Sunday, September 03, 2006

Paris Hilton at the VMAs 2006
Graffiti artist Banksy has reportedly replaced 500 of Paris Hilton’s CDs with his own take on the heiress’s debut album.

His spokesperson told BBC News that Banksy has replaced the CDs with his own remixes entitled ‘Why am I Famous?’, ‘What Have I Done?’ and ‘What Am I For?’

He also altered the pictures of her on the album cover to show her topless and with a dog’s head - but left the CDs barcodes intacted so that people could buy the CD without realising.

The spokesperson confirmed that Banksy had travelled around the UK with his CDs, visiting chain and independent records stores in Bristol, Brighton, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow and London.

A spokesperson for HMV said seven doctored CDs had been recovered from their Brighton branch but no one, either there or elsewhere, had complained.

A Virgin spokesperson said staff were on the look out for the CDs at their stores then added “I have to take my hat off - it’s a very good stunt.”

Posted at Â» 11:42 PM

Pink Shoots Again at Jessica Simpson & Paris Hilton

Pink grabbed a moonman at the MTV Video Music Awards this week for her fabulous 'Stupid Girls.' On stage the star looked a bit uncomfortable.

Pink Shoots Again at Jessica Simpson & Paris Hilton

And why not - some of the 'stupid girls' she lampoons in the song and especially in the video were staring right at her.

But Pink was gracious until she hit backstage and then she took what sounds like another shot at Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton.

***

According to the NY Post, the pop singer thought her presenters and their well publicized break up with two of the stars she has dubbed as 'stupid girls' was a bit ironic.

Nick Lachey of course has split with wife and co-star Jessica Simpson and Nicole Riche has split with pal and co-star Paris Hilton. The irony was not lost on Pink.

***

Page Six reports in a Saturday item:

After winning the best pop-video honors for "Stupid Girls," Pink chirped, "Nick Lachey and Nicole Richie giving me the award was ironic. I can appreciate the irony."

The newly married rocker also revealed the saucy title of her next single - "U + Ur Hand." She quipped, "You can imagine what I'm talking about."

***

It certainly does seem quite obvious, although the fireworks may have been a bit juicier had she said this on stage at the very BORING awards show.

Paris would likely challenge Pink's assertion as during an interview that she gave to the UK Times in July, Hilton dismissed that she and Jess were 'blonde airheads.'

"I play dumb like Jessica Simpson plays dumb. But we know exactly what we're doing. We're smart blondes."

Posted at Â» 8:00 AM Saturday, September 02, 2006

Linux may rock this year because this time paris hilton announced their release of tinkerbell linux, which was posted on her myspace blog. Paris hilton announced the release on her MySpace blog after her famous chihuahua , Tinkerbell.
“First,” she writes, “I think The Open Source Movement is, like, really hot. I’ve been dabbling with coding for ages, but it’s taken me some time to find the courage to release it. As you know, I’m a shy and modest person, and wasn’t sure if it was good enough for the strict standards of the coding community.”
So far, reviewers of the distribution have been positive. Avis Blackshire from Teen People writes that “this software is no dog! Like its creator it has a flashy and highly polished feel to it while remaining easily accessible - both front-end and back-end.”

Many Linux users said they appreciate the exposure a star like Paris Hilton can give to the Linux movement, and added that they can “appreciate someone who can compile without panties on.”

To Marlon Hatton, a glamour anthropologist, Paris Hilton’s move is no surprise at all: “I don’t think anyone fully understands what pressure today’s stars are under. They’re expected to be well-rounded, multitalented, and nearly superhuman. Today, it’s no longer enough - like Ms. Hilton - to be a talented actress, singer, designer and lover. So she’s moving on, trying to widen her brand. And what would be more obvious than to show us her geek side - boldly going where no star has gone before. Oh, except, um - what’s he called? That kid who was on Star Trek? I’m glad Paris has found the courage to do this.”
Critics of the distribution claim that applications they built using Nicole Ritchie’s GUI toolkit for KDE aren’t compatible.

Tinkerbell Linux is based on Slutware Linux and will be distributed on Paris Hilton’s next music CD entitled “Crontab for Love.” Until then the distribution can be downloaded from http://www.parishilton.com/tinkerbell/.

