The Simple Life is a reality television show that the latest "It girls" Paris Hilton, and her buddy
Nicole Ritchie just finished making before an ex-boyfriend of Paris' leaked a
video onto the Internet of him and Paris having some pretty acrobatic sex. So Paris
and her new show, The Simple Life, has gotten a lot of exposure
lately in the media.
The show premiered on Fox Tuesday 2 December, ran a second episode the next
night, and aired episode 3 last night. It runs through the rest of the
season on Fox, Tuesdays at 0830 Eastern.
I'm not generally much of a reality show fan, but through an anomalous set of
coincidences I found myself hooked into this fascinating nugget of pop
culture, and will likely end up watching every bit of it. This dubious
distinction qualifies me at least nominally to serve as your erstwhile commentator for
The Simple Life node. I'll add to this as the series unfolds and hereby invite
other lost souls to join in the fun.
Two plush and pampered rich girls go to live on a farm in Altus, Arkansas,
population 817, for a month. Stripped of charge cards, Porsches and
parties, they experience all aspects of the day to day pleasures, perils and
pitfalls of life in a small farming community. Purportedly unscripted, and
following the format of recent "Reality" shows, The Simple Life adopts
the viewpoint of an omnipresent observer in the girls activities. This
is supplemented with
a corny but not terribly annoying voiceover, and short interviews with the
girls, the family they are living with, and the townsfolk that they
encounter.
The 22 year old Paris Hilton is the great granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, who
founded the Hilton hotel chain. Paris is the heir to a fortune reputed to
be over $300 million dollars. She's also gorgeous in a scrawny fashion model way
and, by all accounts a wild child. She lives between Beverly Hills,
Manhattan and Europe, hangs out with the elite jetsetters and languidly pursues
a modeling career and fashion design. She's recently taken up acting and
has appeared in Zoolander, Raising Helen, Nine Lives and that awful Cat in
the Hat disaster. In addition to these efforts, there is, of course the
infamous sex video (the URL for which I provide below only for completeness...1
) and, now, The Simple Life television series.
Nicole Richie, also 22 is the daughter of the pop singer Lionel Richie, and
she has also grown up in the rarefied atmosphere of the rich and famous.
She and Paris have been best friends since they were two years old, and they
both attended the exclusive private school Buckley together. Nicole has
made some serious efforts in the entertainment world as an actress and singer,
as well as hosting some of the most notorious parties you've never been invited
to.
The seven members of the Leding family reside on a farm in Altus, Arkansas that has been in their family for
over 120 years. The Leding household spans three generations, from the
four year old Braxton, to his father Albert and his grandfather Richard Leding who is 76.
Albert and Janet are the heads of the household that includes Albert's parents
Richard and Curly, who have been married over 50 years, and their four sons,
three of whom currently live at home. Albert, the father works for the state, Janet
is a bus driver and at home mom. The Leding's oldest son Ryan (20) is in the
military and doesn't appear in the series,
Justin (19) is a full-time college student in addition to working a part time
job, Cayne (15) is a sophomore at the local high school, Braxton (4) will start
school next year.
Oh yeah, there's Tinkerbell, Paris' Teacup Chihuahua, whose adventures on
and around the Leding farm provide an oddball subplot for the series. Tinkerbell also has
an online doggy-diary on the Simple Life website2 adds valuable and insightful breadth
to the proceedings. Tinkerbell's fate isn't clear at this point, she could
end up as a steadfast hero or road kill. Stay tuned.
The Ledings are just normal folks, living in what for most of us is a pretty
abnormal setting. Despite America's nostalgia with the farming life, not
many of us have any first hand experience with it. The dynamic duo of
Paris and Nicole take that level of inexperience to a new level, and dropping
them into the sleepy little burb of Altus, Arkansas is an entertaining and
uncomfortably funny event.
In the context of a preliminary review I'd give
it a confident two thumbs up so far. The storytelling works and most of
the action doesn't feel scripted per se. The literal veracity of the
series is hedged somewhat on purpose, through some lengthy gaps and convenient
segues, but I get the feeling that the overall story is credible and some of the
uncomfortable interactions that the ditzy girls have ring completely,
painfully, true.
