So what's it like to be young, maybe talented and in pursuit of fame and fortune in Hollywood?
The Disney Channel's compelling "Hollywood Lives" gives us a peek at the struggle behind big ambitions for 12 aspiring stars between the ages of 15 and 23.It's fascinating stuff - the sort of TV verite that hooks you and pulls you in. The 10-part series debuts tonight at 8:30 on the Disney Channel.
The comparisons to MTV's "The Real World" are obvious. But this is a twist, as each young person is followed separately as they try to make it.
And these are not all success stories. Sure, there's 15-year-old singing sensation Brandy, whose single goes to the top of the charts while she being filmed by director/cine-matographer Mark Israel. But there's also 17-year-old actor Brian Gross, whose early efforts amount to nothing.
"These kids have more passion for what they do and gave up . . . portions of their childhood to go after a dream that some of them achieved while we were shooting, some of them have achieved since and some of them, hopefully, will achieve in the future," Israel said.
Perhaps the most compelling story in the first three episodes is that of Gross. The teenager from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, leaves behind his parents and six brothers and sisters to pursue his dream.
"It's sort of the perfect family," Israel said. ". . . And I wanted to scream at him, `Don't come! You're just leaving an unbelievable situation!' But, of course, I couldn't."
But even the filmmaker was overcome when Brian said a tearful farewell to his family at the airport.
". . . You become so emotionally attached to the kids and their experiences that at the airport I had to set the camera down, go into the bathroom and compose myself to finish the shoot," he said.
"Hollywood Lives" was just Gross' third audition - and gave him the impression that the acting business might not be all that difficult.
"I was, like, `Wow! I'm good at this!' I thought I knew what I was doing," he said. ". . . And then I went and started auditioning I found out it wasn't as easy as it started out," he said. "And right now I'm still working at it, and hopefully it will come to me. I'm just going to be patient."
Israel said he tried not to come into any of his stories with any preconceived notions. That the stories just developed a life of their own. That was the case with 17-year-old Danielle Harris, who had worked steadily as a model and actress from the time she was 5 - but who hit a six-month dry spell just as "Hollywood Lives" showed up to film her.
"In Danielle's case, the story became the relationship between Danielle and her mother," he said. "And the pressures put on Danielle, based on the fact that she'd been supporting the family for quite a long time."
Harris' mother is shown fighting with her daughter about Danielle's desire to move out on her own when she turned 18 - leaving mom to ask, "What will I do?"
(Getting a job apparently never occurs to her.)
Still, Israel insists that he didn't make anyone out to be a villain in "Hollywood Lives."
"I found that it was actually a very tender relationship and very supportive," he said of the Harris story.
Hers was not the only stage mother, however. Tamara Ruth, a 15-year-old model, tends to act like a spoiled brat - while her mother seems to be considerably more ambitious than she is.
The other subjects of "Hollywood Lives" include Bianca Lawson, 15, who stars in "Saved by the Bell"; Poppi Monroe, 20, a successful model; Devin Oatway, 17, an aspiring actor; and the four 18-year-old members of a rock band.
And then there's Jamie Kennedy, a 23-year-old standup comedian whose act has yet to be perfected.
"He bombed terribly one night," Israel said. "I mean, big explosion. And we followed him into a bathroom where he basically let out his soul about what it was like to be onstage and the insecurities of being onstage. And what it feels like to bomb and fail, but at the same time stay committed to it."
What emerges from "Hollywood Lives" is sort of a cautionary tale - big dreams drenched in reality, for the most part. But the success encountered by some of the 12 may be incentive for all those aspiring stars who haven't yet made their way to Hollywood.
And, not surprisingly, the dozen hopefuls all looked at "Hollywood Lives" as a means to their end.
"They were all paid a flat fee, a very minimal fee. Less than 50 cents an hour by the time they were done," Israel said. "And they did this for the same reason that we wanted to do it. They wanted the publicity and they wanted the exposure, and they knew it would eventually help their careers."
SHE'S OUTTA HERE: Libby Weaver, the suddenly former anchorwoman of the Fox News at Nine, left the station somewhat sooner than originally planned.
Weaver is headed for Hollywood, where she'll be the weekend anchor and a reporter for the syndicated "Extra" entertainment news magazine.
(Oddly enough, she'll be the second former local news personality to anchor "Extra" - former KTVX-Ch. 4 weatherman Dave Nemeth is the weekday co-anchor.)
She starts there in September, and was scheduled to work at Ch. 13 through the end of this week.
But on Wednesday, a screaming and shouting match involving Weaver broke out in the KSTU newsroom - reportedly having something to do with her pay checks - and the suddenly former anchorwoman was told her services were no long required or desired. Brad Giffen anchored Wednesday's newscast alone.
Weaver won't be back on Ch. 13.
SEE IT FIRST: Doug Wright, who's trying to be the new movie critic on KSL-Ch. 5, violated one of the cardinal rules of criticism last week.
After talking about "Wat- erworld" for several moments, Wright told viewers that, while he had not yet seen the film, "friends" had told him it was a "three-star movie."
(At least he didn't call it "a wow!")
If you want to have any critical credibility at all, you should actually see what you're reviewing before you review it.