No one has publicly come forward to lay claim to her work, but she is starting to look as connected in Hollywood as any starlet. Three lonelygirl15-obsessed amateur Web sleuths set up a sting using tracking software that appears to show that e-mails sent from a lonelygirl15 account came from inside the offices of the Beverly Hills-based talent agency Creative Artists Agency.

The apparent CAA link takes its place alongside other tantalizing pieces of evidence that lonelygirl15 is not who she claims to be: a copyright for the name obtained by an Encino lawyer, and a plot line that, leading speculation suggests, will turn out to be the lead-in to a horror movie's marketing campaign. CAA spokesman Michael Mand said he "could neither confirm nor deny" that the agency is representing whoever is behind the 27 video posts. (Other talent agencies and production companies contacted by The Times denied any connection.)

As to horror film rumors, calls made to several studios found no such plans — but plenty of fascination for the way in which a Hollywood-ready cultural phenomenon has been built from a grass-roots Web platform. Lonelygirl15, many say, is the next-generation "Blair Witch Project," using interactive forms of storytelling that, like the 1999 hit, tries to trick an audience into thinking it's true.

*****

On June 16, lonelygirl15 made her first appearance in a video, titled "First Blog/Dorkiness Prevails." Dark-haired, big-eyed and pretty, she blinked nervously and hugged her knees as she described living in a small town "hours from a mall" with strict religious parents and a friend named Daniel, who she didn't like "in that way." Over the next three months, two dozen more videos hit the Web, spaced out every few days. Bree dangled hints about her life, revealing that she had spent her youth in New Zealand, was treated for "lazy eye" and had an obsession with physicist Richard Feynman. Oblique references popped up to "my religion," which was never named but which forbade things such as attending Daniel's high school graduation party. Fans soon started to notice jarring details. A music clip from an undiscovered L.A. band was mixed in to her well-edited montage sequences. Her room was movie-set neat. Above her bookshelf hung a photo of famed occultist Aleister Crowley. Thin already, Bree talked about an upcoming religious ceremony that she would participate in, even though it involved going on a diet.

*****

In late August, fans discovered that the Web address for lonelygirl15.com had been purchased before the first video even appeared, with efforts made to shield the identity of the buyer. In early September, Web forums erupted with the news that lonelygirl15 had been trademarked and the application filed by an Encino lawyer named Kenneth Goodfried. (He declined to comment for this article.) Within days, the MySpace profile of Goodfried's daughter was being combed for connections to the video.

Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati

Brangelina Won't Wed Until Gay Marriage is Legal

In an upcoming interview in Esquire magazine, Brad Pitt says he and Angelina Jolie won't marry until gay marriage is legal in the United States.

Brad Pitt, ever the social activist, says he won't be marrying Angelina Jolie until the restrictions on who can marry whom are dropped. "Angie and I will consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able," the 42-year-old actor reveals in Esquire magazine's October issue, on newsstands Sept. 19.

In the article he reflects on "fifteen things I think everyone should know." Though Shiloh, the world-famous daughter of Pitt and girlfriend/earth mother Angelina Jolie, hogged much attention upon her birth in May, Pitt says he "cannot imagine life" without adopted children, Maddox, 5, and Zahara, 1.

"They're as much of my blood as any natural born, and I'm theirs," says Pitt. "That's all I can say about it. I can't live without them. So: Anyone considering (adoption), that's my vote." Pitt, who plays a world traveler in the upcoming drama "Babel," subscribes to a laid-back parenting style. "I try not to stifle them in any way," he says. "If it's not hurting anyone, I want them to be able to explore. Sometimes that means they're quite rambunctious." Lucky kids.

"I feel it's really important to have that time to sit and talk to them," he continues. "I really like that last minute before they fade off. And always give them a heads-up before you jerk them out of something. You need to tell them, like, 'You have three more minutes.'"

Is this really a way of supporting gay marriage, or is it just a face-saving excuse to explain why one of the couple refuses to tie the knot? It's anyone's guess.

Posted on September 8, 2006
Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati

Suri Cruise's Shock and Awe Photos

Katie Couric had an amazing debut as the first woman to anchor a major news broadcast. Not only did she cover serious stories like the disaster in Afghanistan (welcome back to the Taliban!), but she also broke the celebrity news story of the fall: she showed the first photos of Suri Cruise taken by famed photographer Annie Lebovitz for Vanity Fair magazine.

Our verdict? She's cute as a button. And so is Katie. Katie looks amazing, actually. The photos were taken in Telluride, Colorado, hence the gorgeous background.

So, Suri's here. She's really cute. But we still think Tom Cruise's recent behavior is disturbing. And just because he apologized to Brooke Shields in a "heartfelt manner" doesn't mean he's back in our good graces. Because right after Brooke told Leno about the apology, Tom's rep said yes Tom had mended his friendship with Brooke, but he still is opposed to all antidepressants because they aren't safe. What Tom giveth with one hand, he taketh away with his publicist's other hand. So ended the lesson.

