Internet Phenoms Can Do No Wrong
Stephanie Elio
Issue date: 11/5/07 Section: Entertainment
These days, a ticket to Hollywood isn't the only way to gain instant celebrity.
You don't need money, or talent, or even a pretty face.
Now, all you need is an Internet connection and a dream.
Popularity on the Internet has been around for a while by now, and you'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't seen Pearl the landlord or those dancing Philippine prisoners by now.
What is fast becoming a phenomenon, however, is the recent convergence of Internet popularity into mainstream entertainment fields.
Website Television Without Pity (http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com), or TWoP, for example, is a website consisting of a staff of writers authoring recaps of television shows every week and host of a large television forum.
It has been around for years and through a few incarnations (originally Dawson's Wrap, then becoming Mighty Big TV) and while it was a popular website for those who knew of it, it existed on the Internet with only minimal acknowledgment by the mainstream (an exception is writer Aaron Sorkin, who had a not-so-great experience in the "West Wing" forum).
Earlier this year, however, it was announced that Bravo TV - owned by giant NBC Universal - had purchased the website. It had previously been run by the three people who originally founded it and had the feel of being a cult favorite. Many wondered, however, how the acquisition would change the site.
"They get what we do," TWoP co-founder Sarah Bunting told Variety.
Still, it felt like a sell-out to a lot of users. Changes are being slowly integrated into the site, and while there's no television show based on the site yet, one could imagine that it isn't far behind if Bravo brings TWoP to light.
Perez Hilton (http://www.perezhilton.com) has gained significantly more notoriety for his website and seems to be reaping the benefits of it now.
Hilton, whose real name is decidedly less snappy (Mario Lavandeira), started his blog (known then as PageSixSixSix.com) only a few years ago but quickly found fame with pop-culture fans.
You don't need money, or talent, or even a pretty face.
Now, all you need is an Internet connection and a dream.
Popularity on the Internet has been around for a while by now, and you'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't seen Pearl the landlord or those dancing Philippine prisoners by now.
What is fast becoming a phenomenon, however, is the recent convergence of Internet popularity into mainstream entertainment fields.
Website Television Without Pity (http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com), or TWoP, for example, is a website consisting of a staff of writers authoring recaps of television shows every week and host of a large television forum.
It has been around for years and through a few incarnations (originally Dawson's Wrap, then becoming Mighty Big TV) and while it was a popular website for those who knew of it, it existed on the Internet with only minimal acknowledgment by the mainstream (an exception is writer Aaron Sorkin, who had a not-so-great experience in the "West Wing" forum).
Earlier this year, however, it was announced that Bravo TV - owned by giant NBC Universal - had purchased the website. It had previously been run by the three people who originally founded it and had the feel of being a cult favorite. Many wondered, however, how the acquisition would change the site.
"They get what we do," TWoP co-founder Sarah Bunting told Variety.
Still, it felt like a sell-out to a lot of users. Changes are being slowly integrated into the site, and while there's no television show based on the site yet, one could imagine that it isn't far behind if Bravo brings TWoP to light.
Perez Hilton (http://www.perezhilton.com) has gained significantly more notoriety for his website and seems to be reaping the benefits of it now.
Hilton, whose real name is decidedly less snappy (Mario Lavandeira), started his blog (known then as PageSixSixSix.com) only a few years ago but quickly found fame with pop-culture fans.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
ZaggedEdge
posted 7/24/08 @ 2:19 PM EST
Internet Phemons should be about people who use the internet to get discovered ie: Obama Girl, not celebs whoring themselves out on gossip sites.
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