EQAL: Update

'lonelygirl15' Breaking Free From the Internet

By JONAH BOWER
April 1, 2008

Trapped in a world of secret Orders and Ceremonies to elongate life, many believed the hit Internet series "lonelygirl15" would be doomed to remain trapped by its roots online.

Luckily for its devoted fans, lovingly known as "lonelyCrackers", the internet will no longer be the only location where "lonelygirl15" fans can get their quick fix of action and intrigue for the day. A new partnership forged between America On-Line and

ABC is set to broadcast new online shows exclusively on the internet channel "EQAL."

The main focus of the newly created partnership will be a fresh adaptation of the hit series "lonelygirl15", popularized by YouTube. The series will be broadcast both online as well as in Primetime on ABC this fall.

"It's quite an exciting adventure," said Amanda Goodfried, co-creator of the series. "We were always worried about what might happen if our project was to be picked up by a major network, but thanks to EQAL we were given full creative freedom to create a truly revolutionary interactive environment."

The ABC series will not stay true to its roots, however. The original series will continue on YouTube and lonelygirl15.com, while this new adaptation can be seen as more of a revival.

The main character, Bree, who was killed off in the first season finale online, will be brought back to life by her original actress, Jessica Lee Rose. Fans may find this refreshing, but be forewarned: this will not be the same Bree you knew and loved.

"In order to properly re-imagine the series, we needed to decide how to revamp it to appeal to a wider audience as well as to refrain from alienating our current loyal fans," Goodfried said. "The main characters will be completely different than you now know them. I can't say much more without giving away too many details, but they will have more spirit."

Alongside fan-favorite Jessica Lee Rose, Zac Efron (of High School Musical fame) will play the role of Daniel, Bree's best friend from school. Efron recently claimed that playing the role of Daniel was his biggest challenge yet, stating that "It was interesting playing a character that's there, but never really noticed by the girl he desperately wants. It's such a refreshing turn from my ordinary roles."

David Hasselhoff will play the role of Bree's father, who will be seen much more in the re-imagined series than in the original, where, like his daughter he was killed before the end of the first season.

Sadly for fans of Bree's stuffed animal friend P. Monkey - short for Purple Monkey - no one on the production team at lonelygirl15 was able to locate the original puppet used, and a replacement could not be found. In order to fill the void left by the character, he will be played by an actual monkey (hopefully not with dyed fur). It is not know whether a similar tactic will be used to replace Owen, another of Bree's animal friends; a stuffed turtle.

via ABC News
(NOTE: The site is behaving inconsistently, so we've uploaded the full article.)

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