Watch “Imaginary Bitches” in HD!

While we anticipate the launch of Season 2 of “Imaginary Bitches”… the crew at IB central want all their fans to relive Season 1, now in HD!

Episode 1 has been uploaded to Strike.TV and can be viewed by clicking on the following link: Episode 1: It’s Not Easy Making Imaginary New Friends

So what are you waiting for? You know you want to watch it and have a laugh all over again!

Imaginary Bitches on the Silver Screen?

Could it happen? Yes, it could! Andrew Miller revealed to Nelson Branco on the first annual Rock the Soaps Cruise that IB is getting the big screen treatment!

Miller told TVGuide.ca exclusively that his sensational web show, which recently won two Soap Opera Spirit Awards, will soon be hitting the big screen! “TeleFilm Canada is sponsoring and investing in the film version. We hope to shoot in Toronto,” he muses. While Imaginary shoots in Los Angeles, the proud Canadian says he’s always imagined the show’s location was Toronto.

I know I speak for many IB fans when I say Season 2 can’t come soon enough and we would love to see this in a theater near us… Just think of the IB peeps on the Red Carpet for the World Premiere, Fans of Bitches! Just. Think. About. It!

Until Season 2’s debut, remember you can catch Eden back on All My Children as Bianca Montgomery for at least a couple episodes coming up in late April. For more info, check 2 blogs down.

Thanks to Nelson Branco for breaking the news in his article on TVGuide.ca.

Vote for the IB Fan Vid of the Year

The geniuses (Andrew Miller & Co.) at IB Central have a contest going on: Vote for the IB Fan Vid of the Year. Our very own Mary Beth, with the help of video-extraordinare and clips guru Donna Pool have entered and right now are in the lead. The prize, an autographed copy of Imaginary Bitches: Season 1.

Head on over to this link: IB Fan Vid of the Year and VOTE (it ends on January 9th)!!!

And here’s Mary Beth and Donna’s video, The Many Faces of Eden:

And don’t forget, our featured suggestion for this year’s holiday gift to your friends!!

Give the gift of an Imaginary Bitch to your friends and family today! Buy the Complete First Season at Amazon. com!!

Give your friend an “Imaginary Bitch” for Christmas!

Haven’t finished your Christmas shopping yet?

Stuck on what to give your best friend, sister, cousin?

Not sure what to get them?

Well, we have the solution!! What better gift to give than Heather and Catherine!! Seriously <eats chocholate> this Christmas season, why not give them an Imaginary Bitch.  Actually, we mean the “Imaginary Bitches” DVD.

Come on, you know it’ll make a great present. The DVD has all of Season 1’s episodes in their entirety.  Treat your friends to what it’s like to have an imaginary friend. Show them the world of Eden and her crazy cohorts (real and imaginary).

And even more enticing, the DVD has cool extras, like a blooper reel and some behind the scenes interviews and episode commentaries from Eden Riegel, Andrew Miller, Sam Riegel and James Kee.

Spread the love and give your friends and family the “Imaginary Bitches” this holiday season.

On sale now at Amazon.com for the low price of 19.95!

Take the Imaginary Bitches Home With You!!

As per an e-mail from Writer/Creator/Producer – the Great Andrew Miller… Imaginary Bitches, this summer’s youtube sensation (in my opinion) will be released on DVD this November 3rd!!

Here’s the most recent message sent out by the Imaginary Bitches Newsletter:

Dear FOB,

How’s it going?  Things are good here.  Actually, they’re really good.  We’ve been extremely busy putting together a DVD for season one and we’re pretty much done and it’s pretty great.  For one thing, we’ve got all the episodes in their full widescreen glory, but what’s really amazing are the special features.  There are interviews that get extremely personal with the cast about their own dating experiences and which of them have their own imaginary friends.  There’s a blooper reel that gives a great sense of what it’s like behind the scenes on the set.  And there are episode commentaries with Eden, Andrew, writers, actors AND Catherine and Heather.  Yes, we were finally able to drag those bitches out of bed and get them into the sound booth. Their perspective on the episodes and their stories about shooting them are incredible.  It might be the first DVD in history that features imaginary actresses and we’re incredibly proud to finally break through this glass ceiling.

