NoHoGirls: The new Lonelygirl15?

So, there's a new Lonelygirl15 on the block over at YouTube. She just turned 21, lives in Hollywood with two roommates (three lonelygirls are better than one?), is an artist, and um, she's hot, of course.

It's the NoHoGirls. Coming to a computer near you.



It's not the same as LG15, as its a bit less scripted so far. The star, "Cara Brimley," doesn't come up on google other than for her new youtube and myspace appearances. But with the two videos up so far, you can tell its for your entertainment. It's not real. So let's not waste collective years of our lives debating whether its "real." It does interest me to know whether any of it is based on the truth or not, though.

I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later. NoHoGirls is the first target of the new
YouTube Fakerz Blog. Sort of a truth in advertising watchdog for youtube, I guess?

UPDATE: 10/18 10:30AM: GO TO THE MAIN PAGE - NOHOGIRLS EXPOSED!

BREAKING NEWS: LonelyGirl15 Gets First Kiss!

Ok. This is NOT breaking news in the real sense. The mystery of who LG15 is (Jessica Rose), and who is behind it (i.e, The Creators(tm): Mesh Flinders, Miles Beckett, Greg Goodfried), is all out there now. They've been on MTV, Leno, CNN, CBS, etc. Many major newspapers, and widely syndicated AP articles, have covered the outing story.

So, it's back to the real story. I mean the fake story. Umm . . . OK, the PLOT! And, in very likely response to viewer demand, Bree today (1) tells us about how Daniel clumsily tried to kiss her at a party, and (2) dubs her previously-unnamed stuffed bear "Thor":

View: My First Kiss at YouTube

View: My First Kiss at Revver.com

True to her vblogging roots, the actual KISS is NOT shown in the video. But it doesn't have to be, as Bree acts it out graphically:



Lastly, I should mention that the prominent unofficial LG15 forum has now been redubbed www.thechildrenofanchorcove.com, after the original name used for the LG15 project in auditions. I like it.

LonelyGirl15 Is Everywhere

She was on Jay Leno last night:



And MTV interviewed her yesterday:



Also, Yousef Abu Taleb is Daniel, reports PhatBoyG.
Here is his MTV interview from yesterday:



And, another interview with two of The Creators(TM) can be found here.

LonelyGirl15 Is . . . Jessica Rose

(c) Grant Stenfield aka Bukanator 2006

Heffernan.

Silicon Valley Watcher.

I really thought this girl was going to be off the grid -- and would be found only by an in person sighting. But apparently, myspace is all knowing. It just took Virginia Heffernan first, LA Times article 2nd, multiplying press articles, and enough eyes on Bree to find her. Fascinating.

UPDATE 9am ET 9/13:
For those not up to date, two pivotal articles hit the web last night (and hard copy this morning):

NY Times: Lonely Girl’ (and Friends) Just Wanted Movie Deal. (Free reg. required) "Just"? That's all? Ok, here you go!

Excerpt:

The masterminds of the “lonelygirl15” videos are Ramesh Flinders, a screenwriter and filmmaker from Marin County, Calif., and Miles Beckett, a doctor-turned-filmmaker. Many of the lonelygirl15 videos were shot in Mr. Flinders’s bedroom. Together with Grant Steinfeld, a software engineer in San Francisco, Mr. Flinders contrived to produce and distribute the videos so as to pique maximum curiosity about them.

LA Times: Lonelygirl15 Is Brainchild of 3 Filmmakers
Excerpt:

It turns out the people behind the wildly popular website lonelygirl15 are not studio executives, Internet moguls or, as some suspected, Satanists. Instead, they are aspiring filmmakers who met at a mutual friend's birthday party in April: Miles Beckett, 28, a Web-obsessed medical school dropout; Mesh Flinders, 26, a screenwriter; and Greg Goodfried, a 27-year-old lawyer.
...
"Our goal was to tell a very realistic fictional story in this medium," Beckett said. He dreamed of using the various technologies of the Web, from comment boards to social networking sites, to both build a rich identity for a character and to let fans influence the story's direction.
...
"Our hats are off to the really impressive investigators," said Goodfried, who found himself on the hot seat when the news swept the Internet that an application for a trademark on the lonelygirl15 name had been filed by his father, Kenneth Goodfried, an Encino lawyer. "We really didn't know what to do," Greg Goodfried said.
...
As for the efforts to conceal the actress' identity, the team said they took precautions such as removing pictures of the actress from MySpace and the Internet. But throughout the furor, they said, she has been living openly in Los Angeles.

