2010 in Review: February

I had to go back and look at what I did in the month of February.  I always have a gig in Chicago, but the rest of the month was kind of a blur.  However, I have a lot of fun photos that really capture my month:

1.  We were in Chicago and away from all of our significant others on Valentine's Day, but this was a really fun champagne and chocolate-covered strawberry filled evening with my pals, Melody Freeman and Ted Napolitano.

2.  I finally got behind that door and found out what Club 33 was all about.  It is a must for any Disney geek and it is my most popular post of 2010.  What's behind that door?  Unicorns, rainbows, and all the magic of Disney.

3.  Chicago is the most enthusiastic city we hit with Toyota Live each year.  We even gave away a 2010 Prius live onstage which was so thrilling, the winner grabbed me in a huge bear hug when she was declared the winner.  I'll be back in February 2011 and hanging on the jumbo LED wall again.

4.  This was the first infomercial I had shot in awhile and it became my first in a series of four infomercials that I shot in 2010.  It was a great day on set with fitness expert, Jennifer Galardi.  If you want to see the final results, wait for me at 2 AM on your TV or click here.

5.  The Streamys "For Your Consideration" screenings were in full force in February as I covered the red carpet for Koldcast TV at the Fall of Kaden and Blue Movies showing.  Here I am with eventual Best Director nominee, Scott Brown, of Blue Movies.  You can see some of the footage from this evening here.

Come back tomorrow at Red Carpet Closet for a review of March 2010 with Atlanta, paparazzi photos, A Good Knight's Quest premiere and more!

Holiday Musings

Where have I been?  What have I been doing?  What I am musing over?  Well, here's a quick list of what I have been up to this holiday season:

1. Apple & Bee Beauty Bag:  On my birthday, I was thrilled to learn that I won a gift from Your Daily Thread, which is a "free daily email on the latest in green living and social good".  They feature everything from fashion to beauty to giveaways, so it was exciting to win this snappy travel bag from Apple & Bee.  It is perfect for the eco-geek in me and for the 200 days I am out on the road with plenty of room for my makeup and toiletries.  I chose the Japanese Red print to add a splash of color to my luggage, but there were a variety of trendy prints to choose from.  The bag is made from all certified organic cotton, bamboo silk, hemp, and burlap/calico and is made in Australia.  A portion of Apple & Bees' profits go to environmental organizations, so be sure to check out their cute designs in totes and travel gear.

From left:  Helenna Santos, me, Stephanie Thorpe, Julie Tyler, Cooper Harris. 

2. The Red Carpet Premiere of the web series, Asylum:  Yes, you have seen this dress before here and here.  I think it is time to retire it from the public event rotation.  Or do you think I can get one more wear out of this DVF dress?  I love it so!  By the way, this photo showcases some inspiring female movers and shakers on/off camera here in LA.  I was honored to even stand beside them on the red carpet.  Finally, a big "congratulations" to Scott Brown who directed the Asylum series. He is another one to watch on the director scene.

3.  Nashville Barbeque:  I'm working in Nashville this week and there is nothing better than a day on set that begins with watching Loretta Lynn singing Coal Miner's Daughter on the soundstage next to you and ends with fall-off-of-the-bone pork ribs. I am a total foodie and barbeque is a must when I am working in this region of the US.  We went to a place called Jack's and the food was so good, I stopped back by the kitchen to thank the chef.  My tummy was happy and full of ribs, mac and cheese, corn bread, sweet tea, and creamed corn.  Yum!

Me, Streamy Award winning writer, Bernie Su, and Diane Beck.

4.  IAWTV Holiday Party:  For those of you outside of NY and Los Angeles, IAWTV stands for the International Academy of Web Television.  Earlier this year, there was lots of strife and growing pains amongst the community after the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards.  It was so nice to see that by the end of 2010, we were able to come together with a common goal and truly enjoy the holiday season together.  It was nice to see not only familiar faces in the crowd, but some fantastic new producers and content creators in the mix. Welcome!

5.  Arm Socks:  Finally, I can't get enough of Arm Socks.  I first saw them during my trip to China in 2005, the ladies wore them everywhere because they kept their arms warm while they biked to work, to lunch, and back home. I didn't pick up a pair then, but I saw a pair at Roni B's and I cannot stop wearing them.  They are cute to wear under a sweater and peeking out below the sleeve to add a dash of color to any outfit. Or, they are awesome in a pinch on set when I am dressed in short sleeves and I want to keep warm.  I am picking up a few for my favorite fashionistas as holiday gifts because they are under $20 and they are sure to brighten any drab winter wardrobe. (For those of you that are crafty, I bet you can make a pair from the awesome print socks that Target sells for even less.)

PS  Don't forget to enter my Makeup Holiday Giveaway!  Entries are due in by Monday, December 20th at 11:59 PM PST!