The show's core virtue thus far has been its willingness to show Paris and
Nicole in a particularly unflattering light. They struggle realistically
between trying to make a go of it and resorting to spoiled brattyness.
There's clearly trouble in the wind, and Albert Leding, the father makes it
clear that he runs a tight ship and intends to make his houseguests tow the line.
Janet is a sympathetic shoulder for the girls, but she seems aghast at how
completely clueless these two celebutantes are. When Paris smiles sweetly
during dinner and asks, "What is a Wal-Mart?" every jaw drops to the
table.
The two teenager boys, Justin and Cayne are clearly in awe of these
snotty little goddesses from Mars. Justin in particular has that testosterone-fueled edginess that any parent will recognize as
an almost crippling horniness. His younger brother Cayne can't keep his eyes off the girls,
but one gets the feeling that he wouldn't know what to do with one if he caught
it.
I hesitate to veer too deeply into social commentary over The Simple Life,
but some fascinating disconnects are littered through the first few episodes
that will keep me watching. I'm going to provide summaries of the episodes
as they unfold and will try to keep the extrapolation and philosophizing to a
minimum. Hopefully this will make for a fun and useful introduction for
those who opt in.3
Paris and Nicole are leaving cash, credit cards and cell phones at home in
Beverly Hills and heading to Arkansas. The plan is that they'll drop out
of the sky via private jet and take up residence with the Ledings for a
month. Prior to departure, they indulge in a campy shopping trip, and a
lavish party thrown by Paris' parents Rick and Kathy Hilton. Bookmark the
scene with this glimpse of Paris' parents, as you may want to come back and search their faces
for clues later in the series.
After the party, the girls board a private jet for the flight to Altus,
Arkansas. They arrive at a tiny commuter airfield and are greeted with an
old beater pickup truck and a note with directions to the Ledings farm. We are
soon treated to our first insight into the mismatch between their life
experience and their new environment. Nicole doesn't drive, and Paris, although
heinous in her Porsche, has never encountered a "Three on the
column" manual transmission before. She gets the blue beast of
a truck started and within seconds has gotten herself trapped in an apparent
conundrum. She misjudged the turning radius of the truck and has gotten too
close for comfort to one of the aluminum hangers. Worse yet, she doesn't
know how to get the truck into reverse and the hydraulics of the power steering
emit an ear piercing squeal when she tries to really crank the wheel
over.
It's worth pausing for a moment here because this is the kind of situation
that will make or break The Simple Life. Paris is clearly distressed and
there's no one to help her out. Nicole is wailing uselessly and annoyingly
at her side, but the situation isn't improving. We know there's a camera
crew present, but the rules of the game don't allow them to help. There's
a long close-up of Paris' pretty but perplexed face and you can see that she's
reviewing everything she's ever learned about driving and cars for an
answer. Unsurprisingly, this doesn't take very long and in the end, she
cranks the wheel, ignores the screaming transmission and barely squeaks through
the turn. Soon they're back on the road, cruising through miles of pretty but
monotonous farmland, dodging road kill and lamenting already the unnerving
emptiness of flyover territory.
While they're en route, we cut to interviews with the Leding
family and are immediately impressed with their normalness. These people
aren't caricatures, or even hicks, just modern hardworking rural folks who are
trying as hard as they can to make it. Albert, the father is clearly a
disciplinarian and probably the kind of dad you don't want to piss off.
Janet is warm and motherly, but has no time for foolishness. The
grandparents Richard and Curly don't say much, but are clearly engaged in every
aspect of the daily routine. The Ledings are the model extended family that
American politicians of all stripes love to rhapsodize over. They seem
nice and their farm is pastoral in a rural Arkansas kind of way, but the
claustrophobia of small town life is hovering in the background. You sort
of like the Ledings, but probably wouldn't want to live with them for
long.
