Joseph Gordon-Levitt is bringing HitRECord to TV and quite frankly I am sweating in anticipation.
Now if you’ve never heard of HitRECord, don’t fret, however if you don’t know who Joseph Gordon-Levitt is then I have no idea what to do with you. JGL, as he’s fondly known by fans, has been charming the pants off audiences for almost 20 years. Fortunately his sensible parents raised him to smile cordially at the persistent limelight but not make a mockery of it. Unlike a lot of other child stars he always stayed grounded and inspired by the world around him.
In 2004 JGL and his brother Dan drummed up the HitRECord website to share videos of cool shit but quickly the brothers realized how awesome it would be to get other creative minds involved. And by “involved” they didn’t mean a flurry of comments and feedback. They wanted everyone to join in. Videos were to be uploaded by one person and edited by another. Instrumental songs could be uploaded and someone could add lyrics and yet ANOTHER person could sing those lyrics. The artistic possibilities were endless.
In between filming movies where he played increasingly attractive men JGL took HitRECord from a fun side project to his true passion. Live shows and charity events helped bring artists out from behind their computer screens and onto stages. Could you imagine being someone who didn’t know what to do with your unfinished music to meeting someone online who totally knew what was missing to then perfoming it in front of an audience? With a noteable actor standing behind you, cheering you on with the most adorablly excited grin plastered on his face no less? It’s really no wonder why JGL loves giving people this kind of opportunity.
Yesterday JGL let loose a trailer for his newest pride and joy, the variety show version of his baby titled HitRECord on TV. A throwback to the days when shows didn’t feature 42 minutes of a brooding anti-hero with questionable morals but fantastic abs or 22 minutes of a loveablely dim-witted dad who just can’t help but embarass his kids even though he means well. According to the trailer the show will be full of sketches and musical performances and animation shorts and tons of other incredible collaborations that should keep all you creative types plenty interested.
Now some might shrug it off because it will be airing on the new Pivot network but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. First of all, the whole point behind HitRECord is to put your work out there and coproduce with like-minded people and not to get weighed down by mainstream audiences who just don’t get it. Let’s be honest here, if this show was on NBC it would last less than a handful of episodes. It would make Blair Underwood’s Ironside look a success.
Just like on the website, these artists and the people who want to support them are finding their own niche in an ocean of channels. Hidden behind the Kardashians and Duck Dynasties and American Horror Stories is a budding community that doesn’t mind taking refuge in their own corner of the world. While I usually use this article to highlight a show that goes unnoticed by geek-centric websites this time I really wanted to promote something genuinely innovative and underappreciated.
Even if you have no intention to submit something to the website I think this show will be an awesome source of stimulating entertainment. It’s put together by regular people like you and I who love to make things. If this doesn’t sound like something that you’d want to watch you should still talk about it because it’s encouraging a movement that can’t be stopped. Or at least you can reblog, retweet, and share images of JGL lookin’ fine as hell because that image might not be able to cure cancer yet but it’s probably the next best thing.
