'Hills' star makes disappointing decision

I was reading "Star Magazine" at the salon today and came upon an interesting little fact. Audrina Patridge, of "The Hills," will be doing a topless scene in an upcoming film.

How do the show's producers feel about this? What do her superiors at Epic Records think? I really don't think it's good public relations for either "The Hills" or the record company.

I'm curious if other fans of the show heard about this and what they think. I really think it's trashy and something to expect of her co-star Heidi Montag, not Audrina. A lot of young women watch "The Hills" and idolize the women who star on it. While Whitney Port is immersing herself in the fashion industry and working hard to achieve her goals, Montag is getting plastic surgery, and Patridge is shedding her clothes on the big screen.

Real World character's actions take me back

I was watching an episode of "Real World XX: Hollywood" on Monday night, and one character's actions really affected me.

Sarah, the brown-eyed, budding broadcast journalist from Phoenix, threw a fit when her less conservative roommate Brianna from Philadelphia, brought a guy home from the bar and had sexual relations with him while Sarah and other roommate Kimberly were sleeping in the same room.

Sarah feels that Brianna's actions were disrespectful and inconsiderate. I couldn't help but agree. I, too, would feel awkward if while I was trying to fall asleep, a friend had sex with a strange guy in her bed next to mine.

But instead of sitting Brianna down the next morning to talk about it, Sarah and Kimberly made snide remarks about Brianna's lifestyle choices and her profession while Brianna and male roommate Will chatted in the hot tub down the hall.

Sarah became completely passive aggressive. Brianna asked Sarah where her makeup bag was, and Sarah, in a condescending tone, lectured Brianna about cleaning up after herself and told her that she placed her makeup bag under the dock.

Sarah is very close with her family and is proud of her traditional views and conservative upbringing. Brianna complains that Sarah is judgmental and dismisses her because she doesn't fit Sarah's world view.

Sarah reminds me a lot of myself when I was 20. I was embarrassed for both of us as I watched her temper tantrum develop. I, too, was raised in a conservative home. I think it's very easy to be judgmental of others who exhibit "immoral" behaviors when you haven't been exposed to different cultures and religious traditions.

I vividly remember a fight I had with an old roommate over cleaning the apartment. She screamed, "I'm sorry I'm not as perfect as you, Ashley." I make a conscious effort to remember those words. They remind me that I'm not perfect. That nobody's perfect. My dad always said, "There's a right way and a wrong way to do something." Sorry, dad, but you were very wrong. There is no right way or wrong way to do anything; it's simply her way or my way.

I think many Christians are guilty of playing moral judges once and awhile. I know I have, and I probably will again. But we just have to remind ourselves that's not what Christianity is all about. Christians are supposed to forgive, to heal and to console. I hope Sarah will be able to look back someday and feel the same.

'The Hills' finale is disappointing

I was really disappointed with the season three finale of "The Hills." The trailer gave viewers reason to believe Audrina Patridge was moving out of the house she shares with Lauren Conrad and Lauren "Lo" Bosworth, and that Heidi Montag was either going to get fired from Bolthouse or leave her boyfriend Spencer for good.

Instead, viewers got nothing more than the teasers in the trailer. The show ended with Lauren and Audrina's relationship in limbo. In the trailer, Lauren approaches Audrina about the uneasiness in the house. I was hoping Audrina and Lauren would hug and vow to work on their friendship, but nothing actually results from their discussion. Audrina explains that Lo is creating the gap in their friendship, and Lauren sheds a few tears. This might have satisfied viewers, except they showed all that footage in the trailer as well.

The only shocker was that Heidi chooses Spencer over an opportunity to work in Las Vegas, which only reinforces the fact that Heidi is a horrible role model for young women today. I hope Brent Bolthouse fires her. The show's producers should stop wasting our time with Heidi and Spencer's relationship and give Whitney Port more face time.

'The Hills' gives viewers a way to escape

My husband Gerry hates that I watch "The Hills." He says the show is complete nonsense, and that watching it is probably the biggest waste of my time.

Gerry would rather watch the History Channel. I'm sorry, but after studying communication theory for four hours, the last thing I want to do is watch educational programming.

In this month's issue of Rolling Stone, new deputy editor Jason Gay addressed the very reasons why people love to hate or hate to love "The Hills." "For starters, it's gorgeous," Gay writes referring to show's camerawork.

Gay's second reason mirrors the argument I've made for the show in the past: to escape. And I'm impressed that a guy could make the following observation. "When the cheery theme song, Natasha Bedingfield's girly-power anthem 'Unwritten' kicks in -- 'Feel the rain on your skin/No one else can feel it for you' -- you can sense the serotonin releasing inside your brain. 'The Hills' is Wellbutrin on TV."

Gay, I couldn't have said it better myself. There is something about Bedingfield's song that makes you want to take on the world like Elle Woods takes on Harvard Law in Legally Blonde.

So if Hills' viewers are watching to escape and to have a positive aesthetic experience, I have to disagree with Gerry. There are worse things young adults can do with their time than watch "The Hills." Besides, we could all use a little serotonin boost after a hard week of work or school.