LONELYGIRL15

'''lonelygirl15''' is an interactive web-based video series, centering on the life of a fictional teenage girl named Bree, whose YouTube username is the eponymous "lonelygirl15." The series is presented through short, regularly updated videoblogs posted by the fictional characters. Lonelygirl15 came to international attention ostensibly as a real video blogger who achieved massive popularity on YouTube, a popular video sharing website, but was eventually outed by suspicious viewers as a hoax featuring a fictive character played by American-New Zealand actress Jessica Rose.^[1]
A story in ''The New York Times'' entitled "‘Lonely Girl’ (and Friends) Just Wanted Movie Deal" revealed the series' creators: Ramesh Flinders, a screenwriter and filmmaker from Marin County, California, Miles Beckett, a surgical residency dropout turned filmmaker, and Greg Goodfried, a former attorney with Mitchell, Silberberg and Knupp, LLP. ‘Lonely Girl’ (and Friends) Just Wanted Movie Deal
The series, which began June 16, 2006, is still running, with new videos appearing regularly on YouTube, Revver, metacafe, LiveVideo, Veoh, Bebo, and MySpace.
A spin-off show, KateModern, premiered in July 2007 with a video featuring Kate's art on Bebo. It can be viewed at www.KateModern.tv. While a separate series, KateModern and lonelygirl15 live in the same "universe". As of September 2007, the LG15 series have more than 70 million combined views.
Along with Amanda Goodfried, an attorney who worked with Creative Arts Agency (CAA), the creators of lonelygirl15 created LG15 Studios to produce original interactive content online.

Contents

History

After the hoax was discovered

Marketing

Characters

Supporting Characters

New Characters

Former Characters

Trivia

See also

References

External links

History

lonelygirl15 debuted on YouTube posing as a "real" 16-year-old video blogger with the eponymous username. In "lonelygirl15"'s earliest videos, she posted video replies to, and dropped the names of popular YouTubers, which attracted the attention of their fans. To further the initial illusion that Bree was a real girl, a MySpace page was set up for her and she began meaningfully corresponding with many of her fans. Several fans of lonelygirl15's video posts began to wonder if Bree was, in fact, a real person or if the posts were part of a teaser campaign for a television show or an upcoming movie Hey There, Lonelygirl Adam Sternbergh (similar to the viral marketing used to hype ''The Blair Witch Project''). Others felt that the blog might be part of an alternate reality game. LonelyGirl15
In early August 2006, fans began an active discussion on the www.lonelygirl15.com message boards and instigated an all-out investigation into the details behind lonelygirl15, pointing to small inconsistencies within the videos as evidence that the story might not be genuine. ''Los Angeles Times'' reporter Richard Rushfield was the first to provide proof of a hoax, when he wrote of Shaina Wedmedyk, Chris Patterson, and an anonymous law student, who set up a sting on MySpace to reveal that the Creative Artists Agency was behind the videos. Eventually it was revealed that 16-year-old "Bree" was played by 19-year-old New Zealand actress Jessica Rose.^[2][3]
Because of ''lonelygirl15's YouTube popularity, media sources seized upon the story, extensively covering both the search process and the eventual "outing" as a fictional series. She has fooled many people into believing that she is a real 16 year-old.
Afterwards, numerous news sources and talk shows featured interviews with the creators and actors of the series itself. Mystery Fuels Huge Popularity of Web's Lonelygirl15 lonelygirl15 revealed : jessica rose aspiring actress ^[4] SVW Exclusive: The identity of LonelyGirl15 Foremski, Matt and Foremski, Tom ^[5][6] Lonelygirl15 Is Brainchild of 3 Filmmakers
''New York Times'' reporter Virginia Heffernan expanded on the series of revelations on September 12 out with an article which confirmed Jessica Rose's identity, and revealed the identities of her "co-conspirators", Ramesh Flinders, a screenwriter and filmmaker from Marin County, Calif., and Miles Beckett, a doctor-turned-filmmaker. Software engineer Grant Steinfeld was also involved in this project, as a photographer. Amanda Solomon Goodfried assisted in their efforts to hide their identities as well as posed as "Bree"'s online alter-ego. Ms. Goodfried's father-in-law, Kenneth Goodfried, handled various legal matters. The personnel involved worked under a non-disclosure agreement, according to Grant Steinfeld. Steinfeld has verified most of this information to the ''Times'', and provided photographs he took on set of Ms. Rose as proof. Also on September 12, the three main creators gave an interview to the ''Los Angeles Times'' revealing the third major partner as Greg Goodfried.
Since the fictitious nature of ''lonelygirl15'' has been revealed, the storyline continued to develop via new videos posted to both YouTube and Revver. However due to the recent partnership with YouTube and Myspace, videos stopped being posted on Lonelygirl15's Revver account, and now are only viewable via Youtube and MyspaceTV.

