak to "reinvent the TV morning show format" for the web.

Electus was launched earlier this year backed by internet company InterActive Corp, under former NBC Universal chief Silverman. It has cloased a string of production deals, including one in October to create content for News Corp-owned social media site MySpace.

AOL has also been stepping up its activities in the web content department, tying up with Michael Eisner's Vuguru on a series of 90-minute scripted shows, while new programmes You've Got and The One recently went live on AOL.com.

Red Eagle/ Aguila Roja wins Multi-Platform-Award at Rose d'Or Festival

 Here is a sneak peak:

For further information please visit:
http://www.rtve.es/television/aguila-roja/

"Doctor Who - Multiplatform goes Mainstream" - Presentation and panel discussion within the Rose d'Or Festival

Casting: Darstellerinnen für Webserie

Wolltet Ihr schon immer in einer Webserie mitspielen?
Hier habt Ihr die Gelegenheit:
Casting: Darstellerinnen für Webserie

5 Hilarious TV Episodes About Tech and Social Media

Social media sites aren't only platforms for new storytelling.
As TV and social media increasingly intertwine, they also become a popular subject for satires on TV.

Enjoy:
5 Hilarious TV Episodes About Tech and Social Media

Random House and Stardoll co-launch online story project

The publisher Random House has created an interactive story project to be serialised on Stardoll, the social gaming site for teenage girls which lets teens dress up animated characters.
The characters of this series Liz, Faye, Finn and Lucas have Stardoll avatars, too, with which users can interact. But users can not only interact with the characters, they can also help shape the story by commenting and voting on the outcome of the story, as well as create images, explore an interactive map of the setting in New England and shop for virtual goods referenced with it. 

The vampire story, Mortal Kiss, is a collaboration between writers and editors at Random House and artists and programmers at Stardoll and it's serialised in 3-5 minute episodes running over eight weeks from today until Halloween. The project is available globally and will be translated in 17 languages. Will you check it out?

Interactive Film

Check out this great example of interactivity!
It's not only a lovely film but also a brilliant way of getting the audience involved.

 http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/#

The Winners of the Streamy Awards 2010

The Streamys are awarded to web TV series by the International Academy of Web Television — they’re similar to the Oscars, Emmys or Grammys.

Best Comedy Web Series: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis
http://www.funnyordie.com/between_two_ferns

Best Drama Web Series: The Bannen Way
http://www.crackle.com/c/The_Bannen_Way

Best Hosted Web Series: Diggnation
http://revision3.com/diggnation

Best Reality or Documentary Web Series: The Secret Life of Scientists
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/secretlife/

Best News or Politics Web Series: Auto-Tune the News
http://www.youtube.com/show/autotunethenews

Best Foreign Web Series: OzGirl
http://ozgirl.tv/

Best New Web Series: Odd Jobs
http://oddjobnation.com/webseries.html

Best Companian Web Series: The Office: Subtle Sexuality
http://www.subtlesexuality.com/

Best Animated Web Series: How it should have ended
http://www.howitshouldhaveended.com/

Best Branded Entertainment Web Series: Back on Topps
http://www.youtube.com/BackonTopps

Best Experimental Web Series: Auto-Tune the News
http://www.youtube.com/show/autotunethenews

Audience Choice Award for Best Web Series: Agents of Cracked
http://www.cracked.com/video_18099_the-end-beginning.html

What's your favorite? 

Top 5 Online Channels

If you wanna watch videos online, you can either go to platforms from established media companies:

• video section of a TV broadcaster, e.g. TheWB.com 
• internet portal of a producer or broadcaster, e.g. Hulu.com 
• website of a brand, e.g. The New York Times

 or you can use pure internet platforms:

• independent internet portals, e.g. mydamnchannel.com 
• video sharing websites, e.g. C-Spot 
• internet TV services which are reproducing the TV experience, e.g. Joost, Babelgum

These internet channels combine the quality of traditional television with the interactive capabilities of the internet and offer professionally produced programming on-demand to a global audience.

My personal Top 5: 
 1) YouTube
      it's still the first address when you wanna watch videos online
2) Funny or Die
     it combines user-generated content with original, exclusive content
     and features celebrities
3) My Damn Channel
     launched some of the most successful, original comedy series
4) Babelgum
    just launched an original mobile application
5) Wenn Du aus Deutschland kommst, dann schau Dir doch auch mal www.3min.de an

If you know of any other interesting platforms, please let me know!