Posted at Â» 5:59 PM Thursday, August 31, 2006

Paris Parties at Pure with Former Boyfriend

Paris Hilton celebrated Paris Hilton Day in Las Vegas, Nevada by partying the night away at Pure nightclub with former boyfriend Chad Muska.

On Tuesday (29AUG06) the mayor of the city made the official declaration and presented the aspiring singer with a key to Sin City.

After proclaiming that Las Vegas was her “favorite place in the world to come to party”, Hilton then carried on with the former pro skateboarder.

The two dirty danced the night away, grinding, groping and even kissing for the cameras.

Hilton has obviously forgiven Muska for making a rude comment about her sister Nicky earlier this month (AUG06).

While Muska was acting as a guest DJ at Hollywood hotspot Hyde he made an inappropriate comment, which caused Nicky’s boyfriend, Entourage star Kevin Connolly, to punch him in the face.

The group seemed to have kissed and made up with Nicky being seen partying along with the couple.

Posted at Â» 7:43 PM Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Paris Hilton’s managers are becoming increasingly concerned the socialite has reunited with her pal Brandon Davis, with speculation swirling that the oil heir has even moved in with her.

Davis, who recently came out of rehab for cocaine and alcohol addictions, was slammed for launching a verbal tirade against Lindsay Lohan during a night out with Hilton in May (06).

But although Hilton’s aides have been keen to keep the pair apart since the incident, it appears their actions are having the opposite effect.

A source close to Hilton says, “Paris’s management has been very direct with her about distancing herself from him.”

But Hollywood publication Life & Style Weekly reports, “All his clothes, his toiletries and even some of the artwork he owns are at her place. They’re hooking up. But she doesn’t want anyone to know about it.”

Posted at Â» 9:17 PM

£350K TO TAKE PARIS TO CHURCH

CHARLOTTE Church has revealed she wanted Paris Hilton on her new TV show.

But she ditched the hotels group heiress (above) after she demanded £350,000 to appear.

The Charlotte Church Show starts on Channel 4 on Friday and will feature a mix of celebrity chat, sketches and music.

The Crazy Chick singer, originally wanted to sign up Simple Life star Hilton so she could make fun of someone without feeling guilty.

But Charlotte couldn't believe the outrageous demand and immediately cancelled the booking.

Speaking yesterday on Chris Moyles's Radio 1 Breakfast Show Charlotte said: "We asked Paris Hilton to be on the programme, because I could take the mick out of her and not feel at all bad about it. She's such a complete airhead.

"But she demanded a ridiculous amount of money - like the price of a big house. She actually wanted £350,000 just to say a couple of stupid things.

"She's hardly going to announce anything world-changing is she? It's absolutely pathetic isn't it? Not a chance."

But Charlotte is prepared to bury the hatchet with Girls Aloud.

She has been engaged in a war of words with the band's Cheryl Tweedy ever since the Geordie accused her of copying their style and stuffing her face with crisps.

But now the Welsh songbird says she would love to get the hit band on her show.

Posted at Â» 4:43 AM

Paris Not Exactly A Pop Sensation

Hiltons082906

Looks like despite inital buzz over her first single, "Stars Go Blind," Paris Hilton's first CD is pretty much being viewed as a failure. According to the New York Post:

In its first week out of the gate, Hilton's first CD is being widely seen as a certified flop. "Paris," which features the single "Stars Are Blind," sold a lackluster 75,000 copies in the United States - a pittance compared to Christina Aguilera's first-week sales of 320,000, according to Soundscan. And projected sales for next week are said to be a measly 30,000, which is a larger than normal second week drop. "Paris" is languishing at the bottom of Billboard's Hot 100 - so Hilton's label rushed out her second single, "Turn It Up," which isn't doing very well either. "The international outlook is not much better for her," one industry source told Page Six. "The international people are not inclined to do a big push since she can't back up the album with a tour. Obviously, she can't sing live."

My favorite part is when they say that "obviously, she can't sing live."

Partying hard? Lotsa $$$.
Landing a record deal based on your famous-for-being-famous status? Even more $$$.
Being born with some actual talent? PRICELESS.

Sorry you can't charge it to your Visa Mastercard, sweetie.

More photos of Paris and Nicky Hilton are after the jump.

Posted at Â» 4:36 AM

Hilton's singing career in peril

New York, Aug 30 - Socialite heiress Paris Hilton's singing career looks bleak after the flop of her debut CD.

