Don't get me wrong, the acting is good. Courtney Cox and Ian Hart are especially good. Hart is outstanding as a functional schizophrenic. He owns the screen whenever he is on. The problem with this series is that it makes you feel even worse than if you subscribed to every tabloid on the planet, and worse yet, believed every word. (Yes some people actually do believe everything that they read. Hi, Ellen!) The writing is good, and like the tabloids, it's of a sensational nature. Most of the characters are bottom feeders, and it's difficult to like them or have any sympathy for them. I did manage some sympathy for the young actor that was blackmailed into turning informant for the editor from hell. This series is seen almost entirely from the point of view of actors who want to eat the hand that feeds them. They need each other; they want and need publicity, but they want to control the publicity. When I first got a parrot, I was told to never pay it more attention than I was prepared to keep on giving it. That turned out to be really good advise for a lot of situations. Actors should avoid any more publicity than they want to have. If you put yourself in the public eye, you will have a certain level of intrusiveness, but if you don't go out of your way to seek it, and aren't out on the town every night, you probably won't suffer that much. Not everybody is Jackie O or Princess Diana, (who famously manipulated the press) and most won't and don't suffer that much intrusive pappi behavior. For the life of me I can't understand anyone wanting to know about Jennifer Anniston, but since she uses the press and then bitterly complains about it, I assume that is why Cox wanted to lend her talents to this series. I, for one, would be happy never to be assailed by yet another picture of the first American martyr when I pass the magazine kiosks. Since that isn't likely to happen, I will sometimes take vicious delight in watching this show! This probably isn't one that most people will want to watch every week unless they really enjoy people behaving badly. In general I don't have much sympathy for people who want a lot of publicity, and then bitch and moan about what they have willingly sought in the past. I also have not much sympathy for the magazine people. Approach this series with caution. It is probably best as an occasional "treat".
