RUSHES SUNDAY
Brian steps out of his blog …
By the Inquirer Entertainment Staff
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:01:00 03/17/2008
MANILA, Philippines - The main protagonist in our ongoing online telenovela steps out of the safety of his blog spot to talk to Rushes.
Australian Brian Gorrell, whose blogspot is now considered a cyber sensation, has e-mailed back answers to a Rushes questionnaire.
He is the man who has gone online, saying he only wants to recover $70,000 from a Filipino ex-boyfriend, following a very public altercation.
The blog’s subtitle says it all: “Fighting for Justice. Recovering My Life’s Savings.”
Sure beats hiring a private investigator. Think “Get Shorty” crossed with “Marimar.”
Netizens who have been hooked on the site since it debuted on March 4, still have so many questions, so many opinions, it seems. (According to Gorrell, he received over 3,000 e-mails when he temporarily shut down the site on Wednesday night.)
Biggest among the queries: Who is Brian Gorrell and is he for real?
They believe so
Two respected media celebs (a TV host and a performer) think he is for real, citing his photos on the blog, as well as anecdotes passed on by people within the circle that Gorrell had been lambasting with unabashed relish online.
More interestingly, the other half of this nasty breakup has gotten in touch with Rushes as well, to say “No comment” in a cell phone conversation that lasted 19 minutes and 52 seconds.
In his blog spot, Gorrell said that he had been approached by “different media outlets for my story.”
In the e-mailed interview, Gorrell said: “I have received e-mails from the BBC, CNN and other organizations for updates on this blog. It seems that this blog [has become] worldwide indeed.”
He said that he has received e-mails from “New York, London, Mexico, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong and, of course, the bulk is from the Philippines.”
No scoffing matter
Over 100,000 visits per day and 3,412 e-mails from eight countries are no scoffing matter.
Why are Netizens so riveted?
Gorrell has a theory: “People read my blog for many reasons. The e-mails I receive are incredible and insightful. I’ve always said that [Filipinos] are the smartest people I’ve ever met. People pour out their feelings. Deep passionate feelings on the issue of class and other social [concerns]. They feel a huge disconnect from the characters in my blog.”
To loosely paraphrase a Netizen’s observation in the blog’s comments section: “Someday this blog will be studied in journalism school; it will be analyzed in dissertations.”
Seriously bent observers note that, beyond gossip and scandal, this blog spot has raised issues of race, class and gender and, just as crucially, of media responsibility— “specifically, how modern platforms and technological innovations have changed the landscape of journalism.”
Vital issues like freedom of the press and right to privacy have likewise found their way in the comments section.
Key to advancement
In his e-mail to Rushes, Gorrell pointed out: “Based on my experience, people who are concerned with the privacy aspects of the web … are usually the ones with things to hide. Information is the key to advancement. People need to have a voice.”
Gorrell, however, expressed “concern” over the blog’s comments section. “People are very angry. But I also came across brilliance. Intelligent people who understood the debate. They understand what motivated me to take such extreme measures to get my money back.”
At press time, Gorrell has decided to pull the plug on the comments section, though.
“The anger became too much. It was diluting my main objective. Which was to recover my savings, at the same time shining the spotlight on the hypocrisy in the ‘elite’ level of society that fosters such behavior and turns away from the results when it all gets ugly.”
The debate has started, he noted, and he promised to keep the posts coming.
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