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.

Sugar and Spice by Lauren Conrad

So here we go again with the third and final exciting installment of L.A. Candy which is Lauren Conrad's foray into fictional writing. The first book, L.A. Candy introduces us to Jane Roberts who has just moved to LA with her best friend, Scarlett Harp and ends up landing her own reality show called L.A. Candy. Pretty soon the girls are plastered all over the media as LA. Candy becomes one of the hottest shows on TV. The second title is called Sweet Little Lies and it shows Jane and Scarlett dealing with celebrity and the pressures of living their lives in a goldfish bowl. Jane is holding down a demanding job as an event planner while Scarlett is undertaking a degree at USC and this takes its toll and the two girls find themselves drifting apart. After a huge row with Scarlett, Jane moves in with L.A. Candy co-star Madison Parker but Jane is shocked to find out that Madison is not all she seems and has actually been selling stories about Jane's life to a gossip magazine in a bid to oust her from the show. Disgusted by Madison's scheming ways, Jane confronts her and moves out of her apartment. Sugar and Spice kicks off with Jane back living with Scarlett and the two friends are now closer than ever. Scarlett is embarking on her second year at college and is happy in her relationship with Liam despite the fact that they have to keep their romance under wraps. She has also decided to take a positive approach to the show and be more co-operative with the producers. Jane on the other hand is busy at work with lots of exciting projects to get stuck into but her love life is getting very complicated. Also there are more surprises in store as it turns out that Madison has a dark secret from her past which is set to impact all of the ladies on the show.

I read this book in two sittings which says a lot as my concentration has ruined thanks to Twitter and once again LC has pulled it out of the bag. This book is just as enjoyable as its predecessors and although it is not as eventful and as dramatic as the first two books it is nonetheless still captivating. I found Sugar and Spice very engrossing as it focuses on the mind set of all the characters, even Trevor who produces the show. We get to see how he systematically crafts each episodes and manipulates Jane into acting the way he wants. Also remember how I said in a review of Sweet Little Lies how I was beginning to find Scarlett more interesting? Well all her dirty washing comes out in this book and we get to see a more vulnerable side to her. Sugar and Spice is a really great read and exposes how 'reality' shows like The Hills and The City are constructed. These characters really seem real and you totally buy into it. I was quite sad when I put it down. It has been a good ride and the idea to create a three part series was ingenious and the branding of L.A. Candy is very cute. I have also just heard that there are plans for a spinoff series on Madison which should be very interesting.

Sugar and Spice is out now and available to buy from Amazon.

Sweet Little Lies by Lauren Conrad

This is the sequel to LA Candy which is Lauren Conrad's voyage into novel writing. Ok let's do a little recap The Hills style; Jane Roberts moves to LA with her bestie, Scarlett Harp and the two end up landing their own reality show. Pretty soon the girls are plastered all over the media as LA Candy becomes one of the hottest shows on TV. Sweet Little Lies takes up where LA Candy left off with Jane fleeing LA to seek refuge in Mexico after her mini scandal. She is hiding out in Cabo with her friend Madison Parker, only except Madison is not her friend. Unknown to Jane it was Madison who leaked photos of Jane getting down and dirty with Braden who happens to be the best friend of her boyfriend, Jesse. All these misdeamenors really made a dent into Jane's wholesome girl next door look. Meanwhile Jane's best mate, Scarlett has cottoned onto Madison's devious game and is frantically trying to reach Jane to tell her. In between worrying about Jane, Scarlett embarks on a little action of her own by getting involved with one of the cute camera guys who works on the show. The only problem is that romantic relations on the set of LA Candy are not looked on favorably so the couple need to keep their relationship a secret.

I was really looking forward to the follow up to LA Candy and let me tell you it did not let me down. This book is just as engaging as the last one and really draws you in. Also the fact that you know the characters already makes it a lot easier for you to dip into the book. You don't have that dodgy three chapter period where you are uncertain as to whether you will like it or not. The first book was all about Jane and her launch into stardom but Sweet Little Lies focuses on the other characters such as Scarlett and Madison and we really see them being fleshed out and we really get to grips with their inner psychology and find out exactly what makes them the way they are. This might sound strange but I actually began to find the manipulative and conniving Madison more intriguing this time round and I cannot wait to read the next exciting installment to find out how the story pans out.

Sweet Little Lies is available to buy from amazon.

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.

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.

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 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.