Written by Chris Albrecht
Posted Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 9:01 PM PT

 

Fans Really Get Into Lonelygirl

Twenty some-odd misfits gather around the fountain at Ghirardelli Square. It’s cold. It’s dreary. No one cares. Earlier this week, the call came from Lonelygirl HQ: be at this exact location in San Francisco at 4 p.m. Ever loyal to Bree and her cause, they showed up. From as far away as Los Angeles they came. By the end of the day, they won’t just watch the filming of a new episode of their favorite web show — but they’ll be a part of the series.

For awhile, people mill about. Though most look like they skipped seventh-period English to be here, there are a few fogeys in the bunch. They all have the same look of anticipation in their eyes. “You here for LG?” Heads nod. “Cool.” Video cameras are brandished. Laptops opened. Then like one of those deer from Wild Kingdom who stops drinking when danger approaches, heads turn at the “clop-clop-clop” sound of chunky heels on brick.

Lucy’s here. Game on.

Cameras and cell phones flicker to life. One girl calls into a live Internet LG radio program to provide updates. “She’s walking around the fountain… showing a picture to people.” There’s a bunch of chatter as Lucy approaches different people, asking if they’ve seen Jonas or Daniel (two characters from the show). No one has. Lucy tears up the picture and leaves.

Lots of chatter. “Did you see –?” “What was the picture of?” “Is that all?” A fan sitting on the fountain pieces the picture back together. “She had laser eyes!” Then a phone rings. It was dropped in one of the plants. A cryptic text message “2266379.” The crowd starts buzzing. One girl holding an SAT prep book offers a sheet of paper and pen to help solve the riddle.

“The Cannery!” comes the epiphany. “If look at the keypad, it spells Cannery.” The pack takes off down the street. Wandering around the brick structure for a minute, there’s some confusion. Did they get the clue right?

“They’re over here! Jonas and Daniel are around the corner.” Like a scene out of Cloverfield everyone breaks into a run, not wanting to miss a single clue. Indeed Jonas and Daniel are there. They have some kind of top-secret memo, can the crowd help them figure it out?

Daniel runs a video camera capturing the crowd as they try to decipher the evil memo. “Does the date 10/26 mean anything? How about the number 1026?” People bring up a “mole” referring to ten to the twenty-sixth power or something. “War” is another clue. They come to some agreement and agree to meet up with Jonas and Daniel at Hyde Pier should something happen.

“Watcher! There’s a f–king watcher!” shouts a lookout. Panicked, Jonas and Daniel bolt through a back stairwell. The crowd, hearts racing, is off to the next part of the puzzle.

At Hyde Pier more clues are discussed. “The shot heard ’round the world” being the most popular. After 20 minutes of deliberation in the cold, with no solution, its obvious something is amiss. A drained parking meter calls me back to reality and I must take my leave. I learn later that whomever picked up the cell phone from earlier had accidentally shut it off, so the group was unable to receive the next clue in a timely fashion.

Whatever you think of Lonelygirl, you gotta give them credit. Not only did they host an interactive show, they expect to craft an episode today’s footage and release it this evening. And for a few brief moments, the fans will become the stars.

And here’s a little something extra for those fans. Brief interviews with the characters from Lonelygirl:

Amanda Goodfried (”Lucy”)

Jackson Davis (”Jonas”), Yousef Abu-Taleb (”Daniel”)

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Comments & Trackbacks

  1. may the “misfits” have mercy on you. i still chuckled i admit.

    milowent on January 23rd, 2008 at 9:48 pm - Permalink

  2. Yousef’s last name ends with a B not a V. Like, Abu-Taleb.

    Melissa on January 23rd, 2008 at 9:51 pm - Permalink

  3. I’d just like to correct an error in this article – I had the cell phone and NEVER turned it off. We never received any other clues other than the one that led us to the Cannery and then the message the outted the mole. I think we got all the clues we were going to get, and the phone was returned to its owner when everything was finished.

    Great story otherwise – glad you could be there for it!

    <3 Aja

    Heyaja on January 23rd, 2008 at 10:09 pm - Permalink

  4. Okay, all of you need to figure out how to hire somebody that can actually write as a reporter. He needs to get his facts right, and he also needs to learn that while covering an event, you are not supposed to turn around and call the attendees names. This obviously requires some brain power, which I know sounds SHOCKING to this *coughreportercough,” but he should really open his eyes and realize that all the cool kids are doing it these days ;)

    HAMmy on January 23rd, 2008 at 10:19 pm - Permalink

  5. I really wish I wasn’t on the other side of the country! I would have LOVED to have been a part of this. We were all watching on the webcam though in Ghirardelli square and listening to BreeFM! The chats were insane – thanks to Jenni Powell for keeping is all informed! This article is great though – I LOVE the videos.

    Kaella on January 23rd, 2008 at 10:21 pm - Permalink

  6. I know you were trying to be funny, but I think misfits was a bit harsh.

    Thanks for the videos.

    virginian9000 on January 23rd, 2008 at 10:37 pm - Permalink

  7. Thanks Melissa, I fixed the typo. To all of you upset about the “misfits” line, I assure you, that’s a term of endearment coming from Chris.

    Liz Gannes on January 23rd, 2008 at 11:05 pm - Permalink

  8. Hey Chris, thanks for the article. I had to watch the live event virtually from Los Angeles, but I thought it was one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

    Yeah, I’m biased, but anyone who knows me knows that I admit when our show is not up to our standards. Today was NOT one of those days.

    Name another medium that allows you to tell a story through text comments, chat, video, live video, and LIVE EVENTS!!! All in one day AND all while watching it with thousands of your close friends.

    I think you got to witness the future of entertainment firsthand and I’m jealous. :)

    Congrats to Amanda, Yousef, Jackson, and Kevin for running such a great and entertaining event.

    Now whose gonna figure out that memo?

    Greg Goodfried on January 23rd, 2008 at 11:17 pm - Permalink

  9. @ Everyone — Liz is correct, I use the term misfits with great appreciation (Like the “Misfits of Science!”) I actually had a great time following the scene around.

    @ Aja — I was told that the phone was off. Maybe I misunderstood.

    Chris Albrecht on January 23rd, 2008 at 11:18 pm - Permalink

  10. I would also like to correct the error about who handed the piece of paper and pen to help with the clue. I realize that you’re trying to show off that it was mostly high school students at the event, but the pure and simple fact that it was I (yes, the mom with 2 kids at an LG event) was the one to procure said items. Thanks

    karebare1978 on January 24th, 2008 at 1:00 am - Permalink

  11. I am sooooooo jealous of all you who got to be there… Chris thanks for the article and videos…
    -xavier-

    thexman98 on January 24th, 2008 at 1:37 am - Permalink

  12. I enjoyed the article, and especially the short video clips included. The ‘event’ itself was well conceived and executed by the organizers.

    Just an observation that this article itself is another example of the medium giving us, the wider audience, access to the event from another point of view, and wouldn’t it be great if all media reports had those involved able to immediately post corrections?

    QtheC on January 24th, 2008 at 2:24 am - Permalink

  13. I though Terryfic’s comment on this article was worth sharing: “That I think that has to be some of the best press LG has ever gotten. Albeit not from the biggest source, but from one actually important in their medium.

    The event doesn’t sound terribly captivating (I’ve read of far more dramatic live events), but I’m sure it would have been more exciting if you were there. And BreeFM should have gotten funding from the C’s to be the official live source of information.”

    milowent on January 24th, 2008 at 8:31 am - Permalink

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