Reality Heaven

She may have made some enemies on The City and earned herself a reputation as a snooty cow but there is no doubting Olivia Palermo's star quality. Her distinctive style has made her the toast of New York and glossy magazines galore and her feisty attitude appealed to many including me. So no surprise to hear that Madame Palermo has landed herself her own reality series which will show her life as a socialite fashionista about town and follows her launching her own fashion label. The show is in the very early stages so has not been picked up by a TV network. The gig is very similar to the one that Lauren Conrad has; the former start from The Hills is set to appear in a one-off reality show that features the launch of her fashion label called Paper Crown. The programme will be in the same mode of The September Issue and will be aired on MTV. The details of Olivia's own show are yet to be released and she only dropped the news last week during an interview in Vogue Espana and not surprisingly blogsphere and the rest of the media went into overdrive.

I am kind of over celebs launching fashion lines so the fashion projects by Palermo and Conrad do not really interest me but what I am into it is the reality shows themselves that depict the glam lives of these IT girls who appear to have it all. Looks, wonderful careers, great wardrobes and apartments and lots of fabulous friends. I mean who wouldn't want to live that sumptuous life? I loved watching Whitney in The City and other shows such as The Rachel Zoe Project and Kell on Earth are my 'not' guilty pleasures. So I cannot wait to see both Palermo and Conrad juggle working on a fashion line along with their personal lives in New York and LA respectively.

While I was researching the projects by Olivia and Lauren I came across this fantastic illustration in Bloomberg Business Week that looks at the pivotal points in Lauren's career. The model is created by Frazer Harrison and you can have a proper look at it here.

If You Want to Cry, Go Outside by Kelly Cutrone

Apart from my Mum there are not many women who I look up to. There are women who I like a lit and admire such as Michelle Obama, Stephanie Savage, Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers. Mara Brock Ali. Well you can add Kelly Cutrone to that list: the no nonsense taking entrepreneur is a real role model for ladies. If You Want to Cry, Go Outside contains personal and professional stories from Kelly about her secrets to success without compromising your soul and values. She draws on her vast experience in mentoring women on how to make it in fashion to create a modern lady's guide. If you do not have the 'perfect' life ie hubby, kids, career and home then this book will most definitely talk to you. Kelly's main mantra is that you should create the perfect life for you by finding out what it is that you want and what makes you happy. She also advises that you stick to this philosophy and do not let anyone steer you away. She points out that today's society teaches us to ignore our inner voice and follow the crowd but in this book Kelly enables us to stop pretending and start living.

I normally do not do self help or how to books as I find them to be cheesy and frankly only produced to make a fast buck or two. I picked up this book because after been made redundant I have reached a bit of a crisis in terms of my career plans. Also I am fascinated about how Kelly got her fabulous career and not to mention that wonderful loft apartment. I admire her feistiness and success and really wanted to know more about her and how she got where she was. The book is not a chronological narrative of Kelly's career but instead it is theme based. Each chapter has a message and an example from Kelly's colourful life which has taught her a valuable lesson and she merges both personal and career together into a seamless tale. If You Want to Cry, Go Outside is a book that really makes you think about your contribution to society is. There are a few complaints from PR wannabees that they were expecting the book to be mostly about breaking into the industry, I guess that is only natural given Kelly's background however, Kelly does state in the introduction that this is not the case.

If You Want to Cry, Go Outside is available to buy from amazon.

