Trial and Error

Every girl's got a dream. And mine came true today when I appeared on an episode of Revision3's "Internet Superstar." So if you want to know whether I'd have posed for Playboy, how to maintain your credibility as a reporter and a Web host, and my must-watch picks for Web TV, then check out the episode below.

Calling all Web video creators!

I have begun hosting weekly Twitter contests to review Web video shows.

Here’s how it works: Once a week at a random, unplanned time of my choosing, I will announce on Twitter that it’s time for submissions for weekly reviews. I will take the first five submissions and watch one episode of the show. You’ll need to pick the episode number you want me to watch. Then I will review that episode in my TVWeek blog.

Know what that means? You all need to follow me on Twitter! You can do so here: Twitter.com/DaisyWhitney

Here are the latest numbers on making money in online video.

—Transactional revenue for Internet video will hit $6 billion by 2013, according to Parks Associates.

—Online video ad spending will rise 63% this year to $1.1 billion and more than double to $2.4 billion in the next two years, according to Lehman Brothers.

A naked guy runs cross-country, posing in front of all the major U.S. landmarks. A film crew captures every mile. The filmmakers then blur out the unmentionable parts of the video and post it to MySpaceTV.

You tell me: Did Greg Johnson really run across country naked? Or might this be the latest attempt at going viral? You be the judge. This video just posted yesterday so weigh in on whether you think it’s real or fake. And whether you think it’s good.

The video was created by the New York-based production company Disposable Television, which has done work for Comedy Central, Bravo, Sundance Channel and others.

Naked Guy Runs Across the Country

Let’s never forget the truly creative Web video work that is being done in someone’s backyard. Like this spoof of “The Dark Knight” trailer using a Big Wheel instead of the Batmobile, a plastic gun instead of a machine gun, and school-age kids instead of Heath Ledger and Christian Bale. (I gotta say, the Joker is still scary in that makeup, even when played by a 10-year-old!)

Hats off to Alex Kropinak and Dan Reilly, who crafted this YouTube video parody.

South by Southwest in Austin is one of the most exciting, important and newsworthy events in the interactive media business. TVWeek has the opportunity to be involved in one of the panels and we need your help!

I’m in line to moderate a panel titled “Video Content: Super Distribution or Super Disaster?” The way the conference works is Web visitors can help pick which panels make it to the final lineup by voting now through Aug. 29.

So go to the panel picker, create an account (it’s simple!), and then vote for this panel to be included.

I’m not the only one on the panel of course. I don’t think I am allowed to name the other panelists, but trust me when I say they are fabulous!

Here’s to seeing you in Texas!

It’s nice to see "Phantom Edit" whiz Mike J. Nichols getting some love in Wired.

Nichols is the creator of the occasional very short (ah, I love the words “very short” when applied to Web content) comedic Web series “Two Guys Drinking at a Bar,” which spoofs TV shows.

I’ve seen the first episode a few times already, but I still laugh when Kevin Farley says, “But in the dream so am I.” So here’s your Friday fun video.

Oh, and “The Phantom Edit” was Mr. Nichols’ slice-and-dice of “The Phantom Menace” that removed most of the annoying parts of the "Star Wars" installment.

How much does a Web video sponsorship cost?

If you buy it on eBay, you just might be able to land a sponsorship for $1,500. Which is kind of like the equivalent of peanuts.

Hey, that’s fitting! Because the Web series “Playing for Peanuts” auctioned off a sponsorship for the show on eBay and the winning bid of $1,500 came from Most Valuable Network.

MVN, an independent sports media company, will sponsor the first episode of the show, which chronicles a year in the life of minor league baseball's South Georgia Peanuts of the independent South Coast League.

The TV series premiered in May on regional sports networks in nine markets and averaged 150,000 viewers per week across all markets, according to producer John Fitzgerald.

The 10-episode docu-reality TV show about minor league baseball will premiere online in late August.

One of the most popular Web series these days is “Retarded Policeman,” which has been racking up the views over on YouTube.

But some viewers and Web watchers have expressed concern that the show is exploitative. That’s because the titular character is a retarded policeman who says shocking things, things that are all the more shocking because he is retarded. Because of the show’s popularity, some critics have asked if the show is making fun of retarded people.

But the lead actor, Josh Perry, has Down Syndrome and expressed his feelings about the part in this quite funny video post.

I, for one, think it’s terrific that the show’s creator, Mediocre Films, hired a retarded actor rather than just an actor to play a retarded character.

So I decided to solicit community feedback on the show. I posted a Twitter update earlier this week asking for feedback on the show and I have amassed it here.

“Enjoyed it but found it a little all over the map. From reference humour to zany slapstick to outright nonsense.”

“It's kinda like an aristocrats joke... a few seconds of laughter resulting in a few days of on and off guilt.”

“Wow...that's messed up on several levels...”

“Weak gimmick. Josh is actually a good actor. But, this is a one-shot funny, not a series.”

“The vid was funny, irreverent and very un pc! If Josh was cool with it, everyone else should be too. I loved his response...”

“Truly surprised how funny I found it.”

“It is one of my husband's favorite shows. At first he has cautious bc he was not sure of the intent—were they making fun of him?? Then he saw the star's parents were on it and the actor did some video responses etc explaining that he was an actor, his parents and sibling supported him and were protective of what he did. Once he figured out it was not done to humiliate the lead actor, he could enjoy it.”

I’ve checked out a lot of Web video shows in the last year. And in the last month. And in the last 24 hours.

Most of them don’t stand out.

But “That Media Show” does stand out.

The series is a new project from the independent filmmaker and technology guru John Flowers, whose work I admire. And what I like about his new show—which covers the business of visual effects, movies, indie filmmaking and post-production—is that the series hits the ground running from the very first episode. That means good production values, smart writing, funny asides, insightful content, oh, and a really damn good host.

My only suggestion for the show is to embed the episode on the home page rather than offer links to iTunes and blip feeds, because when I first landed on the URL I expected to see an episode there and it took a few seconds to realize I needed to click on a link.

Here’s the first episode. And be sure to stay tuned all the way to the end. I do love outtakes.