After the hoax was discovered

★ Jessica Rose participated in a United Nations campaign in 2006, to fight poverty through an online anti-poverty video. U.N. Enlists Internet Star
for Antipoverty Pitch Rose portrayed the lonelygirl15 character as she sat by herself in her bedroom talking to the camera. The subject matter in the video focused on antipoverty, which breaks from the regular subject matter of the show. The video was posted on an alternate account, separate from the main channel.^[7]

★ Jessica Rose now stars on ABC Family's hit show "Greek" which airs on Monday nights at 9pm EST.

★ On November 20, 2006, lonelygirl15.com announced that the spin-off OpAphid was the official Alternate Reality Game of ''lonelygirl15''.^[8] OpAphid began in late September with what many speculated was a well-produced fan effort, and this announcement merges its characters OpAphid, Tachyon, and 10033/Brother, into the series storyline and continuity. In early February, 2007, it was revealed that Glenn Rubenstein was the original Puppet Master behind the OpAphid Alternate Reality Game and also the creator of its characters, OpAphid, Tachyon, and Brother. Due to internal issues between the Creator's and Glenn, OpAphid is no longer the official ARG.

★ A 2006 episode of '' was "inspired" by the ''lonelygirl15'' phenomenon. The episode "Weeping Willow" featured a blogger named weepingwillow17, played by Michelle Trachtenberg. Willow and her boyfriend were kidnapped by men in black who demanded her fans donate money to a website to save their lives. The investigators did not know if Willow was real or fake. Various other video bloggers were also seen decrying weepingwillow as a fake, just like many did on YouTube. The site on the episode was named ''YouLenz''.

★ On November 9 2006, DEE, a Montreal artist, released a song and a music video entitled ''lonelygirl''.^[9] The ''lonelygirl'' music video was shot in an almost exact replica of Bree's bedroom. In February 2007 it was featured by YouTube and got hundreds of thousands of views.

★ ''Wired'' magazine ran a story on YouTube titled "YouTube Grows Up" in its December 2006 issue, featuring Jessica Lee Rose on the cover.^[10]

★ The ''lonelygirl15'' blog won Biggest Web Hit Award on VH1's Big in '06 Awards.^[11]

★ Truth or Dare features a cameo appearance from American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee.

★ Epic Movie released a series of trailers on YouTube in which Carmen Electra spoofed lonelygirl15. Electra portrayed lonelygirl362436. Yousef Abu-Taleb, the Danielbeast actor, even appears in one of them.

★ In the "Best Series" category of the inaugural YouTube Video awards in March of 2007, the series "Ask a Ninja", "Ask a Gay Man", and "Chad Vader - Day Shift Manager" finished first, second and third, with the ''lonelygirl15'' series finishing fourth.^[12] The New York Times attributed Lonelygirl's finish to the YouTube community's ill will towards the series.^[13]

★ On Friday, August 3, 2007, Season One of lonelygirl15 celebrated its finale with an exclusive on MySpaceTV known as "12 in 12" where 12 videos were uploaded over the course of 12 hours from 8 am PST to 7 pm PST, culminating in the highest one-day viewership ever for the series. A "summary" video from the first season was offered as a part of the event, and it logged in over a million views on its own.

★ In the last episode of the Season One finale, Bree's character was killed off by the order during the ceremony in the season finale and her trait positive blood was transfused into one of the orders elders. The reason for her character's death was attributed to Jessica Lee Rose not renewing her contract for Season Two.

Marketing

lonelygirl15 was the first Internet series to introduce product integration when the episode Truckstop Reunion featured the characters eating and displaying Hershey's Icebreaker's Sours Gum.
In another example of a product integration first, lonelygirl15 landed on the front page of Variety for the integration of a character from Neutrogena in the storyline over the period of more than two months. Dr. Spencer Gilman became such a popular character that Neutrogena made him "Employee of the Month" and gave him his own e-mail account on the company's corporate website.