Push

The Hills and The City both come to an end on Sunday. whether The City will continue on our TV screens remains to be seen but it is most definately the end of the road for The Hills. Coincidentally Push, the British version of The Hills hit our screens last night. It featured Sienna Miller lookalike, Lydia Harrison who has moved from Glasgow to London in order to pursue a career in fashion journalism on a glossy magazine. Armed with a popular blog, Lydia sets out to get as much experience as she can so we see her meeting with key people in fashion at Nicole Farhi, Models 1, Cult Beauty and Elle magazine in order to work on several projects. As money is tight she is crashing at her cousin, Chloe's funky studio flat in Shoreditch. Chloe is a ballerina who after an accident is struggling to learn how to dance again. Like The Hills. Push has its share of drama such as Lydia's ex boyfriend, Jake showing up out of the blue after he cheated on her. We also get introduced to Lydia's friends such as Alex who is her GBF and works in marketing and Tom who is an aspiring photographer. Push is a 10 week series where we will see Lydia working towards her goal, contributing to fashion blogs, working alongside top models and assisting stylists while navigating her way round the vibrant city of London. In Devil Wears Prada style we get to see her graduate from wearing high street clothes to designer labels.

They have been talking about making a UK version of The Hills for a few years now but nothing came of it so I was really surprised to hear about this show. The look and feel of the reality drama is quite dark and edgy; the shots are very much like the ones in The Hills and The City with over head paramanic views of London's skyline. I found the drama reality to be watchable but it did not draw me in like I was expecting; for some reason I just did not find the lead character very charismatic. She seemed really stiff and all her lines came across as extremely forced. However I guess as the series goes on and we see her getting more engrossed in her career I will start to engage more with the programme. There were a few things that niggled me though such as the lack of clarification on a few basic things. For a start what is the name of Lydia's blog? Also Lydia has just moved from Glasgow yet she has a very sloaney London accent - is she actually from the South of England and only lived in Glasgow for a few years? Lydia is seen hanging out at hip and trendy places in London. Quite how she can afford this with no real source of income is beyond me. But I guess that is the beauty of the show, presenting an enviable lifestyle. My final gripe is the name of the show - Push? Really? What on earth does that represent? It sounds like something featuring a bike. Not sexy at all.  The promotion of the show has not been great and I only heard about it by chance on Twitter when DisneyRollerGirl retweeted a link to an interview in Media Week with Anna Jones, the digital and strategy director at Hachette who publish UK Elle. There were no adverts in Look, Company, Grazia and Stylist whose readers are the key audience. It is a shame really because Lydia's lifestyle is something that a lot of young women covet and I am sure it would be very popular if they were made aware of it. Still Rimmel London are sponsors of the programme

Push is aired on Fiver at 10pm on Wednesdays.

Fashioning February: Kell on Earth - Review

Watching The Hills and The City over those years gave me an insight into what PR maverick, Kelly Cutrone did for a living but it never really showed how she did it and why. Ms Cutrone reps for 46 fashion brands and is responsible for producing back to back shows every season for her clients at New York and London Fashion Weeks. Every February and September is crazy as hell for Kelly and her team at People's Revolution what with recruiting models for shows, putting together seating charts and sending out invites to shows and after parties. Dressed head to toe in black (what else?) Ms Cutrone resembles a raven who would devour you relentlessly if you ever tried to hurt her loved ones. In the anticipation for the launch of the show I was expecting a reality show which focussed totally on Kelly’s very snarky personality; you know those shows which feature the protagonist reflecting in their deep thoughts. Instead we have a very entertaining programme which reflects the buzzy, ever so manic but exhilarating nature of the fashion business. We also get to see another side of Kelly as mother to seven year old Ava who is as cute as a button. The scenes between the two are quite endearing but what impressed me about Kelly was her attitude to motherhood. Her business and home is based in her four level block in Manhattan and she created this haven so her world can centre around her daughter. This kicks ass to the myth that women cannot succeed in business and bring up babies at the same time or that they have to sacrifice one for the other.

In Kell on Earth we meet the real players of People’s Revolution ie the ones who did the real work while Whitney and Roxy waltzed around all day gossiping about their trivial problems. There is Robyn Berkely who is Kelly’s right hand and a partner at the company. She lives and breathes fashion so much that she forgot to find somewhere to live when the lease for her apartment expired and now inhabits a room one of the floors in the People’s Revolution building. Like Kelly, Robyn has very high demands and will not tolerate mistakes. The pert, Emily Bungert is also a partner at the firm and is a feisty madam from the Midwest who tells it like it is. Stefanie Skinner, is Kelly’s former PA who has just been promoted to junior executive and is struggling to stay above water to meet the demands of her bosses. She is a tough cookie though and is not frightened to fight her corner even against the mighty Kelly. Then there is Andrew Mukamal, Kelly’s new PA and the only male in a room full of strong and opinionated women. His love of fashion and goth like dress style makes him a big hit with all members of staff who he can be seen lending a listening ear to.