According to pagesix.com, the CD titled 'Paris' has managed to sell just 75,000 copies in its first week. And projected sales are said to be only 30,000 copies.

An industry source said: 'The international outlook is not much better for her, the international people are not inclined to do a big push since she can't back up the album with a tour. Obviously, she can't sing live.'

The source added that Hilton was asked to get her voice trained, work with choreographers and learn an instrument to prepare for tour.

However, her representative said: 'To me, the album sounds huge. For a newcomer, this is incredibly impressive.'

Posted at Â» 4:34 AM Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Did Paris Hilton turn down the Pussycat Dolls’ hit? No!

The Pussycat Dolls went from burlesque performers to chart-toppers by scoring the huge hit “Don’t Cha,” but if gossip is to be believed, it could have been Paris Hilton singing that song. According to a report in British newspaper The People, Paris turned down “Don’t Cha” for her debut album and the Dolls subsequently recorded it. “I think I did hear the song, but not in the format that we all came to know and love,” the hotel heiress reportedly said. “If I’d heard that, of course, I’d have jumped at the chance.” But when asked about the quotes, a rep for Paris is singing quite another tune. “The report is wrong,” a rep for the singer tells In Touch. “Paris never heard ‘Don’t Cha’ before it was out.”

Posted at Â» 6:06 AM

Paris Hilton in Space?

Hotel heiress Paris Hilton is set to blast into space on Richard Branson’s Virgin Enterprise rocket. The blonde socialite has reportedly paid GBP108,000 ($195,000) for a place on the space shuttle - even though it hasn’t been built yet. But Hilton may find the lack of luxury onboard a little trying as all passengers are required to wear diapers because there are no bathroom facilities on the shuttle. A source says, “She was a fan of the Star Wars films and the idea of blasting into space thrills her, but I don’t think she’s done the research - the reality may not be her idea of fun.”

Posted at Â» 6:05 AM

Hilton angry at Gervais over 'Extras' snub

Paris Hilton's newest feud is with Ricky Gervais over the British comic's decision to turn down the heiress' offer for her to appear on his series, Extras.

The New York Post reported Hilton, who is no stranger to Hollywood feuds, had nothing positive to say about the Extras creator this week after Gervais said no thanks to her request to appear on the HBO comedy's upcoming second season.

I guess he's obviously scared of starring alongside an A-lister, the 25-year-old actress/singer said this weekend.

Since debuting last year on HBO, Extras featured appearances from actors such as Ben Stiller, Kate Winslet and Samuel L. Jackson, all of whom played themselves on the movie industry series.

The paper said Gervais, who was the creative force behind TV's The Office, had no comment regarding the incident.

Posted at Â» 5:46 AM Monday, August 28, 2006

Paris Hilton Unhappy with 'Sex' Confession

Paris Hilton may be the fastest gal to run away fro an Allman sex confession since Cher. Cher’s and Greg Allman's son, Elijah Blue Allman, reportedly claimed the two had sex - and that then he worried that he caught something from her.

Paris Hilton Unhappy with 'Sex' Confession (Image: x17)

This all unfolded on 'The Howard Stern' show and the dog toting socialite is none too pleased.

***

Allman, went on the Howard Stern show last week and boasted that he had a fling with Hilton before she was famous. Allman, who is the lead singer and guitarist for the band Deadsy, said that after the encounter, he became so worried that he might have contracted a disease that he went downstairs and scrubbed his private parts with a household cleaner, probably Tilex.

Hilton is “not happy” about Allman’s comments, says a source, even though he described Hilton as a “sweet girl.”

***

Not hard to see Paris's side on this one - with a paraphrase of 'gee I had sex with that sweet girl and I certainly hope I didn't get an STD from her.'

It's not quite a Wilmer Valderrama Hollywood conquests list of Lindsay Lohan, Ashlee Simpson and Jennifer Love Hewitt but apparently the rocker wasn't finished.

He also claimed he had sex years ago with Hilton’s reality show co-star and former best friend, Nicole Richie, and says they’re now friends.