Check out the brand new DVD trailer for a sneak peak…
http://imaginarybitches.com/DVD.html

The DVD will be available on November 3rd…Directly from the IB website @ imaginarybitches.com.  We’re extremely excited about it and hope you like it as much as we do!

Thanks,
The Bitches

Mark your calendars!! November 3rd, Heather and Catherine will be making themselves home with you!

The Boys of Imaginary Bitches…

For those fans of Imaginary Bitches, and I know you’re out there, you know that after every show, there is a chat on the IB website or, more recently, a video chat on BlogTV. If you have had an opportunity to sit in on these video chats, you know what a riot they are. It’s a great chance to interact with Eden, Liz and Andrew and, most recently, Andrew hosting a little chat with James Kee (the remarkable and slightly creepy Dr. Kee) and Sam Riegel (the uber-funny and incredibly twisted brother of Eden) offering a Q&A session with us fans. I don’t recall a lot of questions being asked, mostly because we fans were too busy laughing to form coherent thought, let alone type out legible sentences.

If you missed the video chat, never fear, it’s available for viewing on http://www.blogtv.com.

Or, you can enjoy it here in all it’s glory!

Boys of IB – blogTV

Enjoy the sights and sounds of Andrew Miller, James Kee and Sam Riegel as they take questions from the viewing audience about the smash Internet series Imaginary Bitches… and wander off topic… frequently…

The Boys of IB

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “Boys of IB – blogTV“, posted with vodpod

Check out this quick chit-chat with Andrew and Eden

Courtesy of a poster at the BAM board, Kenzie07 found this cute video of someone interviewing Andrew Miller and Eden Riegel of “Imaginary Bitches”

Thanks Kenzie07 for finding this.

Exclusive Q&A with Eden Riegel, Part Deux

Here’s Part 2 of my exclusive Q&A with Imaginary Bitches star Eden Riegel. Eden was kind enough to answer questions about more than just her incredibly popular web series, including her time on All My Children as much-beloved, incredibly put-upon icon Bianca Montgomery, where she managed to open many narrow minds with her effective, sensitive and wonderful portrayal of daytime’s first front-burner homosexual character, things she would have changed, things she wouldn’t touch, her chemistry with Elizabeth Hendrickson, the life of BAM and her newly minted marriage to husband/writer/director Andrew Miller (or as we call him around here at SS&D… God).

I hope you enjoy.

SS&D: Now, taking a step back in time…Bianca… How different is it playing goodie two-shoes, sweet and innocent Bianca and smart-talking, not-as-crazy-as-she-seems “Eden”? How different is that mind-set?

Eden: Not that different, actually. It’s a different type of earnestness, but both ladies are incredibly earnest. In fact, the comedy comes from the fact that “Eden” is the least likely person to have such a raunchy, bitchy subconscious. So, on the surface, she and Bianca are the same. It’s just underneath that things get a bit choppier.

SS&D: Let’s face it, playing a lesbian is rife with possibilities… How did Bianca end up being so virtuous? She is quite possibly the most angelic character, well, ever. (The one night stand with Leslie caused some outrage because that just wasn’t Bianca’s style and even the refusal to talk to Maggie caused some resentment among hard-liners – and don’t get me started on the Babe forgiveness)

Eden: Yeah, I think maybe the fans were experiencing growing pains at the idea of Bianca growing up. I agree that that was completely out of character. But, as you mentioned, Bianca’s been through a lot of crapola and is decidedly NOT a saint — that’s why her struggle is so relatable. So she’s trying some new things, to see if they fit. Or she’s so sick of people letting her down that when the person she loves more than anyone on earth does it she can’t forgive her. Or the reality of her best friend letting her believe that her daughter is dead drives her bat-s***-crazy. She’s not perfect. What makes her virtuous is that she tries damn hard.

SS&D: Was it sometimes hard to play such a character, that everyone in Pine Valley thought was all sweetness and light, while you had to watch their characters gettin’ busy with each other on a daily basis?

Eden: Yeah, that sucked. But at the same time, like you mentioned in the last question, that’s just not Bianca. She would never do that. So the writers had to get creative. And because of that I had amazing, compelling stories to play.

SS&D: Bianca was frequently called the moral compass of Pine Valley. Did you ever want to see Bianca just snap and go on some kind of amoral spree that would scandalize even the most jaded citizens of Bianca’s home town? (the Bada$$ Bianca fantasy episode comes to mind) What would you have had her do to shock the good people of Pine Valley?