The princesses arrive in their battered chariot and are welcomed warmly but
warily by the Ledings. The overall weirdness of the situation comes
through loud and clear. The girls are tired and dirty and hungry for real
and there's no one there to pamper them, or even help them lug their mountain of
Louis Vuitton bags onto the back porch where they'll be sleeping. Everyone
is credibly uncomfortable and finally, just to get them out of the house, Albert
gives them $50 and sends them into town to buy groceries.
Altus is a one horse town. Well, actually there are lots of horses, but
only one of everything else. One gas station, one grocery store,
etc. Our ditzy heroines rampage around looking for culinary exotics like
pigs feet and whatever personal luxuries they recognize on the unfamiliar
shelves. They end up putting more in their cart than they can pay for and
are frustrated and humiliated when the clerk tells them that they can't,
"just have it anyway," because "this ain't no soup
kitchen!" On the way out, Paris mutters, "What's a soup
kitchen," pretty much summarizing the whole ridiculous affair.
When they return, grandma Curly attempts to get the girls involved in
plucking the chickens they've killed for supper, but they are clearly near the
end of their tether and flat out refuse any task that involves "touching or
even looking at a dead animal!" This interaction provides a glimpse
of the dark side of the two spoiled and selfish heiresses. Their ultimate
ploy is to just disengage and flop down like a three year old child in a heap on
the floor. "I won't and you can't make me!"
There's a clear tension between the side of the girls that wants to pull this
whole thing off with style, and the compelling reality of how unprepared they
are for real life and how rarely either of them has ever really had to try hard
to get what they want.
Incredibly, the Leding family is more than a match for their tantrums and
doesn't appear inclined to give them an easy pass on anything. There's the
possibility here for transcendence and glory, but it certainly isn't a sure
thing and that, I think, is what makes the series appealing.
After dinner, there's a frank chat between Albert and Janet and the
girls. Albert instructs them in the house rules: "make your beds
every morning, help with the chores, no cussing or bad language, and curfew is
at midnight." A look passes between the girls as if to say, 'well,
we'll see about that last one,' then Nicole pipes up and says, "We really
want to thank you for having us here and we'll try not to be too much
trouble. We're really nice girls, no matter what you may have heard,
..." Now that remains to be seen.
The episode wraps up with our intrepid party girls snarking it up as they
joke about having a threesome with Justin Leding.
Episode 2, Originally Aired 3 December 2003 "Danny's
Dairy"
It's only the second night of the series and concerns are already being
raised as to how "real," or "simple" for that matter, this
new reality show really is. None other than Howard Stern is reporting
that Paris said she was only 'playing a part' when she mouthed the malapropism
about Wal-Mart. Maybe, or perhaps she was just covering up her apparent
cluelessness about the real world.
In episode 2 we come to find that the girls life experience to date has not
included having a job. Since they arrived in Arkansas with no money or
plastic, Albert and Janet Leding have made an effort to set them up with jobs
at Danny's Dairy Farm starting the morning after they arrive. From
the minute the alarm clock rings as 5:15 am it's pretty clear that Paris the
heiress is unaccustomed to getting an early start. Nicole peels off her
sleep mask and squints malevolently into the camera. One aspect of this
show that's certainly real is that the 'beautiful people' look as awful as the
rest of us when they first wake up!
They arrive for work a, hour late and are greeted by Danny Council, the owner of the
dairy farm, who introduces them to the concept of timecards, and
assures them that
they'll get used to the smell eventually. Neither girl looks particularly
interested or impressed. Judging from Danny's expression the feeling is
mutual. Paris and Nicole manage to be marginally useful in bringing the
cows in from pasture, then Nicole is assigned to drive the 'Polish
Pickup' around and fill the feed troughs, while Paris hoses down the
stalls. No fiascos worthy of mention occur until Danny instructs
Nicole to be "aggressive" with the cows to keep them away from the
feed trough. She proceeds to shock him with a finely honed stream of
swearing that's bleeped just enough allow us to get the gist of it. The
townsfolk's reactions to the girl's "bad language" is a recurring
theme and serves as a reminder that at least some people are still shocked by
that sort of thing.
