the hills: reality?

Unless you are living under a rock (or are over the age of 24), then you know that MTV's insanely popular "reality" show The Hills ended last night.

It's amazing how long the show lasted--and, in a sense, will continue to last because several of the stars will be back with new shows that will no doubt touch on drama from the original. The spin-off The City will be back for another season, Kristin Cavallari has 2 shows in the works, as well as other gigs for some of the other girls. The Hills itself was a spin-off, rooting back to Laguna Beach, which brings back sooo many memories of high school and senior year for me. Kristin and Stephen... enough said. I own the first 2 seasons on DVD and the nostalgia of it all almost makes me want to rewatch them. My friends and I adored that show--randomly quoting it in the midst of conversation, talking about the relationships and cat fights as if we actually were a part of that world.

Perhaps that is why the show's final minutes were so surprising. Check it out below:

Now, it's hard to believe that anyone would actually believe that everything on The Hills is/was real. Not only was it set in Hollywood, but we've also heard numerous stories of editing and production manipulation, watched interviews where the stars have said that it's an enhanced/heightened reality, seen their TwitPics and tabloid photos that would suggest "real lives" completely different from what we see on the show...

Still. Seeing the backdrop pulled away from Brody and the wide shot of the studio was beyond shocking. Twitter and Facebook feeds were ablaze with sentiments of utter disbelief. Like I said earlier, the viewers became so invested in these people's lives, watching week to week to choose sides, drool over fashion and guys, and to live a life that most early 20-somethings can only dream of. We became so intrigued by the drama that we forgot that it wasn't entirely real, and--to some degree--it makes you question everything you thought you knew about these people and about celebrity and fame in general.

Obviously, I enjoy celebrity gossip and blogs; I'd admitted that I am a pop culture junkie. But I also admit that we as a society have become obsessed with celebrity, instead of focusing on more important issues--not just in our own real lives, but out in the world. Oil spills, war, genocide, trafficking... the list goes on. Not to bash the show or anything. I watched faithfully for most of its duration (on and off during the last couple of seasons). Yet, I can't help but wonder, do these types of shows take themselves too seriously? Are they becoming substitutes for actual social interaction? Hmmm.

Thoughts on the finale or fame in general?

In the famous words of Kristin, this long post is finally dunzo :)

Well... almost, haha... P.S. Reportedly, they shot several alternate endings (how "real" is that?!). One involved Lauren aka LC waiting for Brody at home as if they had been dating all along. I'm sure several people would have believed that BS, despite pictures of him and Avril Lavigne plastered throughout celeb weeklies, and Lauren's year-plus-long relationship *rolls eyes* Ugh.