Charlize Theron Slams "The Hills"

In an interview with MTV to promote her film "Battle in Seattle" Charlize Theron slammed MTV's faux reality show "The Hills," which she recently watched for the first time.

Theron: So I watched a couple episodes. I was doing a world tour at the time, so I watched them in a couple languages. I realized that this f---ing show is huge. Now I'm going to ask you a question: Why?

MTV: Why what?

Theron: Why is it so big? It's about nothing! This is a free country. Freedom of speech! You can tell me right now to my face that "Reindeer Games" was a piece of sh--. That's totally fine. But "The Hills" is about nothing. I think the girls are beautiful and when they cry their mascara runs and that's real, but I don't get it!

From more on "Battle in Seattle," read writer/director Stuart Townsend's blog about the film (he's also Theron's longterm boyfriend).

Comments

[TheLar]

John McCain suggests postponing The Hills. It's about the only thing I agree with him on.

[NYCIC]

MTV helped kill popular music, or at the very least turn it into the meaningless dead zone it has become. There have always been music videos as far back as the sixties, though I can't recall if there was ever a formal designation attached. But it wasn't until someone thought to combine pop music and tricked up imagery, and attempt to package it as something "radical" and indispensable, cleverly masking (or so they thought) their craven corporate manipulation, that it all began to suck. And certainly, it would never have become as successful if there weren't a score of talentless fools ready to sign on, and a mostly witless audience hungry for more.

[ballsmuch]

to add to your point...i turned MTV this morning thinking maybe they'd be playing music videos in the morning because it seems like they never show them anymore. there was some reality crap on and i remembered that they recently had the MTV VMAs (i didn't watch). now, if MTV doesn't show music videos anymore on their channel, how does their annual music video awards show have any credibility? i challenge any of the channel's execs to explain this to me

[BlackJAC]

MTV's original purpose was to serve as a form of Cliffs Notes for the songs. Then it somehow morphed into a marketing tool, and now a reality television clearing house. Good thing I outgrew it sometime around high school.

[Puller58]

Chalize has always been candid. My only observation is that perhaps a little feigned solidarity would be nice given the paucity of roles available for actresses in Hollywood. In other words, don't knock it sweetie, you might need a role like that yourself someday.

[Marioli]

The show isn.t done for Theron and not for Huffpost-readers, either. It.s produced for young girls who like seeing it. And I am quite sure that they DO get it!

[InedaName]

Those young girls might *get* it but neither they nor their parents can AFFORD it!

[fleetw1978]

I agree, those young ladies do GET IT. That is if "IT" is wallowing in stupidity.

[OrganOfThought]

well said

[GolfingDevil05]

I don't get it either. Is it okay, Ms. Theron, if you and I get together some time and not understand it together?

MTV should have never stopped showing videos.

[robXdion]

Hey, I actually liked "Reindeer Games".

[hilaritee]

i've got four words for you: my super sweet sixteen.

watching it is like witnessing the first horsman of the apocolypse ride into town.

[CFAmick]

That show reveals to us why the world hates America.

[mojojanglesjoe]

LOL! Not all of us but why the world hates LA.

[josephbua]

Yes, yes, The Hills sucks. But you know what also sucks? That MTV.com clip at the link gives you one minute of interview then a :15 ad, then they give you a little more Charlize and Stuart, mostly giggling, and frankly I wasn't gonna stick around to see how long the next ad was gonna be.

And, there were already two banner ads on the page, both visible while I was watching the clip.

Also, yet only adjacently related, I also noticed the other night that there are huge commercial breaks, 5 minutes long, in episodes of The CW teen dramas.

It just seems like we're pumping these kids to death with ad messages.

But re this, The Hills gives its audience a common topic of discussion. If you're a teen girl, you can't talk to your online pal from out of state about your local rich blonde bitch, but both of you can hate Heidi Montag.

And you have to take in the voyeur factor. Though how anyone could imagine what they're watching hasn't been heavily crafted in beyond me, down to the logos on the shopping bags they place down to eat lunch at the restaurant whose logo is on the back of the menu when they have lunch and "talk."

[cnobody]

i think it ties in with the "i wish i were..." part of our human nature. it's why shows like Gossip Girl and 90210 and even that horrendous My Sweet 16 are popular. perhaps its like why the Brits are still fascinated by royalty. the have nots idoloize the haves, even through resentment.

[Daps]

But it's all scripted.

[UKVisitor]

We're not fascinated by them thoough. The whole hereditary monarchy thing is embarrassing. Born to rule? What Flippin Century is this?
Nothing against the Windsors personally, I've never met them, but trust me, Britain as a whole really isn't interested in them at all.

[BlackJAC]

Actually, the royal family is more of a ceremonial and social position with zero political power, kinda like First Spouse. And according to Toby Young, whose father was a life peer and invented the phrase "meritocracy," the British class system actually inspires a level of guilt in the nobility for being born into their situation rather than earning it.

[topkatnc]

you should watch mtv a little bit longer. when i see what they are putting on tv it's makes me sick. parents if your kids are watching this crap, take it away from them. mtv has alot of influence on our kids and it's not all good. i think mtv should be a premiun channel like hbo and showtime. so if you have the time watch it a few days, if you can, it won't be easy.

[jagoneely]

I saw the show for the first time today. It's about pretty people doing nothing but being pretty, and rich, and living in a house many of us will never be able to afford. Oh yeah, with a soundtrack trying to fill in the gaps in conversation, and intellegence. It's not just dumb, it's a bit offensive. A 20 year old living in a 6,000 square foot home while 3/4 of America strugle to pay the bills. Nice.

[QueenOfViolets]

During the Depression people watched a lot of silly, frivolous movies with lavish sets and fantasy settings and huge musical numbers.

I don't think hard-hitting dramas about the Depression became popular until after it was over.

[walleymr]

But isn't this supposed to be a "reality" show?

[LiberalBuzz]

You're not alone I don't get it either.

Totally blank show. Good looking girls who fall apart at the fall of a zipper.

Don't get it all.

Dumbing down of America??

[CKieffer]

And the explanation behind a VP candidate like Palin