Idol hopes underlie these 'Confessions'

From left: Jeremy Jackson, Chris Atkins, Jamie Walters, Billy Hufsey, Eric Nies, Adrian Zmed, and David Chokachi of VH1's ''Confessions of a Teen Idol.''

HOLLYWOOD - Watching the premiere episode of VH1's "Confessions of a Teen Idol," it was difficult to know whether to laugh or cry.

The "refreshingly honest" hook of this show, according to VH1 promotion notes, is that fame is an addiction that drives many young stars onto various paths of self-destruction, and this show is going to help a group of them, now adults, find it again.

Of the eight former teen idols showcased on the show, which premiered Sunday, the best known is the host, Scott Baio, who recently recharged his career on VH1 with the reality show "Scott Baio Is 45 . . . and Single."

The other "idols" are the still-dreamy Christopher Atkins ("The Blue Lagoon"), Jamie Walters ("Beverly Hills, 90210"), and Jeremy Jackson ("Baywatch"); but also David Chokachi ("Baywatch"), Bill Hufsey (TV's "Fame"), Eric Nies (the original "The Real World"), and Adrian Zmed ("T.J. Hooker"), who seem more like former teenage stars than teenage idols.

They share the same desire: to get back into that corrosive limelight.

To do this, they are each willing to share digs with six other grown men (Jackson, rather touchingly, points out that this will not be a problem for him as he has served time in jail and been in and out of rehab), undergo group therapy administered by "celebrity psychology expert" Cooper Lawrence and, during the first episode anyway, endure being pranked by Baio and child-star-turned producer Jason Hervey ("The Wonder Years").

In the discussion of the shared desire to resurrect their careers, none used the word "acting" or even "performing." Over and over they repeated their desire for the fame, but none expressed the least interest in the work that would get them there.

Gone is whatever belief remained that talent and skill and dedication are parts of the equation. All you need to succeed in entertainment, according to "Confessions of a Teen Idol," is the desire and the commitment to not act like a complete jerk. As Lawrence tells them with all the earnestness of a self-made expert, she is there to help them get back on top. And she is the help they need. Not a director or playwright or acting coach, but a celebrity expert to help them work through the scars of early fame.

Watching these guys preen, watching Baio and Hervey rationalize humiliating grown men on TV, one might think of the countless hardworking, dedicated actors in this town who have watched their fees slip and their opportunities dry up as reality shows like this one have steadily replaced the comedies and dramas and procedurals that once kept them employed.