Eden: I’m not sure. I think it might have been a cheap thrill. At that point Pine Valley was pretty morally bereft, and they needed a compass, desperately. The fantasy episode was fun, but usually when Bianca lost control it was because something traumatic pushed her to it (remember drunk Bianca dancing on the pool table? Really badly? Like, totally embarrassing herself?) For her to lose her sense of morals she’d have to have a severe head injury. Or be an evil twin. That would be super fun! But in the end I would want Bianca back, untarnished and with her little heart pointing to true north.

SS&D: To be honest, I think that’s the only way all of Bianca’s fans would want her to be. But would you have liked to have seen more romance in Bianca’s life? Not necessarily love scenes, because, well, those can be so over-the-top on soaps, even among heterosexual couples (I’ve seen some seriously cringe-inducing scenes on ABC soaps, Ryan/Greenlee anyone?), but possibly mornings-after, cuddling, natural displays of affection?

Eden: Yeah, that would have been fun. I had one scene that I remember, waking up with Lena the morning after. I think she gave me a little peck when she said goodbye, too. That was sweet.

SS&D: It’s obvious you and Elizabeth Hendrickson are close friends and you’ve played some incredibly heavy, emotionally charged scenes opposite each other. Even though Bianca and Maggie were just as close (some would say even closer, considering their eventual relationship), did you ever find it hard to get into character? Did you ever look at a script and think, oh, there is no way we’re going to get through this scene…?

Eden: Not really. Is that weird? I have total faith in us. I think we’re awesome. There’s nothing we can’t do!

SS&D: I don’t think that’s weird, I think that shows what tremendous chemistry you have and that you trust each other completely when it comes to your work. And if you could actually bring Bianca and Maggie back to Pine Valley, how would you do it? Because, you’re right that we BAM fans are all imagining that they’re back together in Paris, raising Miranda as a family… as it should be. (and, by the way, Miranda loves hockey)

Eden: Maybe we’d come back to the town to make Miranda’s adoption legal, have Maggie get inseminated by Josh, and have a huge splashy wedding at the Valley Inn! (Or maybe something smaller and more intimate at the boathouse). By the way, Miranda’s a Leafs fan. Not a Detroit fan like her Uncle Zack and cousin Spike.

SS&D: (*blinks at the thought of Maggie being inseminated by Josh… artificially, of course*) I never would have thought of that, but I’d love the idea of Bianca getting her heart’s desire and seeing AMC tell the first same sex marriage storyline on daytime television. Although, I have a feeling Erica would take complete control of the whole thing, much to Bianca’s dismay. (um, and I’ve heard Mimo is a Rangers fan) Other than the excellent (I’m running out of adjectives to describe the show here) web series, your new life as a married woman and mom to a puppy, I’ve heard that you like to figure skate. Did you begin at an early age or is this a relatively new hobby?

Eden: I started at the age of 10, and stopped at, like, 15. So it was tough getting back to it, but it is so fun and great to challenge yourself in a new way. Like being a kid again. I haven’t made it to the rink in a while. I gotta get back to it!

SS&D: And Andrew likes to practice his hockey moves? Does he play in a league in LA? I know there were several celebrity teams out there at one time. Is he a winger or a defenseman? Are you one of those skaters that goes out to center ice and does spins and jumps while the rest of us mopes who are lucky enough to be able to go forward without doing a faceplant skate around in a big oval? (although I like to think I’m somewhat capable on the ice)

Eden: I’ve been known to show off a little. The worst is when you attempt something and people are watching and fall on your butt. Andrew doesn’t play for a league, but he grabs pick up games at a couple of rinks. He started as an adult, despite the fact that he was born and raised in Canada. Unfortunately Cam and his other friends were more skiers than hockey players (I understand it’s one or the other) so Andrew just got into it recently. He loves it.

SS&D: Skating is excellent exercise; I go weekly in the winter. Your newest family member is the adorable little puppy you adopted. Have you taught Riley to do any tricks? Does he rule the house yet? The most telling question, actually, would be: Where does he sleep? On your bed with you or relegated to a bed of his own?

