Dream Boy, Dream Job

Countdown to new episode: 3 minutes!

Right now though, they're re-showing last week's episode and all these speech bubbles keep popping up with viewers' opinions on what the characters say and do. It's like MTV is totally aware of how ridiculous this show is, and are more than willing to participate in the ridicule. That's called flak.

Anyways, I'm going to watch each segment of the episode and then comment during the commercials... so I'll be right back!
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• I think in the scene between Audrina and Lauren there were at least 5 shots of just facial expressions, without any conversation. It's fantastic.
• Also, Whitney is seeming a little less cool than she has previously... because she's thinking of this boy, Jay. For the first time, big things are happening to Whitney, with the DVF job offer, and the move to NYC and her new show (OMG!) so it's only natural that a guy must also be involved in the storyline. Why would we ever be concerned with a story without a love interest, right MTV?
• "Do you know how immature this relationship sounds?"-Spencer. Um, do you know immature YOU are, Spencer?
  
• "Go be a nun... in one of those nun things"-Spencer. Need I say more?

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• Why does Stephanie put herself in these situations? Clearly that meal (between Spencer, Heidi and Cameron) was not going to be comfortable. No one would choose to be in situation like that... it must have been contrived by the producers. Stuff like this is what makes people think this show is fake.
• OH MY GOD they went to Laguna!!! The original center of the dramatic universe. (Sidenote: they played Britney Spears' new song, "Circus." This is why I love this show.)
• So Whitney's interview didn't really impress me. She is an eloquent, articulate speaker but she didn't seem like she thought she had to work to get the job. When she was sitting in the lobby she didn't look to nervous, and her answer to the "Why DVF?" question was not very enthusiastic considering that DVF is one of the most fantastic designers in the world. Most people would kill for this sort of opportunity, while Whitney seemed kind of underwhelmed.

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• God, when they show the sweeping views of Laguna, my heart starts to race. This is where I met these people & where I initially fell in love with these shows. **Sigh**
• Even when Whitney leaves DVF she acts like she got the job. Did she? And why is that boy there? Why is Whitney more excited about Jay than Diane freaking Von Furstenberg?!?!?!?!? But, they do seem to really like each other. He's sweet. But if she moves to New York following some dumb infatuation I will lose my respect for her. Will you?

What did you think about this episode? Is Whitney making a good decision if she takes the job?
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Um soooo The Hills After Show is on now, and I've never watched it, or had any desire to do so... before now. But it's great. (Have you ever seen it? ) And again, HELLLLLOOOOO MTV FLAK! They're making fun of Whitney for plugging The City during her DVF interview, but seconds later they're playing a preview for the new show as well as a "documentary" about Whitney's rise from Teen Vogue.

And they just did a count of blank stares. The after show might be even better than the actual show.
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Check out this promo on DVF.com Shameless!!!

BF vs. BFF

So last week Audrina went crazaaaaay about Lauren and Justin possibly hooking up. But I kind of saw this one coming... not the particulars necessarily, but the Audrina break-down for sure. Audrina is so simple-minded and emotionally abusive, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. Don't you agree?

No. Apparently you don't. People seem to actually empathize with Audrina:
"Audrina was hurt and confused. If she was thinking clearly, she would have probably figured out that nothing had happened between Justin and Lauren. Yet, in her sensitive state of mine, it is entirely possible that she took the rumors as truth. In addition, Lauren's reaction to Audrina's initial confrontation did nothing to help Audrina. Instead of calmly and rationally denying that it happened and being supportive to Audrina, Lauren became defensive and demanded an apology. Defensiveness could be taken as Lauren having something to hide" one survey-taker rationalized.



Okay, I see your point: Justin isn't the greatest, most trust-worthy boyfriend in the world, but in my opinion he was really shaping up, buying Audrina loving gifts like that one blouse. But she didn't even seem to appreciate that little gesture. I guess I just think Audrina is emotionally retarded; she doesn't know how to convey emotions (literally, her face always has the same vapid expression) and so this outbreak just seemed like a different and irrational reaction for her. I should probably be more sympathetic though. She's clearly insecure and has let guys walk all over her from before the show even began. Also, she and Lauren were recently on the rocks what with the house/Lo situation and all, so maybe she immediately reverted to those feelings of betrayal from Lauren. Plus, Lauren and Justin Bobby were uber defensive, which is a little sketchy.

So, respondent #13, you convinced me. Audrina wasn't being actively insane. We'll see what happens tonight though.

Do you think Audrina was in the right or the wrong? Are her insecurities a good excuse for her actions?

When you look in the mirror, which Hills character is staring back at you?

No matter whether you're a fan of The Hills or not, you have a favorite character. If you've seen even one episode, one specific character will probably stand out to you, or become representative of the show as a whole. Everyone can relate to someone.

I'm sure this is purposeful; the show is popular because of the cast and relationships the audience makes with them. In fact, the producers probably work really hard to make sure that the personalities-- at least the superficial, archetypical personalities like "Spencer is the jerk," "Justin is the badass rebel"--are evident, even to the point of caricature. This way, you can't help but be attracted to, or repulsed by, a cast member... even if it is on a simplistic level.

