As the Web turns: Streaming video saga premieres

From...

by James A. Martin

(IDG) -- Why is Marcello trying to kill Destiny? Why is Brady so cynical? And what's with that golf club?

Billed as the first streaming-video soap opera on the Web, 4O'Clock 4Play premiered this month, with new one-minute episodes appearing online every weekday at 4 p.m. Eastern Time.

The program, appearing on the 4Anything Network, is designed to provide a short burst of entertainment for deskbound soap fans. 4O'Clock 4Play follows the lives of four beautiful young characters in Harbour's Edge, a picturesque village on the Long Island Sound.

Because the show is produced on a short lead time, the producers promise 4O'Clock 4Play will have "more up-to-date news and content...relevant to viewers' lives."

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And because it's the Web, you can easily catch up on episodes when you miss a Webcast. You need to install Windows Media Player 6.4 to see the streaming action, or you can just read the script. And once you get hooked, you can check out the discussion groups and the actors' bios. This cast is flesh and blood, unlike some of the other animated sagas online. Judging from the first few episodes, 4O'Clock 4Play is indeed current. The second episode, for example, refers to the summer hit Survivor. As for relevancy, forget about it--unless you consider the rambling discourse of a millionaire's son relevant to your life.

4O'Clock 4Play is unabashedly hip and fairly amusing. The first episode, introducing local vixen Destiny Blair, is a hoot. In her monologue, Destiny says she exacted revenge on unfaithful boyfriend Marcello by spelling out the word jerk on his forehead with self-tanning lotion. When Marcello realizes what Destiny has done, he threatens to kill her. "Well, Marcello...if you want to kill me, take a number," Destiny shrugs.

Despite flashy MTV-style editing, the second episode, also a monologue, falls flat. Brady Hadley, the cynical rich kid, swings a golf club around and rambles about how Survivor mirrors real life. He says and does nothing to arouse interest in his character.

If you plan to tune in, be prepared for in-your-face product placement. The necklace Destiny wears and the golf club Brady swings are both hawked shamelessly. In fact, there seems to be no other reason for the golf club other than to sell it.

Will 4O'Clock 4Play revolutionize soap operas? Will Destiny seek revenge next with a bottle of Miss Clairol? Will Brady be voted off the island? (Oops, wrong soap.) As they say in daytime television, stay tuned.

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