Lonely no more

A young NZ actress has been outed as global internet sensation LonelyGirl15. Otherwise known as Bree – a naive home-schooled 16-year-old – LonelyGirl15 has captured the hearts of teenage boys the world over with her quirky online video diaries on YouTube and MySpace. After months of conspiracy theories and online sleuthing, the San Francisco Chronicle revealed the girl behind LonelyGirl to be Mount Maunganui-raised Jessica Rose, a 19-year-old graduate of Auckland’s Studio 111 and the New York Film Academy. The online phenomenon – likened to the Blair Witch Project – was the brainchild of Californian filmmakers Ramesh Flinders and Miles Beckett, and software engineer Grant Steinfield. After the relentless press interest since her outing, it remains to be seen whether Rose is Hollywood’s next big thing or its latest and greatest hoax.