MTV to launch new 'Laguna Beach' Web site
On Wednesday, MTV plans to introduce Virtual Laguna Beach, an Internet service in which fans of "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County" can participate in scenes based on the reality TV show. Through digital, three-dimensional characters called avatars, fans can go shopping, attend parties, chat with friends and hang out at the beach.

"You can not only watch TV, but now you can actually live it," Van Toffler, president of the MTV Networks Music, Film and Logo Group, said to the New York Times. The service will be free, but for a gold membership of $4.99 a month, visitors will later get the chance to buy a virtual car and a virtual house.

Virtual Laguna Beach is the first of three online "worlds" that MTV is rolling out over the next year as part of an effort to attract those who patronize sites such as MySpace.com and YouTube.com. For details, visit www.vlb.mtv.com.

posted by Lysandra @ 10:17 PM