INDIE SOAP BEAT: February 12, 2010

In this week's "Indie Soap Beat" feature, we take a look back at the recent signing of some indie web series by the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), Crystal Chappell directs VENICE, and we reveal the latest happenings from around the world of independent soap opera and web series production. Click the show logos to visit the official websites.

GOTHAM is now a WGAE signatory show. WGAE executive director Lowell Peterson told We Love Soaps that the writers' strike in 2007-08 was focused on web content but more for rebroadcast of television shows: "More recently we've been focusing our resources and analysis on made-for the web shows." Read our entire interview with Peterson here. GOTHAM recently reached a million page views since the show's website was launched. The show also edited the first four episodes together to make it easier for fans to catch up on the saga of Richard and Catherine. You can watch the new edit at gothamtheseries.com.

Winner for Best Indie Soap at the 1st Annual Indie Soap Awards, DIARY OF A SINGLE MOM, returned on Thursday with an all new episode. Look for Season Two to play out every Thursday through March 25. The show is directed and produced by Robert Townsend and stars Monica Calhoun, Valery Ortiz and Janice Lynde, along with Richard Roundtree and Billy Dee Williams.

ANACOSTIA is back today with a new episode! You can watch it here. The episodes starts out by the cast giving fans a "taste of DC." This is must watch! ANACOSTIA is one of the longer web shows. This episode runs over 38 minutes including the fun intro. The show takes place in DC's Anacostia community neighborhood.

ALL'S FAIRE returned on Thursday with a new episode. King Gary investigates the camp of the enemy; Sir Drederick encounters a foreign invader; the women of the faire behold Sir Robert (former GUIDING LIGHT Robert Bogue). If you haven't checked out this absurd and hilarious comedy, check it out.

THE LOUISE LOG is a comedy web series of short videos chronicling the life of a New York City wife and mother hell-bent on getting it right in spite of her high-maintenance husband, her addiction to caffeine and her over-active inner voice. The series has over 40,000 views on the internet and is rated in the top four most watched and highest rated on visioweb.tv. Episode #13 won a competition for a slot on PBS' Saturday night show Reel Shorts. You can catch up on all 16 episodes here. Mirco-Movies LLC, which produces the show, is also WGAE signatory.

THE LIKE US SHOW is a new radio soap opera that debuted on Feb. 1 on the web and on college radio stations at Albany State, Alcorn State and Bethune Cookman. New shows will air every weekday at 7 p.m. ET. Set on the campus of the fictional Atlanta University, LIKE US tells the dramatic story of the lives of the students of this Historical Black University. According to the show's press kit, LIKE US will be going into production shortly is a scripted TV pilot.

Indie Soap Award winner ANYONE BUT ME will air its next new episode of ANYONE BUT ME will air February 23. Currently running on the show's website is a video of CAPRICA star Eric Stoltz giving five reasons to watch the series. You can watch the video at anyonebutmeseries.com.

DOWNSIZED, another WGAE signatory show, is an original satirical drama web series about people who are adjusting to life during the economic crisis. Written and directed by Daryn Strauss with photography and editing by NYU Tisch graduate Chris Shimojima, the dramatic series follows the odd entanglements between several people of different backgrounds and features a cast of TV/Broadway/film vets including Chris Henry Coffey (GUIDING LIGHT), Conan McCarty, Meredith Zinner, Brian Keane (ALL MY CHILDREN), Shannon Conley, Kaipo Schwab, Sevrin Anne Mason, Duncan Murdoch, Gerard Urciuoli, as well as Daryn Strauss, Esra Gaffin, Michele Mavissakalian and Dawn Vicknair. The show returned with an all-new episode this week, "Valentine's Day," that you can watch here.

STEAMBOAT is a new web comedy series written by longtime GUIDING LIGHT star Michael O'Leary and directed by former AS THE WORLD TURNS actor Scott Bryce. O'Leary posted a message to fans on the show's Facebook page on Thursday: "It's full steam ahead! The cast and crew are very excited for you to see our new show. We hope it will make you laugh. We did all day as we shot this. It was a real homecomming to have many of the cast fron G.L. be a part this! We are close to announcing our premier episode! Thanks for your support and spread the word!"

Indie Soap Award winner VENICE, who has won the We Love Soaps "Indie Soap of the Week" poll for three weeks in a row, returns tonight with an all-new episode featuring the debut of Nadia Bjorlin. The episode, the show's ninth, was directed by creator/star Crystal Chappell. Jessica Leccia will also appear in the episode.

COMPULSIONS writer/creator Bernie Su was a guest on "The RadNerd Show" this week. Su brought a bottle of Kettle One Vodka for the show, continuing tradition that Annemarie Pazmino started on "Fan Girls Guide" by always bringing alcohol to a live show. COMPULSIONS topics included Season 2 status, Streamy possibilities, the challenges of writing dramas in short form, and the future of the web space. You can watch the episode here.

Another WGAE signatory, THEN WE GOT HELP!, was named Best Indie Web Series, Comedy at the Indie Soap Awards. The latest episode "Your Cheatin' Heart " is now playing on the show's website. While Jenny tries to convince the group that we all want our lives to turn out like our favorite childhood TV show, surprises abound. This is the show's Season One finale.

CHICK released the show's 12th episode on Monday. Fantastica makes her first appearance on the streets of Los Angeles. You can watch it here. Creator/Writer/Director/Star Kai Soremekun won for Best Directing at the recent Indie Soap Awards. Watch her brilliant acceptance speech here.

EMPIRE star Ryan Clardy (Cane) was recently interviewed by Lana M. Nieves at Superhero Lunchbox. Nieves says of the series, "The jury is still out as to whether there will be a heyday for web-based soaps. If there is, Empire is the one to watch. When it comes to character development and sowing the seeds of several inter-connected stories at once, no other web soap has been as effective as EMPIRE. It's the Little Web Soap That Could." Meanwhile, Soap Opera Weekly gave EMPIRE some coverage thanks to the addition of Tina Sloan and Orlagh Cassidy to the cast. The Indie Soap Revolution continues!

Irish soap COVIES concluded its first season last week with the final of eight episodes produced. Creator Len Collin would like to produce a second season but that will be determined by whether or not the show can obtain sponsorship. He recently told We Love Soaps, "There's more in my head, whether it makes it to the screen is another matter. We made COVIES for virtually nothing. That's how we got it looking so good. We also shot it in only three weeks, which is why on occasion the lack of budget shows."

EDITOR'S NOTE: You can find all our indie soap coverage at IndieSoapBeat.com.