I find it very interesting watching Kelly at work because then I think of Rachel Zoe and how very different they both are. Rachel is very girly girly and Kelly is not, Rachel is also quite touchy feely with her staff and something tells me that Kelly would collapse into a big heap of black lycra if anyone tried to hug her. However what the two women have in common is their passion for fashion, obsessive eye for details and demands for perfection. In a nutshell, the reality show was surprisingly good; pacey enough so you can get caught up in the drama but not too over melodramatic that you lose touch with it. While shows like The Hills and The City have presented a fairytale look at working in fashion, Kell on Earth knocks that tooth right on the head. Kelly’s book, If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You was released this week much to her dismay which she described as hell on earth. The book is aimed at women who choose not to have the conventional lifestyle ie getting a degree, getting a great job, getting married and having a baby and yes in that exact order. It acts as an empowerment tool for women who are just a little bit different. 

Kell on Earth airs on Mondays on Bravo TV at 10.00pm.

Kell on Earth

Those of you watch The Hills and The City will know that Kelly Cutrone does not joke. The PR Guru takes no prisoners and does not mince words when she has something to say. She is no doubt one of the most entertaining and enigmatic characters in the two hit reality shows. Lauren Conrad who The Hills was based on and Whitney Port who is the star of The City just pale in comparison to Kelly. So it was of no surprise last year when I heard that good old Kelly is getting her own reality TV show. Aptly titled Kell on Earth, the programme will focus on her company, People's Revolution which reps fashion designers and stylists such as Jeremy Scott, Paco Rabanne, Vivienne Westwood, Sass & Bide and the legendary Patricia Fields.

Kell on Earth airs on 1st February on Bravo TV and I cannot wait to see it.  With a book due out in the same week it looks like Kelly will be a very busy lady.

Check out the clip above and tell me what you think of it.

The City: Part II

The sixth series of The Hills hits the screen in the UK on 18th October and we will see how the pack are coping without Lauren Conrad. As we all know, Lauren's nemesis, Kristin Cavallari was brought in to replace her and to add some drama to the show. I never got into Laguna Beach but one thing that I noticed about Kristin was that she seemed to catch drama like some people catch a cold so it will be interesting to see what happens. Also returning is The City which stars from Whitney Port who was also in The Hills not too long ago. After major boy drama the second series sees Whitney putting her head down and concentrating on her career. She is no longer at DVF and now works for the prickly Kelly Cutrone at People's Revolution. She also has a blast from the past in the form of Roxy Olin (daughter of Ken Olin and Patricia Wettig), an old friend from way back who also works for Kelly but it seems that Roxy may not have Whitney's best interests at heart. Meanwhile Whitney's former co-worker, Olivia Palermo (who I love) has nabbed a cool job in PR at Elle magazine but she bumps heads with her colleagues. Oh it all looks so exciting. Last year it was all about The Hills with me and The City was just a show that I watched when I got a spare moment but if the trailer is anything to go by, the second series of The City looks amazing. The new series of The Hills really pales in comparison.

L.A. Candy: Review

When Lauren Conrad hanged up her stilettos and called in time on The Hills everyone wondered what she would do next. Well she decided to put pen to paper and write a book. L.A. Candy is the story of Jane Roberts a sweet 19 year old who moves to LA with her best friend Scarlett when she lands an internship with one of the best event planners in town. While Jane attends to the whims of her demanding boss, Scarlett gets stuck into her studies at University of Southern California. The racy life of LA is a far cry from the safe haven of Santa Barbara and Jane finds herself drawn to the diet of cute guys, designer clothes and cool clubs. So when she is approached by a producer to star in a reality version of Sex and the City which is called L.A. Candy, she and Scarlett jump at the chance. In a few months, the show catapulted Jane into stardom and she is LA’s new IT girl. However as she soon finds out fame comes with a lot of baggage and Jane has to distinguish between her real friends and those who are just out for what they can get.