When Danny sets the girls up to fill a few hundred bottles with unpasteurized
milk, the situation deteriorates into slapstick. Their attention span
appears to be about five minutes and they apparently have no ability at all to
organize a task. The fill a few bottles then start messing around, then
Danny shows up and tells them pick up the pace, then they fill a few more
bottles then start messing around again. You get the idea. After
being harshed by Danny a few more times, they completely abandon the pretense
of working, the fill hose gets dropped in the mud, they start pouring water from
a bucket into half-filled bottles, and hiding crates of empties rather than
filling them. Disgraceful and disgusting, especially if you thought that
people were actually going to drink that milk.
Fortunately there isn't a chance in hell that this segment is real. No
health department would allow any food product to be bottled on a table in the
open air by two ditzy chicks in muddy boots. According to the Arkansas
Department of Health, "all milk must be pasteurized except goat milk
produced under Act 816 of 1995." So, if those bottles of milk were ever
delivered to customers, somebody is in a whole lot of trouble. Playacting
clearly.
Danny finally fires Paris and Nicole after he finds them napping on the
living room couch after lounging around his hot tub during their lunch
break. This is a blessing in disguise because another episode of them
spilling milk would be more than I can bear. They've each earned $42, far
more than they were worth, but apparently much less than they expected, judging
from their bitching on the way home.
The evening brings a BBQ where they meet Justin's friends. The guys just
don't seem to be able to relate to the two prancing princesses. Nicole
informs them that their town is boring, and one of the guys jokes that Paris'
last name is "Motel Six." Witty repartee on the farm! After
this lively affair, the girls complain to Janet that Justin's friends think
they're weird, but Janet assures them that they just aren't used to them.
I reckon they actually just think Paris and Nicole are weird, I know I do.
The final scene of this episode shows the girls sneaking out of the house a
little past midnight, ignoring Albert's curfew. The camera pans to a
lighted window upstairs where Albert watches them drive away as he slowly shakes
his head.
Episode 3, Originally Aired 9 December 2003 "Sonic
Burger"
Another episode, another job, this time the victim is Sonic Burger, the
premiere fast food joint in Altus, Arkansas. As a prelude to this debacle,
our pampered poodles visit with the St. Mary's Quilting Circle in the church
basement. I'll admit to being optimistic about this encounter, I mean
here's a roomful of soulful old ladies working on these magnificent
quilts. There are stories to swap, easy compliments to toss and a quick
dose of knowledge to be gained. Hell it's not even remotely like
"work." What's not to like here?
Tragically, Nicole feels the need to inform the group of her suggestions for
"improving" their handcrafted quilts. "But like, don't you guys
like ever, like get like, bored? You should like make it like,
edgier..." Nicole proceeds to suggest some edgy art techniques that she
knows about: maybe cigarette burns? Ya know? Or sling some paint on them?
The ladies recoil visibly, as if someone had slapped them. Nikki informs the
quilt makers that she "gets that
they're traditional." Having established this insight, she illuminates the fundamental flaw
in their efforts: "I mean they're squares, you guys, they're quilts! Make
it fun! Make it exciting!" Squares are apparently so intrinsically unexciting as to be utterly
irredeemable. As these pearls of wisdom
dribble from Nicole's well glossed lips, she falls from her chair to demonstrate
the depth of this fashion crisis, and the camera pans across the sinuous
intertwining patterns of the handmade quilts and the eye delights at their meticulous
craftsmanship.
To make sure the quilters know they are forgiven and that there are no
hard feelings, Nicole encourages them to have their grandsons call them for a
date. Nice offer, but oddly none of the ladies seem overly anxious to have
these Martian princesses as members of the family.
Next up, a frontal assault on the world of fast food. They arrive at
the local Sonic Burger 45 minutes late (hey, that's progress), and are
"sworn in" by the non-nonsense manageress. They hit a snag
immediately because they've never heard of withholding taxes, but that's soon
resolved and the girls are soon on the front lines. For a brief moment it
looks like redemption is on the horizon, the gals appear to find something that
they can actually do which is at least marginally useful, or at least non-destructive!
