Just Beachy

Today I got a wonderful TV surprise: I noticed that a couple of "Laguna Beach" episodes would be on in just a few minutes, and I thought it would be good background noise while I got dressed and otherwise made myself presentable to the public. I assumed they would be episodes I had already seen from the second season. But apparently, unbeknownst to me, the new season of "Laguna Beach" started a couple weeks ago. So what did I see when I tuned in? A new cast of characters just waiting to delight me with their ridiculous antics. Hooray!

So far, I'd have to say that the clique war lined up for this season is looking very promising. This time around, it seems that the producers have done an excellent job of pitting a group of totally unsympathetic girls against a gang of likeable kids (even though the central character's naivete does grate on me the tiniest bit). I think it makes the drama much more enjoyable to watch when there are characters the viewer can clearly root for and against. Of course, I like finely shaded complexity in some of my entertainment (e.g. my forever favorite "The West Wing"), but this is "Laguna Beach," for heaven's sake. Bring on the soap operatics!

Here's the only thing I don't understand: why does everyone think Cameron is so hot? Yes, I can see that he obviously works out, but I just don't see the draw. Then again, he is about a decade younger than I am, so maybe that has something to do with it.