Don’t download OTRC: On the Red Carpet if you’re only looking for step-and-repeat pictorials, because the universal app for iDevice offers a whole lot more in the way of celebrity and entertainment news.
OTRC pulls its name, and its coverage, from ABC’s weekly entertainment news program On the Red Carpet, hosted by Rachel Smith and Chris Balish. Although you will find plenty of red carpet coverage — ideal as awards show season is starting to ramp up — OTRC also includes breaking news, television, film, music, celebrity lifestyle, baby and dating coverage.
The UI is smooth, and includes embedded video clips pulled from the show, along with text articles. Users can swipe fluidly through stories, or select a specific article from the scroll bar across the top of the screen. OTRC doesn’t offer a search function, but since I think users will primarily be looking for the latest in celeb news, it probably won’t be missed.
One bummer is that full show episodes aren’t available in-app, and during my tests there was no content available in the dedicated video section at all. But the embedded article clips that were available played smoothly and quickly. Another downside is the fact that OTRC has to refresh entirely every time you relaunch the app — so don’t plan on ducking out quickly to check your email.
On the whole, OTRC: On the Red Carpet’s diversity makes it a worthy stop for comprehensive entertainment coverage.
