Ypulse Teen Tube Roundup
Posted by anastasia on 11-05-2007
Lots to report on from both the TV world and online video space today. If the writers’ strike lingers, webisodic TV may thrive, which is good news for MySpace’s Quarterlife — Reel Pop gives it the thumbs up.
Yet another YouTuber is crossing over into TV land. NewTeeVee reports that skate boarder William Spencer has signed a deal with MTV to develop a skateboarding stunt series based on his clips on YouTube for MTV.
Tween phone co. kajeet jumps into the branded webisodic space launching the first in a series of online videos featuring The Dudes. And tween fans of “High School Musical” star Vanessa Hudgens will be happy to learn she will be back (with a raise) for HSM 3 in spite of her photo scandal.
According to a new study, watching violent TV affects boys more than girls (testosterone?). From MediaLife Magazine:
A new study from the Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute in the journal Pediatrics says that while there is evidence to suggest that viewing violent television in early childhood can lead to problems later in life for boys, that’s not the case for girls. The study analyzed the television and video game habits of children aged 2-5 and then observed their behavior five years later. They found that boys were far more likely to be mean to others or destructive at school, and that those who had more exposure to violent media in their toddler and preschool years were more likely still to be aggressive. The same association was missing among the girls studied.
Another study gives the thumbs up to shows like “Barney” and “Arthur” but thumbs down to “Power Rangers” and “Rugrats” for kids under 3 saying those shows can lead to substantial risk for attention problems.
Finally, a group of adults, mostly African American from an organization called Enough is Enough, have been protesting “demeaning images” on MTV and BET (New York Times, reg. required) in front of the homes of prominent Viacom execs.
P.S. Zadi and the folks at Next New Networks have relaunched JetSetShow as Epic-Fu and are now targeting 18-35 year-olds vs. teens.
Categorized under: TV
November 5th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
I’m not sure about this, but Quarterlife, being work for a struck company (Fox being the owner of Myspace)) is probably on hold?
November 5th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Hi Kristen — I’m not sure (and neither are they). From today’s L.A. Times:
Herskovitz and his longtime producing partner Ed Zwick were the creative team behind “thirtysomething” and “My So-Called Life,” as well as movies such as “The Last Samurai.” Their latest project is “Quarterlife,” an advertiser-supported, Internet-only drama about 20-ish artists that will premiere next week and unspool over the next few months with 36 eight-minute segments. (For the record, Herskovitz is older than this columnist, although that did little to salve the columnist’s wounded pride.)
“Young people do watch stuff on the Net,” Herskovitz said. “Convergence is coming. Now, whether it’s two, three, four years from now, whether it’s on a computer or a 50-inch screen — we’re not there yet. But that’s where we’re headed.”
That seems a hard point to argue. But would a strike push us closer to that moment? Doubtful.
For one thing, virtually all the made-for-Internet scripted entertainment is of notably lower quality than what you’d see on TV, even off-hours on a second-tier, basic-cable network. Network series these days typically cost about $2.5 million to produce; an Internet episode might run $35,000 or less (Herskovitz would say only that “Quarterlife” is somewhere between those two extremes.) Anybody sitting down to enjoy Internet TV — even acclaimed efforts such as “Goodnight Burbank” or “Clark and Michael” — needs to dial down their expectation level by one or two full turns of the knob.
Moreover, the most experienced writers may not be able to work at all for Internet entertainment sites during a strike. That’s because the WGA’s position on such work is murky. Guild spokesman Gregg Mitchell could not say last week whether WGA rules would permit members to work on Web-based projects during a strike, whether or not the websites belonged to the major studios. Herskovitz and other writers say it’s likely that members would have to petition the guild for waivers on a case-by-case basis.