The Friday Five

I've been laying low the past couple of days because I know I have a big week coming up with the Oscar Nominations on Tuesday morning. I will be wrapping up NAIAS in Detroit on Sunday and hopping a plane back to my favorite place in the world....home.  I miss LA's sunshine and warm weather, I just don't think I am cut out for winter these days.  Here's my Friday Five for you this week:

Me, Kenny Wallace, Trackside Tina, Matthew Troyer.

1.  Toyota Live:  We have a lot of guests that come through our show in different cities, but Kenny Wallace, a Toyota Racing NASCAR driver, easily was one of the nicest and most engaging guests we have ever had on our stage.  He took the time to talk with each and every fan before signing autographs and taking photos with them.  I love watching people interact with their heroes.  It's really sweet to watch.

2.  V. Mora:  I am excited to be working with Anna Livermore of V. Mora on a new custom-designed red carpet dress.  She called me the other night and asked if you could design a dress for me.  Uh, YES!!  I will keep you posted on all of the details since she will be working on it while I am in Chicago next month.  In the meantime, take a look at her designs on Etsy.

 With Rafi and Benny Fine, me, and Sandra Payne after the show.  If you aren't following The Fine Brothers on YouTube, it's time to subscribe to their videos.  They are awesome. 

 

3.  IAWTV Awards Photos/Interview:  A few more photos have trickled in and I wanted to share a couple of my favorites.  The top one is by Bernie Su and the second photo was taken by Gregory Storm.  Thank you for such wonderful photos, guys! (Especially since I took only 10 photos of the night on my iPhone.) Finally, check out the red carpet interview with Misty Kingma of Mingle Media TV.  Yep, I am on the other side of the mic.

4.  Debby Ryan:  I first met Debby Ryan back in 2008 at the Beverly Hills Chihuahua premiere when she was cast member of Suite Life On Deck.  I managed to catch back up with her at the Gracie Awards and at Radio Disney's NBT finals in 2011, so I am looking forward to talking with her about her new Disney Channel movie, Radio Rebel,  coming up on February 17th.  Debby is a great role model for tweens and my 12-year old niece loves her show, Jessie.  So, look for more Disney coverage soon.

5.  Marie Bruns Jewelry:  I will be wearing a few pieces of Marie Bruns jewelry during Oscars Week and I am really excited to showcase a few of their colorful items.  I am not sure exactly the items I will have, but I did mark these Amethyst Gem Drop earrings as one of my favorites.  Take a look at the line here.

It's Giveaway Time!

I know we just finished the Emmys Event Gift Bag yesterday, but I was lucky enough to receive two complimentary tickets to the upcoming "Enchantment Under the Web" Prom that is happening here in LA on September 22nd from 8PM-12AM.  So, two free tickets means it is GIVEAWAY time!

The prom will be hosted by Lon Harris of This Week In with live music by Shaimus and the live stream of the night will be hosted by me. (And I am hoping to get the uber-busy Judalina Neira on-camera for a few minutes to co-host with me.) No prom is complete without a Prom King/Queen and their court, so take a look at the Class of 2010 nominees:
The Ladies:
Cooper Harris
Shanrah Wakefield
iJustine
Zadi Diaz

Olga Kay            
Julia Allison

The Gents:
Mark Gantt
Benny & Rafi Fine
Maxwell Glick
Shane Dawson
Andre Blacknerd

I will have the opportunity to interview them all.  Andre has asked that I don't make him cry like Barbara Walters (or Gil Duldulao) and I know Cooper is searching all over town for the perfect dress.  It's going to be a memorable night and a charitable night because all of the proceeds from the evening benefits the LA non-profit, Our House, a grief support services organization.

Just a reminder, this event is 21+ and it is in Los Angeles.  I cannot provide transportation to Southern California for you, so remember you are on your own for transportation/accommodations, but I am happy to dance with you.  Tickets are worth $30 each, so your prize package totals $60 which leaves more money in your bank account to buy a dress!

Here's how to enter:  Tell me your favorite prom memory in the comments section below.  Comments will be open between now and Wednesday, September 15th at 11:59PM PST.  The winner will be decided by Random.org and announced here on Red Carpet Closet on Thursday, September 16th at 9:00AM PST.  The winner will be able to pick up their tickets at the door the night of the event.

Good luck and I can't wait to see all of you on September 22nd!

If you aren't feeling lucky today, you can purchase tickets to the event here.

Behind the Scenes of The Fine Brothers

I often get asked about how we arrange interviews and I will write an entry soon on how that process happens. This particular interview was probably our most unconventional. I think I received a note via our Facebook profile that said, "When is it our turn?". I didn't even know The Fine Brothers knew our show existed, so I was completely flattered to receive the note. We happened to have an open production date, so I wrote back, "How about next week?" and we were off and running. We also shot this episode in mid-November 2009, so it has been on our back burner because we had premieres or finales to coincide with on other shows. I am happy we were able to finally bring this episode to you since The Fine Brothers offered the most brutally honest take on what is happening in the web space. You have to remember that they were early adopters to the web arena even before YouTube existed. It's hard to imagine that YouTube didn't exist until February 2005. It has become a part of our daily internet landscape and The Fine Brothers have found great success on the site.

I hope you all take in the advice that Benny and Rafi are offering. It may not always apply to your show, but you can adapt it to fit your production. They were open enough to offer up some of the things they have done wrong and where they need to diversify. Listen to their words carefully, it might help you avoid some of the missteps they made on their way to success. I am also interested in watching how this all plays out for everyone in the next few years. I hope many of you can be supported solely by new media and that there is a greater understanding from the studios with how to utilize and promote internet content.

