Cosmopolite: The work of Matt Tucker

We reported on the 81st Oscars Ceremony on the Arts Channel, now we want to bring you news from a part of the entertainment world that is closer to Webjam’s heart – the web. The Internet Oscars have arrived! The Streamys is the 1st ever annual awards ceremony of online entertainment.

Co-hosted by a number of leading new media companies, The Streamy Awards recognise outstanding achievement for shows produced for the Internet. The nominations are split into 24 categories and reviewed by leaders in the field of digital entertainment, including web television and video.

One of the Streamy winners that has had mainstream media attention is ‘Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog’, written and directed by Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon. The Internet series stars Neil Patrick Harris, an actor known for his character as Doogie Howser in the 1990’s US TV series about a gifted teenage doctor.

Hosted last month in Los Angeles, the same city as the better-known Academy Awards Ceremony, these entertainment awards may one day rival the Oscars as audiences increasingly turn from the silver screen to what the world of new media has to offer in entertainment.

This article is written by Matthew Tucker and is part of the Webjam Arts Channel.

Online social networking is becoming widely recognised as the next big leap forward in charity fundrasing, with social media being cost efficient in spreading the message of a charitable cause.

The Webjam Charity Channel has a growing number of followers on Twitter; a fellow social networking platform. The biggest success story of Twitter is Barrack Obama’s presidential campaign, which raised £344million, partly through networking sites.

But online social networking does not have to be exclusive to communicating over the internet, social media can be the engine behind organising a successful charity event. Last month, around 15,000 users of Twitter took part in a global charity party night called Twestival in aid of the charity water.

Beth Kanter, a US-based technology consultant for charities, recently said in The Guardian Newspaper that charities can't afford to ignore social networking: "Social media will become as ubiquitous as the phone, direct mail and email … We're in the early stages and the transition will take years, but fundraising with social media tools will not just be a niche income source or a novelty."

This article is written by Matthew Tucker and is part of the Webjam Charity Channel.

Thanks to Webjam for including a short bio and pic of me on the Charity Channel! :

I noticed a feature on the entertainment section of the BBC website this week: “The pop mystique of Bat for Lashes”.

It's great to discover a new singer songwriter that appears to be making it mainstream, yet feels so fresh and original, whilst being reminiscent of some of my favourite other female singer songwriters; Tori Amos and Kate Bush, to name just a couple.

Natasha Khan, aka Bat for Lashes, looks a little like Lily Allen - but don’t be fooled, that is where the similarities end. Apparently, she credits David Attenborough as her inspiration and calls him “a prophet of our times”. I like her already!

I’m looking forward to hearing more of her music - I’ll be buying the album this week and hopefully review it soon.

Her new music video is below. I noticed a slight resemblance to Fleetwood Mac. What do you think?