'Real' success

You know, sometimes pop culture writers and talking heads don't give people their due. While editing a review of the comedy "Last Kiss" that will appear in tomorrow's Register, I realized something:

All those gossipy, crap-tastic shows like "Inside Edition," "The Insider," "Entertainment Tonight" or anything on the E! channel can't wait to bash reality stars. Hell, even VH1 and Bravo run specials basically mocking the stars of reality, making them seem stupid for thinking they can have a career after "Survivor" or "The Real World."

Don't get me wrong, most of these idiots couldn't add two plus two, and probably couldn't turn on the cameras filming them daily, but there are exceptions.

Success for a reality star is not unprecedented. Let's take the case of Jacinda Barrett, a former model best known in reality circles as the good-looking young lady who let her puppy poop all over the London "Real World" house. Since the crap hit the fan and that season of the MTV show went off the air in 1995, the 34-year-old Jacinda's starred in countless TV shows (including one with Zack Morris!) and big-time films including "The Human Stain," "Ladder 49," the second, awful "Bridget Jones" flick, "Poseidon" and now "Last Kiss."

And you know what? In the things I've seen her in, she's not bad. My guess is the reason she's been able to snag so many roles is that nobody watched the London "Real World." I mean that cast all got along. Who wants to see that? We want fights and hot-tub liasons.

All I can remember from the London season is Jacinda's dog having the runs, the German DJ who was too cool and the English punk rocker getting his tongue bitten off when he tried to kiss some other dude. That's all I've got.

This cast doesn't even turn up in all those MTV "Real World/Road Rules" specials that seem to keep past casts employed well into their 40s. It's like the lost "Real World," the one that never made syndication and MTV has disowned for being too "real."

I don't know. At least Jacinda lives on. She's fetching, you know.