LonelyGirl15 = $$$

Who is the most popular person on YouTube these days? It is no longer Brookers or geriatric1927. boh3m3 and Renetto are bumped to the mid-section of the list. The most popular girl on YouTube is not Paris Hilton, LisaNova, FilthyWhore or LittleLoca.

The most popular girl on YouTube is....a very lonely girl - one who may not even be real...??

OK, as much time as I spend trolling around YouTube for tasty video goodies, you would think I would know all about the LonelyGirl15 phenomenon. In fact, I am totally clueless about this homeschooler named Bree who is more than likely some sort of marketing campaign dreamt up by forward thinkers at a Hollywood talent agency.

Thank goodness for wikipedia, the pop cultural mecca, who has the LG15 skinny (see link for complicated backstory). Apparently, LG15 has been watched, studied and picked apart by many astute folks who spend a great deal of time pondering her authenticity. For instance, her wisdom teeth prove she is older than 16, her clean bedroom suggests a set decorator and her her alternative music choices prove...

Speculation exists regarding the music choices through out the video series; namely, the use of smaller unsigned bands to score each film. The addition of Band Name, Song Title, and Band website added to each video description further points to the assertion that these films are a marketing vehicle, not for a movie, but rather for CAA's unsigned music acts.

The videos are simply a viral method to develop a fan base and following making acts more appealing to large label R&D executives. The eclectic nature of the music – strong variance in style, genre, and tempo, is in stark contrast to a girl who is homeschooled and otherwise insulated from the workings of pop music culture.

At the moment, all of the hottest videos on YouTube are either created by or surrounding Lonelygirl15. She is the talk of the town because she may be a fake. When Paris Hilton blindly pranced into the YouTube universe looking for gullible record buyers, all the YouTube celebs barked her out of town calling her a fake and a fame whore with no right to be there. YouTube, they shouted, was for the real people, the poor people, the lonely girls and boys, the people who are just like you and me, right?

But what of the Lonelygirl15 conglomerate and their patented viral brand? Do they have a right to be on YouTube selling whatever wares may come down the tube from HQ? And even stranger, will we buy these items? Will the ruse work? Why did everyone buy into her hook line and sinker? Are YouTube audiences so easy to fool? A mysterious, pretty lonely girl is all it takes?

Tanner says people like her cause she is cute. But it is more than that. It has to be!? Here is what her possible "creators", AKA Puppet Masters, have to say about why LG15 caught on so well:

On September 8th 2006, people claiming to be the creators of Lonelygirl15 claimed it was a fake, on Lonelygirl15.com saying (in part):

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.

This is exactly what they say about Paris Hilton. She is a blank page which we can write our own fantasies upon. Eww, creepy, can I have a blank page wearing more clothing please?? And now, let's enjoy Paris spinning around for no apparent reason - nice butt.

Here is good ol' Stevie Ryan to take the piss out of Paris with some authentic puking! Stevie is real - real in the sense that she has about 5 YouTube user names - but she damn well keeps it interesting, even if LittleLoca is a figment of her imagination, I find her more interesting than Bree. You can compare. Here is Stevie as Paris:



And here is ?? as LonelyGirl15: