PARIS HILTON WITH CLOTHES ON.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic HOTEL HEIRESS Paris Hilton, who currently appears briefly in the lousy kidflick ``Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat'' and at more protracted pro·tract tr.v. pro·tract·ed, pro·tract·ing, pro·tracts 1. To draw out or lengthen in time; prolong: disputants who needlessly protracted the negotiations. 2. length in an independent cinematic venture for more mature tastes, brings her trademark brand of elitist-ditz insouciance in·sou·ci·ance n. Blithe lack of concern; nonchalance. insouciance lack of care or concern; a lighthearted attitude. — insouciant, adj. See also: Attitudes Noun 1. to, naturally, the Fox Network. ``The Simple Life,'' a post-Age-of-Reason ``Green Acres,'' plops Hilton with similarly self-absorbed Nicole Richie and their Rodeo Drive wardrobes in rural Arkansas with a stoic, working-class family that likely has as much in common with our pampered pam·per tr.v. pam·pered, pam·per·ing, pam·pers 1. To treat with excessive indulgence: pampered their child. 2. heroines as they do with rhesus monkeys. Hilton and Richie goof on the family (``What is Wal-Mart?'' Paris disingenuously queries) and the TV audience alike. They overreact o·ver·re·act v. To react with unnecessary or inappropriate force, emotional display, or violence. to insects and road kill, which can be found even in Beverly Hills' rarefied rar·e·fied also rar·i·fied adj. 1. Belonging to or reserved for a small select group; esoteric. 2. Elevated in character or style; lofty. rarefied Adjective 1. suburbs, as if encountering the banjo-playing boys of ``Deliverance.'' They take jobs at a dairy farm and a fast-food joint and do their work as willfully willfully adv. referring to doing something intentionally, purposefully and stubbornly. Examples: "He drove the car willfully into the crowd on the sidewalk." "She willfully left the dangerous substances on the property." (See: willful) ineptly as possible. They complain, too often, that they're bored. When they provide their DVD-style commentary to the camera, unnecessarily explaining what we've just seen, Richie is nominally expressive while Hilton is so implacably blank she looks as though she's been switched off. (Fox takes greater care than other filmmakers who have worked with Hilton, discreetly blurring her backside revealed by her low-riding jeans.) There's a degree of calculated manipulation to ``The Simple Life'' that similar programs like ``Newlyweds'' or the first season of ``The Osbournes'' managed to avoid. Hilton works her It-Girl-you-love-to-hate image with a chilly aplomb but with the same unmistakable are-we-having-fun-yet? anxiety of a mom hosting a birthday party for unruly preschoolers at a Chuck E. Cheese. And it's necessary to buy into Hilton's whole cult-of-personality vibe to truly appreciate this, and you have to possess a pretty blinkered blink·ered adj. Subjective and limited, as in viewpoint or perception: "The characters have a blinkered view and, misinterpreting what they see, sometimes take totally inexpedient action" adulation for any nominal form of celebrity to do that in the first place. ``The Simple Life'' will take its pseudo-celebrity meta-reality sniggering any way the audience will offer it - it's for viewers who want to laugh with the people they're laughing at - but, really, the joke only goes so far. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com THE SIMPLE LIFE - Two stars What: Paris Hilton remains mainly clothed and impassively looks down her elegantly aquiline nose at Arkansans. Where: Fox (Channel 11). When: 8:30 tonight and Wednesday; thereafter, 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays. In a nutshell: The 21st century's first spanking spanking Pediatrics Corporal punishment, usually of children, in which the buttocks, are pummeled, swatted, or otherwise struck. See Corporal punishment Sexology Slapping, usually of the buttocks as a part of sexuoerotic activity. Cf Sadomasochism. new genre: meta-pseudo- celebrity reality, for people who want to laugh with the people they're laughing at. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Party girls Paris Hilton, left, and Nicole Richie do their best ``Green Acres'' impression in ``The Simple Life.'' |
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