It all started with niche bands on MySpace. In "The Hit Factory" (November 2005), contributing editor Jeff Howe predicted: "Today the record business, tomorrow the rest of the entertainment industry." True. Nowadays, all kinds of acts are riding the Net to stardom — like these three Web celebs.
Anjelah Johnson's impersonation of her manicurist hit the Net in early 2007. By summer (millions of streams later) MADtv had invited her to join its cast.
James Rolfe began producing the Angry Video Game Nerd — a series of farcical reviews of old-school games — as a joke. It's now the eighth-most-subscribed YouTube channel, and Viacom's GameTrailers site has added the show to its lineup.
Tila Tequila is no lonely girl: With over 2.7 million MySpace friends, she's the Internet's queen bee. And virtual popularity scored her a reality show. The finale of A Shot at Love (a bisexual Bachelorette) was last season's highest-rated series telecast.
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