Web video-diary mystery again deepens

By Gary Gentile

updated 10:25 p.m. ET Sept. 11, 2006

LOS ANGELES - A home-schooled teenager named Bree is heating up the internet like few others today. The question is: Is she for real?

This Internet whodunit centers on 16-year-old Bree's "Lonelygirl15" online video diaries posted on sites such as YouTube and MySpace. They've caused a cyber-stir not seen since "The Blair Witch Project."

The mystery has fueled the popularity of the short videos that are a staple on a growing number of Web sites devoted to posting homemade entertainment.

On sites such as Revver and Guba, regular people are posting videos that range from confessional diaries to stunts involving everything from skateboards to breath mints dropped into bottles of Diet Coke.

Many feature people just sitting in front of video cameras, talking about the mundane happenings in their lives or ranting about some issue or another.

On YouTube, one of the most popular sites for amateur videos, 26,930 people are subscribed to the Lonelgirl15 "channel," meaning they regularly view videos posted there. More than 2.3 million people have viewed Bree's videos, according to YouTube.

Lonelygirl15 started posting her dorky adventures in June, with a video that looked like so many others on the Web. "Bree" is sitting in her typical-looking teenage room, introducing herself and making a variety of goofy faces.

In subsequent "episodes" (so far, she has posted more than 30 videos with the latest entry posted Sept. 10), Bree talks about her parents, her friend Daniel and her "religion," which includes a mysterious ritual Bree has been selected for.

The ceremony only takes place "once in a really long while" and attendance is limited to a select few.

"My parents won't even be allowed to come," Bree says.

The ceremony also involves memorization and "special exercises" that Bree's mother is going to help her with. Plus, she has to go on a diet.

"Other than that, it's basically like preparing for a bar mitzvah or a confirmation," Bree says matter of factly.

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