tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6883306328855861068.post8914586324304811434..comments2023-03-25T01:03:46.920-07:00Comments on acerbic bubblegum: Why The Hills is good.Caitlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05488370321502631986noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6883306328855861068.post-60896361692109864682008-06-29T17:02:00.000-07:002008-06-29T17:02:00.000-07:00wow, this is incredibly insightful and an interest...wow, this is incredibly insightful and an interesting read. I myself have attempted to come to conclusion about why people are intrigued by "The Hills" and failed. I think you nailed it. Congrats!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6883306328855861068.post-62262450123286330192008-05-14T20:21:00.000-07:002008-05-14T20:21:00.000-07:00well the latest comment sort of stole my point. i ...well the latest comment sort of stole my point. i agree that all good pop culture products are in the tradition of only the greatest literary and artistic masterpieces. but the problem with a show like the hills is that its actors are devoid of the sensitivity its viewers must have to appreciate it. while the dynamics might reveal the same archetypes observed by shakespeare, the lines have none of his beauty or wit. and i think that speaks more to the brilliance of shakespeare than the hills. he managed to elevate normal human interaction to art. the hills is simply shrouding normal human interaction in celebrity.<BR/><BR/>but i love your analysis. very well done.Mallikahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06107909509096945803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6883306328855861068.post-42618396630197909582008-05-09T23:24:00.000-07:002008-05-09T23:24:00.000-07:00i love this post. It is amazing to compare spence...i love this post. It is amazing to compare spencer to iago because he is sickening and no amount of venting can say how evil. he is even worse than iago when you really think about it because iago at least seems smart at his manipulating which makes him more viable of a figure... spencer is a dull interfering loser and horrible and dumb!!!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10488668338298685393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6883306328855861068.post-78310383878110959242008-05-07T12:40:00.000-07:002008-05-07T12:40:00.000-07:00My god, this is such a good analysis. Just found y...My god, this is such a good analysis. Just found your blog via commenter metoometoo on Jezebel and I'm amazed at how many blogroll similarities we share. You're an excellent writer! Added to my google reader :)alliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03954839615795710684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6883306328855861068.post-37295763190280530892008-05-06T17:12:00.000-07:002008-05-06T17:12:00.000-07:00KJ - I think that your counter-argument about Laur...KJ - I think that your counter-argument about Lauren makes a lot of sense, especially since I just read the Rolling Stone article about "The Hills" and in it, Lauren claims that she sneaks out on dates without letting MTV know, and that she even had a secret boyfriend for a short time before the show's producers found out.<BR/><BR/>Basically I think that all of your points are probably pretty much correct, and I bet that if we could get Lauren herself to weigh in on this discussion, she would say that you are right. BUT I think there is an intensity to her jealousy and resentment that stems from the fact that she finds it much easier to be emotionally intimate with women than men. I doubt that she is even conscious of this yet, though, and I don't necessarily think that this is a sexual issue so much as it is emotional, so calling her a lesbian or bisexual would be too definitive at this point.Caitlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05488370321502631986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6883306328855861068.post-76564819419256933402008-05-06T16:42:00.000-07:002008-05-06T16:42:00.000-07:00they all act like nutsacks on this show.they all act like nutsacks on this show.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6883306328855861068.post-73884464172401035172008-05-06T13:44:00.000-07:002008-05-06T13:44:00.000-07:00Perfect! I never feel the need to defend my intere...Perfect! I never feel the need to defend my interest in the show, but I never really figured out <B>why</B> it interests me so much. Thanks for laying it out!<BR/><BR/>However, I do want to make an alternate argument about the whole "LC=Bi-curious?" thing. It seems like a lot of people are drawing that conclusion based on her behavior with her friends' boyfriends and her own "love interests". I think there's another explanation, though, and it's one that might hit home for a lot of girls. I have been thinking this forever, and I have to write it down, finally!<BR/><BR/>I think that there are a couple of levels to Lauren's issues with her friends' relationships. <BR/>1. She is jealous that her friend is being stolen away from her<BR/>2. The guy that is doing the stealing has not been on his best behavior (Spencer's playboy bunny incident, Justin Bobby's various transgressions). <BR/>3. She is loyal to her friend, so she has a hard time being nice to the guy that has hurt her, and even has had words with the guy over it (LC drunkenly yelling at Spencer on the phone while Heidi cries). This just feeds more into #1 - the guy will now avoid group situations that Lauren will be involved in, leading to her spending even less time with her friend. It also hurts her friendship, because ultimately her friend still likes the guy and LC can't be enthusiastic about the relationship.<BR/>4. Another big factor is that she is jealous that her friends have these relationships, flawed or not, and that she has no one. I read an interview with the guy Gavin that she went on one date with, and he said she was nice, but it was very clear that she was not going to be having any sort of real relationship or expressing real feelings while she was on camera. And after having her high school relationship failures documented on camera, who could blame her?<BR/><BR/>So there you go. A very long winded, but (I think) valid possible explanation for Lauren's behavior. :)KJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13767716456922099035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6883306328855861068.post-64201071704426608102008-05-06T12:04:00.000-07:002008-05-06T12:04:00.000-07:00Well done. I knew there had to be some deep seede...Well done. I knew there had to be some deep seeded meaning behind this show that I find myself watching every week.<BR/><BR/>And I have often wondered about LC's sexuality as it seems she is almost more hurt by her girlfriends then her many men. Really interesting read!Danielle Johnsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08262963278607119928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6883306328855861068.post-4310129494227930312008-05-04T02:13:00.000-07:002008-05-04T02:13:00.000-07:00heey caitlin,i've never seen this show, but i can ...heey caitlin,<BR/><BR/>i've never seen this show, but i can pretty much see you launching into this analysis in our kitchen in atwater. though i'm surprised you didn't mention the ol oedipus complex. <BR/><BR/>anywho, your tireless devotion to raising pop culture onto the literary platform deserves this virtual drink i'm making you: your classic stoli +tonic.<BR/><BR/>jzAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6883306328855861068.post-25431008591434498322008-05-02T17:21:00.000-07:002008-05-02T17:21:00.000-07:00It's like, I always think of The Hills as some Fre...It's like, I always think of The Hills as some French New Wave television series, including the long takes of silence and the jumpy hand-held camera. To me, that is the beauty and I think you've said everything else.marsalishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06423626167918752011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6883306328855861068.post-88060107530886091722008-05-02T15:26:00.000-07:002008-05-02T15:26:00.000-07:00Holy crap. You wrote the shit out of that and I ag...Holy crap. You wrote the shit out of that and I agree with every last comment. Well done.J.P. Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15391229584127922389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6883306328855861068.post-18434896897868984142008-05-01T12:15:00.000-07:002008-05-01T12:15:00.000-07:00This is incredible!!! Where to start -- Spencer a...This is incredible!!! Where to start -- Spencer as Iago, Heidi as Frankenstein, and best of all The Knight of the Burning Pestle... wow wow wow. I think you nail both the appeal of the individual characters as well as the interplay between reality and fiction. Nice work. <BR/><BR/>The New Yorker recently tried to capture what makes the Hills compelling, and they couldn't do it. This should have been the article!Nathan Bransfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17938449789819847825noreply@blogger.com