LAist Interviews Carson Daly

The inaugural EconSM conference, produced by Rafat Ali's ContentNext Media Network (parent of the excellent PaidContent site) is rockin' the Beverly Hilton with entertainment and new media heavies.

EconSM addresses the present and potential economy of the social media marketplace in regards to online news, Hollywood, music, mobile media, and more.

The amusing "Social Media Meets Hollywood" panel, in which Carson Daly sat alongside The L Word executive producer Ilene Chaiken, preceded lunch. Daly seemed surprised by his ability to break one Imogen Heap after the next on his show via street teams MySpace discovery by his "crew of six," while Chaiken described Showtime's awe in the self-starting online communities spawned by the only lesbian-themed show on television (L Word in Second Life, anyone?).

After Carson Daly advised that Rosie O'Donnell look to the Internet in deciding her next move (post-The View), we suddenly wondered why he is still on TV was on the panel. We tried to get the lowdown on Daly's favorite LA spots, his fave Web sites and his recommendations for Coachella, but he disappointed again with answers limited to "the beach" and "uh... check out Arctic Monkeys if you haven't yet." Then his agent dragged him away. Enjoy.