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Hills Battles Its Own Hype

Ratings are down, tabloid readership is up

By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 24, 2008 9:46 AM CST

(Newser) – Thanks to the Internet, the 24-hour news cycle, and rampant celebrity gossip in the blogosphere, the reality show The Hills has taken a backseat—to itself. “Do fans even need to watch the show anymore to get a Hills fix?” Denise Martin writes in the LA Times. For example, tonight's episode "breaks" the news of a scandalous hook-up first reported on Oct. 3.

The show’s executive producer says the Internet noise is no substitute for the real thing: “If viewers want to see the action unfold for themselves, they can't get it anywhere else but on MTV.” However, ratings are down, and resident drama queen Lauren Conrad has fueled rumors of her departure from the show. “Five years on TV is a really, really long time,” she said.

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (2)]

Audrina Patridge, left, recently heard rumors that on-again off-again love Justin Brescia hooked up with Lauren Conrad, right, behind her back. The drama was reported nearly two months before airing. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin)

Spencer Pratt, "resident villain" of the show, is accused of being the source of the Lauren Conrad-Justin Brescia rumors, Denise Martin writes. He is shown here with girlfriend Heidi Montag. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

Audrina Patridge, left, Lauren Conrad, center, and Whitney Port star in "The Hills." Port will soon leave for spinoff "The City," which will be the true test of "The Hills" popularity, Martin writes. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)

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Viewers still relate to our cast and their emotional highs and lows. They're more famous now, but they're still real people, and this is the real story of their lives. - Adam DiVello, executive producer

Audrina, we promised we wouldn't let people get into our ears and make us fight. You KNOW I didn't do this. - Lauren Conrad, on her MySpace blog following rumors she hooked up with Audrina Patridge's boyfriend

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Hills Battles Its Own Hype