Reality show and real life collide

Hollywood is learning that reality bites.

Residents of a quiet neighborhood between Sunset and Hollywood boulevards are in an uproar over the ongoing filming of a popular television reality show that they say has turned their lives upside down.

"The Hills" producers and city officials allege that the neighborhood unrest is overblown -- and has been fanned in part by a resident of the street who produces a competing TV reality show.

The real-life drama has at times eclipsed the plot line of the highly rated "The Hills," which features young women who are struggling with their careers -- and their love lives -- amid the glitz of Hollywood. One incident involved an alleged knife fight between paparazzi on a homeowner's lawn. Another ended when police were called to break up a confrontation between residents and city officials.

The controversy over "The Hills" production comes amid debate over the practices of paparazzi and what some suggest is disruptive filming throughout Los Angeles.

The Orange Grove Avenue dispute is unique in that many of those who live on the tree-shaded street are themselves a part of Hollywood's entertainment industry.

Residents describe their neighborhood as a kind of Mayberry tucked between the Sunset Strip and Hollywood's tourist area.

Until now, they say, the street has been known more for its potluck block parties than for its celebrities.

That changed when 22-year-old Lauren Conrad purchased her three-bedroom, Mediterranean-style house in the 1600 block of Orange Grove on Feb. 1. The weekend that Conrad and friends Audrina Patridge and Lauren Bosworth moved in, a 15-person MTV production crew was there to film them.

It didn't take long for the home's address to land in the hands of paparazzi and of fans of the weekly show.

Sightseeing vans and tour buses soon were regularly detouring through the neighborhood and stopping so tourists could snap pictures and peer over Conrad's fence in hopes of a glimpse of the young women.

Residents say Conrad and Bosworth have been courteous and cordial but complain that gawkers blocking their driveways and littering their lawns and the continuous filming has become a nuisance.

"Most of the people in this neighborhood work in the industry. We're happy with responsible filming," said Mary DeConcini, who has lived on the street for 10 years.