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Internet Video’s First Crossover to Television?

27 Comments

that\'s it, ijustine. cover your face with the tube socks and let the breasts do the talkingWe’ve seen a spew of Internet weblebrities flounder as they tried to dive across the giant chasm between online-video and television.  But we have our money on Michael Buckley (WhattheBuckShow), whose HBO deal was confirmed by Wired and Tilzy. You know it sucks being at the center of gossip, but the last blog that gets the official story.

This was, of course, interesting for two reasons. First, we’ve grown immune to hearing YouTubers talk about a “big tv deal in development” that never seems to actualize.” Second, Buckley despite conversations with E and other networks, was quite happy sticking with his Internet thing. As noted in his comment below, Buckley will continue to do his WhattheBuck show, even if that means he outsources most of it to Mason, his abused assistant.

Here’s why if Buckley can’t do it, then aspiring television and film stars should put down their video cameras, stop surfing YouTube and get back to the headshots and waitressing:

  1. Buckley’s got talent. He writes well, and has an appealing personality. Almost every one of his videos is among the top 10 highest-rated YouTube videos of the day, and he’s shot from obscurity to a top position on YouTube in less than 6 months (even with his late arrival to the scene).
  2. His content is universal. We don’t need to know YouTube to understand his pop references. He clearly consumes more television than my children.
  3. He’s as adept at interacting with his viewers (an obsessed lot) and YouTube’s community. But he has proven experience saying “oh no you dint” to agents and the cuthroat world of big media. He’s hungry but not stupid.
  4. He’s got that “Secret,” inner confidence, “I Know Where I’m Going, Don’t You Want to Help?” vibe. A lot of YouTubers get shy or compulsive when confronted with the world of Hollywood, but Buckley will find it charming. It will get to his head, of course, but there’s enough room in there for everyone.
  5. Buckley’s faithful assistant, Mason, takes a beating and stays with him. It’s no secret that in Hollywood you need a loyal assistant who can take abuse and remain faithful and avoid tabloids. Mason’s his guy.

We’re happy for Buckley because perhaps now he can start paying me for writing his scripts. [inside joke explanation: In my lowest-rated video, I claimed to write for him. Buckley cried (Tammy Faye style), a drama ensued, and I was spanked].

Let’s celebrate the news by watching the Tubicide parody of him, or my recent video that shows what you television noobs have to look forward to whatever he’s got cookin’ with HBO. Hey- this started as a post about Buckley, and then it’s all about me. All about me. No wonder they never give me exclusives.

27 thoughts on “Internet Video’s First Crossover to Television?”

  1. Congrats Mike! but what cha gonna do wha cha gonna do at HBO?
    The Gay Sopranos?

    She said: You’re one in a million
    You’ve got to burn to shine,
    But you were born under a gay sign,
    With a chartreuse moon in your eyes.

    Actually, that would be funny, I’d watch that.

    [Don LaFontaine voice] He kills his enemies with show tunes “and a one and a two and a step shuffles step shuffle step step shimmy shimmy shimmy shimmy step turn step…. ” and when he stands on his hand, you better run, cause when the shirt falls…

  2. Hey Nalts I think your first link is wrong… it points to “paul robinett
    (renetto)” not “whatthebuckshow”

  7. A “sleuth” of internet weblebrities. Really? Really??

    Sleuth means detective or private investigator. What you want is “slew”, which means “an indeterminately great amount or number.” Also means past tense of slay, as in “one afternoon, when sukatra was in the mood for a nice snack of organ meat, she slew the postman and ate his liver with fava beans and a nice chianti.”

    No jokes about “organ meat” or I’ll come to your house and slay you too. And then eat your organs.

  8. Nobody mentions his foray onto Fox News’ “Redeye”. He was there one night. I saw him. He didn’t talk much, which was weird, but he was there.

    What about Artie Smith? He’s in the movies!

  9. Thank you Kevin!

    And I know at the end of the day, I am internet person so this is just bonus. I will always be on the internet but we will see what happens with this! This best part is it has no impact on What the Buck which continues to be my baby on You Tube.

    Thanks for your support,
    BFFS!

    Mason for Mr. Buckley

  11. I predict a guest spot on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” as a gay YouTube star that Larry David somehow offends.

  14. I’m so disappointed that you didn’t mention that the babysitterofnalts cat video got featured on cuteoverload! I was so excited to see it posted there, I LOVE cuteoverload!

  16. @14 Hanna- thanks. I was wondering how the cat got popular. I got hate mail about my abuse of babysitterofnalts’ cat this morning, and told the sender that I had eaten the kitten with fava beans.

    @2- Thanks for noticing I had that first whatthebuck link going to Renetto. It’s fixed now. To SMPFilms.

  17. Oh God help me. Michael is beating me with his cell phone again, and yelling “no more wire hangers.” I know it’s my fault, though. If I just didn’t screw up as much he wouldn’t be mad.

  22. as much as I dislike whatthebuck, I do have to congratulate Buckley. If I got HBO, I would watch his first show, just to see the difference between whatthebuck and his show.

    I’ll probably catch clips of it on the internet. piracy ftw! I mean, NO, FBI, I DID NOT JUST PUT IN “piracy ftw!” I WOULD NEVER ADVOCATE PIRACY NOR ATTEMPT PIRACY AT ALL.

  23. @7: thank you, sukatra, for picking up my slack as Spelling Nazi while I have been otherwise occupied.

    Soon the workload at work will slow down and I’ll get back to wasting my life on the Internet again.

  24. I like Buckwheat, he’s good people. Not many folks with his level of popularity manage to interact with as many of us “little people” as he seems to. (Though my money is Mason and 12 interns respond to everything, and Buck doesn’t even know what a “YouTube” is! 😀 )

  27. OK–Now everyone needs to congratulate Nalts for having a role in the upcoming HBOlabs series “Hooking Up”. He hasn’t said anything about it, but he must feel a great deal of satisfaction after all the crap he’s taken.

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