Perhaps you have noticed that I am obsessed with the MTV "reality" show The Hills. It seems like a lot of you are, too! And, like, every celebrity magazine, and even Real Newspapers, are too. At first, it sort of seemed like a joke, like a so-bad-it's-good sort of thing. We were only being ironic as we watched! But now we think there's something not at all ironic at work here.

DOREE: hey so i had a thought re: "The Hills"
CHOIRE: go on!
DOREE: i feel like "The Hills" is the new "Sex and the City" for this younger generation
DOREE: they are taking their cues from these "women" about how to be in a relationship, and, like, "making it" in glamorous industries.
CHOIRE: right.
DOREE: (also, 4 women)
CHOIRE: HELLO
DOREE: it's a love letter to LA too, the same way that SATC was a love letter to NYC.
DOREE: like, it makes you want to live this glamorous life in LA.
CHOIRE: aspirational. and which is all about the shift in power from NYC to L.A that is SO going on.
DOREE: yup. but of course, it's a reality show, and not scripted.
CHOIRE: " " " " (those were scarequotes)
DOREE: which I think is related to just the fact that ensemble shows about and for women are, like, only on Lifetime now. like that horrible "Army Wives." and i'm not a believer in "Lipstick Jungle." it will suck.
CHOIRE: well. there's more women on TV than EVER.
DOREE: ok but there are almost no women friendship shows. except "Army Wives." which doesn't count.
CHOIRE: that may.... be true.
DOREE: i think it is. there are shows like the kyra sedgwick show
CHOIRE: i'm going through them all.
DOREE: where she's like the tough loner. but like an ensemble cast of women? no.
CHOIRE: there's medium, holly hunter, glenn close, the new lili taylor, "Tell Me You Love Me"....
DOREE: they're all lone women.
CHOIRE: at least, i think, no ensembles.
DOREE: yup. like, we joke about it? but "The Hills" really has struck this weird chord
DOREE: and it's kind of sad, because, like, we mock "Sex and the City" and bemoan it and all that, but it's positively genius next to this. and it was scripted. we weren't reliant on the deep thoughts of a bunch of 21-year-olds. and yet...
CHOIRE: and you're right.
DOREE: ok, now what?
DOREE: HA
CHOIRE: bring it!
DOREE: talk to me for one more second
DOREE: re: the power shift from NYC to LA
DOREE: i mean... entourage. heh.
DOREE: but what else.
CHOIRE: well!
CHOIRE: the celebrity media for one has moved west—both in subjects and locations; also TMZ
DOREE: right
DOREE: no celeb mag is yet headquartered in LA though.
CHOIRE: no sure
CHOIRE: but they've built up out there.
DOREE: yes, totally.
DOREE: huge west coast bureaus.
CHOIRE: and what else?
DOREE: teen vogue is now an LA magazine
DOREE: HA
CHOIRE: denton and i had a huge talk about this.
DOREE: did you take notes?
CHOIRE: god no
DOREE: heh
CHOIRE: but part of the shift is just money
CHOIRE: real estate, and silicon valley
CHOIRE: ha. there's more like millionaires and shit.
DOREE: but that's in northern CA
DOREE: but you're saying just west in general
CHOIRE: california is one big city. but yeah, ish.
CHOIRE: and what does New York have solely? the publishing industry. big whoop.
DOREE: talk dat ish.
CHOIRE: adsfasdf