Sony Store Opening: Century City

Some weeks, my world is more glamorous than others.  Other weeks, I am home on my couch in my sweats.  I really enjoy both scenarios, so while this week has been busy with press junkets, store openings, Kids' Choice Awards events, and screenings, I will be spending my Friday night on the couch.  Last night, I was at the Sony store opening in Century City to preview the company's latest offerings in HD technology.  Stars like Adrian Grenier, Melissa Joan Hart, Craig Robinson, Ali and Roberto (for you Bachelorette fans), Spencer Grammer, and Lisa Rinna showed up to support the event and of course, go home with a swag bag.  Sony label artist and Dancing With The Stars performer, Mark Ballas, sang from his CD while the guest played the latest Playstation games and noshed on shrimp cocktail.  It was a lot of fun and I even ran into a few people from the tech and social media world.

In true Hollywood form, it wasn't my only stop of the night as I ran off to the LA Film School to interview James Wan and Leigh Whannell, the creators of the new horror flick, Insidious.  So, expect that article tomorrow on Starpulse. Let's just say, I haven't walked into a dark room in my house alone since I saw the movie last week..........

Mark Ballas is tiny....like really tiny.

Proof that LA will put a red carpet anywhere, including the middle of a mall.

The Q&A after the screening of Insidious at LA Film School

Two notes:
1. This is my second post this week with Lisa Rinna and Melissa Joan Hart in it.  What are the chances?
2. I decided to run upstairs to The Container Store at the end of the Sony party because I needed storage folders for my home office.  Hey, there are only two Container stores in LA and a girl needs to multitask!

Behind the Scenes of Urban Wolf

I came upon this series at last year's iTVFest and The Web Files interviewed Laurent Touil Tartour on the red carpet.  Along with Oz Girl and MERRIme.com, this series had quite a bit of buzz surrounding it.  When it was announced in March that Sony/Crackle.com had licensed worldwide global distribution rights for Urban Wolf, no one was surprised.  The series is THAT good.  Fast forward to the iTVFest Fundraiser in April where someone whispered that Laurent had just signed a deal with Michael Bay's The Institute, and I knew we had a big web series success story on our hands.  The show launched May 13th on Crackle.com and I have to say, I was really inspired by his story.

Once the details for The Web Files interview were in place, I was asked to submit my questions to Laurent because of the language barrier.  Now let me preface this by saying I NEVER give my questions out before, but I knew Laurent was a bit nervous, so I sent some general questions over with the caveat that my interviews are free flowing.  I thought he would be fine throughout the interview, and I was right, he was.  Laurent is charming, smart, and a good storyteller.  Obviously, his charm came through on the screen as Web Series Today made a comment about my flirtatious interview with him. Hey, he's French, he's got an accent, that's a good reason to flirt!

I'm so pale, our makeup artist, Melissa Anchonodo, is doing her best to warm me up with bronzer.  I was that day glow white.

The reason this series stands out amongst the pack is its cinematic feel and the utilization of mise en scene.  You don't hear the main character utter a word until Episode 7, and boy, is it effective.  The other thing you have to remember is that Laurent is French, so he dove straight into the web series world through the festival circuit.  I think this is really important to point out. I have been talking about Publicity and Web Series lately and I truly believe that this a great way to stand out from the pack. Laurent hit Comic Con, iTVFest, AFI DigiFest, and Sundance New Media Lab all within the past 10 months.  Of course, the challenge is getting accepted into the festivals, but I think it is an avenue web creators should continue to explore. 

Finally, if you notice in the photo below, we have no poster on the wall.  Yep, that was added in post by our amazing graphics artist, Michael "Cobra" Ledin.  Cobra is one of my Technical Directors for Toyota Live during the year, and he kindly offered up his expertise for this episode.  He's a wizard with a computer and he is pretty darn funny too.   

So, go ahead, be inspired, and watch our interview with Laurent Touil Tartour on The Web Files:

Behind the Scenes of The Bannen Way

Ah, The Bannen Way. So much excitement, so much buzz, so much.....controversy? Yes, controversy. We stepped into this interview during a heated week of discussion by the web series community on the internet regarding The Streamys nomination process. SONY decided to launch the first three episodes of The Bannen Way before the scheduled launch date in order to qualify for the 2010 awards. Jesse Warren, the director/creator of The Bannen Way, dove right into the controversy at the beginning of the episode and I really appreciated that. I think we addressed the issue and answered any lingering questions. We did delve a bit deeper than what you saw, but I do think the Streamys will update their rules for 2011. It is a constantly evolving nomination process and just like The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences updating their rules year to year after 82 years in business, this will be no different.

So, let's push that aside, and talk about how much fun this web series is: slick, sleek, and sexy. Mark Gantt and Jesse did start this project independently and I was fascinated how they even procured a Jaguar for their shoot. It was a process that was all new to them as this was an idea developed by them to gain more ground in their film/TV careers. Once SONY jumped on board, they really hit the ground running with name actors to flesh out some of the roles. I might add that I think this is the best role I have seen Vanessa Marcil in yet. The web series model is constantly changing, but I believe The Bannen Way is going to change the web series scenery as it has set a new standard for web series production. Now is every web series going to look like this? No, of course not. I do think it will challenge all of the independent creators to set new goals for themselves. Let's see what happens to the web series landscape in the next 12-18 months. I am excited to see what the future holds.

It is always fun to unmask the crew behind the scenes, so let me introduce Perry Payne, who may be familiar to some, but he is our editing guru and DP on The Web Files, and Lucas Plouviez, our Camera Op for The Bannen Way episode. Without all of their hard work, we wouldn't have a show! So, thank you for your continued dedication to The Web Files.

Finally, the dress and belt. It is another fantastic find from Roni B. Roni is magic when it comes to styling wardrobe for a shoot, so be sure to tell her I sent you. Makeup was courtesy of e.l.f. Cosmetics and my awesome earrings in this episode were a Christmas gift from our makeup artist, Melissa Anchondo. You need to watch the episode to see them close up.

So, watch the episode right here! See what the buzz, controversy, and excitement is all about.

2009 in Review: April

This was a hard month to whittle down to five photos since I was in Denver, NY, and Vegas for work. It was the end of our season for Toyota Live, but the beginning of new adventures with The Web Files.

Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows how often I tweet about these two food groups.

Last day of the show in NY before I head off to Vegas for NAB. Yes, the boys take awful photos of me and put them up on our video monitors. It's tough being the only girl.

Over at the Palazzo on my way to Dos Caminos for guacamole and margaritas!

At SONY presenting for NAB 2009.
Back home and on set on the blue screen to anchor the Our Time news broadcast.
Tomorrow, I will have our first photos up from The Web Files. It seems like a million years ago, but we shot our first show only 7 months ago.

Dance Channel TV Can't Miss List: Episode 8

This is it! No, really This Is It! Yes, the movie has opened to big box office and of course, we spoof MJ a bit in Episode 8. I cannot wait to see the movie, but it looks like I have a little more time since SONY extended the run through Thanksgiving. (Like we didn't see that coming even before it opened.)

So, if you like what you see below, head on over to Dance Channel TV for more fantastic dance videos!