|
|
he Net has infiltrated deeply into popular culture. An aspiring rock band is nothing without a Web page. Presidential candidates can't hope to be taken seriously if they're not on the Net. Even bump and grind -- exotic dancing -- has gone online. Now, racing to catch up with the real world, at least two television shows -- a soap opera in Brazil and a sitcom in the United States -- have cast the Internet in leading roles. "Explode Coracao" ("Exploding Heart"), a six-day-a-week prime-time Brazilian soap opera (telenova), is lurid, far-fetched, and irresistible to 50 million viewers. It features a Brazilian businessman and a Gypsy woman, who begin an affair in an online chat room. Their romance -- along with characters such as Edu, a shy computer nerd who becomes a chat-room Romeo when cloaked in online anonymity -- have helped trigger Brazil's Net mania. "I was intrigued by the way the Internet is capable of connecting the most weird and different people," says Gloria Perez, the show's writer. "These chance encounters are happening all the time." The fantasy soap opera has recently spilled over into real life: Miriam Stanescon, the Rio Gypsy woman on whom "Explode" is based, has come forward with allegations that the show casts her character in a bad light. Miriam, who claims she is a Gypsy princess, is suing for defamation since one of the plots revolves around the fictional gypsy's virginity.
|