Characters

'Jonas/jonastko': (''Portrayed by Jackson Davis'') Jonas made his entrance, like Gemma, posting video replies to Bree. His wealthy parents were lost at sea six years ago, and he was raised by his Nanny until he came of age. During his introduction he lived alone in a big house with his inheritance at his disposal. He offered shelter to Bree and Daniel when they were on the run, but they have since left his house and traveled to various other out posts, including his residence in the mountains and his aunt's house. After fleeing from his aunt's house, his aunt told him his parents were still alive. This has been confirmed after a new video came out on 8/17/07 by "La Rezisto". After hearing a message Bree left for Daniel at the end of the Season 1 Finale it appears he may try and save the other girls (like Bree) in Season 2, but this is unknown as of yet.^[14]
'Daniel/Danielbeast': (''Portrayed by Yousef Abu-Taleb'') Daniel is Bree's best friend. Daniel is naturally laid-back and a bit of a slacker, but he will do just about anything to protect Bree. While Bree is a creative dreamer, Daniel is usually grounded and the voice of reason. He has a knack for breaking into buildings and other forms of amateur espionage. At the end of the season 1 finale Daniel went his own way.^[15]
'Taylor/soccerstar4ever': (''Portrayed by Becki Kregoski'') A Revver poster who makes videos similar to the ones Bree made in the beginning of the series. She first appeared when she contacted Jonas, Daniel and Bree with information regarding to Jules, a possible new candidate for the ceremony. She has continued to help the trio with information and clues in their fight against the Order. At the end of season 1 finale Taylor and Sarah both returned back to Zavalla, Texas.
'Sarah/skyisempty': (''Portrayed by Alexandra Dreyfus'') Taylor's older sister, she is a former cheerleader who is very affected by her parent's divorce, changing several aspects of her personality, such as her outlook on life, her wardrobe, and her behaviour. Taylor, however, says that such changes are nothing but 'an act' to cope with the trauma. She joined Jonas and Daniel when Bree was taken in by the Order and is currently assisting them to keep Bree from completing the ceremony. At the end of season 1 finale Taylor and Sarah both returned back to Zavalla, Texas.
'Spencer Gilman/LAlabrat': (''Portrayed by Maxwell Glick'') Spencer is the son of the deceased Isaac Gilman, who was a scientist working for the Wyman Foundation, an in-game research foundation. Isaac was working with Bree's father to help Bree become "trait negative". When Daniel, Jonas, Sarah, and Taylor learned of Isaac Gilman's involvement, his subsequent death under suspicious circumstances, and the existence of his son Spencer, they proceeded to contact Spencer in hopes that he could carry on his father's research. Spencer was wary at first, but he has since decided to help Jonas, Daniel, Sarah, and Taylor with finding Bree and trying to make her trait negative. Spencer is 22 and graduated from UCSD early, completing his B.S. in only 3 years. He is employed by Neutrogena, where he was recently named employee of the month.^[16]

Supporting Characters

'Nikki Bower/NikkiBowerReport': (''Portrayed by Alli Danziger'') Nikki Bower is an investigative reporter hot on the trail of Bree, Daniel, Jonas, Sarah, etc. She makes an appearance in the 12in12 season Finale where she rescues the gang by knocking out an evil Shadow (Order Agent) with a fire extinguisher.
'Lucy': (''Portrayed by Amanda Goodfried'') Bree's "Helper" for the ceremony who is often present at the time of Action against the Resistance.
'Carl': (''Portrayed by Craig Coyne'') A Member of the Hymn of One who is often seen with Bree in their advertisement videos.
'Sonia': (''Portrayed by Raegan Payne'') A Member of the Hymn of One who is dating Carl.
'Barb': (''Portrayed by Staley Prom'') A Member of the Hymn of One and a Speaker at their seminar.

New Characters

'Emma': (''Portayed by Katherine Pawlak'') Jonas' supposed sister. She first made her appearance in a video posted by ''jonastko''. Emma has been seen in three subsequent videos, respectively title "A Family Affair", "Home Invasion", and "Dirty Secrets".
'LaRezisto': A Mysterious New Faction of the Resistance who posted unseen footage of Bree's Death and led Jonas to his parents.
'David': (''Portrayed by Peter James'') Jonas' father. He first made his appearance in a video posted by "La Rezisto". David has been seen in two subsequent videos, respectively titled "A Family Affair" and "Home Invasion".
'Joyce': (''Portrayed by Tammy Klein'') Jonas' mother. She first made her appearance in a video posted by "La Rezisto". Joyce has been seen in two subsequent videos, respectively titled "A Family Affair" and "Home Invasion".