So, who do people relate to on The Hills? Personally, I find positive and negative identifications with all of the cast. I see the most similarity (and, I admit, desired or idealized identification) between myself and Whitney; she is motivated and definitely has a head on her shoulders. Also, she puts herself above the drama that Lauren constantly surrounds herself with, and especially in the earlier seasons, sort of rolled her eyes at all the dramatic crap Lauren had to say about her silly friendships and love life. I think that Lauren is egotistic as hell, Audrina is definitely not the brightest penny in the jar and Heidi is just completely delusional. A little harsh, I know. Sorry. Viewers feel like they really get to know the characters on the show and everyone has their opinion... so I wanted to see what everyone else thought. "Who is your favorite character?" I asked my survey-takers.

At this point, the most liked female character is Whitney Port at 40%, followed closely by Lauren Conrad at 34.3%. The favorite male character is Brody Jenner at 41.2% with Justin Bobby at 26.5%.

So YAY! The people like Whitney too! I found that most people saw Whitney in a similar light as I do. People find her to be the "most competent," and "level-headed" female character. One respondent even went so far as to say, "she's the only real person on the show. i never understand why LC is the star when she sucks at everything." I must admit, I kind of agree. But if there are fans like me and respondent #21, who don't think Lauren's the most interesting character, why are there so many people who do list her as their favorite? It seems that most respondents like LC because she is the most "down to earth" and "relatable" girl. That's probably because she's the main character and narrator, and thus, the audience knows the most about her and her point of view. People see Lauren's situations reflected in their own lives: "she's really trying to figure out who to trust and how to get through stuff," said one person, while another likes how Lauren values her relationships and another empathizes, "we make the same mistakes with love...over and over again." One of the most opinionated respondents went so far as to personally define each of the characters saying, "it seems that Lauren is really the only one with a brain. Whitney is more or less together but seems completely vapid when she talks. Audrina might be the stupidest person to ever have existed. Heidi I just can't really tell if she's ever being serious or not, but she seems to have fun. Lo is a little bitch, Stephanie is a loser." Like I said, everyone has an opinion.

People were not as vehement about the male characters; no one seems to take them very seriously. In fact, most of the survey-takers were more interested in the appearance of the guys than their personal character, repeatedly explaining their preference by first saying "he's sooooo cute," and then commenting on their internal qualities. Again, fans seem to like the cast members that they can most easily relate to or trust. For example, people see that Brody is very loyal to Lauren and explain that he "displays qualities that i look in a friend such as trustworthiness and lets lauren know when friends are trying to use her." In my opinion Brody is a favorite because he's Lauren's favorite, and if people like or admire Lauren, they'll trust her judgment in the other characters. Justin is a favorite for different reasons; unlike Brody, Lauren nearly hates Justin and even tells Audrina that she is disgusted by him... so, following suit, why do we like JB? "Because he always seems to be himself, even if he is shitty sometimes, he doesn't let the TV drama affect who he is," seems to be the most popular sort of response. Because he is such a non-conformist in the monotonous LA social scene, people don't think he's playing a role, There are negative identifications at play as well as people believe he is "silly" and takes himself too seriously.

And I agree. But, I mean, everyone on The Hills takes themselves too seriously, so who are we trying to kid? The stereotypes and archetypes of these characters that have evolved over the seasons are the reasons we connect to The Hills. The show, and its audience, would be nothing without the stand-out personalities of the cast. Not only do we all have our own opinions here, but moreover, we're all entitled to our own opinions here.

Let's Begin, Shall We?

So I have to admit that I was a tad hesitant to make this blog. This was partly because I find it a little intimidating to put my opinions out there for the entire WORLD to read, and even more so because they are my opinions about The Hills, one of the most ridiculous, superficial, addictive reality shows out there. I just couldn't imagine saying anything noteworthy about a show so un-noteworthy, a show in which nothing hardly ever happens.

Now, don't get me wrong, I LIKE The Hills. I was actually a huge fan of Laguna Beach, the "predecessor" of The Hills, in high school; I wanted to live the same carefree, luxurious life of the LB cast and could relate easily to their high school situations. So, when The Hills came along, I naturally followed. I felt connected to the LB cast, and soon became similarly connected to The Hills cast; I wanted to know what was going to happen to my friends Lauren, Jason and Lo. I was hooked. You might say that at that point I had begun to love The Hills. But, that doesn't take away from the fact that I found, and still find (maybe even more so now) the situations trivial and the relationships and characters somewhat disturbing (ie. Spencer & Heidi, Spencer & Stephanie... Spencer and anyone really). Still, no matter how it pushes my buttons I am drawn to The Hills week after week.

This seems paradoxical to me: How can I be so interested in a show that I find, in essence, fairly uninteresting? Why am I invested in the lives of these people who live so outside of my personal idea of reality? I began to wonder, "do other people feel the same way?"

I decided to survey my college peers and find out their opinion on the show. ( Click Here to take survey!) I am excited to see what these results reveal and will of course publish my findings and reactions here. Look for more in the following days. Also, please comment on any and all posts with your responses and reactions... I am extremely interested in hearing what you have to say!!!