Barely Famous Hardly Boring

Sisters Erin and Sara Foster have captured my heart.  I just cannot stop watching VH1’s Barely Famous.

I believe that the Foster girls’ faux-reality show will either be a mega-hit as a much wittier Kardashians or be cancelled in just 1 season. It’s up to the viewers to make sure the funniest blondes in Hollywood history stay on the flat screen.

Their father David Foster really is a successful and reasonably-famous music producer, so Erin and Sara grew up with the glamor of 90’s Hollywood but have yet to reach the same level of fame as their father and their peers, like Erin’s real-life BFF Nicole Ritchie. Step-siblings of Erin and Sara include models Gigi and Bella Hadid and Kardashian step-brothers Brody and Brandon Jenner. Much like Erin and Sara, their family tree is complex and glamorous.

The title Barely Famous is a nod to Kate Hudson’s breakout role in Almost Famous, as the Fosters attempt to break into the top tiers of Hollywood stardom. Hudson appears in the first episode, and a number of fun guest appearances ensue over the next few episodes, with Jessica Alba, Courtney Cox, and James Franco showing up when least expected.

Before I saw the pilot episode, I was already familiar with Erin and Sara as actresses. Sara played the role of Naomi Clark’s (Annalynne McCord) wicked older sister on the CW’s 90210. Erin was a head writer for NBC’s The New Normal and made a few appearances on Nicole Ritchie’s reality show Candidly Nicole.

In this new mockumentary/sitcom/reality show, the girls play their best characters yet: exaggerated versions of themselves.

They poke fun at themselves constantly. One scene portrays their real lack of stable careers as Sara auditions for roles after manipulating actresses trying out for the same part. Similarly, the modest level of fame they have achieved is demonstrated as Sara bribes photographers to be her “paparazzi”, and Erin tries dating “normal” guys and picks up dudes at the Apple Genius Bar.

Together, sitting on their plush white fur chairs in their living room and talking to the cameras, these 2 are hilarious. The script, mostly written by Erin, is sharp and memorable, and little moments stick with you as the sisters point out some of Hollywood’s greatest hypocrisies. At one point, Sara is complaining about the fakers she encounters among the industry’s biggest stars, and Erin begins moving her arm up Sara’s body and starts beeping like a metal detector when she reaches Sara’s chest. Of course, Sara rolls her eyes and Erin smirks, but a minute later they’re sisters again.

It’s a show about family, fame, and making it big (or not) in Hollywood. Fresh and witty, Erin and Sara are on their way to becoming real stars with this soon-to-be hit.