Sadly this isn't fated to be.
No sooner had they gotten comfortable taking orders and doing the
roller-derby delivery service, than the next assignment comes down. The
manager leads them out front with an extension ladder in tow and instructs them
to change the letters on the sign for the special d'jour. Now the story
bifurcates with the first branch covering the clever but shocking new offering the girls
propose for Sonic: "1/2 PRICE ANAL SALTY WEINER BUGERS." I give them
full marks for silliness, but deducted a full grade point for spelling.
The second and potentially more interesting story is watching Paris use the
extension ladder. There's a right and wrong way to use an extension
ladder, and the consequences can be pretty steep if you get it wrong. When the
manager sets it up for them, she places it up against the sign backwards, so
that the weight of a climber will tend to pull the two ladder sections apart
rather than hold them safely together. When Paris merrily heads up the thing,
Nicole is standing underneath and, if you watch carefully, you can see the
ladder start to jack apart until Nicole grabs it. This may be the show's
most really real moment to date — if Nicole had just let go and
the ladder sections separated, not only would the multimillionairess heiress
fall, but she'd likely be impaled on the aluminum arms of the lower section and
skewer her cute little buddy in the process. In short she might have been screwed in a way that was
novel even to Paris.
Happily, Nicole's notoriously short attention span holds and they
both survive to face the indignation of the manager when she comes out to check
their work. Cars stop, cops scowl, small children are permanently
traumatized and, que sorpresa, they have to go back up the lethal
ladder and make things right. I don't remember if they get the ladder right the
second time. Only the good die young.
After this really really real moment, we lapse back into the mean-spirited
slapstick that seems to represent a core value for The Simple Life.
These two 22 year old girls generally screw up whatever they touch and we're
left with a feeling that is half laughing, half loathing for them. I found
myself hoping that they were acting, because if this is what they're really
like, I wouldn't want either of them in my yard, much less my house.
They're horrid.
There's a telling interview with the Leding parents, Albert
and Janet where they describe the bad vibe that is brewing in
their little town over the girls, and their crew and the belief that the show
will display the townsfolk as hick morons. I've lived in a very small town before, and I can assure you that the
Ledings weren't acting at that point. Any small town, anywhere, would end
up pissed off and bitter with the Ledings for hosting the rich but stupid circus
involved in shooting a TV show like The Simple Life. Modern television
production in your neighborhood means that a few people make a little money for
inconveniencing and annoying the rest of you.
Even if the show was entirely scripted, and our two heroines
weren't makings asses of themselves all over town, there would be plenty of
folks who'd still be pissed off. It's a pain in the neck having a bunch of
weirdoes invade your town overnight. Even if they DID make a big donation
to the Volunteer Fire Department or whatever.
My working theory about The Simple Life is that they have scripted these
little disasters at places like poor Danny's Dairy, but then let the nymphets
just ad lib the action. In one sense, this could be the optimal
"reality show" venue. The "conflict" is entirely
contrived, but the "performance" is completely spontaneous and
"real." The St. Mary's Quilting Circle is a setup, but Nicole's
lame reaction is completely spontaneous. The Leding's visit to the Sonic
Burger for lunch was scheduled, but their pained reaction to the inevitability
of hearing the girls have pissed off half the town, is painfully real.
The Simple Life is a guilty pleasure to watch. These two waltzing bratildas appear to be out to more or less terrorize this poor
little town, and we all get to watch it unfold. I find myself alternately
bemoaning the fate of humanity that this passes for primetime
entertainment, and relishing the voyeuristic filthyness of
the damned thing. You know it's bad for you but that just makes you want a
little more.
The redoubtable third episode of The Simple Life ends with a bang.
After listening to another "boring" lecture from Albert
about their behavior, the gals pool the $56 each that they made at Sonic Burger
and head for “Hog Calls,” the local hot spot. An "edgy" little
video montage provides Hog Calls with
perhaps a bit more stature than it deserves, and apprises us that our
daring damsels have sat on the laps of half the men at the bar and that Nicole has
been swapping spit with pretty much any male brave enough to come within
spittin distance.