I was very sceptical when I heard that Lauren Conrad was releasing a book. I mean we have all been here before with Z list celebs releasing book after book. Jordan, Madonna, Pamela Anderson and Naomi Campbell, eat your heart out. However I must admit that this book is a really good read. It is well written and the characters may be a touch cliche but they definitely evoke feeling; whether it is compassion or loathing. You find yourself caring about what happens to these people. This is the first release from Lauren’s three-book deal and judging by the huge cliff hanger at the end of the book I can only assume that there is a sequel lined up.

The Hills: Alive and Kicking

The O.C may have only been around for four years but it certainly made it's mark and when the teen drama shut down shop in 2007 it left behind a few things. For a start the birth of Mischa Barton and Rachel Bilson as style icons and the introduction of the creator, Josh Schwartz to TV heaven. However in my eyes the main legacy of The O.C is the fact that it became the inspiration of The Hills. For it was the lavish lives of the teenagers of The Orange County that led to the reality show, Laguna Beach and it was here that we met the likes of Stephen Colletti, Lo Bosworth and a certain Lauren Conrad. The pert Lauren left Laguna for the heights of LA and moved onto her own reality show The Hills and the rest is history. Over the last five years we have been caught up with the drama and tribulations of Lauren's world. We have cried with her, laughed with her, laughed at her and watched her fall out with friend after friend.

Now Ms Conrad is about to say goodbye to her life on the small screen and will move onto new pastures new. Such as? I hear you ask. Well for a start she has penned a book called L.A. Candy and is about a young lady who moves to the city of angels and ends up on reality show. Wow, I wonder how long it took her to come up with that concept? But you know what? I can't wait to read it. Going by the spiel on the HarperCollins website, this book has all the qualities that I look for in my fiction. Fun, drama, glamour and with the odd bit of fashion thrown. L.A Candy hits the stores on 18th June but if you can't wait till then you can read an excerpt on TeenVogue. Quite fitting considering Lauren spent a great deal of her vital years there. HarperColins have signed Ms Conrad to write three books for them so look out for more literary works from Laguna's finest.

So with the commercial success of The Hills, other characters from the show have taken the opportunity to work on other projects. First we have Brody Jenner with his diabolical reality show, Bromance. She-devil boss, Kelly Cutrone has been granted her own reality show called Kell on Earth and is also writing a self help book to young women on how to rule the world. I am sure it will be riveting as Kelly is. Oh of course lets not forget Whitney who is riding high with the success of her own fly on the wall series, The City. Looks like the hills are alive and kicking.

Whitney in the City

So Whitney Port made her debut in her new show, The City which aired last night on MTV with a bumper edition. The City is a spin off of the popular so-called reality show, The Hills which is set in LA and in which Whitney is a co-star. After spending many years as an intern at Teen Vogue and stylist at PR company, People's Revolution as well as lending a sympathetic ear to the doe eyed Lauren, Whitney has swapped LA for NYC. She lands a plum job as PR for Diane von Furstenberg (DVF) and moves in with her old mate Erin Williams in a cool apartment in the Gramercy area of Manhattan. The perks of moving to a new city means meeting new people and checking out exciting bars and restaurants. We are introduced to Whitney's co-worker, the divine Olivia Palermo who is a high profile socialite or social as she prefers to be called. Olivia is quite clearly the catalyst to Whitney as Heidi is to Lauren in The Hills but with much better connections. Erin offers the fun factor and a lending ear particularly when it comes to guys. Talking of guys this is where the intro to The City differs from The Hills in that the guys are featured in the opening credits. One of then is Jay Lyons, a musician who Whitney met when she came to NYC for her job interview. She is quite clearly smitten with him but whether he feels the same way about her is to be seen. Then there is Adam Senn, a restaurateur and Jay's flatmate who is new to NYC as well.

