Mar 30 2009
Quirky director David Lynch has launched his own online TV channel. The programming on the David Lynch Foundation Television site is not “Twin Peaks” episodes on demand, but rather devoted to the director’s many other interests –- chief among which is Transcendental Meditation, or TM.
Lynch, a long- time practitioner of TM, created the online channel as – in his words – a "celebration of consciousness, creativity and bliss." There are videos of Lynch talking about meditation and its benefits, and also about making films, plus music performances and artist profiles.
Lynch is also posting short daily videos of himself discussing a range of topics, including the origins of the Log Lady character on “Twin Peaks.”
It’s also a good place to learn more about the foundation he established. The David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace funds classes in meditation for children, along with research in how it affects creativity, intelligence, stress, depression and other brain functions.
On Saturday, April 4, 2009, the site will host its first live Webcast from Change Begins Within, a benefit concert for the David Lynch Foundation. The sold-out concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York has a heavy-duty lineup: Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Sheryl Crow, Donovan, Eddie Vedder, Moby, Ben Harper, Paul Horn, Bettye LaVette and Jim James. The Webcast will be backstage – it’s not the live concert itself.
Lynch was one of the early adopters on Web technology. His other David Lynch site – features organic coffee and his daily L.A. weather forecast.
By the way, if you are looking for “Twin Peaks” on demand, you’ll find it at the Classics section of the CBS Web site and on Fancast.
Mar 23 2009
The new Wynton Marsalis album – “He and She” – goes on sale tomorrow. But fans can hear it right now in its entirety online at iLike.
The fans get a chance to talk back, too, by posting comments and questions at the site. Marsalis will respond personally to some of the questions.
iLike is a music discovery service that also works as a music application through social networking sites like Facebook and Bebo.
Keith Urban announced a similar deal with iLike last week. One song from his new release –“Defying Gravity” – will stream every day on iLike, leading up to the album’s March 31 release date.
Mar 22 2009
CBS is spanning the ever-narrowing gap between mainstream TV and Web TV with “Harper’s Globe.” The Web series is launching in advance of the CBS prime time TV series “Harper’s Island,” which premieres April 9. Two episodes and a trailer are already posted.
“Harper’s Globe” is a collaborative effort between, the creators of the Web series “lonelygirl 15.” and “KateModern,” and CBS Interactive.
The TV series is a thriller/mystery that revolves around a series of murders on an island off the coast of Washington. Over its 13-week run, a character getting bumped off every week. In the finale, there will be a few survivors and the killer’s identity will finally be revealed - kind of “Survivor” meets “Ten Little Indians.”
The Web series is a companion story line to the TV show. Melanie Merkosky plays a young woman who comes to the same island to digitize old newspaper files. In the process, she comes across stories about a mass murderer’s rampage, and gets caught up in it.
Both series feature overlapping characters and story lines. Other online content includes videos uploaded by the characters, blogs and a forum where viewers can join the conversation about the show. There is a section with archived newspaper articles and a guide to Harper’s Island, which is designed to build a richer context for the story’s location.
The series can be viewed on the Harper’s Globe and CBS sites, on TV. com and CBS Mobile.
Mar 17 2009
A locally produced Web series is among the nominees in the first-ever Streamy Awards. The awards are presented by the International Academy of Web Television, and honor original series produced exclusively for Web distribution.
“Captain Blasto,” which was filmed and produced here, was nominated for two awards -- cinematography and art direction.
“Captain Blasto” is a web comedy that was written, directed and edited by Christopher Preksta. It originally premiered in 2005 as an independent film, and was repackaged as an 11-episode Web series in June 2008. It follows the adventures of a high school kid who recruits his buddies to commit fake crimes so that he can emulate his childhood comic book crime-fighting hero.
Aside from the local color, it’s worth checking out for its humor and pacing.
The next Web series project from this crew is “Mercury Men” -- a modern take on the ‘30s classic serials. It stars Mark Tierno (Day of the Dead,” “Creepshow” and the to-be-released “The Road,” Curt Wootton, who was in the “Captain Blasto” series, and Amy Staggs [ “Deathproof,” NBC’s “Friday Night Lights."] It’s scheduled to premiere next summer. Look for a trailer to be posted soon.
The Streamy Awards ceremony is March 28 at 7:30 p.m., at the Wadsworth Theatre in Los Angeles, and will be streamed live.
Mar 10 2009
"Watchmen" fans can continue the adventure with a new iPhone/iPod app. “Watchmen: Justice is Coming” is a multiplayer online game that can be downloaded through the iTunes app store and played online.
Players create a character and interact in 3D environments that can accommodate up to 1,000 players at a time The game is set in 1975 New York City, with gritty street scenes straight out of “Taxi Driver.”
It comes from Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, which also produced a Batman/Dark Knight app.
Mar 09 2009
Lynn Cullen’s expatriate fans will be able to check out her new WAMO-AM (860) talk show online. Those who live beyond the reach of the WAMO signal can hear the live stream on the station’s Web site.
Cullen had been off the air for six months, when her former employer changed formats. Her new weekday show airs from 5 to 7 p.m.
Mar 08 2009
It was a long, cold winter, which may explain this statistic: In January, people spent 15 percent more time watching videos -- about six hours a month -- than they did in December, according to the latest comScore survey on online viewing habits.
The majority of U.S. Internet users -- 76.8 percent -- watches online video. They watched an average of 101 videos in January.
The leading sites: YouTube (with more than 6.4 billion videos viewed), Fox Interactive Media (552 million) and Yahool (374 million). YouTube surpassed 100 million viewers for the first time in January.
Mar 08 2009
There's an online game making the rounds called Trillion Dollar Bailout.
The player is given a trillion dollars to spend on worthwhile bailout projects, and a series of choices: Help this person save their house from foreclosure, give a billion or so to this corporation, improve the energy grid, etc.
As you play, a graph with a red or green line shows how you’re progressing.
I tried it -- twice, and saved the economy in under a few minutes both times. Hint: follow your moral compass, give out money to stop foreclosures, and stay away from the banks and the auto companies. Or as the game description says. “Punish greedy fat cats and save honest peoples! Hand out moneys to homeowners. Put the hurt on dudes in suits! Do it right and save the world!”
It’s just another little online time-waster, and it’s a game dealing with a subject that’s definitely not child's play. But it it does offer plenty of food for thought.
More than 1.1 million have played it so far.
Mar 04 2009
It’s hard to believe, but spring is on its way. That makes it a great time to get reacquainted with the city’s parks. In the spirit of the season, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has launched a revamped site devoted to Schenley, Highland, Frick and Riverview parks.
Each park has a separate section devoted to it, with information on events and activities, restoration projects, history and photo galleries.
There’s also a blog with news updates on the city’s green spaces.
Mar 03 2009
The late Paul Harvey's final broadcast has been posted online by the trade publication Radio Ink.
The popular broadcaster died Feb. 28 at the age of 90.
The audio filed was posted courtesy of ABC Radio Networks, which syndicated his show.
The network has also posted a tribute page to Harvey, with photos, a bio and comments from former President George W. Bush, Paul Harvey Jr. and ABC Radio Networks president Jim Robinson. People can also leave a message of condolence for Harvey’s family at the site.
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