Don't get me wrong, having two attractive girls slinging themselves and some
folding money around your bar can a "good thing." We may want to confer with Halspal for a definitive call on
the subject, but I think it's safe to say that is considered a
plus. Nicole is having so much fun that she playfully announces to the
herd of beefy young bucks surrounding her, "I'm a horny little bitch."
Thank you Nicole, tacitly concluded and succinctly stated. See ya
next week....oops actually tomorrow cause Fox, those sly dawgs, reckons
they've got a hit on their hands, so they're loading up with a new episode
tomorrow night.
Stay tuned, as they say.
Episode 4, Originally Aired 16 December 2003 "The
Altus, AK Springtime Gala"
Paris and Nicole are invited by Mayor Veronica Post to be honorary co-chairs at the
town's Springtime Gala. The prissy princessas stick to their modus
operandi, and manage to screw up most everything they come in contact
with. Highlights include letting the Ledings dog eat the beautiful pies
that grandma Curley has helped the girls bake, performing a truly scary
bitchslapping of Justin's ex-girlfriend and "manning" the kissing
booth at the Gala. In between shocking the populace, our ladies retire to
the nearest bar to slam a couple of brews and sit on a few laps.
At this point, we're aware the most of the action in this "reality
show" is scripted, but it's not hard to read between the lines and discern
that Nicole really does appear to have a drinking problem. She gets sort
of blubbery in all the bar scenes in a way that is uncomfortably real.
These summaries are getting shorter because whatever appeal the series began
with is rapidly fading as the artifice of its premise devolves into a sad slapstick.
Episode 5, Originally Aired 30 December 2003
"Working at the Cattle Auction"
Even though the word must have gotten around town by now that our heroines
aren't a good bet as employees, Kent Reading hires them on as helpers at the
I-40 Livestock Auction. In short order, Nicole adds petty theft to her
bag of tricks, by charging a truckload of merchandise from the feed store on
Reading's account. The loot includes a nice birdhouse that the girls
present to Janet as a Mother's Day present.
Mr. Reading gets the word that he's been victimized and shows up at the
girl's door demanding payment. We are then treated to an Oscar-worthy
performance by Nicole who splashes water on her face and attempts to convince
the redoubtable auctioneer that he should give her a pass because her cat
died. To his credit, Reading isn't buying the act or, more likely just
doesn't give a damn about either of these fluff puppies personal
problems.
Payment is eventually negotiated by having the celebutantes work off the
debt and we are treated to a memorable scene wherein Nicole buries her arm, up
to the shoulder in an angry cow's rear end. Now that's entertainment!
Episode 6, Originally Aired 7 January 2004 "Working
for Buffie"
Paris and Nicole finally find work that suits them at Buffalo's Lakeside Mart,
the local hub of Altus community life. Combining a gas station, bait
shop, mini mart and lunch stop, Buffie's is The place to be. Our
hardworking gals apply themselves to filling tanks and flirting with everything
in pants and, for a brief instant, all is well. Trouble rears its head
however as love, or at least lust enters the scene.
Buffalo's nephew Anthony and his best friend Trae Lindley are regulars at
the mini mart and after a quick sizing up process, the girls determine that
these boys will probably do for some short term entertainment. Trae has
an ear to ear smile and the whitest teeth known to humankind, so the witty
Nicole promptly dubs him "Chops." He's the lucky dawg who is
adopted by Paris who tells him that he's the "hottest guy in
Arkansas," and that he should come to Los Angeles so she can hook him up
with a modeling career. We are also treated to a tender scene wherein
Anthony is allowed a little face sucking with Nicole, who suddenly pulls away
and informs him that, "EWWWWW, you smell like garlic!" Post-millennial
pillow talk.
The Ledings are concerned by this turn of events and try to persuade the
girls that they could really do some harm by playing with the affections of
these younger boys. After realizing that reasoning with the heiresses is
futile, they issue an ultimatum: if they go out tonight, they have to stay home
with the family the rest of the weekend. It's insightful to listen in as
the girls work their way through this conundrum and finally devise a suitable
course of action: lie.
