Wednesday, June 25, 2008 || ‘The Hills’ are alive with neighborhood chaos
Neighborhood sources tell AccessHollywood.com that MTV has turned the residence into a commercial sound stage for the purpose of filming the show. The house is located in a single-family residential zone.
The sources also say residents feel that the ancillary activities from the production present a serious threat to public safety, create a public nuisance, cause disturbing problems and interfere with their rights as homeowners.
An MTV spokesperson tells AccessHollywood.com that, “MTV is in accordance with all required production permits, and is working with the city of Los Angeles to assist it with neighborhood concerns that have been raised.”
According to public records on the Multiple Listing Service, Lauren Conrad Living Trust purchased the house for $2.36 million on February 1. The production has been filming in the location for most of the ensuing months. The seven-room (three-bedroom, one-bathroom permitted) two-story house was built in 1922 — its prior price in 1999 was only $710,000.
“The Hills” is one of the most popular shows on the cable channel. The show’s mid-third season premiere in March 2008 attracted 4.8 million viewers, the series biggest audience for a single episode. The show follows the lives of five young women: Lauren Conrad, Lo Bosworth, Audrina Patridge, Whitney Port and Heidi Montag, as they negotiate the early stages of their careers and social lives in Los Angeles. Lauren and Lo live in the main house on the property in question, and Audrina lives in the back guesthouse. The girls moved into the house towards the end of the show’s third season, which finished airing in May 2008. Season four is set to premiere this August, according to MTV.com.
A rep for Conrad tells AccessHollywood.com that Lauren is as upset as her neighbors are over the situation taking place on her block. The rep says that MTV has followed all protocol and that Lauren herself has hired private security for outside of her home.
An undated letter sent from the executive producers of “The Hills” to the neighborhood residents just a few days before shooting began (but more than two months after Conrad purchased the house), and provided to AccessHollywood.com by a resident who requested anonymity, states, “As a documentary crew, we do not have any equipment trucks, and require no special parking. Our crew is not allowed to park on the streets, and is shuttled to the house in minivans. Our equipment all fits in one van, which we will also not leave on the street. Once we are shooting, our presence will be minimal — we strive to be as invisible as possible.”
AccessHollywood.com’s sources claim that, contrary to this letter, equipment trucks, crews and other vehicles associated with the production are left on the street on a regular basis, making parking for the other residents difficult and creating congestion.
Is there really anyone at home?
The sources say residents have complained that Conrad, Patridge and Bosworth are only at the house when the cameras are rolling or when there is a paparazzi outside to document them coming and going. They claim the young women do not live permanently at the residence. However, they claim the lights are left on in the home around the clock.
AccessHollywood.com sent reporters to the house at approximately 6:30 p.m. on June 19, where from the street, what appeared to be bright production lights could be seen permanently affixed on the ceiling inside the home. They also appeared lit on June 20, at around 9 p.m. and June 21 at around 3:30 p.m.
Also attracted to the neighborhood? According to AccessHollywood.com’s sources, an unruly group of paparazzi.
As the paparazzi have become increasingly more aggressive, according to our sources, they are vandalizing personal property and threatening residents. The paparazzi are allegedly fighting with each other over “territory” and who has the right to be there.
AccessHollywood.com’s sources claim that dozens of complaints have been made to MTV, the executive producers of “The Hills,” City Councilmember Tom LaBonge’s office, the city attorneys office, Film L.A. Inc., and the LAPD Hollywood division, resulting in limited changes to the amount of activity taking place on the block.
Source: MSNBC
posted by Lysandra @ 4:18 PM
"New City, New Drama"
9 Comments:
I could understand residents getting mad at trucks and crew disrupting the neighbourhood, but what are Lauren or MTV supposed to do about the paparazzi? It's not like they can control them.
I knew they weren't living there!! There's no privacy!!
that's horrible...I feel so bad for those residents. and that's very wasteful to leave their lights on 24/7.
its absolutely insane that they dont live there, thats impossible!
how is it impossible? it's prob easier for the mtv crew to use their equipment there than in a small apt. it was probably done for convenience sake plus there's a pool for the obligatory lying out and catching up scenes.
i always wondered why lauren would live somewhere with no wall for security and now it all makes sense. lauren & lo prob have an apt together and audrina must have one too. which once again demonstrates the fighting WAS all for the cameras. I love the Hills but is any of it real anymore?? It really makes one wonder...
im not a lauren fan but i do still think they live there...how would you explain all the times they walked chloe around the neighborhood, and how there were pictures of them leaving the house to go the the movie awards. mtv obviously isn't filming them while they are getting ready to go to mtv's own event.
and of course they're rarely there! the girls have been spotted in the oc, las vegas, hawaii, new york, etc.. multiple times since they've bought the house. and im sure the neighbors aren't watching their every move...
I imagine work keeps them on the road often, so the time actually spent at their house is minimal. However, I wouldn't be too surprised if they did have separate apartments on the side. The drama between Lauren, Lo and Audrina is/was scripted, to create buzz for the coming season. This show has become so fake especially when you compare to its earlier seasons and to Season 1 of Laguna Beach.
^I agree. They probably live there, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if it was just for filming purposes.
MTV and Lauren aren’t technically responsible for the paparazzi, but in some ways they kind of are by moving into a community that’s not secure (i.e. gated) knowing that paparazzi could be a problem. I would be incredibly pissed too if I were one of the neighbors and someone was making my life hell (even if it is indirectly).
But really, what are you going to do about it now? Unless the neighbors can get them on something (like the residential zone being used for commercial purposes), than I think they’re pretty much screwed. You can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your neighbors.
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