Posted on September 6, 2006
Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati

Goodbye To the Crocodile Hunter

Steve Irwin, known as The Crocodile Hunter, died yesterday after being stung by a stingray while snorkeling off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Irwin was filming a children's documentary at the time. The barb entered his heart from under his ribcage, which experts said was tantamount to taking a sword through the heart. He died on the scene and paramedics couldn't revive him.

The video of the incident is being reviewed by police, and there are conflicting reports of what the tape actually shows.

The stingray encounter that killed Animal Planet star Steve Irwin was reportedly caught on tape – but still, conflicting details about the Crocodile Hunter's final moments are emerging. The ray struck Irwin, 44, with the barb of its tail while he was filming bull stingrays for a TV documentary called Ocean's Deadliest at Batt Reef, Low Isle off Port Douglas, Australia, at about 11:00 a.m. Monday.

Irwin's manager, John Stainton, was widely quoted as telling reporters that he had seen footage of Irwin pulling the deadly barb from his chest before his death, the BBC reports. But later, when CNN interviewer Rick Sanchez asked whether Irwin had pulled out the barb, Stainton said, "Don't you hear a lot of rumors and, and stuff that goes around on these things? And it's just absolute rubbish." Stainton also said he could not bring himself to watch the tape.

Ben Cropp, a cameraman who was on the reef when Irwin was killed, told The Australian newspaper he'd spoken to a member of the production crew who said he'd seen footage of the incident. The tape shows Irwin in shallow water following a large stingray, Cropp said. The animal "probably felt threatened because Steve was alongside and there was the cameraman ahead, and it felt there was danger and it baulked. It stopped and went into a defensive mode and swung its tail with the spike."

The Australian reported Tuesday that police superintendent Mike Keating said investigators had viewed the footage. "There is no evidence that Mr. Irwin was intimidating or threatening the stingray," he said. "My advice is that he was observing the stingray. There are no suspicious circumstances in relation to the death of Mr. Irwin."

Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced, though Queensland State Premier Peter Beattie said on Tuesday that Irwin would be given a state funeral if his family approved. Irwin leaves behind his American-born wife Terri, 42, daughter Bindi, 8, and son Bob, 2. Also on Tuesday, Australia's parliament paused to honor Irwin, who Prime Minister John Howard said had died in "quintessentially Australian circumstances."

Australians weighed in on the death by the thousands, leaving tributes on websites and at Australia Zoo. Other statements included those from friend Russell Crowe and the Australian Prime Minister:

Russell Crowe: "He was the Australian we all aspire to be. He held an absolute belief that caring for the richness of our country, meaning specifically the riches of our fauna, was the highest priority we should have. And, over time, we might just see how right he was.

"He was and remains, the ultimate wildlife warrior. He touched my heart. I believed in him. I'll miss him. I loved him and I will be there for his family."

John Howard, Prime Minister: "I am quite shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death. It's a huge loss to Australia. He was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. He brought joy and entertainment and excitement to millions of people. He was a one-off character."

We loved Steve Irwin and his love for life, his family and his passion for wildlife conservation. He spent so much of his own money buying land for conservation purposes and trying to educate people about the importance of sustaining wildlife habitats. Our hearts go out to his wife Terri, his daughter Bindi Sue and his son Bob.

You can see the videos of Steve, post condolences and see tributes from his friends at the special memorial site set up by Discovery Communications, Inc.

Posted on September 5, 2006
Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati

Junk Food Diet Helped Man Live to be 112

A California man lived to the ripe old age of 112 while living on a fun diet of junk food his entire life. He never gained weight, got Alzheimer's, diabetes or cancer. His wife lived to be 92, presumably with the same diet.

George Johnson, considered California's oldest living person at 112 and the state's last surviving World War I veteran, had experts shaking their heads over his junk food diet. "He had terrible bad habits. He had a diet largely of sausages and waffles," Dr. L. Stephen Coles, founder of the Gerontology Research Group at the University of California, Los Angeles, said Friday.

The 5-foot-7, 140-pound Johnson died of pneumonia Wednesday at his Richmond home in Northern California. "A lot of people think or imagine that your good habits and bad habits contribute to your longevity," Coles said. "But we often find it is in the genes rather than lifestyle." Johnson, who was blind and living alone until his 110th birthday when a caregiver began helping him, built the Richmond house by hand in 1935. He got around using a walker in recent years.

Johnson was the only living Californian considered a "supercentenarian," a designation for those ages 110 or older, Coles said. His group is now in the process of validating a Los Angeles candidate who claims to be 112 years old. Coles participated in an autopsy Thursday that was designed to study Johnson’s health. "All of his organs were extremely youthful. They could have been the organs of someone who was 50 or 60, not 112. Clearly his genes had some secrets," Coles said.

We did notice that the happy couple apparently had enough money to live on and never had chidren. Coincidence? Or did their stress-free lifestyle help them live so long? Because somehow we doubt it was the sausages.

Posted on September 2, 2006
Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati