[Chapter 873: Reality Shows]
Paris Hilton always lived a life of privilege, and now, hearing Gwyneth Paltrow bossing her around like a servant instinctively made her resistant. However, she didn't dare to refuse. She had put a lot of effort into getting into this supposedly elite circle of Hollywood best friends, and being very close with Drew, Gwyneth undoubtedly stood as the queen of this small group.
Though Paris nodded obediently, she didn't yield to Gwyneth's authority. Instead, she turned and ordered her little follower, "Kim, spread out everyone's yoga mats." After saying this, Paris quickly flashed an appealing smile at Gwyneth, adding, "Just let Kim do it."
Gwyneth noticed that Paris wasn't listening to her and firmly decided to oust this ungrateful little girl. Ignoring her, she leaned closer to Eric, ready to continue their conversation. Eric, who watched the interaction between the queen bee and her follower with amusement, asked the girl spreading out the yoga mats, "What's your name?"
After Eric asked this, Gwyneth, Paris, and a few other girls who had just come out of the dressing room all turned their attention to the girl kneeling on the wooden floor spreading the yoga mats.
Aside from Paris, the other girls, including Gwyneth, had no idea what the girl's name was. They didn't even care much about Paris, despite her being from the famous Hilton family. After all, Hollywood belonged to them, the 'natives.' To break into this circle, just having money wouldn't do; they would mock anyone who thought wealth alone was enough to gain entry as a clueless nouveau riche.
Looking at the girl now, who was just Paris's sidekick, she appeared a bit inexperienced, shorter than average, and not even a purebred white girl. The only thing notable about her was her chest.
Why would Eric be interested in such a girl?
The girl had never considered she would become the center of attention today. She didn't even expect Eric Williams to notice her. During their brief interaction, she merely dared to sneak a few glances at this incredibly young Hollywood mogul. It wasn't until all the girls' eyes turned toward her that she realized Eric had been talking to her. She quickly straightened up, her voice stuttering, and responded, "Y-yes, Mr. Williams, I'm Kim Kardashian."
Eric scanned Kim Kardashian, who still had a fairly normal figure at that time, and smiled enigmatically before nodding and saying, "Interesting."
Other girls continued to emerge from the dressing room. Drew who had changed into a pink long-sleeve yoga outfit whispered to Kate Hudson as she walked out, and upon hearing Eric's comment, she noticed Kim Kardashian still kneeling on the floor and walked over with a grin, asking, "Eric, what's interesting?"
Eric shook his head, replying, "Nothing much."
Drew tilted her head in confusion. One of the girls beside her took the opportunity to sneak a wink at Kim Kardashian while she smiled back but chose to ignore it, turning instead to the group of girls, saying, "Alright, let's get ready. We're only practicing for an hour today."
The girls instantly sprang into action, grabbing their yoga mats to spread them out on the floor.
Drew sat next to Eric and observed Kim Kardashian, who obediently resumed her task of helping set up the yoga mats, glancing over with some reluctance. She smiled and remarked, "Eric, are you interested in her?"
Eric chuckled, pulling the girl closer to him. "Yeah, I find her quite interesting."
Seeing that Eric had no intention of elaborating, she didn't press him. "I talked with everyone, and we thought we'd go to Kate's house for a barbecue at noon, then to another Kate's place for a party tonight. Her house is right next to Coldwater Canyon, and since Goldie is filming out of town, we have the whole place to ourselves! We could party all night long! Sound good?"
"Sure, I'm down for whatever you plan," Eric nodded, thinking the first Kate must have referred to Gwyneth. However, after glancing at the group of girls swarming the practice room and the new arrivals, there were easily seventeen or eighteen of them. He paused and asked them, "It won't just be them, right?"
"It was supposed to be a girls' weekend," she answered. "But if you want, we can invite our boyfriends too."
"Eh, let's not do that," Eric responded after considering it. Although his body was young, he definitely had nothing in common with a bunch of teenage boys. But being surrounded by girls was nice enough, even if they had no conversation.
The girl smiled and, seeing that everyone had set up their mats, noticed the yoga instructor named Victoria Price entering the practice room again. She leaned in and gave Eric a quick kiss on the cheek, saying, "Let's start practicing! Just one hour, it'll go by fast."
Eric patted the girl's waist. "Go ahead, I'll just read a magazine for a bit."
...
The hour of yoga proceeded quickly, and after leaving the yoga studio, the girls drove five cars to pick up barbecue supplies for lunch before heading to Gwyneth Paltrow's mansion, which was also in Beverly Hills. Fortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Paltrow were home, but after greeting Eric, they were promptly urged by Gwyneth to leave.
The barbecue began at eleven in the morning and stretched until one in the afternoon. Afterward, the girls made their way to Rodeo Drive to shop, but since Eric was present, Drew didn't take the larger group for a shopping spree. Instead, they targeted a few specialty stores and then headed straight to Kate Hudson's house. Even so, they still spent three hours, leaving Eric marveling at the shopping prowess of girls.
In a mansion halfway up Coldwater Canyon, the view wasn't as expansive as Drew's estate in Trousdale, but this mansion was somewhat larger. It was a European-style two-story villa, complete with a large swimming pool in the yard.
Eric didn't bother checking out the girls as they unpacked their shopping finds. Instead, he lounged by the poolside, soaking up the warm afternoon sun and listening to the muffled chatter of the girls.
Drew soon emerged from the villa, leaned over next to him, handed him a glass of juice, and waved her hand beside Eric's head to create a little breeze. "Eric, aren't you bored?"
"Not at all; it's quite interesting."
