Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt and the Limits of Celebrity

Heidi Montag is a star. So why did only 658 people buy her album? An investigative report

John Ueland for TIME

When I heard that Heidi Montag sold only 658 copies of her new album, Superficial , in the first week, I thought, Who are those 658 people? CIA agents who blast songs to get dictators to surrender? Heidi Montag 658 times? As a journalist, I had the responsibility to find out. Or to go to Haiti. I can never keep those straight.

Montag, for those of you who want to pretend you don't know, is one of the most important reality-show stars of our time. To promote her album, the 23-year-old star of MTV's The Hills agreed to appear on a People...

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