"i-CAUGHT:" DISSECTING THE NEW VIDEO REVOLUTION 

Airs Tuesday, August 28 at 9:00 p.m., ET on ABC From a new crime wave sweeping the country to the "parkour" phenomenon, from online wedding proposals to learning how to be bad, this week's "i-CAUGHT" examines stories that are part of the video revolution. Anchored by Bill Weir, the new ABC newsmagazine airs TUESDAY, AUGUST 28 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. Reports include:

* Parkour: If you saw the breathtaking opening scene in the James Bond movie "Casino Royale" or Madonna's music video for "Jump," then you've had a little taste of the latest craze around the globe. It's called Parkour and its popularity was spawned entirely by the Internet. What was once a hobby for its creator, a Frenchman named David Belle, is now a movement across the globe, with young people from Los Angeles to the Ukraine taking part. They jump and flip, leap and vault -- all without helmets, knee pads or a net. They're called traceurs and, where we might see a wall, they see an object to scale. But there is some controversy. David Belle wants to keep Parkour true to it roots, based in non-competitive philosophy, but others are trying to capitalize on it by lobbying for it to become an Olympic sport. Bill Weir reports.

* Gas Station Rip-Offs: It's a new crime wave sweeping the country and it all starts with an old fashioned street crime - caught on tape. As an unsuspecting woman turns to swipe her credit card at the pump, thieves drive up, crawl out of their car along the ground, quietly open her passenger side door, snatch her purse and drive off before the victim even notices she's been robbed. Our "i-CAUGHT" investigation discovers rings of organized thieves stalking busy soccer moms and working women at day care centers, gyms, gas stations, schools, dry cleaners, churches, even cemeteries - poised to strike the moment these women let down their guard. The thieves are not only after your valuables, but also your identity - churning it in a sophisticated mill of organized crime fraud. Florida authorities discovered $17 million in fraud involving just five rings of these sophisticated purse-snatchers. "i-CAUGHT" provides consumer advice for viewers to take away and protect themselves. JuJu Chang reports.

* Online Wedding Proposals: Some ask at a candlelight dinner for two; some ask while on an exotic vacation. But now, many people are proposing marriage with the help of the World Wide Web. What used to be a couple's most private moments is now fodder for a growing online phenomenon. Video web sites and wedding wed sites illustrate just how eager couples are to film and publicize their proposals. The clips range from quick amateur cuts of actual proposals to lengthy edited picture montages. JuJu Chang reports.

* How to Be Bad: From building a bomb to stealing a car, learning how to be bad has never been so easy. With a few clicks, anyone can get virtual instruction videos to do just about anything. We go inside the phenomenon to see if this is even legal, so you can protect your kids from themselves. Jeff Rossen reports.

* The Internet Made Me Famous -- Numa Numa: What happens when an average New Jersey teenager posts a wacky video of himself lip-synching to a catchy European pop song on the Internet? One hundred million views and counting. "i-CAUGHT" brings you the story of how Gary Brolsma -- better known as YouTube's "Numa Numa" guy - became famous.

*Etch-a-sketch Artist: George V has been doing amazing art work on the etch-a-sketch since he was 10 years old. His basement is stacked with over 400 etch-a-sketches, and he has stacks of artwork, and photos with celebs. Recently George and his father posted a time-lapse video of George doing an etch-a-sketch of Lebron James as homage to his favorite team the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since then, and a million hits later, George has become quite the local celebrity -- he has a possible movie deal and tons of artwork on order. "i-CAUGHT" talks to George about his rare talent, and asks him to do an etch-a-sketch just for us.

* Your 3 Words: "i-CAUGHT" viewers submitted video describing their week in three words.

In conjunction with the new show, the "i-CAUGHT" website allows people to submit their own video to be considered for the program. People can upload video to it through ABCNews.com.

"i-CAUGHT" is anchored by Bill Weir. David Sloan is the executive producer and Jon Meyersohn, Ann Reynolds and Danielle Baum are the senior producers.

 

Source: ABC Press Release

 

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