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Staged reality

The Hills Watching MTV’s ‘The Hills’ is a lot like when you spot a car wreck on the highway. You want to avert your eyes, but for some reason you just can’t turn away. Yes, much of the show is scripted. Yes, it may actually damage viewers’ brain cells. But if not taken seriously, it can make for quite entertaining television, especially in the summer television lull.So far, the third season of the ‘Laguna Beach’ spin-off has focused on one of the most publicized catfights since Paris and Nicole – the fractured friendship between the show’s star, Lauren ‘LC’ Conrad, and her former roommate and BFF, Heidi Montag. Screaming matches in L.A. nightclubs. Drunken tears on the beach. It’s all there in its reality TV glory. Although Heidi and LC are no longer friends, the show still gives Heidi and her new fianc Spencer lots of individual airtime. There is nothing funnier than watching Spencer fumble his way through buying an engagement ring (or, as he called it, ‘bling’) to his proposal on the beach in Santa Barbara. And there is nothing scarier than thinking about these two wannabe stars getting married. Ironically, the show’s breath of fresh air comes from rich It-boy Brody Jenner – the son of Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner – and Spencer’s ‘wingman.’ ‘Spencer broke up with me,’ Brody wryly tells LC, after Spencer gets mad at him for hanging out with LC, a former flame. With several more episodes left, stay tuned to see who Heidi and Spencer will tick off Newport Harbor Apparently, Laguna Beach was no longer ‘the real O.C.’ After a mediocre season of ‘Laguna Beach,’ the folks at MTV moved 10 miles up the coast for this season’s ‘Newport Harbor.’ Guess Anaheim wasn’t available. Despite the new location, little else with the show has changed – even down to the Hillary Duff theme song. The girls sport the signature beach blonde hair, while the guys show off their water sport skills. And of course, the show revolves around Newport love triangles that entangle most of the cast members. Either way, this season is a step up from the bland last season of ‘Laguna Beach.’ Thankfully, Cami’s days as a TV diva are over. It’s nothing special, but when it comes to the mindless chatter category of television, it can hold its own. But a question lingers when considering these shows: How much longer can MTV keep up the appeal of watching rich high school kids do absolutely nothing? Hopefully long enough to keep viewers entertained, at least.





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