"Oh, really?" The girl sensed that Eric wasn't just being polite and felt a little skeptical. She regretted pulling Eric out today.
Eric sipped his juice through a straw, set the glass aside, and nodded. "Of course, it feels like I'm watching a reality show. Quite entertaining."
Drew blinked. "A reality show?"
"Yeah," Eric nodded, then suddenly shifted his body. "I just realized, this would make a really good idea."
Even after spending a whole day with a group of girls averaging just over twenty, Eric didn't find it boring. Observing these girls 'adventuring' around the much-coveted Beverly Hills and listening to their chattering about fashion, movies, and Hollywood gossip made him feel like he was getting an up-close view of a real-life Hollywood girl reality show. Remembering Kim Kardashian, who he had met that morning, he instantly thought -- why not make this a reality show?
Drew also caught on. "Eric, you're not suggesting we turn our experience today into a reality show, are you?"
Just then, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson, along with other girls, approached. Gwyneth curiously asked, "What reality show?"
Eric propped himself up, looked around at the girls surrounding him, and smiled. "I'm saying, let's make a reality show out of your lives. Would anyone want to participate?"
The core girls around Gwyneth didn't react. With their families' connections in Hollywood, they all had promising futures ahead. Even if they never became superstars, they'd never have to resort to participating in a reality show to boost their name.
However, among the group, it was clear not everyone had opportunities like Gwyneth and her friends. A few girls on the periphery immediately perked up and nodded enthusiastically. "That sounds awesome, Eric! What should we do?"
"Well, I haven't thought that far yet," he replied.
One girl asked, "Is it going to be like Project Runway?"
Eric shook his head. "No, Project Runway and Survivor are competitive reality shows. What we want is a lifestyle reality show."
Reality shows had only recently started to pop up, mostly as competitive types, and the format hadn't yet diversified as it would in the new century. So, immediately, another girl inquired, "What's a lifestyle reality show?"
A different girl chimed in, "Duh, it's obviously a reality show about life, right?"
This girl clearly didn't understand much herself, prompting laughter from the group.
Eric explained, "Unlike competitive reality shows, a lifestyle reality show involves capturing your lives over a period and then editing it for broadcast on television."
Gwyneth said, "Eric, if we do that, won't we have zero privacy?"
Eric shrugged and grinned. "To get famous, privacy is definitely going to be sacrificed, so if you're serious about participating, you'll need to think carefully."
The surrounding area fell silent for a moment. Gwyneth and her core group initially showed some interest but had now decided against it, as they weren't keen on revealing their private lives to the public. Nevertheless, even though a large portion of the girls appeared hesitant, many were clearly eager.
Drew laid next to Eric, realizing this type of reality show would fit perfectly with E! Entertainment. The network focused on fashion and entertainment, aimed at those intrigued by Hollywood gossip. Turning the much-envied Hollywood lifestyle into a reality show would certainly capture the attention of viewers.
However, noticing the mixed reactions among her friends, she didn't rush to comment, since the prospect of acquiring E! Entertainment was still in the early stages of contact, and it was better not to reveal such news prematurely.
"Alright, Eric, today is about entertainment time, so let's not talk about this for now. Guess what we just found?"
Eric looked around, puzzled. "What?"
Kate Hudson, who was on the other side of Eric, checked her watch. "They should be delivering it soon."
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Kate sprang up and headed to the door, returning a moment later with a photo book in hand.
The girl had just sat up, and now she stood and moved closer, taking the book from Kate's hands and exclaiming, "Let me see! Wow, this is really hot! Hehe."
The girls immediately crowded around, chattering enthusiastically.
"Wow, is this Kate's mom?"
"So cool!"
"That hairstyle is nice; maybe I can get one too; I've wanted short hair forever."
"Are those tattoos?"
"..."
A lively chorus of discussions filled the room. Eric casually listened, probably able to guess the book's content -- it should be Goldie Hawn's body art photo collection. He hadn't expected the girl to actually manage to find it after he'd casually mentioned it.
As he thought, the girl already brought the book over to Eric, showing him, "Eric, is this it?"
Eric took it and flipped through a few pages, nodding. The photos featuring Goldie Hawn looked about twenty-something; in comparison to Kate Hudson, who could only be considered average-looking, Goldie had appeared far more attractive in her youth, with a bit of a cheeky vibe.
Kate Hudson leaned in and curiously asked, "Eric, why are you looking for my mom's photo collection?"
"Nothing; just came to mind," Eric briefly explained, handing the book back to her. He certainly didn't have a hobby of collecting photo books of other people's mothers while surrounded by a group of girls -- that would be too creepy.
However, before Kate could reach for it, the girl snatched it from her hands, grinning and addressing the crowd, "Alright everyone, I just thought of tonight's party theme! What do you think?"
"Drew, are you saying we should..."
"Of course," the girl quickly affirmed.
The group of girls immediately turned to Eric, with Gwyneth Paltrow saying, "So, what about Eric?"
Eric waved his hands immediately, "No, don't count me in. If you all want to have fun, I can be the photographer, take some pictures as keepsakes. That's what I'm good at!"
But the girls began to hoot. "No way, Eric! We're going to do body art; how can you not join us?"
"Yeah, if you aren't participating, then we won't join!"
"At the very least, you can't wear what you have on now; a shirt and pants don't look like party attire at all."
"Wonder if Eric has abs," one girl teased, her hand reaching over with mischief.
The girl giggled seeing her friends egging each other on, then said, "Alright, let's get some paint. Actually, not only can Eric be a photographer, but he's also really good at painting. If you all want any body art, he can do it for you!"
*****
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