This decision turns out to have major consequences as Paris and Nicole make
a beeline to the Alligator Ray's bar, where Nicole demonstrates her aptitude
for sloppy inebriation. She misplaces her purse and retaliates against
the cruelty of fate by pouring bleach all over the pool table. The crowd
of civilians is aghast and staring at their feet in embarrassment. The
manager Shannon throws them out after informing them that they're going to have
to pay for the damages.
Episode 7, Originally Aired 14 January 2004 "Judgment
Day"
The accumulated sins and outrages catch up with our sassy lassies as all
their bills come due at once. In short, they squeek through the 30 day "challenge" leaving a trail of mayhem and memories. Another notch on the ol' lipstick case.
The sign on the road out of town as they left kind of said it all, "Goodbye Paris & Nicole, Where legends are made and lies are told."
Paris Hilton
Nicole Richie
Richard & Curly Leding (Grandparents)
Albert and Janet (Parents)
Justin, Cayne & Braxton Leding (Sons)
Narrated by David Richards
Line Producer: Rich Buhrman
Director of Photography: Bruce Ready
Segment Producers: Stacey Dowdy, Lisa Bohacek
Production Managers: Paul Real, Farnaz Farjam
Production Coordinators: John Vidas, Eric Weingrad
Production AccountantL Howard Young
Associate Producer: Dee Balson Mollett
Post Production CoordinatorsL Stacey Weaver, Mara Sommer
Camera Operators: Melinda Davidson, Guido Frenzel, Steve Hryniewicz, Jesse
Phinney
SteadiCam Operator: Wayne Kelly
Jib Operators: Melissa Lynch, Jeff Stitzel
Supervising Audio Mixer: Michael Emeric Hayes
Audio Mixers: Tyson P. Schaffner, Vincent Villanueva
Technical Supervisor: Jeff Stitzel
Technical Coordinator: Patrick Wheeler
Lighting Director: John Gumina
Electricians: David Durando, Adam Richards
Gaffer: Chris Conaty
Production Designer Preston Sharp
Art Director: Jennifer Young
Camera Assistants: Brian Hall, Nikolaus Kennedy, Eric Purgganan
Production Assistants: Ryan Crow, Nick Davis, Christine Reed
Story Consultant: Bruce McCoy
Associate Story Editors: Nancy Kwon, Noah Pollack
Music DirectorL David Stone
Music Supervisor: Zsuzanna Cohen
Scored by Roger Neill
Main Title Song Written & Performed by We 3 Kings
Location Researchers: Tim Atzinger, Chris Garcia, Tim Harland, Eric Mafford,
Noah Pollack, G.T. Taylor
Assistant Editors: Graeme Lowry, Kevin Abrams, Katherine Luntz
===================&===================
1 The Paris Hilton Sex Video
(X-Rated): http://www.websavey.com/transfer/Movies/parissexmovie_256k.wmv
2 The Simple Life official website: http://www.fox.com/simplelife/
3 The Simple Life discussion boards:
http://forums.prospero.com/foxsimplelife/start
Notes & Comments
- BrooksMarlin says re The Simple Life: Paris has admitted that the Wal-Mart line was scripted. Or maybe she's just covering up for being a complete moron. Don't remember where. Although she said it wasn't FOX's idea, and that she said it just to play along with the whole "dumb rich girl" premise of the show.
- The ratings for Wednesday, December 3, indicated that the
second episode of The Simple Life drew
13.3 million viewers, a net gain of 200,000 viewers over its premiere. The
Simple Life lead its timeslot in total viewers.
- I'm happy to note that Trae Lindley showed the good sense to reject
Paris' offer to find him modeling work in L.A. and instead matriculated at the
University of Arkansas on a full scholarship. I find that comfortingly
real.
- Great News!, According to Gail Berman, the Fox Network
entertainment chief, The Simple Life will be back for another round in time for
the May sweeps. Paris and Nicole will both return, but it's not clear yet
whom they'll be inflicted on.