Lagunies: The Real Newpsies

Following in the footsteps of MTV the Bravo (an NBC Universal Company) network will be premiering its new series The Real Housewives of Orange County tonight at 10pm. The Washington Post article by Tom Shayles makes it clear that the title is meant to appeal to fans of the ABC show Desperate Housewives, but his description of show content makes it sound more like Laguna Beach. To quote a description of an episode:

To give you an idea of the style of living: A teenage boy is given a new Mercedes-Benz as a present from his parents, but when his friends claim that the model is a "girls' Mercedes," the boy complains and is promptly given a new one, a different model. The original car goes to his 16-year-old sister.

That sounds more like one of the storylines on Laguna Beach than on Desperate Housewives, though to be honest most Laguna stories aren't much like The OC either. The OC focuses on people who feel "out of place" in Orange County and Laguna Beach focuses on "real" versions of the people who make Ryan, Seth, Marissa, and Summer feel out of place. In The OC the "Newpsies" (definition: McMansion Divas) are characters on the edges of the storylines who are antagonistic toward the central characters. In other words, the "newpsies" are stereotypes used to show that the central characters play against type. It looks like Real Housewives has decided to further ingrain that stereotype in our minds.

So I just have one question. Would you rather hang out with Kimberly Bryant or Julie Cooper?

By Dave Bjerke -- Bravo

For my money, I'll take Julie Cooper. Primarily because she even looks hot as an undead punk rock zombie.



Fans of "The O.C." know fully well the show's meta-cognative qualities. Summer, played by the beautiful Rachel Bilson, watches both The Valley (an evening soap like The OC and Sherman Oaks: The Real Valley. So it is only a matter of time before we hear mention of Lagunies: The Real Newpsies on the show. I am sure this will immediately be followed by Seth screaming, "Hey you guys!" when the show is on. (That's a Goonies reference, if you didn't get it.)

BTW, Rachel Bilson has been slowly but surely working her way up the charts toward actress I have the biggest crush on. Currently, Renee Zellweger is in first place, but that Summer as Wonder Woman image from Season 1 keeps coming back.