TelevisionWeek is trawling video-sharing Web sites to find the hottest clips spreading on the Internet.

The setup: Is she or isn’t she? Back in the day, a variant of that question used to refer to the naturalness of a woman’s hair color; now, in the viral video world, the query refers to whether an Internet video phenom is real or a hoax. Videos from “Lonelygirl15,” detailing her teenage angst, have transfixed YouTube audiences for months, making her one of the top storytellers on the site. The Los Angeles Times reported Sept. 8 that there’s a good reason for that: Lonelygirl15 is a product of talent firm Creative Artists Agency. As for the girl in front of the camera, aka Bree, she’s actually a 19-year old New Zealand actress. Even Wikipedia now includes an entry for “lonelygirl15.”

The source: According to Wikipedia, “The series was created by Ramesh Flinders, a screenwriter and filmmaker from Marin County, Calif., and Miles Beckett, a medical school dropout-turned-filmmaker.” They are reportedly using the videos to promote an upcoming film.

The hits: Call her a fake, call her a phony, but still call her a chart-topper. Despite the backlash, she’s reeling in the fans, actress or no. The latest lonelygirl15 video, titled “House Arrest,” was posted Sept. 10 and generated 653,000 views by Sept. 14. Her videos are now also on MySpace and lonelygirl15.com.



VIDEO: Not So Lonely