Who Knew Sherri Shepherd Was Going To Be On DWTS?

Dancing With The Stars premieres tonight and I just want to remind Sherri Shepherd (The View) what she told me on the red carpet at the Oscars just two days before the cast for this season was announced live on Good Morning, America.  Let's review the tape:

Okay, I just wanted to prove my source was correct on that scoop.  Enjoy your season, Sherri, and good luck!

Also joining the cast this season is Jaleel White.  For those of you who haven't checked in on Jaleel since his Urkel days on Family Matters, see what his has been up to from my interview with him on The Web Files in 2010:


Will you be watching this season of DWTS or has this show jumped the shark?

Year in Review: March 2010

I dug up some really cool photos for the month of March.  They each represent different aspects of what we were doing on The Web Files, so I am thrilled to share them with you if you missed them the first time around.  By March, word had gotten out that The Web Files was covering a lot of series and we got the chance to talk to a lot of creators that I admire.  Here are my Top 5 photos for March 2010.  

1. Kicking off the month of March, the cast of Elevator allowed me to interview them on set.  They are in their final season as I write this, so be sure to check out the hilarity that ensues in yes, an elevator.  Check out the interview here.  

From left:  Ben Pace, Woody Tondorf, me, and Genevieve Jones.

                     

2.  I know this was the most unique on set visit we did all year: Olga Kay's Circus.  The short film directed and produced by two very talented ladies, Andrea Ball and Sarah Evershed, follows the true tale of YouTube personality, Olga Kay, joining the circus.  The result was a beautiful and well-shot film with cameos by The Beat Freaks (And if you follow Hollywood gossip, one of the members of the group is the girl that got punched by Demi Lovato pre-rehab.  Ah, Hollywood.) and David Lawrence XVII.  See the interview here.

3.  This is one of my favorite shots taken all year by David Burmeister at the premiere of A Good Knight's Quest.  The dress is by Deborah Viereck, the shoes by Guess, and the outfit was styled by Roni B.  Hair/Makeup created by Melissa Anchondo.  This was also the day that the Streamy Award nominations were announced, so it was an exciting night for the nominees.  Check out the red carpet interviews here.

4.  I always find that meeting actors you grew up watching on TV can go one of two ways.....really well or downhill very quickly.  Jaleel White of Family Matters fame certainly did not disappoint.  He was charming, smart, and ambitious.  His series, Fake It Till You Make It, debuted on Hulu earlier this year.  Check out the interview here and you will find out why I look so sick in that photo.....I had a bad case of laryngitis and I sounded like a poor man's version of Demi Moore.

5.  This photo is perhaps my favorite family photo all year.  I know it is unusual, but it is me and my then 10-year-old niece staging paparazzi photos in the lobby of my hotel in Atlanta.  Forget boring staged shots, I go straight for the TMZ shot. I think Julia has it down well, look at that tip of the hat to hide her face.  A star is born!

Come on back tomorrow for more photos from the year that was......2010.  See you tomorrow!

Behind the Scenes of The Web Files Buzz, Episode 3

Yes, this was the Demi Moore version of The Web Files Buzz. I had a fantastic case of laryngitis that kept my voice an octave lower for this episode. So, I wasn't feeling my best, but I was pretty excited about the day we had with Jaleel White and Todd Pellegrino on the set of their new web series, Fake It Till You Make It. Many of you grew up with Jaleel as Urkel on Family Matters as a part of ABC's TGIF lineup and it is always fun to find out where your favorite child stars are years later. Jaleel managed to get a film degree from UCLA, starred/produced/wrote for UPN's Grown Ups, and made his mark in the web series world in 2009's Road to the Altar. (And I bet you didn't know he also wrote for Family Matters when he was 19 years old.) Not bad, right?

Since many of you asked, I am here to say that Jaleel was a lot of fun to talk to that day....kind, smart, and easy to interview. I think he is an actor who will bring more attention to the web space with his name and his talent. Oh, and the location for a web series didn't hurt. We shot on location, poolside at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica.

Jaleel also brought in the big guns to direct his series. Todd Pellegrino knows exactly what he is doing as an Emmy nominee for ESPN's Mayne Street. Todd brings a NY sensibility to an LA web series that may perhaps end the great NY/LA web series divide. Hopefully, combining the two coasts with all of their talents will prove that we can all just get along. Todd also promised a funny script with this series, so I am looking forward to the cast of characters who are hustling to make in LA in the only way LA "friends" know how. One great thing to point out from my interview with Todd was his focus on making sure all 8 episodes were self-contained based on the way viewers are currently watching web series. It may be a good device for content creators focusing on comedy to utilize in the current web series climate.

I tried really hard to get scoop on the star cameos. While I did get them to drop Wayne Brady's name, new media publicist, Gabriel del Rio, was carefully placed off screen to make sure Jaleel and Todd kept all of the secrets close to the vest. Gabriel is a really good secret gatekeeper, next time, I will have to distract him on set! However, I did learn from Jaleel's recent article in The Huffington Post that UFC Fighter, Rashad Evans, will be making a cameo, so this series is definitely going to have that LA feel of eclectic, quirky characters. Bring it on!

**Update** I don't know how I missed it, but Mathieas kindly pointed out that Debbie Allen is making a cameo as well. Jaleel mentions it in his article. I love Ms. Allen, so that is a huge WIN for me as a viewer.

After our visit with Jaleel, we raced down the street to Truetone Music to interview film and TV composer, Rob Gokee We are going to continue to feature some of the additional elements that go into a making a web series, so I am glad we were able to grab Rob since music is an important component of any story. He's been quite prolific in the web series world as of late with the upcoming SOLO the Series, End Result, and current web series Fallen, under his belt. Rob pointed out some of the challenges of music composition with the obvious time factor being every creator's greatest enemy and friend all at the same time. This segment was also a great reminder about the importance of networking. For Rob, that meant utilizing Twitter to meet and court creators of content. All of his work from web series has come from 140 characters and it was the inspiration for his new book, In The Belly Of The Fail Whale. So, for all of those who dismiss social media, take a lesson from someone who has seen the merits of the whale.
Finally, a few public answers to several emails that have come in starting off with my shirt. Since I have been in and out of town so much, there wasn't time to plan my wardrobe for this episode. Thank you to all who wanted to where I got it since I was sick that day and I wasn't feeling my best. At least I know I looked okay on the outside, that was a confidence booster that I needed. The shirt is from Bebe and it is 3 years old, so I am sure it is out of circulation. I also committed a grand fashion faux pas as this is the second time I have worn it on camera. It was actually purchased for a QVC appearance with Stila Cosmetics in 2007. That should also answer all of the questions as to whether I was sick or not for this episode. Yep, all of my travels caught up with me and I came down with the crud. But thank you, Mathieas McNaughton, for thinking it sounded hot because, boy, did my throat hurt.

A big "thank you" goes out to Gabriel del Rio for inviting us to the set of Fake It Till You Make It. He's been a great friend to The Web Files and we appreciate his continued support.

If you haven't checked out this week's episode, watch it here: The Web Files Buzz, Episode 3.
Next week brings a sit down interview with one of the belles of the web series ball, Taryn Southern. Be sure to check out our new episode next Wednesday.

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