Photos 1, 2: Courtesy of Apple & Bee.
Photo 3:  Courtesy of Brenda White
Photo 5:  Courtesy of Bernie Su

Behind the Scenes of The Web Files Buzz, Episode 1

Yes, we brought you something different this week, the inaugural episode of The Web Files Buzz. Sandra and I have been toying with this idea for awhile, but it took some time to figure out how we wanted to execute the episode. I have received a lot of questions about this format: Is this the new format of the show? Is the old format gone? The answer is "sometimes" and "no". We will do a Buzz show every few weeks to mix it up in between our longer, more formal interviews. As the web space grows, we have to grow. Viewers want us to get in depth with their favorite shows, but we do not want to forget those shows that are up and coming. So, I think the new format serves an important purpose. We had a lot of fun shooting these shorter segments and I think delivered an action packed episode.

We kicked it off with the IAWTV "For Your Consideration" Screening of The Fall of Kaden and Blue Movies, both Koldcast TV web series. I did an in depth piece on the evening which can be read here: Fall of Kaden/Blue Movies. I haven't seen the Koldcast footage yet, but hopefully, it will be released soon. The Koldcast shoot talked more about the fantastic idea to hold a IAWTV screening and it is a format now being wisely copied by others before the Streamy ballots are due. I think it will also give web series creators, Adam Leiphart and Matt Double (Fall of Kaden) and Scott Brown (Blue Movies) even more deserved face time with the IAWTV voters.

Our second segment featured one of my favorite web series stars, Brittney Powell, of Safety Geeks: SVI. We caught her in between an appearance at the Xena convention on a Saturday afternoon. If you didn't know, Brittney has quite an impressive resumé as she played Brunnhilda on the series amongst other high profile roles. Xena has a strong female following, so while we didn't shoot inside the convention, there were a lot of women running around the lobby of the LAX Marriott trying to get a glimpse of Brittney. Popular girl! Anyway, I wanted to discuss the Safety Geeks: SVI calendar since it's a great way to think outside of the box in terms of marketing their web series. The cheeky pin-up girl theme also brings Tom Konkle and Dave Beeler along for the fun. Check out the cast's calendar at Amazon: Safety Geeks Calendar.

Finally, we rounded out the episode with a visit to Jonathan Nail on the set of his upcoming show, SOLO the Series. The set was built inside his garage and we had a chance to climb inside to take a closer look. Jonathan's show has created a lot of buzz over Twitter and I am glad we were able to see what those 140 characters were all about. He also showed me the pilot after the shoot, so get ready for a comedic, sci-fi ride sometime in 2010.

It was a day for cupcake shirts and many of you asked where you could purchase my shirt after I posted the photo on Twitter. Well, it was purchased at the Union Square Christmas fair in NY by a friend of mine. She tried to track down the designer, but we were not able to find her. However, you can find similar cupcake shirts online, just google "Make cupcakes, not war". I also took a close-up photo of my crew badge. Jonathan made me an honorary crew member of Team SOLO. Let's just hope I don't get stuck in space like he did.

Be sure to check out our first episode of The Web Files Buzz here: Episode 1. It is our fastest rising show to date, so we appreciate your views and feedback. On Wednesday, we go back to our usual format with an interview with Epic Fu creators and the 2009 Streamys winners for Best Hosted Web Series, Zadi Diaz and Steve Woolf.

Red carpet photos courtesy of Bernie Su of Compulsions.

IAWTV Screening for Blue Movies and Fall of Kaden

Tuesday night, I had the opportunity to cover the screening of Fall of Kaden and Blue Movies for
Koldcast TV and The Web Files at Cinespace in Hollywood. Web series creators, Matt Doubler and Adam Leiphart for the Fall of Kaden, and Scott Brown for Blue Movies, made a wise and strategic choice to hold a "For Your Consideration" screening for the International Academy of Web Television (IAWTV). It was a terrific opportunity to get some of the members to watch their series on the big screen and, hopefully, garner a nomination or two.

Me giving the thumbs up to my cameraman before interviewing Blue Movies creator, Scott Brown.
In a field that has grown tremendously in the past 12 months, this was an excellent way to stand out in the crowd. Why not take a page from the Miramax Academy Award handbook? It worked for Shakespeare in Love at the Oscars in 1999 and I think it could work in the web series world as well. Rumors of screeners and postcards being sent to the IAWTV members abounds lately. What have you done to make your web series stand out during this crucial nomination time?

Doing my opener for The Web Files segment on the red carpet......
Inside the screening room, IAWTV members and the rest of the audience were treated to a hilarious PSA/Streamy Consideration video hosted by the busiest host in the biz, Shira Lazar: For Your Consideration. Creativity is key and we saw that in abundance on Tuesday night. Two radically different web series coming together to produce an unforgettable night. Wisely, these shows do not fall in the same categories: Blue Movies is clearly a comedic look at the porn industry and Fall of Kaden has the grittiness and edginess to fall into the dramatic category.

Interviewing the cast and creator of Blue Movies........

This year is a game-changer in web series, with the high production values of new shows like The Bannen Way to a greater emphasis on the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards, the web space continues to makes its climb to the top. We have a long way to go, but I think there is light ahead.

Mark Gantt of The Bannen Way and I talking about the upcoming award season......

Thank you to Marti Resteghini and David Samuels of Koldcast TV for giving me the opportunity to host their red carpet coverage for Fall of Kaden and Blue Movies. I will post the video here soon. Stay tuned!

Thanks to Matt Doubler and Adam Leiphart for photos 3, 4, and 5. If anyone has additional photos from the evening, I would be happy to post them here.