Posted at Â» 6:55 AM

Paris Hilton Interview from Japanese TV

Posted at Â» 4:09 AM

Paris Hilton Biography

Paris Hilton was born on February 17th, 1981, to Rick and Kathy Hilton, making her the great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton hotels and source of the family fortune — estimated at $300 million. Her grandfather, Conrad “Nicky” Hilton, Jr., also brought some notoriety to the family, as he was the first of Elizabeth Taylor’s many ex-husbands. Paris’ younger sister, Nicky (born in 1983), shares the throne as co-heiress of the Hilton empire.

Paris the model

Growing up in Manhattan’s ritzy Waldorf-Astoria, the family’s New York home, as well as other Hilton digs in Beverly Hills and the Hamptons, Paris didn’t seem to yearn for much. Even after graduating from high school, college didn’t appeal to her. So, around the year 2000, Paris decided to branch out and become famous.

She began to make a name for herself as a model, soon appearing in shows for designers such as Marc Bouwer and Catherine Malandrino, and she later completed an ad campaign for Iceberg, an Italian label. In addition, Paris has posed for spreads in national magazines such as GQ, Vanity Fair and FHM, and has also been profiled, along with her sister, in People magazine.

Paris in the tabloids

At the same time, Paris became the center of attention because of her relationships — real or imagined by the paparazzi — with some of Hollywood’s hottest young stars. In early 2000, Paris was spotted around town with Leonardo DiCaprio. However, the press, especially the National Enquirer, blew their casual friendship far out of proportion. Nevertheless, she apparently dated Terminator 2’s Edward Furlong for a few months, and was later seen out and about with boxer Oscar de la Hoya. Paris has also been linked with actor and Tommy Hilfiger model, Jason Shaw, Sum 41 lead singer Derek Whibley, and Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys.

Paris, along with her younger sister Nicky, also became notorious as socialites, gracing party after party and getting bad press for their antics. For example, Paris has grabbed headlines by shoving ahead of others in a washroom line, then, when upbraided for her rudeness, quipped that she only wanted to look at herself in the mirror. She has also danced on top of bar banquettes, gone topless for attention, and paraded around in designer T-shirts with slogans like, “Got Blow?” Yet Paris maintains that the bad press “sucks” and that “people are mean.”

Paris stars in the simple life

Perhaps in an effort to clean up her image, Paris has tried to make her mark by working on more substantial projects. In 2001, she had a cameo appearance in Ben Stiller’s fashion spoof, Zoolander. Other appearances include a role as a strung-out supermodel in the film short QIK2JDG, The Hillz (co-starring boyfriend Jason Shaw), Wonderland, and the big-screen adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic, The Cat in the Hat. She also starred in the FOX reality show, The Simple Life, based on Green Acres, and featured Paris Hilton living on a farm. The show was such a success that there will likely be a sequel.

On top of her burgeoning acting career, Paris has designed a high-end collection of purses for Tokyo label Samantha Thavasa, along with her sister Nicky. Paris has also given back; she has done charity work for Toys for Tots. Unfortunately, her attempts to start a modeling company and a makeup line seem to have fizzled.

Paris on video

Paris has also grabbed headlines thanks to a makeout session with notorious lesbian, Ingrid Casares, and a sex tape starring Paris and ex Rick Solomon that was released on the Net, and of course, spread like wildfire.

Paris Hilton also appears in 2004’s Raising Helen, starring Kate Hudson.

Posted at Â» 2:19 AM

Paris Hilton arrived in Mexico to promote her perfume, book and film projects, saying she also wants to shop and visit the pyramids.

"I love Mexico," Hilton, star of the TV reality series "The Simple Life," told reporters in Mexico City Tuesday. "The people are so nice."

Hilton, who visited the Caribbean resort of Cancun last week, said her namesake fragrance "smells like flowers."

The 24-year-old hotel heiress has a role in "House of Wax," a remake of the 1953 Vincent Price horror movie. The new film, starring Elisha Cuthbert and Chad Michael Murray, is scheduled for release in the United States on May 6.

Her book, "Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose," was published last year.

Hilton was expected to participate in a 1960s-themed fashion show along with other celebrities during her visit.

Posted at Â» 12:49 AM

Despite the protestations of TV critics, Fox's The Simple Life 3: Interns has followed its predecessor editions to become one of the biggest unscripted TV hits of the year. But would it be as successful without both Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie? The answer appears to be coming this fall.

