Webisode Clack – Yeah, lesbians like Buffy. Alert the media.

This week in webisode clack: lesbians and softball. And I don’t mean to imply anything by mixing those two together. It just happens that the lion’s share of my web video week was taken up by those two subjects.

First, we have the hilarious new show, Seeking Simone, which charts one woman’s path into the online dating world. As they put it, “Online dating has never been so gay.”  Then we’ll get into another of the benefits of  intervision — an outlet for sports that just can’t get traction on TV. And we’ll finish it all off with ESPN’s Jim Caple getting his pants pulled down in public as he gets struck out by a girl. Surely, that’s enough to get you to click through to the rest of the post. If not… what if I told you that fully 63% of this post is Canadian? Canadian!

I kid, a little bit, about the Canadian angle to this week’s post, but just a little. I have a longstanding fascination with our neighbors to the north, so I automatically give anything a couple bonus points just for being Canadian. (Like this swell Canadian web comic!).  It’s with that in mind that we begin this week, looking at Seeking Simone.

Now, you might be thinking, “Wait, I’m not gay, or a lesbian, dating online, or even Canadian! Why would I watch this show?” The short answer? Because it’s just so damn funny. The longer one? While Simone is a lesbian jumping into the online dating pool, her fears, anxieties, and stories of social interaction gone terribly, terribly, wrong, are things that will ring true with many of us. And, if that’s not enough, there’s been talk about Renee (Simone) making out with a lot of hot chicks. So, it has that going for it, which is nice.

To bring everyone up to speed, the show follows Simone (Renee Olbert), in Toronto, as she takes her first steps in the online dating world with the help of her friend, Audrey (Anna Chatterton), in Vancouver. You see, Simone moved to Toronto to work on the TV show, CSIS:  ForensicSWAT, or, as Audrey terms it, CSI: Shortbus. Really though, the thing that prompted me to make Seeking Simone the feature of this week’s post was the writing of Rosemary Rowe.

Not knowing what to expect when I hit play on the first episode, I was pleasantly surprised as my little gedit window quickly filled up with quotes and notes. Things like the line from the post title, which comes about as it’s revealed that Simone’s bedroom features a Whedon shrine. You’ll also find Audrey defending online dating with this gem, “What’s so great about meeting in real life anyway? That’s how Ava Braun met Hitler, and look how that turned out.”  Then further rationalizing the whole thing with, “Sure, you might meet some psychos. But at least they’ll be single, lesbian, psychos.” And this great exchange as they fill out Simone’s online dating profile:

“Last book you read?”

“Oh, I should say something really deep, huh?”

“Do you want to date someone who talks about really deep books?”

“No….”

It’s all very fun, and very well put together. Along with the witty lines, you get some fantastic touches. Like the way Simone pauses to fix her hair and adjust her boobs before opening the first email response to her ad. Or the looks of disbelief as Audrey hears a recap of how Simone’s big first date went.

I really dig everything about this show and am anxiously awaiting more episodes. I would also recommend a stop by the show’s blog. That same spirit is captured in the entries there, as well.  And finally, one more huge bonus. Simone’s crazy ex is played by Zoie Palmer. She was Patsy on Instant Star! See? CANADIAN!! OK, I’ll stop with the Canada now, or it’s all going to go sideways and we’ll start talking about curling and Catriona Le May Doan. Here’s the first episode. I hope you like it!

Now, about that softball. As I’ve mentioned before, I was glued to the Women’s College World Series. And really, if push comes to shove, I can make a pretty good case that it was the best sporting event I’ve ever seen. Yes, even better than the Canadian women winning the curling gold in Nagano (I really like Canada). As an afterthought to the World Series, my Google alerts have been going crazy with updates about the various teams and goings on with all the players. Somewhere in that quagmire of fastpitch news, I discovered that MLB.com is streaming National Pro Fastpitch games.

I realize, fastpitch isn’t for everyone. Although, how anyone could not be interested in the possibility of seeing Cat Osterman square off against Jennie Finch is beyond me. Still, be that as it may, I think it’s important because it does provide an outlet for sports like this that just don’t make the cut to get on our TVs with any sort of regularity. It’s something that just a few years ago wasn’t even a possibility. Hit that link if you’re curious. The Chicago Bandits and Philadelphia Force are playing tonight and tomorrow.

Finally, even if you’re not into fastpitch, I have two videos that are surely worth your time. First up, ESPN’s Jim Caple took part in a media day where members of the press got the chance to face the University of Washington’s Danielle Lawrie (Also, totally a Canadian!). To call the results disastrous would be kind. In Caple’s defense, Lawrie is the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year, and a finalist for the Honda award, which goes to the women’s collegiate athlete of the year. Still, yikes!

(The video was supposed to be embedded here, but something has gone horribly wrong. You’ll have to click away and watch it on the ESPN site. It’s totally worth the trip.)

And, to wrap it all up, the cutest thing you will see all day. Meet Bailey Serda, the number one Florida Gator fan. She’s six, and awesome.

Being from Florida, I’m guessing Bailey isn’t Canadian, but from the looks of that video, she could be. She hits from both sides! At six! Rich will be back next week (editor’s note: with something much less Canadian).

Clacked by Brett Love
on Jun 18, 2009 @ 11:00 EST5EDT