Why We Love The Web Celebs

Turns out, in Hollywood being online is the new black.  And a celebrity without a web project  is sooo 2003.  So two days ago while I leisurely watched the (genuinely entertaining) CMT Music Awards in my Los Angeles living room, there was quite a gathering of stars in New York City  at what’s called “The Digital Content New Front”, hosted by Digitas. (A mouthful, to be sure, but when you see who’s involved and what they’re doing, I think you’ll agree it’s kind of a tasty mouthful).  So what’s it all mean? In plain English, basically, celebrities are getting seriously involved with web entertainment;  they’re making films and webisodes, providing us with new and very funny stuff we can access in ways we might not have dreamt possible even two or three years ago. Someone like Ashton Kutcher – who you chose as People’s Choice/Wonderwall Favorite Web Celeb last year – has been doing this for quite some time now.  (Plus, he did wear a snappy bowtie to the PCAs which made him doubly appealing, but maybe that’s just me). So anyway, they had this big wingding in the Big Apple to celebrate some of the players and to talk about our brave new digital world. (The really good news? It’s all becoming easier and easier to navigate – and we’re about to see some of the internet’s cooler offerings). And who showed up at this fabulous fete? Well among others, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Amy Brenneman,  Seth Green, Teri Hatcher and Lisa Kudrow. These are just a few of the actors who want to take entertainment to the next level.  And why not? They’re smart, they’re funny – and they know a cool new thing when they see one (that’s it: I’m officially on board). We spoke to Jason Bateman, who in addition to being one of the more charming, funny and talented guys in Hollywood, is pretty gung-ho about all this stuff – see our interview below. He’s teamed up with Will Arnett and they’re making short films for the internet, which I guarantee you’ll want to check out.  How can those two not create something funny – in any format? Teri Hatcher’s also doing some amazing things with her new website “GetHatched.com” –  more on that later, too. And be sure to check out all the great stuff we’re doing with Wonderwall to cover Web Celebs each month. The point is, there are already a ton of people in Hollywood who know that this is where entertainment is headed, and in the coming months we’ll be bringing  you up to speed on the latest web happenings. We’ll also show you some of the new projects already underway  — right here on this site. (Plus of course we’ll be asking you all about your Favorite Web Celeb for next year’s PCAs). Essentially, today I just wanted to alert you to some of this stuff, so that in two years when your next door neighbor asks if you’ve seen this webisode or they wonder if you know about that celeb’s latest digital venture, you can look them in the eye and actually yawn because you knew about it ages ago. In fact, you’re probably already aware of a lot of what Hollywood’s creating webwise; so now, let’s take your pulse on that. Voice your choice in today’s featured poll and tell us which of these celebrity online projects you’re most excited about:

1)    Web Therapy (L. Kudrow)

2)    GetHatched (T. Hatcher)

3)    Goop (G. Paltrow)