Former Characters

'Bree Avery/lonelygirl15': (''Portrayed by Jessica Rose'') (October 26,1989—August 3,2007) Bree was a perky 17-year-old girl (16 at the start of the series) who has been homeschooled for most of her life by her strict and religious parents. Although she is intelligent and well-read, she can be naive and emotionally immature because of her sheltered upbringing. Her family belongs to a mysterious cult called "The Order". In the early stages of the series there was speculation about the similarities to Thelema.^[17] Recently it has been learned that Bree's last name is Avery. On the last day of season 1 (in which 12 episodes were made public) Bree died in an act of self-sacrifice to let her friends live normal lives. Strangely however, in a recorded voice mail received after her death, she asks her friends to promise to help other girls in the same circumstances, which will surely complicate their lives.
'Gemma/gemmers19': (''Portrayed by Jackie Jandrell'') Gemma first showed up on YouTube replying to one of Bree's videos. They had been friends when Bree was living in England, and they were both part of the same "Order." She was the owner of the dog that Bree alluded to earlier in the series, the dog was Bree's best friend whilst living in England. Gemma claimed to be a University student living in a flat in London who had drifted away from the Order. She would often post videos giving advice to Bree while talking about her life there. It was later revealed that Gemma was actually an agent of the Order who had been in Southern California all along. She was last seen in a video posted by "Brother," in which it is implied that she is shot by him.^[18]
'Alex': (''Portrayed by Bitsie Tulloch'') Jonas's Aunt, with ties to both the Order and the Resistance.
'Julia "Jules" Anderson/CallMeJules24': (''Portrayed by Shannon Solomon'') The Supposed "New Girl" to participate in the ceremony instead of Bree. She is kidnapped by Bree, Daniel, and Jonas, and is eventually rescued by Lucy and other members of the Order. It is later revealed that Jules is, in fact, Trait Negative.
'OpAphid': OpAphid was the leader of a division of the order called Operation APHID. OpAPHID was an elite organization within the Order (the secret society behind Bree's religion, the Hymn of One).
OpAphid
'Tachyon': A secret agent, assumed to be a member of The Culper Ring. She worked undercover within the Order (Hymn of One), before disappearing with an encrypted disk full of the Order's secrets. Tachyon helped Bree rescue Daniel when he was captured by the Order, and for a short while she was training Bree to help lead a new Resistance against the Order.
Tachyon
'Brother/10033': Tachyon's partner in The Culper Ring who once had an affair with Gemma. Previously, Gemma blew Brother's cover as "Sebastian," which resulted in Gemma's assassination from Brother.
Brother

Trivia

★ The series was developed under the working title ''The Children of Anchor Cove''.^[19]

★ ''lonelygirl15'' has various signature items/props that appear in its episodes. Recurring props include a pink feather boa, a safari hat, her beloved puppet Purple Monkey (a.k.a. "P.Monkey"), and her green, stuffed animal turtle, Owen.

★ Much of the music for ''lonelygirl15'' has come from Magnatune and CC Mixter,^[20] and is under Creative Commons licenses. Initial ''lonelygirl15'' videos featured RIAA-controlled music such as Roy Orbison and Nelly, but the series quickly moved to only using music that could be used legally, largely all Creative Commons licensed.^[21][22] ''lonelygirl15'' has since teamed up with Amie Street to sell^[23] music featured in episodes.^[24][25][26]

See also

★ YouTube

★ Alternate Reality Game

★ Jessica Rose

References

1. SVW Exclusive: The identity of LonelyGirl15
2. Lonelygirl15 jumps the shark Flemming, Brian
3. Trademark Application
4.
5. The Hunt for LonelyGirl15: Life in a blogger household . . . Foremski, Tom
6. How the secret identity of LonelyGirl15 was found Foremski, Tom
7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2ETsRObMQI ''Youtube.com''
8. lonelygirl15.com
9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc1LL5if2kM
10. YouTube Grows Up -- But What Does It Mean? Garfield, Bob
11. http://www.vh1.com/shows/events/big_in/2006/index.jhtml ''VH1.com''
12. cnn.com
13. NYTimes.com
14. Jonas at lonelygirl15.com ''lonelygirl15.com''
15. Daniel at lonelygirl15.com ''lonelygirl15.com''
16. http://www.neutrogena.com/spencer.asp
17. http://www.lonelygirl15.com/lgpedia/index.php?title=Bree ''lonelygirl15.com''
18. Gemma at lonelygirl15.com ''lonelygirl15.com''
19. http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxNjcmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTY5OTI4MTEmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3 ''Northjersey.com''
20. http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/6089
21. http://www.lonelygirl15.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=701&sid=3f0ac2d9aeb7fe5e0b47207d0ce290ab
22. http://www.lonelygirl15.com/lgpedia/index.php?title=LG15_Soundtrack
23. lonelygirl15's Amie Street Music Store
24. LonelyGirl15 Soundtrack Will Use Amie Street Artists Eliot Van Buskirk
25. LonelyGirl15 featuring Chase Emery Peter (treetops) Asbill
26. LonelyGirl15 Soundtrack Will Use Amie Street Artists


★ Jessica Rose story on YourTubeNEWS Media Jigsaw

★ Worldwide fame for a lonely girl Jonathan Richards

★ Matt Foremski’s Sleuthing Leads to Jessica Rose

External links

★ YouTube: Lonelygirl15

★ Revver: Lonelygirl15

★ Lonelygirl15.com

★ MySpace: Lonelygirl15

★ MySpace: Jessica Lee Rose

★ LGPedia