In an interview with USA Today, Paris Hilton confirmed the longstanding rumor that Nicole Richie would not be part of the fourth edition of The Simple Life, which will film on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Instead, said Paris, the new co-star would be Paris' pal Kimberly Stewart, the daughter of rocker Rod Stewart and his ex-wife Alana.
In her comments to USA Today at Wednesday night's "Young Hot Hollywood Style Awards," Paris made it clear whom she thinks is the straw that stirs The Simple Life. Said Paris, "It's my show; I've had it three seasons, and I just want to freshen it up — make it newer and funner." "Funner"?

Even though a spokesperson for Paris said in January that splitting up Paris and Nicole "would be like Lucy and Ethel splitting up," Paris confirmed her desire to change the show in a separate interview with E! that night. "You know, I've had three great seasons [on the Simple Life]," said Paris, who was accompanied to the awards by Kimberly Stewart. "I love the show." She then went on to say that she wanted to "bring new things in. It’s going to be a big surprise. And everyone is going to be very excited and happy about it."

One set of people who are unlikely to be "very excited and happy" about Paris' public statements are Fox and the show's producers, Bunim-Murray Productions. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the two entities issued a statement yesterday to address the controversy without either confirming or denying Paris' scoop (which, in Hollywood-speak, would generally be seen as a basic confirmation). The statement read: "We are currently discussing internally the creative direction of the next season of The Simple Life. We are huge fans of both Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie and look forward to solidifying our plans for the next installment of this fantastic franchise in the very near future." April 13, 2005: Paris with Kimberly Stewart during the Young Hot Hollywood Style Awards in Hollywood.
BMP and Fox are reported have contract options with both Paris and Nicole for five seasons of the show, and they could legally force Paris to do Simple Life 4 without meeting her demands. However, Paris delayed filming of Simple Life 3 by pleading an overloaded schedule (however, rumors at the time were that she and Nicole had had a falling out, and she wanted Nicole gone), and she probably could delay Simple Life 4 even more if she failed to get her way.

A report on the syndicated show The Insider, for which Kimberly Stewart previously worked as a correspondent, said that producers would attempt to mollify Nicole Richie by giving her a new reality show of her own, a Newlyweds-styled effort focused on her upcoming wedding to Adam Goldstein, known professionally as DJ AM. Whether any network would be interested in such a show is not known.
April 13, 2005: Paris with Kimberly Stewart during the Young Hot Hollywood Style Awards in Hollywood.
Nicole and her publicist declined comment on her status on The Simple Life 4. But Paris hinted that Nicole might want out of the show because of her upcoming marriage: "She's engaged and she's working like a dog." Funny, it seems more true that she's being treated like a dog.

Paris also wanted to gush about her friendship with Kimberly, who bears a definite resemblance to her father Rod. "We've known each other since we were in our moms' tummies ... we've been doing fashion shows for charity since we were three-years-old. We've always been getting dressed up together our whole lives." Sounds a lot like what Paris used to say about Nicole, with the exception of the prenatal communications.

When asked by E! who the bigger troublemaker of the two is, Kimberly laughed and pointed at Paris. Replied Paris, "When you're with your friend you've known your whole life, you totally trust them. We just act like sisters ... we have fun."

If the co-star shift happens, The Simple Life 4 would not represent Kimberly's first bid to achieve the media profile of her co-star. Last fall, she discussed recording an album that would include her dad's 1970s hit "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Kimberly also made reality TV news when she received new breast implants and "donated" her used ones to The Osbournes son Jack.

Kimberly would also join her mom, Alana Hamilton Stewart, as a veteran of reality TV. Alana appears in Farrah Fawcett's new show Chasing Farrah, and she was one of the stars of (and primary villains on) the ABC Survivor clone I'm A Celebrity -- Get Me Out Of Here!.

Kimberly's dad was once rumored to be doing his own reality show for a fee of 25 million pounds from MTV -- a rumor which proved to be false because of Rod Stewart's belief that "private life is private." Evidently his ex-wife and his daughter disagree.

Posted at Â» 12:43 AM

'That's Hot!' Says Hilton of The Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger and Thickburger.

Carl's Jr.®, widely known for pushing television advertising to the edge, will introduce yet another example on May 19, with the launch of a much-anticipated ad starring Paris Hilton. Behind-the-scenes footage from the filming of the ad for The Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger(TM) will premiere on "Entertainment Tonight" on Tuesday, May 17.

