Last week, King of Queens sitcom star Leah Rimini began starring in a series of web-based videos on Sprint TV whose plots are based on submissions from consumers. Unilever’s Suave brand, along with Sprint Nextel and MSN, are the sponsors of the 10-week run, which is partnering with the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Although Hollywood writers conceived the theme and characters for the In the Motherhood webisodes – which profile the lives of a trio of mothers who are friends – story ideas plus some of the writing came from consumers. The amateur script writers were invited to submit ideas to an online community (www.inthemotherhood.com), which voted for the ones they wanted Rimini to appear in. The website offers games, blogging and peer-to-peer conversation, and its content can also be viewed at www.suave.com.

Integration with the DeGeneres show (sponsored by Suave and Sprint and supported by print promos in People magazine) will feature clips from the webisodes over 10 weeks beginning May 11, as well as chatter from host DeGeneres, who frequently invites Rimini to appear on her show. Los Angeles-based MindShare Entertainment is handling all components of the initiative.