Online videos airing on TV

The fall's new TV season includes shows and cable specials focusing on videos that used to be Internet-only but are making their debut with television audiences.

New shows include VH1's "What Perez Sez About . . . ," a series of TV specials focusing on major pop-culture and media events, and the debut this month of The CW's "TMZ TV," a weekday syndicated 30-minute show based on the celeb-gossip Web site.

Now viewers have The CW's "Online Nation," a Sunday series that debuted this week and that features popular sites and viral videos.

The show is hosted by Internet personalities who've made videos online, including Rhett McLaughlin and Lincoln Neal and actresses Joy Leslie and Stevie Ryan.

We talked recently with Ryan, 22, who grew up in Victorville, Calif., to ask about Internet entertainment on TV.

Congrats on the premiere of "Online Nation." What did you think of the first show?

"The first show was definitely awkward for me to watch. Obviously I loved it. That's my world, that's what I do. As far as hosting, it gets better, the shows get better and the videos get better. It's funny to watch, but I'm glad the first one is over with."

So what is the appeal of Internet entertainment on TV this season and can it succeed?

"I think the appeal is giving real people the chance to showcase their talents. For young people, there's never been anything like this. There was 'America's Funniest Home Videos,' but that didn't have what we're doing.

"I mean there are 12-year-olds making their own TV shows and broadcasting on the Internet who deserve their own 15-second spot. It's a new little movement for artists. The younger generation is out there, creating their own original content, and we get to showcase what they do that usually doesn't get on TV."

So why would anyone with an Internet connection want to watch online entertainment on TV?

"My thing is I have access to the Internet and I have a TV set, but obviously it's about having it together. The Internet can only show a smaller video on screen. My computer screen is much smaller than the TV screen. I can't watch a video longer than 10 minutes, and there are still a lot of bugs and technical issues online.

"It's not like TV. It's not as clear, and there a lot of tweaks to work out. With TV, you have a big, clear picture."

What's been the weirdest or funniest clip you've seen?

"I've watched so many videos for the show and there are so many shows we shot so far, it's to the point I'm not sure what video goes on which show.

"But there is one where these guys go to a DMV in Virginia to see how many IDs they can get. They end up coming out and changing and putting on crazy costumes. They got 10 different IDs. That's what the point was, though, to see how many they could get. It's kind of scary and also amazing. It trips me out. And they record it all and got away with it and made a video for everyone to see.

"A lot of the videos we see, though, go from artsy things to pranks. There's a wide variety of clips to pick from."

Are we seeing the start of the Web and TV entertainment merging toward becoming the same thing or perhaps one day being delivered on the same device?

"It makes sense. I personally check out Perez Hilton and go there every day. It's not so much for gossip as for entertainment. There's a lot of people who are like, 'Eww. . . . Internet on TV. It's stupid and horrible.'

"But what's the problem?

"Why not Internet going to TV? I think that's great."

Watch the shows

"Online Nation" airs at 6:30 p.m. Sundays and "TMZ TV" at 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Both programs are on The CW.