PLAYING THE FAME GAME IN THE 21st CENTURY

“Into the breach between supply and demand have stepped Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, the villainous couple from MTV's docu-soap "The Hills" - not be the most famous, but the most fame-ish. Creatures of the game, they have mastered the new realities of celebrity culture, what commodity they're selling and what its value is. "There's only so much gossip," as Heidi said over lunch recently.Heidi and Spencer. "Speidi" for short.

He's 24, and a California kid, growing up in Santa Monica. She's 21 and was raised in Crested Butte, Colo., which she referred to as "the smallest place in the world." She came to Los Angeles in August 2005 after a miserable fashion-school year in San Francisco where she met Lauren Conrad, late of MTV's "Laguna Beach." TMZ.com calls them "celebutards." Perez Hilton calls them "promosexuals." Spencer's response: "Anybody who wants to promote our brand, negative or positive, give me a call."

Los AngelesTimes
May 18 2008