In the 30-second spot, Hilton is shown eating The Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger while washing a Bentley in her swimsuit. Adweek magazine has labeled the ad "too hot for TV," but the star herself simply characterized it as "hot."

"Paris was chosen to star in the ad because she is an intriguing cultural icon and the 'it girl' of the moment. She fascinates Carl's Jr.'s most loyal customers, 'young, hungry guys,' as well as 'young, hungry gals,'" said Brad Haley, Carl's Jr. executive vice president of marketing. "The ad plays more like a music video than a typical television commercial. And the message is very simple: Paris, the situation, and the Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger are 'hot.'"

Posted at Â» 12:40 AM Sunday, August 27, 2006

India's Central Board of Film Certification has banned from TV the video made by U.S. socialite Paris Hilton for her song Stars Are Blind.

An official at EMI Virgin India Ltd., told People magazine the board said the clip too many sexual connotations.

In fact, we had edited the video and sent a fresh copy, but they weren't happy with that, said Narendra Kusnur, the label's manager of international Artists and Repertoire.

The label has decided to circumvent the ban by streaming Hilton's video on a promotional Web site in partnership with a shampoo company.

To the best of our knowledge, there are no rules yet regarding censorship on the 'Net so we plan to use the online platform to generate buzz, said EMI Virgin Marketing Manager Kaveri Khullar.

Posted at Â» 8:40 PM

Is Paris Hilton a voicemail hacker? Calling card services provider, SpoofCard.com, issued a press release Tuesday that said they had terminated the heiress as a customer because she and more than 50 others subscribers allegedly obtained unauthorized access into other customers' voicemail.

Actress Lindsay Lohan, with whom Hilton reportedly is feuding, was one of the people whose voicemail was broken into. SpoofCard, which sells calling cards that give callers the ability to change what someone sees on their caller ID, found out about the voicemail hacking when they reviewed customer call records.

"My client has informed me that they are absolutely certain Paris Hilton is involved based on the records that they have," SpoofCard's attorney Mark Del Bianco told The ShowBuzz. "They have records of all the calls that are made through their service."

Del Bianco wouldn't comment on whether Hilton hacked into Lohan's voicemail, but he did say that SpoofCard plans to cooperate with any law enforcement investigation into the incident and added that the company has beefed up security.

"We have taken steps to block access for people using our service to get into Miss Lohan's voicemail," he said. "We simply don't want our service used to do this."

"The matter is being dealt with by the lawyers," Lohan's rep, Leslie Sloane Zelnick, said in a statement to The ShowBuzz on Wednesday.

Hilton's rep, Elliot Mintz, is defending his client. "She's not being accused of hacking into Lindsay's device. As far as I'm concerned, that's the most important thing I'd like to get out there before this turns into some unpleasant feud, you know, the usual stuff," he told The ShowBuzz Wednesday.

"In the past, there's been some discord between the two of them; the two of them have had their moments, they've had their issues," Mintz added. "So we don't want people to think that, then see this press release (about this story) and conclude that that's something that Paris would do, which of course, I don't believe she would."

Mintz says he has talked with Hilton, who is currently in Japan promoting her new album, about the allegation. "Because of the time difference, I haven't really had any time to discuss it with her in any detail. When she comes back, I'll get a much clearer response to what's being said about her," he said.

Back in July, Paris was embroiled in a similar messaging scandal. Lohan's publicist told the New York Post that someone stole the password to Lohan's BlackBerry and then sent "disgusting and very mean messages that everyone thought were coming from Lindsay."

"Some people think Paris may have been involved because the wording of the messages sounds very familiar," Zelnick told the Post in July.

At the time, Mintz called the accusations "silly, untrue, and unfortunate." Zelnick later said that Paris wasn't the person who sent the messages.

So why do these stories about Paris keep popping up? "Beats me," says Mintz. "I tend to think that much of this stuff originates with other people. I'm guessing but I don't think that Lindsay sits around dreaming up ways of sending out press releases that are negative about Paris. And I certainly know that Paris has never instructed me to say anything of a negative nature about Lindsay ... if you trace the history of these things it's usually a friend or enemy of one that's trying to create problems."

