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 The Beautiful Life

 

(July 14th, 2009.  Editor)               Sara Paxton, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Mischa Barton, Dusan Dukic, Elle Macpherson, Ashley Madekwe, Jordan Woolley, Corbin Bleu, Nico Tortorella star in the ensemble drama The Beautiful Life, airing Wednesdays this fall on The CW Network.

The life of a high-fashion model appears glamorous and sexy, but as every new model quickly learns, behind the beautiful façade is a world of insecurity and cutthroat competition. Two teenage models who are about to discover this world for themselves are Raina Collins (Paxton), a stunning beauty with a secret past, and Chris Andrews (Hollingsworth), a strikingly handsome Iowa farm boy. When Raina makes an unforgettable impression at a show introducing the new line from designer Zac Posen (appearing in a cameo role), she steals the spotlight from her friend Sonja (Barton). Sonja has been out of the country for mysterious reasons and is now desperate to reclaim her standing as the reigning supermodel. While Raina and Sonja live at the top of the fashion food chain, Chris is starting at the bottom, having just been discovered by agent Simon Lockridge (Dukic) of the Covet Modeling Agency, which is owned by former supermodel Claudia Foster (Macpherson). At his first photo shoot, Chris’ inexperience almost derails his career until Raina comes to his rescue, showing him how to relax and work the camera. That afternoon, Raina brings Chris to the “models’ residence” where she lives along with other young hopefuls, including Marissa Delfina (Madekwe), Egan (Woolley), Issac (Bleu) and the current alpha-male-model known as Kai (Tortorella). At an exclusive industry party that night, Chris is again impressed by Raina’s generosity when she steps aside to make sure Sonja lands a job that will resurrect her career. However, after an ugly scene with Simon, Chris is left to question whether he can survive in this world of dangerous excess and fleeting fame.

This one hour drama is a "Must See" for anyone who is considering a career in the fashion or modeling industry. There are plenty of behind the scenes views of the real work, rather than just the glitz and glamour of the runway. Not all of what we see is a bright, fun-filled experience. Instead, like real life, the industry is filled with people who will do anything to get in, and then stay in, this very heartless and cruel business. Also in the mix are a long list of predators who promise the beautiful life, but deliver something very different.

The pilot episode focuses on two new models, one male, one female, and examines the challenges and exploitation they must either embrace or overcome to get into the business. That focus will have to expand to include many more characters if this effort is to last. The story of the lead characters will be told in episodes two and three, leaving little else to talk about for the rest of the season. There is a strong supporting cast in place for the pilot, but the audience will need a lot more drama from this group in the future.

This new show can easily be added to the CW line-up along side 90210, Gossip Girl and Melrose Place, as all four shows could have been created by the same development team. This is just another ensemble cast of young adults who are trying to start their lives and careers. The difference is always the members of the cast and the writing that is done each week. So far, I would say this drama is as good as the rest. My concern is that there just may be too many of them on The CW Network already.

 

Editor

     

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