Eden: Bed of his own, I’m afraid. I so wish we could cuddle with him at night (he is VERY cuddly and loving) but once you let ’em in it’s sort of the end of the honeymoon period, if you know what I mean. Riley sits, downs, heels and comes… sometimes. When he feels like it. We’re working on it.

SS&D: I feel like I must ask you at least one James Lipton question and I’ve previously asked you what your favorite curse word is (same as mine, by the way, nice choice), so… If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Eden: Ya done good.

SS&D: Eden, it’s obvious you married a keeper… Does he have any brothers?

Eden: Sadly no… but he’s got a couple of hot sisters!

SS&D: Thank you, again, Eden for taking the time to answer these questions. You know we wish you continued success with Imaginary Bitches and all your future endeavors. And congratulations again to both of you on your marriage, your new family and all your cinematic achievements.

Eden: It is truly my pleasure. I can’t thank you (and Tracy) enough for your support, enthusiasm, and general happiness-making! You are amazing. I thank my lucky stars every day that I thought your eyebrows were Michael Knight’s, and was dumb enough to say it out loud. Andrew and I look forward to your comments every week. Because you just get it, Lady! Thank you so much. And keep in touch.

SS&D: Well, I do what I can. And I think the tables just turned and now I will never live that down… Well played.

There are 4 new episodes left to season one of Imaginary Bitches, airing every Friday at 11:00 pm Eastern, 10:00 pm Central, 8:00 pm Pacific time. You can catch the new episodes of Imaginary Bitches at http://www.youtube.com/user/ImaginaryBitches. Or you can visit the IB website at http://www.imaginarybitches.com/Home.html.

And you can shop for fashionable IB apparel at http://www.cafepress.com/imaginaryshop.

Check out IB Message Board at http://imaginarybitches.yuku.com/.

Exclusive Q&A Interview With Eden Riegel, part 1

Her name is Eden Riegel. If you’ve ever watched soap operas, you know who she is. She’s an Emmy winner, a daytime television icon and the star of an immensely popular web series with the racy title Imaginary Bitches, created for her by her writer/director husband, Andrew Miller (he’s Canadian!). She’s beloved by many, a symbol and heroine to many more and the complete antithesis of a Hollywood starlet (and, yes, I know what “antithesis” means). The mere fact that she so graciously agreed to answer these questions, despite my complete and utter lack of any journalistic ability, proves this fact. She’s smart, she’s funny, she’s rather irreverent, she’s generous, she’s talented and she’s got a wicked sense of humor.

And because she was so gracious in answering what I did not realize was probably too many questions, I’ve split this Q&A into two parts. Look for Part 2, featuring questions about her ground-breaking and iconic role as Bianca Montgomery on All My Children and being a newlywed, to be posted soon.

Again, I can’t thank Eden and Andrew enough for agreeing to answer these questions and taking the time out of what is undoubtedly a very busy schedule to do so.

SS&D: Let’s start with Imaginary Bitches. Have you finished filming for the season? What can we expect from “Eden” and her friends in the coming weeks, both real and imaginary?

Eden: We have finished filming for the season and there is lots of fun in store, I promise! But I don’t want to give anything away because, well, the episodes are like a minute.. If I give away a few surprises it’s like giving away the whole show! I will say that the two-episode season finale is awesome. And the imaginaries begin to bring to the surface parts of Eden’s personality that she didn’t know were there and, frankly, doesn’t want to deal with. I wonder what will happen?!

SS&D: I think it’s safe to say we’re all very excited to find out. Will we ever see the physical embodiment of Catherine or Heather? While I love the idea of never seeing them and watching you interact with very imaginary characters, who do you think would be the perfect actors to play them?

Eden: I don’t know if we’ll ever see them… ask Andrew, he’s the mastermind. I do know that he was very adamant that we shouldn’t see them for at least the first little while. That’s where all the comedy comes from. I’m thrilled, because I get to say three times as much as I would if Catherine and Heather were real actresses, and I get all the good lines! Lines I would never get to say usually because I always play such a sweetie-pie. Here I get to unleash my inner bitch. And it feels good. Also, I like the fact that I get to picture them however I want. I am influenced by the logo, of course…. but I think the perfect actresses would be Frankensteins. You’d have to combine the looks of one with the incredible bitchiness of another with the shallowness of another with the sluttiness of another. It gets messy and bloody. And I don’t think anyone would want them to actually exist! Shudder!