Well, apparently they didn't take enough precautions.
In hindsight, if they took a few extra steps, they may have prolonged the mystery:

• They registered the lonelygirl15.com fansite on May 12, a month before the videoblogs started. This first piqued people's interest, thinking they could find her using the internet.
  
• They filmed the both outdoor videos (but key here for the timeline, the 1st) in areas identifiable by botanists as likely central california.
  
• They didn't protect their IP addresses, allowing the Phorum 3 to make the CAA connection.
  
• They didn't really erase all of Jess Rose's internet pictures. Is Google cache unstoppable or what?
  

LonelyGirl15: Climbing To The Top Of The YouTube

If I had more time to write, I could probably write a book about the LG15 phenomenon. Which no one would read probably.

So, LG15 is not real. We always knew that, or, if not always, we came to realize it once we paid attention. She stands out from most of YouTube's product. If the LG15-machine can figure out a way to make money from this, we may see YouTube develop into something totally different that what I expected. It could become a mix of professional and amateur work, the former generating revenue (ad based?) and supporting and pushing eyes to the amateurs, a true entertainment destination of its own, a 24 hour pay-per-view (though hopefully free) on demand. It could rival a cable TV network one year from now. Good! Can I substitute it for Lifetime Movie Network?

Despite her "outing" (and she's not really outed is she? Who is the girl!!!), the amazing popularity of LG15 is steamrolling even faster ahead. LonelyGirl15 has passed Geriatric1927 to become the #1 most subscribed channel (i.e., highest number of dedicated watchers) on Youtube.

LG15 is also currently the #6 most viewed channel of all time on Youtube. She should slide into the #5 spot by tomorrow, I predict, and probably will make it to #3 by the end of month if she keep this up.

The best source of in-depth information and brotherhood on lg15 is at Alissa's LG15 board (Free registration required). There are at least 4 other discussion forums out there (including the official form at LonelyGirl15.com, but they don't have the same critical mass of intelligent posters.

One very suspicious board is lg15.com. The admin claims he is a dentist who determined Bree was fake by seeing her wisdom teeth in one of her videos (which you wouldn't yet in a 16-year old girl).

(Full disclosure: I am a moderator at Alissa's board, but I really don't care where you go; I'm just telling you the truth.)

And finally, as far as the MSM goes, you should also remember to check Virginia Heffernan's NY Times Screens Blog daily.

See all the LG15 links you need in my sidebar.

LonelyGirl15 Comes Clean? (Breaking News)

UPDATE 11:19pm ET: The LA Times breaks the story -- obviously the reason The Creators were coming out tonight. Read it here.

original post:


A Message From The Creators

To Our Incredible Fans,

Thank you so much for enjoying our show so far. We are amazed by the overwhelmingly positive response to our videos; it has exceeded our wildest expectations. With your help we believe we are witnessing the birth of a new art form. Our intention from the outset has been to tell a story-- A story that could only be told using the medium of video blogs and the distribution power of the internet. A story that is interactive and constantly evolving with the audience.

Right now, the biggest mystery of Lonelygirl15 is "who is she?" We think this is an oversimplification. Lonelygirl15 is a reflection of everyone. She is no more real or fictitious than the portions of our personalities that we choose to show (or hide) when we interact with the people around us. Regardless, there are deeper mysteries buried within the plot, dialogue, and background of the Lonelygirl15 videos, and many of our tireless and dedicated fans have unearthed some of these. There are many more to come.

To enhance the community experience of Lonelygirl15, which you have already helped to create, we are in the process of building a website centered around video and interactivity. This website will allow everyone to enjoy the full potential of this new medium. Unfortunately, we aren't programmers. We are filmmakers. We are working furiously to complete the website, and hope to have it up and running shortly.

So, sit tight. You are the only reason for our success, and we appreciate your devotion. We want you to know that we aren't a big corporation. We are just like you. A few people who love good stories. We hope that you will join us in the continuing story of Lonelygirl15, and help us usher in an era of interactive storytelling where the line between "fan" and "star" has been removed, and dedicated fans like yourselves are paid for their efforts. This is an incredible time for the creator inside all of us.

Thank you.

Edit 8:12pm EST: Major discussion of this development is sure to occur at alissa's lg15 discussion forum (free registration required, but worth it for all lg15 fans). The current view, 20 minutes into this: it's probably true. This was posted by someone with admin powers at the official lg15 forum.

Essential Daily LonelyGirl15 Reading

Journeys of Jack Tripper Blog. He's really on top of things. I try to keep up, but bloggin' is hard, man!