YouTube Introduces Weekly Talk Show

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If most television networks can have talk shows featuring celebrities, why not YouTube?

The “Partners Project,” which started last month, is being positioned as the talk show of YouTube, featuring contributors who have drawn online audiences of millions. Among the first guests were an aspiring actress, Justine Ezarik, who created “iJustine” to share videos about her life; and Dane Boedigheimer, who started “The Annoying Orange,” an animated series about talking fruit.

The weekly series is hosted by Shira Lazar, a longtime video blogger who contributes to CBS News. The segments run for 8 to 10 minutes each. In an interview, Ms. Lazar said the celebrity quotient on YouTube was high enough to support a stand-alone series.

“People are creating careers on YouTube,” she said in Las Vegas last week, where she was attending the Consumer Electronics Show. “This community needs someone telling their stories.”

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/youtube-introduces-weekly-talk-show/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210