SS&D: Shudder, indeed! Now, I have to ask how much of Catherine and Heather is actually your own subconscious. I mean, have you ever seriously (eats chocolate) thought the things that Catherine and Heather have “said” in real life and wish that you could have actually said them out loud?

Eden: Yeah, I think of them… just a few minutes to late! Seriously (eats chocolate) I really wish I could come up with this stuff. Andrew’s brain just works on a whole different plane. A seriously (eats chocolate) bitchy plane. Wait a minute! I never really thought about this… I wonder if they are reflections of Andrew’s subconscious! Maybe he’s not Mr. Perfect after all!

SS&D: Or have you… actually said them?

Eden: Golly, no. Although I must say, because of Andrew’s influence, or Catherine and Heather’s, or maybe just because I’m growing up, I am absolutely getting more in touch with my “inner-bitch” every day. And I freaking love it! I think for so long I haven’t known anything, not even what my own opinions are. It feels so freeing to start to figure it out, to be able to trust my instincts and not blame myself. Maybe it’s because women are taught to be nice and not say or think mean things that I have traditionally stuffed down any unpleasant thoughts. But not anymore, baby!! Stand back!

SS&D: Everyone look out for uncensored Eden in the future, then. That should be interesting and a lot of fun! Now, “Eden” is such a departure from Bianca, and it’s obvious you’re having a great deal of fun playing her. Is there something you’d really like to see “Eden” do that would completely shatter the good-girl image that portraying Bianca created once and for all?

Eden: I’m not entirely comfortable with idea of “shattering” the image that made people like me so much. I haven’t gone all the way over to the dark side. I still want (read: need) people to like me… like any actor does, I guess. Please like me…

SS&D: I don’t think there’s any question that we do like you. You make it hard not to! So, do you think “Eden” will ever find that one person who puts her back into the group with her “real” friends? Or is she destined to always be on the outside looking in? Or does she prefer to be on the outside looking in? Do you think she’s actually okay with not being a “relationship Pod-Person” and that’s some relief Catherine and Heather afford her?

Eden: Well, that’s a really fascinating question. I think the girls, for all their bitchiness and STDs, are actually a really positive influence on “Eden.” She may well someday find someone to love and love her back, but when she does she will no longer need that person to complete her. And she won’t be with them only to fit in and have something to talk about with her “pod-person” friends, or because she needs someone to tell her she’s pretty, but because she loves herself and therefore has real love to give. Of course, Catherine and Heather don’t think that’s possible. They think men are just for sex and entertainment. Use one and move on! But they are not totally without feeling. They love their girlfriends and think you should be 100% loyal to them. Even if it means shattering their fantasies and telling them things they don’t want to hear.

SS&D: So, If “Eden” were to find someone and begin a relationship, do you think the “girls” will actually go away, or will they find fault with the man in her life, rather than just being snarky to “Eden’s” real friends? I think they’d find a reason to torpedo the relationship, especially if “Eden” isn’t really sure about the guy.

Eden: The girls will only go away when Eden doesn’t need them anymore. I don’t really want to think about it because it makes me cry. I’ve grown very attached to those bitches.

SS&D: I think we all have. And it’s obvious that this is “Eden’s” subconscious talking when she attributes something to the “bitches” (and it’s also become quite apparent that “Eden” is the only sane one in her circle of friends) and that she’s using Catherine and Heather to say things she never would have said before, including taking shots at everyone’s significant others (like saying that Catherine called the boyfriend’s “losers”). Do you think “Eden” will ever get to the point where she starts speaking so frankly and doesn’t blame Catherine or Heather? That what she blurts out is actually her OWN opinion? It’s apparent that she has a wicked sense of humor.

Eden: Somewhere in there she certainly does have a wicked, like, truly wicked in the old sense of the word, sense of humor. I already think that there have been a few instances of Eden using the bitches to say what she really feels. It’s a convenient way out. Her neuroses seem to give her something of a free pass. There will be a tension between Eden and the IBs. I think they will get very close, and start having a blast with one another, and then Eden will pull away if she feels herself getting to far from the sweet girl she sees herself as (and, essentially is, I think — if maybe a little nutty). It is a very tough transition from sweet girl who lets everyone walk all over her, to confident, secure woman. I am sure there will be plenty of growing pains.