This new reality show has been covered extensively in the media and blogsphere which is no surprise considering the phenomenon of The Hills. Aesthetically, The City is definitely easy on the eye and with the almighty Big Apple as a backdrop, how can you go wrong? As a TV show the plot leaves a lot to be desired; a considerable amount of time was spent on Whitney's love life. Is Jay a two-faced, two-timing snake? The answer is that Jay lacks so little charisma and presence that it was hard to care. Aside from her first day at work and New York Fashion Week, very little is seen of Whitney in her workplace which is very worrying as it was Lauren and Heidi's glam jobs that made The Hills the success it is. Olivia is a very different proposition; yes she has a life fuelled with dinner parties, lunches, fashions shows and celebrity galas but she has an edge to her that makes her interesting. For a start she is described as a real life Blair Waldorf; she even has her own publicist and is constantly being mentioned in gossip blogs and newspapers and she even has a fan blog that focuses on her life. Rumour has it that she runs her own PR agency which would make sense as she is trying to build her brand. I would say that The City has a long way to go before it earns the right to be called the reality version of Sex and the City. Still it was good to see Kelly Cultrone in the programme and more interesting are the reports that Kelly is to get her own show.

Check out the official blog for The City here.

Daddy's Girls

Despite the huge acclaim of their book Influence, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen are not the only stylish sisters on the block. Slick siblings, Angela and Vanessa Simmons are carving out a name for themselves in the style stakes. Hip hop enthusiasts will know them as daughters of Joseph Simmons aka Rev Run from rap group, Run-DMC. Angela and Vanessa are founders of Pastry Clothing line which includes shoes, handbags and clothes for chic and preppy ladies. When Run's House aired back in 2005 most people including Rev Run himself, were expecting the rapper turned Reverend to be the star of the show. Instead he found himself out shined by his two gorgeous daughters. Week after week viewers tuned into MTV to find out what mini dramas the two young ladies were embroiled in but most of all to check out their glamorous lifestyle. To say that they have developed a huge following would be putting it mildly. So what do you do when you are rich, young and successful? Simple - You get your own reality show.

Daddy's Girls is a spin-off from Run's House and will feature the two sisters leaving their family home in new Jersey and living on their own in LA for the first time. We will see the business savvy ladies grow the Pastries line and move into other exciting ventures that include Vanessa with her acting and Angela launching her teen magazine. Looks like we have finally found our Black version of The Hills. I was not really a fan of Run's House but I will certainly be checking this little beauty out?

The preview for Daddy's Girls airs on 5th January 2009 on MTV.

Melrose Place Reloaded

I think we can agree that the weather has been lousy this week so what better than to curl up on the sofa with a mug of tea and settle down watching a fun show on the TV. That is the saving grace of the winter; all the cool shows come back and it is like being reunited with a bunch of old friends. Right now I am spending quality time with Gossip Girl, The Hills, 90210, Lipstick Jungle and The Starter Wife and it is fantastic. Like having a ladies night out except it is at home in your living room. It looks like Melrose Place will be joining us this time next year. 90210 has proved so successful that the powers that be at CW Network have decided to spread the spin-off project to the popular 1990s drama. Premiering in 1992, Melrose Place featured the lives of sophisticated twenty-somethings who lived in an apartment complex and we saw them live, work and play together. As we can expect in a typical soap drama we had the usual emotional storylines such as infidelity, homophobia, divorce, prostitution, domestic abuse and many others. The show bowed out in 1999 after a period of low ratings and as well as making a star out of Heather Locklear who went onto Spin City and Scrubs, it will also be remembered for launching the careers of the stars below:

Kristin Davies
She played the scheming Brooke Armstrong and later found fame and many pairs of Jimmy Choos as Charlotte York in Sex and the City.

