PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST 2009: 26TH ANNUAL WILLIAM S. PALEY TELEVISION FESTIVAL: THE HILLS {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media’s 26th William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Cinerama Dome at the Arclight, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television’s creative community. This evening honors MTV's "The Hills,” a "docu-soap" series about the interactions – some “real-life,” some scripted -- of a group of twentysomethings in Los Angeles.
Executive director at The Paley Center in L.A. Craig Hitchcock offers opening remarks before acknowledging the festival's namesake. Hitchcock then introduces Entertainment Weekly writer Tim Stack, who serves as the evening's moderator. After describing why he's a fan of "The Hills," Stack introduces executive producer Adam DiVello. DiVello sets up a clip montage comprising the show's five seasons. Scenes include: (from season one) Lauren arriving in Los Angeles and moving in with Heidi; Lauren going for an interview at Teen Vogue; Lauren meeting Audrina; Lauren turning down an internship in Paris to stay with boyfriend Jason; (season two) Lauren breaking up with Jason; Lauren telling Heidi not to fall in love with "bad boy" Spencer; Lauren becoming friends with fellow intern Whitney as Whitney tries modeling; Lauren arguing with Heidi over Spencer; Heidi moving in with Spencer; (season three) Audrina dating Justin, whose manners appall Lauren; Audrina fighting with Justin; Lauren hearing gossip that she and Justin made a sex tape; Lauren accusing Heidi of starting the rumor; Stephanie asking Spencer to help Heidi and Lauren become friends again; Lauren flirting with Brody over dinner; Lauren going on vacation to Paris with Whitney; (season four) Audrina confronting Lauren and Justin about rumors that they were an item; Justin leaving Audrina; Spencer and Heidi talking in Mexico about getting married; Spencer encountering friction from Heidi's mother regarding the pending nuptials; Spencer calling off his wedding to Heidi due to Heidi's mother's resistance; Lauren and Heidi making up after running into each other; (season five) Spencer getting into a fistfight with Cameron at a bar after Cameron texts Stephanie about Spencer's flirtations with a bartender; and Lauren and Heidi breaking down when recalling their troubled history at Lauren's twenty-third birthday party.
Next, Stack introduces the panelists: executive producers DiVello, Liz Gateley, Sean Travis, and Sara Mast; and cast members (all of whom play themselves) Lauren Conrad, Audrina Patridge, Stephanie Pratt, Whitney Port, Brody Jenner, and Lo Bosworth. Panelists touch on such topics as: if the absence from the panel of cast members Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt is connected to their rumored wedding plans; why Conrad was chosen from the “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County” cast to spin off into “The Hills”; how supporting cast members were selected for “The Hills”; what it’s like to “live one’s life” on camera; the evolution of the “iconic” theme song; when cast members first realized that the show had become “a phenomenon”; if cast members are sad when looking back at footage of failed romances and friendships gone bad; how much of the show is “scheduled reality,” and why some scenes are played out more than once; if cast members wait to talk with each other until cameras are rolling; surreal moments from the show that weren’t caught on film; if producers and cast members fight, as when Conrad or one of her colleagues wants filming to stop; cast members fearing that a potential love interest is dating them simply to be on the show; the truth behind rumors of a sex tape involving Conrad; if Conrad has made up with former best friend Montag after thirty months of barely speaking to her; if Conrad has regrets over how the show has warped some of her relationships; what producers see as the show’s “lasting legacy”; and if “The Hills” can continue when Conrad leaves at the end of season five.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics: if “outsiders,” such as Conrad’s mother, are asked to “play along” when cameras film them; if cast member feel differently about situations after watching the taped episodes; how a restaurant is prepared before “a spontaneous date” arrives there; the changes in cast members’ lives since they’ve become “celebrities”; and how much of the cast members’ waking hours are consumed by the show.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: April 21, 2009 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:34:47
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 100021
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Craig Hitchcock … Host
- Tim Stack … Moderator
- Adam DiVello … Panelist
- Liz Gateley … Panelist
- Sean Travis … Panelist
- Sara Mast … Panelist
- Lauren Conrad … Panelist
- Audrina Patridge … Panelist
- Whitney Port … Panelist
- Brody Jenner … Panelist
- Stephanie Pratt … Panelist
- Lo Bosworth … Panelist
- Heidi Montag
- Spencer Pratt