“Everybody comes to Hollywood.
They wanna make it in the neighborhood.”
And so goes Madonna’s 2003 semi-hit “Hollywood.” Back in the days when the Material Girl sang about UCLA’s home turf, Hollywood and the L.A. area in general were seen in a negative light thanks to pop culture tidbits such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ hit “Californication” and movies that look in on the industry such as “The Player” and “Get Shorty.”
Remember the days of yore when almost every major TV show was based in New York City? Even must-see hits only migrated west for multi-episode story lines where the main characters wound up first enjoying the constant sunshine and change of pace, only to find themselves running for the hills a la “Seinfeld” and “Sex and the City.”
But now, Los Angeles is “in,” and I don’t mean that in a good way.
When I worked at a mall in New Jersey two years ago, my coworkers immediately asked if my life resembled “Laguna Beach” in any way. Even now when I visit foreign locales, such as England, I still face the same basic question about my relation to Lauren Conrad: “O-M-G “˜The Hills!'”
With the debut of the revamped “90210” this past week, it was easy to notice not just the fresh faces on the show but the fresh take on Beverly Hills.
Brenda and Brandon Walsh, for example, lived in the modest Spanish style “Casa de Walsh” when they moved to the famous zip code from Minnesota back in 1990. But circa 2008, Annie and Dixon Wilson move from Wichita, Kan., into a plush McMansion with breathtaking views and fancy interior decorating.
As The New York Times also pointed out in an article referencing “90210” this past week, “The wealthy on television are now really, really wealthy, and anyone who doesn’t have a beach house and a butler might as well be on welfare.”
I wish the media would just once move past the world of “Sunset Tan” and “Million Dollar Listing,” two more reality shows banking on the high-priced lifestyles of Los Angeles, and focus on the heart of our hometown instead.
I love Los Angeles because of Bay Cities Deli in Santa Monica and, specifically, the Godmother sandwich.
I love browsing for at least a few hours in the thrift shops and other dives on Melrose Avenue.
The Farmers Market at the Grove can’t be beat. I love Los Angeles because it combines the great weather of Southern California with the culture of the both the East and the West, with its many right-coast transplants.
Yes, in some cases I would love my favorite shoe store and doughnut shop to remain under wraps, but I would also love to see L.A. highlighted beyond Rodeo Drive and Robertson Boulevard. What about Echo Park? And the La Brea tar pits? And the new downtown?
Luckily there are shows such as “Entourage” that, season after season, mix crazed agents and expensive cars while also showing a more complete picture of the City of Angels.
One example is the underground shoe graffiti artist Fukijama shown on the show, who is based on the real-life reclusive shoe artist Methamphibian, who is based in the Valley.
Yes, the characters do go to expensive profile spots such as Koi, but they also frequent more local-only hot spots such as the very reasonably priced Urth Cafe.
Other famous metropolitan cities such as Chicago and Boston are portrayed from both sides, from the upper middle class typical of large cities in films such as “The Break Up” to the seedy underbelly such highly populated areas tend to attract (“The Departed,” anyone?).
I’m not asking for a sugar-coated version of Los Angeles, where there is no traffic and certain areas of Los Angeles magically now resemble “Pleasantville” more than Gotham City in “Batman Begins.”
As a TV addict and a semi-local, I just want to see something a little bit deeper: what lies inside the mansion and behind the Chanel sunglasses.
If you want to have an in-depth conversation comparing the new “90210” to the old “90210,” e-mail Stanhope at kstanhope@media.ucla.edu.