Get a Dot-Com Life, Will Ya?

Memo to all the struggling actors in our city: You don’t have to be stick-thin or have perfect skin to get noticed in Webwood (my term for the place where Hollywood and the Internet meet). Ordinary people who have become Internet celebrities in recent months include Turkish accordion player Mahir “I Kiss You� Cagri; Jennifer Ringley, who Webcasts a live feed of her 20-something life; and now, a 26-year-old Dallas systems manager who legally changed his name to DotComGuy.

DotComGuy’s shtick? He moved into an empty house Jan. 1 with only his computer and the clothes on his back . . . and he isn’t leaving until 2001. His mission: to live entirely on products and services available online.

“I really wanted to provide an experience for people to find out about the possiblities of the Internet,� he said. (And gain Gen Y notoriety and secure a few flush sponsors, no doubt.)

Whatever the mission, so far it has been successful. More than 2.5 million people log on to his site (https://www.dotcomguy.com) every day for answers to such mundane questions as how the Web celeb procures his toilet paper. (He orders it from an online grocery service called PeaPod.com.)

DotComGuy decorated his DotCompound with the help of Furniture.com, he works out with FitLinxx.com, and, when he gets bored, he orders books from Borders.com. He also entertains guests and rock bands, writes a daily journal and does media interviews--as the world watches.

There is one downside to life at the DotCompound, however: DotComGuy doesn’t have any way to interface in person with DotComGirls. So, naturally, one of his sponsors, Ehow.com, is hosting a contest to find him a Valentine. Entrants must describe their ideal date with DotComGuy, and the winner will be flown to meet him in Dallas on Feb. 14.

She shouldn’t expect to be treated to dinner at a fancy restaurant; the date will be at the DotCompound, which is fine with DotComGuy.

“I’m learning so many different things I can do to simplify my life. I don’t know if I’ll be able to go back to the real world,� he said. “I’d much rather spend 10 minutes in bed ordering groceries on my laptop, than waste time going out to the grocery store.�

Personally, I’d stick to the grocery store. After all, you never know who you’ll meet in the produce aisle.

*

Looking for love in all the wrong places? The jumbo VideoTron video billboard on Sunset Boulevard near Sweetzer Avenue in West Hollywood is accepting personal ads during the Season of Romance.

Individual ads ($350 each) can accommodate a still photo, a 10-word message and an e-mail address. Ads will run continuously (six to seven times an hour) through Valentine’s Day.

And, even though the VideoTron is on the fabled Sunset Strip, “both the photos and the words must be completely tasteful,� said Joe Shooshani, who owns the VideoTron. Information: (310) 451-1778.

*

Martha “Microsoft� Stewart continues her bid to take over the world. She’s launched yet another business enterprise, https://www.marthasflowers.com. The site sells fresh roses and other flowers in season, by the bunch or by monthly subscription.

Hint, hint DotComGuy!

Booth Moore can be reached at [email protected].