SS&D: Is “Eden” at all concerned about Brooke seeing Dr. Kee?

Eden: She sure is! What a quack! We will touch on that in Episode 11.

SS&D: Do you ever look at the writer/director of Imaginary Bitches and say, “This is crap, I can’t do this.”

Eden: Naw, I look at him and say “Coochie, coochie, coo!” and he says “Not on set, baby!”

SS&D: (laughs) What about, “What’s my motivation?”

Eden: Well, yes on that one. I am a big pain in the ass. I like talking about the character’s motivation for EVERYTHING.

SS&D: Okay, how about, “I’ll do the damn scene as soon as I stop laughing!”

Eden: That’s a huge problem on set. Fortunately in most scenes it’s okay to laugh. It’s real. It’s only when I am repeating something really scandalous that Catherine or Heather said that I have to practice it in the mirror like a hundred times so I can try to say it with an angry look on my face and not tear up laughing. Sometimes they are so funny I could die laughing. There’s a line in Episode 9 (coming up this Friday) [ed.: this eppy actually aired last Friday] that I literally couldn’t get through in any rehearsal. Fortunately I was able to say it once, on shooting day.

SS&D: Hmm, now I’ve got to re-watch the episode and try to figure out which line it was, even though I think I have a good idea of what it was! But your facial expressions are probably some the more brilliant moments on Imaginary Bitches. The eye-rolls, the looks of exasperation, the WTF? moment that was absolutely priceless in episode one. Does this come naturally for you? Or do you practice looking in a mirror until the look is just right? Are you rolling your eyes at me right now?

Eden: I definitely do not need to practice the eye roll. I’ve been doing that my whole life. It’s weird, right? I actually ROLL my eyes! I thought that was just an expression!

SS&D: Well, many times, those eye rolls make the scene without you having to speak a word of dialogue (and I love eye-rolls, they really say so much). Although, Andrew has written some fantastically hilarious stuff, your brother has added some brilliantly hysterical and… icky… stuff. You’ve populated the show with good friends, the crew is family. This is a real labor of love, isn’t it?

Eden: That’s right. That’s why we love it so much. Usually in this business you have to be a big shot before they let you surround yourself with and work with people you really like. But because we’re on the interweb, we can make our own rules. And rule number one is it has to be fun.

SS&D: Would you like to see IB picked up by a network? Do you think it would work as a 30-minute sit-com? Would you even want to be boxed in by the conventionality of network television or is the Internet doing the right job for you?

Eden: I’m not sure how it would translate to the boob tube. I think maybe we would need real bitches (with real boobs). Not sure how this imaginary thing would go over. Man, I’d sure like the opportunity to give it a whirl, though. I know it would work great on the silver screen!

SS&D: I think it would be perfect as a feature length film. Are you hiring? (*ahem* blink *cough*) So… um… How overwhelmed are you by the response? You’re coming up on 4.5 million views on YouTube, not counting the views generated by your MySpace page, fans embedding the clip into their own pages and the IB website. Did you ever think it would actually get this big or is this bigger than your wildest dreams? I think it’s a massive success…

Eden: It’s amazing. We just got featured on the front page of YouTube and got half a million hits over night! That was super fun. It’s amazing to get emails and posts everyday with new people discovering the show and loving it. It means everything to us. This show is a huge part of our life right now. We’re proud of it and all we want is for people to see it.

SS&D: The numbers are proving they are, which is absolutely fantastic. Those numbers are growing with every episode that’s uploaded and your many fans anxiously await every Friday night for the next installment. Not to mention the chats after each new episode, where you graciously give your time to interact with your fans (and have endure the occasional obnoxious idiot). I think this is one of those reasons you’ll never have to worry if your fans like you or not, you make it impossible for us not to.

Check back later this week for the second part of my Q&A with Eden where she answers more of my interminable questions about Bianca, BAM, her new puppy Riley and life with Andrew with her usual grace and dignity…

Click here to visit the Official Imaginary Bitches website: http://www.imaginarybitches.com/Home.html

You can also watch every IB episode and subscribe to the IB channel at YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/user/ImaginaryBitches

And you can check out the Official Bitches MySpace page by clicking here: http://www.myspace.com/imaginarybitches Be their friend!!