Don't Hate It Because It's Beautiful

And shallow. And phony. That's what makes The Hills an entertaining escape

Whitney's, Lauren's, Audrina's and Heidi's social lives are their careers.

Let's get one thing out of the way first. Yes, The Hills is fake. Fake in the sense that producers and participants acknowledge reshooting scenes and doing multiple takes. Fake in the sense that MTV's beautiful "stars" are famous for little more than being on The Hills. And fake in that it's proof that a beautiful shot and a well-chosen sound track can imitate emotion in even the most banal scene.

But if you can get past the idea that fakeness is a bad thing--use a fancier term, like artifice, if that helps you--then The Hills is one of the most...

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