Marcia Cross
She played Dr Kimberly Shaw, the total nut job and is now famous as house proud Bree Van de Kamp Hodge in Desperate Housewives.

Doug Savant
He played Matt Fielding, the token gay guy and is now best known as Lynette's hubby, Tom Scavo in Desperate Housewives.

Courtney Thorne-Smith
She played the annoying Alison Parker who had a long relationship with Billy and became an alcoholic. She went on to star in Ally McBeal as Georgia Thomas, wife of Billy Thomas who was the ex love of Ally.

Kelly Rutherford
She played Megan Lewis a high class call girl who is hired by Dr Kimberly Shaw to seduce her partner. She is now in Gossip Girl playing the snooty Lily van der Woodsen, mother of lead character Serena van der Woodsen.

Rob Estes
He played restaurateur, Kyle McBride and can be currently seen in the all new 90210 as head of school Harry Wilson and father of Annie and Dixon.

Alyssa Milano
She played spoiled brat Jennifer Mancini and went on to play Phoebe Halliwell in the hit series, Charmed.

Wow what a load of talent that show produced. Roll on the remake.

Person Rob Estes

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The City

Hooray, my favourite Hiller, Whitney Port has at last been granted her own fly on the wall show. Next year we will see the LA native move from her home town to the Big Apple after landing a job with iconic designer, Diane Von Furstenberg where she will pursue a brand new life with love and friends thrown into the mix. The show is titled, The City and Whitney will be able to offer more than the predicted pre-emptive questions to Lauren Conrad about her dramatic life as we have seen in the last four series of The Hills. Smart, sassy and classy, Ms Port really has all the attributes that are needed to front a fantastic reality series. She may be regarded as the quiet and steady one in a show that is full with drama queens and a great friend to Lauren but there is something about her that is so intriguing. So it will be interesting to see the angle that MTV take on the show we all know that The Hills is scripted but Whitney does not have the volatile nature of Lauren or her drama fueled lifestyle. Therefore there is a danger that The City may not get the huge ratings of The Hills but if the producers play it right they could have a slick and savvy show on their hands. With Philip Lim, Marchesa and Valentino down as her favourite designers, we expect to see Whitney boasting a stellar wardrobe and rocking that amazing NYC lifestyle combined with living in a stunning loft. Her stints at Teen Vogue and fashion PR company, People's Revolution will certainly hold her in good stead.

The City will be aired on MTV in early 2009.

Check it Out
If you are doubtful as to whether Ms Port has what it takes to rock her own reality show then check out this trailer below.

The Rachel

She's cute, tiny, girly and a total fashionista who lives and dies for her passion; basically a real life Carrie Bradshaw. Rachel Zoe is not joking when she claims that fashion is her drug. The super stylist collects Birkins - which she dubs, The Birk - like some people collect stamps. I could never grasp the whole Rachel Zoe thing since magazines started raving about her a few years back up to when she released her book, Style A to Zoe. So when I heard that she was to star in her own reality show I was very quick to scoff. The twenty minute preview of The Rachel Zoe Project did not do Ms Zoe any justice as we saw her personal and private life full of drama (read my blog post here). Then I watched the first three episodes and somewhere between the first and second, I was hooked. Rachel Zoe's life is like a fairytale; she is like a godmother albeit a petite one and gets to play with clothes all day. Attending fashion shoots, show houses and meeting with designers to find gorgeous outfits to dress her celebrity clients in. Despite the conflict between her key staff members and several dramas, Rachel never flips and instead maintains her composure and treats her staff like they are her equal. Moreover, our super stylist has an amazing home life which she shares with cute hubby, Rodger who is clearly head over heels in love with her despite the fact they have been together for over 15 years. The Rachel Zoe Project is totally compulsive viewing the same reason why people love The Hills because Rachel is living the life that many ladies aspire to.

