Doug Hutchison and Courtney Stodden Are the New Spencer and Heidi
Former "The Hills" stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt must be so proud. Actor Doug Hutchison, 51, and his teen bride, 17-year-old aspiring singer Courtney Stodden, have found a way to attract attention that even Speidi hasn't tried. Doug, who's had roles in "Lost" and "The Green Mile," and Courtney, whose parents granted permission for her to marry a man three and a half decades her senior last year, have launched their own reality show on YouTube called — are you ready to get creeped out? — "Courtney's Countdown" that counts down to her 18th birthday on August 29. The single five-minute episode currently available is, of course, terrible in many, many ways. It's called "My Foot Hurts ...," and is all about how Courtney's injured her foot (probably, as Doug helpfully points out while wearing stilettos as she dressed like a sexy bunny for Easter, a common holiday problem, as you know). Special effects, including a film strip on the outer edge of some scenes and subtitles when Courtney's on the phone in an obviously staged conversation, also contribute to the episode's lameness.
However, the fact that the episode even exists is a tribute to Speidi, who literally wrote the book on how to stay in the spotlight, 2009's How to Be Famous: Our Guide to Looking the Part, Playing the Press, and Becoming a Tabloid Fixture. Montag and Pratt were snapped by the paparazzi in pics that looked staged, Pratt sent out press releases when he did things like shaving his flesh-colored beard, and the couple even faked a split to grab headlines. Most recently, Heidi released a new EP, Dreams Come True, in her ongoing quest to become a "galaxy star," which is what she considers a modern version of the pop star. Fortunately for us, that's not likely to happen, since her debut album, 2009's Superficial, completely bombed, selling less than 1,000 copies in its first week. Still, you have to give Heidi credit for working her way back into the headlines two years after "The Hills" went off the air.
Is it just me, or should these two couples get together for dinner soon? They'd obviously have a lot to talk about, and hey, the paparazzi might be interested!
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