Burning Shorts Issue 2: July/August 2006

Introduction
My life works best when my day starts by riding waves in the Ocean. From the water, I reorient and see that our World is mostly liquid, fluid, moving, and land is where there is population density, firearms, and too much talking. So, with this Issue and ever after, I ask you to consider Burning Shorts a ship in service of discovery, and every Issue a destination … each a New World in a vast, uncharted perhaps unknowable Ocean. And, because each destination is merely tethered by a single line called a web address, the greater reality is liquid. With that introduction …

The Magic and Mystery of lonelygirl15
Welcome to Issue 2: The Magic and Mystery of lonelygirl15 and her Danielbeast. The Magic is real. The Mystery is whether the story is real. The deeper Mystery is how real and whether it matters if it is real. Pirandello’s plays, the film The Stuntman , and the play Tony and Tina’s Wedding all challenge whether and how reality matters. So, too, does lonelygirl15, who calls herself “Bree” and her friend “Daniel” often affectionately called “Danielbeast”. Online there is robust controversy regarding who these characters are and to what they are devoted: autobiographical disclosure or artful fiction or self-promotion. With the velocity of online popularity, the series is not even two months old: we append posting dates and numbers of views of each video for the curious. Since the Magic is real, we begin there.

The Magic Is Real
The lonelygirl15 series consists currently of fourteen short videos (for a complete blog/filmography with all details, contact Burning Shorts via email) which star Bree, supported by Daniel and occasional appearances of a Purple Monkey puppet. She is enchanting; she is the Magic. As one commentator declared following her first video, “First Blog/Dorkiness Prevails”, (my grammatical inserts in brackets): “You are amazing. You are smart and nice. I am a new fan and I think [it] is not difficult [to] fall in love with a girl like you … Produce more videos!!!!” Please meet Bree … “First Blog/Dorkiness Prevails” dated June 16, 2006 1:35 sec Views: 78,749 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-goXKtd6cPo&search=lonelygirl15

A Major Conflict And Proving Science Wrong
In her seventh video, Bree introduces a major conflict in our drama, perfectly entitled, “My Parents Suck” Dated July 04, 2006, 1:01 sec. Views: 448,706 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll9xv69oX0s&mode=related&search= Balancing this conflict with a more frolicsome episode which includes exposure to the often soft-spoken Daniel, Bree undertakes “Proving Science Wrong!” dated July 09, 2006, 1:36 sec. Views: 223,779 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQEBobE9XZs&NR

Boy Problems Girl Problems
The parents relent. The two go hiking (episode 9), but the audience reaction provokes another conflict—we are very much influencing events—again perfectly entitled “Boy Problems …” dated July 16, 2006, 2:11 sec. Views: 496,078 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnYgQJud2Vk&NR Daniel responds, twice in the same day: First, angrily toward Bree, “Girl Problems …” dated July 18, 2006, 1:00 sec. Views: 83,616 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJjAZevn1n8 , and then tenderly in her defense, “Daniel Responds” dated July 18, 2006, 1:00 min. Views: 64,210 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk316mkquL4&NR Ah, the ambivalence of love … poignantly exposed or perhaps artfully dramatized?

Girl And Boy Reunite But …
Happily, after “boy loses girl” or, more accurately, “girl loses boy”, “girl and boy reunite” in the funny, quick, cleverly crafted “He Said, She Said” dated July 20, 2006, 45 sec. Views: 189,580 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AuKM7p3r-w&NR

… Major Conflict Persists
Ah, but the larger conflict continues. The parents simply do not understand, and Bree opts to express her feelings with a personal story as metaphor, “My Lazy Eye (and P. Monkey gets Funky!)” dated July 22, 2006, 1:52 sec. Views: 89,844 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZN-Wye4rDE … and it feels to us at Burning Shorts that we have arrived at the conclusion of Part One of this Magic and Mystery. And at the conclusion of Issue 2?

The Conspiracy of lonelygirl15: Imminent Doom?
Not quite. Reality or drama? This Magical young lady her Danielbeast and her Purple Monkey: could they be the apocalyptic threat to that great Beacon of the Internet and our World? Hard to imagine? Consider: “The Imminent Doom of YouTube”, dated July 22, 2006, 3:48 sec. Views: 106,638 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGZrWsCMEjU&feature=Views&page=1&t=t&f=b

And, thus, the conclusion of Issue 2.

Bonus! The latest “Proving Science Wrong …”
And Bree and Daniel reverse roles … well sort of … well not really … They are so wonderful … Just watch … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MhzPBagaNY

Bookmark and Share
This entry was posted in Burning Shorts and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *