While it seems every other newspaper in the country is claiming bankruptcy or closing up shop (looking at you Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer), a new newspaper, Harper’s Globe, is just making its way to the world wide web and just happens to be packed with juicy tidbits pertaining to the unexplained murders of Harper’s Island!

On the brink of the release of Harper’s Island, a 13-episode murder-mystery series on CBS—starting Thursday, April 9th, 10 PM ET/PT—we had a quick chat with Melanie Merkosky, a star of both Harper’s Island AND Harper’s Globe, the interactive internet series. In our chat, Merkosky—who may be better known as Jennie of YouTube phenomenon Lonleygirl15—lets us in on Harper’s Island's beginnings and the show’s possible future after the 13-episode run! Check out the full interview after the jump.

Tell us a bit about your character in the Harper’s saga…
Her name is Robin. She’s a girl with a mysterious past who moves to Harper’s Island to work at the local newspaper called Harper’s Globe. Her job there is to create a website for the newspaper, HarpersGlobe.com and upload all of the archived newspapers online and to create an online site for them. In the meantime, she’s also creating a site for people on the island or around the world to interact with each other and get involved.

The site is going to be very interactive, a full social networking site similar to Myspace or Facebook. It’s a place where fans can create their own profile page and get involved in the lore and the mythology of what’s going on on the island.

With HarpersGlobe.com and many other ventures, there’s been this move to integrate TV and web. Where do you see this taking the future of TV watching?
I think it is the future. I think that CBS is really cool with taking a step forward to be the first network to really try something like this on such an integrated and interactive level. Obviously I think a lot of eyes are going to be watching this to see how it turns out since there’s so much controversy and speculation with new media and where that is going right now. I think they’ve done a really good job in creating something for the viewer and it’s really going to enhance the overall experience of watching [the] show.

You personally have been involved with the “new media” movement, particularly with Lonelygirl15. Were you a fan of the social networking revolution and are you a fan now?
I definitely wasn’t as much a part of it as I am now. I think I had a Myspace page before I started on Lonelygirl15. I had certainly heard of Lonelygirl15 before I started working on the show since it garnered so much attention once people realized it was a show and she was an actress. So I definitely researched it more and once I actually got hired I went back and watched all the videos.

The thing that struck me the most is how far reaching it is and the level of interactivity, as far as fans being able to solve problems and puzzles and be really involved. That was just something that I never experienced before. I come from [a] theater background so I was used to instant gratification factor of doing theater which is you go do your performance, they applaud your performance and you go home. This is sort of similar in the fact that the fans are so involved, which is fantastic, and they give you feedback immediately right there on the site. Once I realized how much this is having an effect on the culture of people, I started getting more involved and now of course I’m into it and have two Myspace accounts and two Facebooks and I just started doing Twitter and it’s kind of addictive but it’s the way of the future.

Speaking of instant responses from the users, what’s the weirdest comment you’ve either left or received?
[Laughs] My family has a sick sense of humor so we’re always sending weird stuff back and forth to each other. I did receive a really bizarre email from someone who had seen one of my earliest Lonelygirl episodes and I think they—because it’s on YouTube, if someone is not familiar with the show they could see a video and think that it’s real. My character in Lonelygirl was an anthropology major at Berkley so she had posted with video talking about peyote. I got this email from someone who claimed to be a Shaman and medicine man and wanted to know where I was getting my peyote and could he have some…[Laughs]Did you write back?
I just said “I’m so sorry I think you’re mistaken” and explained it was a character and it’s just a show. He did reply and was very confused and disappointed. [Laughs]

Could you talk at all about the types of content Harper’s Globe will feature and that you’ll upload?
It could be a video blog from Robin. It could be a text blog or a puzzle for the fans to solve. It could be a photo or any number of things. Then at the end of the week there’s an “episode” that’s 5 minutes long and will recap everything. Because it’s a social networking site other characters will be around and on the site. Viewers who really want to get involved into the mythology can search the site and meet other characters and look at their profile pages to see if it all comes together at the end of the week. Then you have your casual viewer who can tune in at the end of the week to see what’s going in that five-minute culmination video.

Working for the newspaper Harper’s Globe, will Robin have any hand in uncovering some of the mysteries associated with the murders of Harper’s Island in the 13-episode series?
She definitely gets wrapped up in that story. The way that the two stories will work together is that they are two separate stories set in the same place at the same time with intersecting and overlapping plot lines. Robin will be appearing on Harper’s Island the TV show and she’s working at the newspaper and she sort of gets swept up in everything that’s happening on the island.

There has been talk about Harper’s Island the TV and murder-saga being complete in just 13 episodes. Do you anticipate the Harper’s Globe website lasting after the TV show is over?
I’m really not sure. They’ve been very secretive [laughs] about all that. I’m not even sure how our story is going to end. We shot three different endings and that’s sort of up in the air from my standpoint. The producers probably know more than I do…In fact, they do. They just don’t tell me… [Laughs]

Do any of the endings leave it open for a longer run?
I am not at liberty to say. I’m sworn to secrecy and I’d have to kill you if I told you! [Laughs]What is your personal biggest fear?
Oh man. Well, I do have a fear of the ocean. I think it’s beautiful but I don’t really know how to swim that well. I don’t think I’m that afraid of anything…