After 15 years as a stylist, Rachel is taking it the next level by building The Rachel Zoe brand. Whether she pulls this off is any one's guess but I am damm sure that she will give it her best shot. Watching the show does throws up a few questions. Such as does Starbucks sponsor the show? Every character is seen donning a Starbucks cup in practically every scene, so this is either amazing product placement or Rachel and her posse are some of the most caffeine addicted fiends that we have ever seen.

The Rachel Zoe Project is on Bravo TV on Tuesdays

Class of 2008

According to super blog, Catwalk Queen, Brit model, Daisy Lowe is all set to become the next Lauren Conrad in the UK version of The Hills. You may recall that MTV did a call out a few months ago for various UK girls to audition for the ever popular show in a bid to find the glam girl about town. They obviously did not look very far as it seems that London It girl, Daisy Lowe has landed the gig. Still I suppose it is better than the pretentious Peaches Geldof mooching about on screen. Ms Lowe is no stranger to show business, her mother is Pearl Lowe, a singer/songwriter and fashion designer - apparently but she is more famous for salacious stories regarding her friendship with Sadie Frost. Daisy's step father is Danny Goffey from Supergrass and her biological dad is Gavin Rossdale from Bush. With singer and style goddess, Gwen Stefani as her step mum it really does not take much to see why MTV producers would want her for role in The Hills. Oh yeah and the rumor that she is dating hot producer, Mark Ronson must help a bit too. However, it will all depend on whether Daisy can get time off from her spot on Class of 2008, a reality show produced by the BBC about the trials and tribulations of a group of friends who are trying to make it big in their field.

Narrated by MTV presenter, Flash Louis, the 30 minute show takes place around cool hot spots in North London where we see the party of six flex their talents. Flash is hoping to become a superstar DJ and a musician. Will Cameron has an on/off relationships with Daisy (although if the Ronson rumours are correct we can assume it is off), and despite his forays into modelling ie a massive Burberry campaign and stints of prancing the catwalks in Milan, he has his heart set on becoming a rock star with his band, Blondelle. Portia Freeman, recently featured in the ES magazine and splashed all over the tabloids getting ever so close to Pete Doherty, has been touted as the new Kate Moss. Kesh is a superstar on MySpace and is also a funky fashion designer who plans to launch a stunning debut at London Fashion Week. Daryl is a model turned actor who bids to become the next James Bond. At the heart of this clique is the delectable Daisy who holds the group together.

I really thought I was going to hate this programme with it's 'so cool we hurt' characters but I enjoyed it very much. The show may be about Flash and his mates but Daisy steals all the limelight. Aside from her family drama I really do not know much about the chick but she oozes charisma. She epitomises post modern Brit chick and I am sure this will hold her in good stead while she sets out to conquer NYC. I am not really feeling a UK equivalent of The Hills, the beauty of the programme is that we are watching all these glam creatures leading glam lives in wonderful weather. London tends to be more cool than glam and we certainly do not have great weather. Lydia Prior sums it up perfectly in her article in soapnet.com here.

Reality Bites

It is almost June and as far as I am concerned almost officially summer time. That means lots of sporting activities like Wimbledon, The Olympics and Euro 2008 as well as another ordeal of Big Brother. Since it launched nine years ago, Big Brother has become an important part of our lives and the sometime controversial show changed the course of TV. Gone are the days when TV bosses aired lengthy shows and period dramas and instead they have been replaced by the reality genre. According to those guys at Wikipedia "Reality television is a genre of television programming which presents purportedly unscripted dramatic, unscripted situations, documents actual events, and features ordinary people instead of professional actors." We are talking about programmes like America's Next Top Model, I'm a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here!, Project Catwalk and The Apprentice which are competitive based. Also 'so called' talent shows like X Factor and the show that is currently tormenting the country; Britain's Got Talent. I say so called because we all know that they are shown so people have someone to laugh at. Then there are the fly on the wall shows where celebrities make the decision of taking us into their world. For some famous bods this calculating move can pay dividends; The Osbournes and Jessica Simpson for a start, but for others it can be the kiss of death. It is not just celebs who make amusing viewings thought, non entities such as Nicole Ritchie, Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and The Hills posse are now household names. Although the contrived dialogue and convenient plots in The Hills have led some to wonder just how 'real' The Hills. Still real or not real, The Hills is now the number one show in the US and top show on MTV Europe.

