For the internet addicted, music attuned, multi-tasking generation, an exciting new web series has been released by the WB. On March 17, “Rockville, CA” kicked off its first season of webisodes on theWB.com.

Starring Andrew J. West (“Privileged”, “Greek”) and Alexandra Chando (“As the World Turns”), “Rockville, CA” follows the ever-changing beat of the Los Angeles music scene from inside a local club. Creator/executive producer Josh Schwartz’s impressive resume includes “Gossip Girl”, “Chuck,” and “The O.C.,” so it comes as no surprise that his creative switch cannot be easily turned off. Schwartz took the unique approach of featuring hand-picked, real bands in every episode alongside the scripted cast. Each 5-6 minute episode of “Rockville, CA” features a new band. With 20 total episodes, 20 bands respectively get invaluable exposure while being a pawn in the trendy plotline.

Andrew J. West plays Hunter, the 20-something resident music nerd at Club Rockville. This may sound a little like the character of Seth Cohen on “The O.C.,” however, according to West “‘Rockville, CA’ differs from Schwartz’s other works (“The O.C.,” “Gossip Girl”) in that it is “edgier and more comedic based, the show is for the college music lover, and it’s made relatable by adding a young plotline.”

Hunter’s character, a former columnist at Brown, patrols the music scene at Club Rockville. “Hunter is enamored with music and has the slightest little bit of nerdy aspect to him. Most of that comes out when he spouts out monologues about different albums and artists- music is his obsession” West said. For West, getting into the character of a music “geek” (unfair term) proved to come naturally. Of his personal favorite band featured, West said:

“The White Lies were fantastic- I love music and it’s easy for me to tap into that passion about certain band, I definitely had an understanding going into the character of Hunter.”

Alexander Chando (“As the World Turns”) plays Deb, the driven talent scout who enters Club Rockville with a history of experience in the music business. Hunter and Deb’s relationship gets off to a rough start as he is intimidated and annoyed by Deb’s presence. While it may seem that their relationship was doomed from the get-go, throughout the season a romance develops between the two music fiends. “I met her briefly at an audition for a project but I didn’t really meet her until the day we started filming. Working that day was really easy and comfortable,” West said of his experience filming alongside Chando.

Los Angeles sets the perfect scene for the blooming romance and hipster music environment in Club Rockville. “There’s a certain vibe that LA has, it’s really unique, there’s a certain type of band that is attracted to the LA music scene” West said. The actors of “Rockville, CA” not only endured chaotic filming schedules, but also survived an on-set food recall scare.

“We had a recall on a food item that was on the Kraft service table with the peanut butter crackers and two months later we got a call with warning not to eat them… aside from the PB cracker-attack scare, one day we showed up and they set off a roach bomb and shooting got cancelled,” West said, recalling the random occurrences during production.

The brief format of Schwartz’s 5-6 minute web episodes is a deviation from the norm in TV dramas. Perhaps it shows an adaption to the age of information technology where time is of the essence and all is available at the click of a touch pad. “Rockville, CA” is “definitely for anyone who enjoys good music and a good storyline…when I look at the series as a whole it almost feels like a cool little indie music movie” West said.

Interested? Check out “Rockville, CA” on theWB.com.

There is a saying that the artist’s best work can only come from their suffering. Edvard Munch, perpetually embittered by tragedy - poor health, his mother and sister’s death to Tuberculosis and acerbic criticism for his mature break from the Impressionistic styles - translated visions into controversial masterpieces. He is now posthumously honored by a new collection housed in The Art Institute of Chicago until April 26.

The museum carefully takes the approach of Munch, victim of mental illnesses, often comparing renowned but humdrum artists (cough van Gogh) of the Impressionistic and Neo Impressionistic era with Munch’s brilliant impression on the same motifs, as a supplement to masterpieces.

Upon entering the first of 14 galleries, the Munch exhibitioner is greeted by a melodramatic self-portrait of Munch clad in black mourning bourgeoisie attire and a lit cigarette toted between his left index and middle finger. In a society of first impressions, a clean cut Munch alone would have left a venerable impression, but Munch’s reputation doesn’t fail to disappoint with a characteristic, dark undertone hinted by the lighting of his face and left hand while essentially masking the rest of his body behind darkness. Welcome to, “Becoming Edvard Munch” - dark, dreary yet delectable.

The exhibition of Munch’s ambitious vision focused on turbulent and sexual symbolism, “Unfortunate Life,” serenely hangs on white multi-million dollar walls adjacent to complimentary fiberglass tags describing respective paintings. Here, you may forget that Munch was plagued with anxiety and depression with many of his greatest works stemmed from such, as the presentation of these pieces like the, “Madonna,” untouchable and scrutinized from a distance, is immortalized. To complete this morose yet prim ambiance, it fleetingly invokes an urge to nail Munch’s bust onto these walls.

The warm earthen tones, blacks and virgin whites in drawn out brush strokes transfer the artist’s emotion onto canvas, intending to elicit overwhelming emotion rather than visual satisfaction.

“Madonna,” is dimly portrayed with black clashing with an ominous yellowed white, filling in the nude but skeletal facade of a sexually posed female - she leans back, eternally frozen and peaked in a state of sexual ecstasy, eliciting responses by men from afar, until those that are lured get a closer view of an impure and unattractive female enveloped by a frame of undulating sperm cells. Munch soils the sacred Madonna motif, combining his promiscuous edit with the traditional depiction of a white hued virgin.

With Munch’s life published on these walls, his works are once again public for potential critique. How would you like to have a medium of your memory about a deceased sister be barraged by disparagement? If I had one piece of advice for attending this exhibition, do as the children do. Be na�ve and take this Munch exhibition objectively or simply accept his genius and compliment him all the way through. I think he’d like that.

“Becoming Edvard Munch” is open until April 26th at the Art Institute of Chicago. Tickets are required and may be purchased online at artinstituteofchicago.org or at the location.