Now to some things that wound up on the cutting room floor: one more serious, and one more fun. First, I questioned them quite intensely on the issues that YouTube has with their view counter. Why does it freeze in the 300 view range? I understand that YouTube wants to make sure that they are qualified views and not some auto-generated program to bump up the hit count, but The Web Files has experienced view counts frozen for up to 3 months. You never get those views that you missed counted again. It is one of the main reasons we switched over to Blip because we are getting a more accurate read of what our views are, what everyone is enjoying, and what type of content drives them to our site. They defended YouTube and I would expect them too as their success has been driven by the YouTube viewer and as a partner, they have access to customer service representatives. This venue has worked for them, but it may not work for everyone as YouTube becomes saturated with content.

On to the fun! I wore a shirt that quotes an Oscar winning film that I received when I worked the 2007 Academy Award exhibit, Meet the Oscars. I wore it in honor of their hit, Movie Spoilers: Oscar Edition. Many of you know I am a huge Oscar geek because I used to do media work over at the Kodak Theatre, so I am a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. I thought I might try and stump them with my t-shirt. "Well, la-dee-da!" What Best Picture film is that from? The Oscar geek in me was happy to stump them. Do you know what movie it is from? First correct guess wins an NAIAS souvenir gift pack. Comment below and check out the episode if you missed it. Wednesday brings a new episode with Casey McKinnon and Rudy Jahchan of A Comicbook Orange.

2009 in Review: November

I am giving up on 5 photos. Here's 10 photos for you!

MERRIme.com shoot with Kaily Smith and David Weidoff. I will always have a kinship with Kaily since we went to the same summer camp. Yes, another musical theatre geek! Episode: MERRIme.com.

If you are following me on Twitter, you know about my obsession with Five Guys burgers. It's a tasty treat!

The Fine Brothers! This episode is coming your way in January 2010, but this was a heated interview. They are very passionate about the web space and they were excited to share their thoughts. Stay tuned......

I don't know how this snapshot came about, but it was a fun night at the Compulsions premiere! Episode: Compulsions.

My favorite snapshot of the year all thanks to Adam Bouska and the NOH8 Campaign. I can't say this enough.......Equality for ALL!

Me and Daphne Brogdon on the teeny-tiny set. I was thrilled we were able to cover a mommy vlogger for The Web Files this year. Daphne is open, honest, and her story is fascinating. Episode: Daphne Brogdon.

I love Shira and Lon. Good people and a great show, This Week in YouTube. Episode: TWIYT.

Definitely the longest title of any show we have covered, Hurtling Through Space at an Alarming Rate. Tons of great green screen shots and familiar web celebs in this episode! Episode: HTSAAAR.

The 2009-2010 Toyota Live official portrait.

My favorite picture of The Web Files crew ever! At the Compulsions premiere, all behind the scenes....

Yep, there was no way to handle this month in 5 photos. It was a great experiment that I failed in a fantastic way. One more month to go!

Behind the Scenes of Daphne Brogdon of CoolMom.com

This interview was a rather exciting one for me. First, it was inspired by some controversy after we shot the Mommy XXX episode and a particular Mommy Blogger got upset over the Crackle.com show. As a result, one of the Mommy XXX advertisers pulled out of the show due to the pressure from the article and the author's readers. It made me realize how powerful the Mommy Blogger has become in our society. Now in order for it to fit within The Web Files framework, we would need someone who videos their work versus writing about it. So, off I went, scouring the Internet for the best Mommy Vlogger out there. I looked at many sites, but no one was as funny, irreverent, or as truthful as Daphne Brogdon.

I personally was thrilled to do this interview because I used to watch Daphne when she hosted a show on FX called The X Show. Not only did I watch, but I was a paid audience member who helped fill the seats if the tickets were not sold out. It was my first job in LA when I moved here in 2000. I did it for 2 months as it helped pay the bills while I got myself settled on the West Coast. I loved the show with its hodgepodge of hosts including Gillian Barberie, Craig Jackson, Justin Walker, and Gary Valentine, who I also interviewed this summer for his web series, Dusty Peacock.. I told Daphne our connection at the beginning of the interview and I wish it had made the episode because it was a fun moment, but it wound up on the cutting room floor.

What makes Daphne truly likable as a Mommy Vlogger is that she is real. She proves that while motherhood is rewarding, it also brings its own set of challenges. It isn't a perfect world, but it can be a funny, heartbreaking, sad, and joyous world. Daphne is married to Mark Peel, the chef of the famed restaurant, Campanile and La Brea Bakery. You may think her life is charmed, but they have endured challenges like the rest of us in this economic downturn and that is what CoolMom.com brings to the table.

We shot in her home at the kids' table where everything was perfectly tiny and cute including the tea set. Since we were not allowed to wear shoes in her house, Sandra made sure I had the most colorful socks for the shoot. They are actually Easter socks with bunnies at the top, making them perfect for the episode. I truly appreciated Daphne's candidness and I think this episode fits in well with the holiday season.

Episode 24 is our last show for 2009, so I want to take the time to thank you for your views, support, feedback, and appreciation for what we are doing on The Web Files. We managed to bring you 24 episodes this year featuring the best in web series, web celebs, and new media creators. We look forward to 2010 as our show grows along with the Web TV industry. Come back and see us in January when we launch new interviews featuring The Legend of Neil, Dorm Life, The Fine Brothers, and Casey McKinnon of A Comicbook Orange. Happy Holidays!