This popularity has prompted other celebrities to sign up for a slice of the pie. Hence uber stylist to the stars, Rachel Zoe, who has a show coming out later this year. However more pending are the shows by former Bond girl, Denise Richards who is keen to prove to the public what a nice person she really is despite a nasty divorce from Charlie Sheen and a fling with Richie Sambora; Bon Jovi's guitarist and hubby to Heather Locklear who was also a close friend to Richards. Denise Richards: It's Complicated airs on E! (Entertainment Television) later this month. Joining her is Living Lohan which shows Dina Lohan - Mum to troubled actress, Lindsay Lohan. We see her juggling her role as parent and manager to younger sibling, Ali Lohan who attempts to follow in her older sister's foot step. All I can say is that I hope that young Ali does not go down the road that Lindsay has by drinking and clubbing in excess. Reading between the lines I think we can be assured that this documentary is all about Dina. TV critic, Mary McNamara sums it all up in her review in the LA Times.

The Hills

I am not ashamed to say that I am addicted to The Hills. Lets see, I have downloaded the first five episodes of series one from iTunes, now that Channel 4 have got with the programme and started showing this hilarious reality show I make sure I tune in for that and I have even joined a Facebook group dedicated to The Hills. So I think it is safe to see that I am a true addict. I am not sure what it is about this teen reality show that has me glued to the screen. The characters are ordinary people going on about their ordinary lives but hey, maybe that is the attraction. The Hills is a spin off from Laguna Beach, dubbed The 'real' OC; now I never saw that programme so I cannot tell you much about it except that it was based on the life and tribulations of Lauren Conrad who The Hills is based around. The pert Lauren Conrad moves from Laguna Beach to Los Angeles and lands a coveted internship at the super cool, Teen Vogue which she juggles with a college degree at Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing (FIDM). Her room mate is her close friend Heidi Montag, the ultimate party girl who drops out of FIDM after one day. In the show we also meet Whitney Port, a savvy lady who is conscientious and proves to be a good friend to Lauren. Then there is Audrina Partridge, a stone face brunette with eye liner that could kill who apparently works as a receptionist for Epic but does not seem to do much apart from wine and dine with Heidi. Now lets talk about Ms Montag - oh dear, where should I start. Heidi brings new meaning to the word blonde. Her vocabulary consists of words such as "Oh totally," "It like so cool," and "Oh my Gawd!" Her interview with FIDM was bordering on hysterical.

Tutor: "How would you class yourself as a high school student?"
Heidi: "I never did anything, I never went to classes, I just hung out and went shopping."
Tutor: "Have you read the curriculum?"
Heidi: "Erm no"
Tutor: "What are your goals?"
Heidi: "I want to do PR, I want to be the fun PR party girl in LA"
Tutor: (Looks very unimpressed) "It usually takes someone being in the industry for a long time to land on the 'fun, I want to organise a party."
Heidi: (Looks surprised) "Really?!!, it's not like right away?"
Tutor: "No." Would you be willing to work in retail sales?"
Heidi: "You mean like actually working the floor and stuff?"
Tutor: "Actually working the floor and stuff."
Heidi: "I don't think I could do that."
Tutor: "Are there any other industries that you were thinking about other than fashion?"
Heidi: "No."
Tutor: "Are you sure you are in the right college?"

Ummm, all I can say is at least she made an impression. After dropping out of college, the ditz goes on to get a job working for an events company and was shocked and horrified to find out that instead of swanning in right at the top of the company, organising club nights she was doing tedious work like ordering stationary and getting the bosses lunch and stuff. I expect her resignation any day now. In real time The Hills is now on its third series where Lauren, Heidi, Whitney and Audrina have experienced the highs and lows of career, love and friendship. It seems that I have a lot to look forward to.