Posted at Â» 8:34 PM

Reality TV turns nobodies into stars. Spoof Internet music videos garner millions of viewers. Television executives and program makers faced up to an uncomfortable truth Saturday at the Edinburgh International Television Festival: In the age of interactive television and user-generated online content, just about anyone can be a star.

The phenomenon is especially pronounced in Britain, where the fiercely competitive tabloid press requires a constant supply of celebrities — A-list, B-list, C-list and below.

"We don't really care how they became famous," said Boyd Hilton, television editor of Heat, the country's top celebrity magazine.

The rise of the instant star and the increasingly ephemeral nature of celebrity pose a challenge to television's traditional measures of talent. So it's no surprise that one of the most popular sessions at the Edinburgh festival was a panel discussion — titled "Don't You Know Who I am?" — that examined the changing nature of celebrity.

Hundreds of producers and programmers from around the world, from Danish TV to Disney to the BBC, packed an auditorium to hear from panelists including Rebecca Loos — a "celebrity" famous for her alleged affair with soccer star David Beckham — and "Lottery Lout" Michael Carroll, a multimillion-dollar winner with big tattoos and an extensive criminal record.

The fame of Loos and Carroll clearly irked some "traditional" celebrities, who resented the success of people with no discernible talent.

"I think I got known to the public for having a talent," said actress and singer Michelle Gayle, another panelist. "The things 'celebrities' are doing are not the things I want to do."

Gayle said she despaired "when you're speaking to kids and their ambition is to be a footballer's wife."

Loos — who garnered headlines, and a small fortune, when she sold the story of her alleged romance with the married Beckham — was unrepentant.

"My view is: You take from it what you can," said Loos, who has appeared on several reality-TV shows and says she is now developing her own TV projects.

"It has given me opportunities, certain doors that are interesting ... You have to take the good and the bad," she said.

Psychologist Marisa Peer said there had been a fundamental change in the nature of celebrity.

"The public used to like iconic celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor that they could never be like ... People now like celebrities who are like them," she said.

Panelist Jeremy Beadle, a once-ubiquitous British game show host now rarely sighted on TV, had a warning for aspiring celebs: fame is fleeting.

"I don't think the people who chase fame understand what it really is, because they will be crucified," he said. This program should be called 'Don't You Know Who I Was?'"

An even greater challenge to TV and its notions of celebrity may come from technology. Video-sharing sites like YouTube and Google Video mean that homemade clips can be seen by millions, creating instant — and usually short-lived — global phenomena.

"In this type of world, everyone is a celebrity," Marissa Mayer, Google Inc.'s vice president of search products and user experience, told delegates during another session Saturday.

"You can thank us for it or not, but it does cause things like a David Hasselhoff video to be the biggest video in the world."

Posted at Â» 8:09 PM

Paris Hilton is no stranger to self-promotion. But when she asked DJs to play songs from her upcoming debut album, 'Paris,' last spring, she wasn't so confident.

'People go crazy,' the 25-year-old socialite/reality TV star/singer says in an interview in the September issue of Blender magazine, on newsstands Tuesday. 'They love it. Everyone's like, `Who is this?' I don't tell. Because I don't want someone putting their phone up and recording it and making a ring tone off of it.

'I think when people don't know it's me, they won't judge it. But if they know it's me, then they'll be like, `Ugh.' They won't even dance.'

'Paris' the album was set for release Tuesday. Hilton's breathy, reggae-infused single, 'Stars Are Blind,' has climbed to the top of Billboard's dance music chart.

Of her album, she says, 'I, like, cry, when I listen to it, it's so good.'

Hilton says the baby voice she uses on the reality TV show 'The Simple Life' is an act.

'I'm always playing a character,' she says. 'I don't talk like this really _ like a baby. I don't act like myself in public, because I don't really want to show everyone the real me. Because I have no privacy whatsoever, the only thing I have is who I really am.'

Posted at Â» 7:58 PM

Profile
Paris Hilton was born on February 17th, 1981, to Rick and Kathy Hilton, making her the great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton hotels and source of the family fortune -- estimated at $300 million. Her grandfather, Conrad "Nicky" Hilton, Jr., also brought some notoriety to the family, as he was the first of Elizabeth Taylor's many ex-husbands. Paris' younger sister, Nicky (born in 1983), shares the throne as co-heiress of the Hilton empire.