AdamSmith Posted June 28, 2007 Posted June 28, 2007 No doubt we've had enough Paris Hilton already. But a droll piece in today's NY Times manages to have its cake and eat it too. Paris Hilton Says She Is a Changed Woman Paris Hilton read aloud her prison writings as if she had spent a lifetime on Robben Island, and that was surely the highlight of the heiress/actress’s first television interview since her release from jail. Ms. Hilton’s hour-long conversation with CNN’s Larry King on Wednesday night was as preposterous, stilted and scripted as anyone could have expected. (“I have a new outlook on life,†she said solemnly. “Don’t serve the time; let the time serve you.â€) That said, Ms. Hilton didn’t come off so badly. She does not excel in long interviews, to say the least, but nobody expected her to be witty or insightful. If Ms. Hilton may be in denial, she is hardly the first disgraced public figure to seek instant exoneration — the former C.I.A. director George Tenet was similarly self-serving in his memoir, “At The Center of the Storm,†and he arguably has to atone for greater mistakes. There is a bizarre counter-effect to the Paris Hilton phenomenon: a little like the children’s taunt, “I’m rubber, you’re glue,†the sheer absurdity of her fame ensures that anyone who denigrates it looks even more foolish. It was laughable when Barbara Walters of ABC told the New York Post columnist Cindy Adams that she didn’t regret not doing the Paris Hilton interview because, as she put it, “The whole thing somehow was beneath me.†It was delicious to watch Anderson Cooper sneer at the young celebutante’s frivolity, then piggyback his show to Mr. King’s and devote an entire hour to Ms. Hilton’s jailhouse conversion. And all week, media analysts, law professors and image consultants scuffled like paparazzi for the chance to go on television and deconstruct Ms. Hilton’s latest escapade. NBC and ABC, which had competed ferociously for the first post-prison interview, backed off under the heat of news stories suggesting that the Hilton family had sought as much as $1 million for an exclusive. The interview then fell to Mr. King, who was ideally suited to the task — attentive but not all that interested. He did manage to trap Ms. Hilton with her own words. After she said she read the Bible in her cell every day, he asked her to name her favorite passage. Ms. Hilton hesitated, looked down at her notes as if hoping to find an answer, then conceded that she didn’t have a favorite. Mr. King also cleared up the mystery of the medical crisis that led the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to release her after only a few days, only to be overruled by the judge. Ms. Hilton informed Mr. King that she suffered from claustrophobia, and also, that she hates to be alone. Mr. King did look surprised when the star of the reality show, “The Simple Life,†denied, with a straight face, ever abusing alcohol or taking drugs or living a hedonistic lifestyle. “I just like to go out and have fun with my friends, “ she said. “ I’m an Aquarius. We’re social people.†Ms. Hilton wasn’t particularly penitent about her traffic infractions, claiming she was not aware that her license was suspended either time she was stopped by police. She did, however, vow never again to drink and drive. She also said she has tired of her party-girl image, and promised to raise money and awareness for worthy causes. But perhaps the biggest turn-about came when Ms. Hilton, famous for an X-rated sex tape that is still circulating on the Internet, said the prison strip search was “the most humiliating experience of her life.†“Is it as gross as we might think it is?†Mr. King asked, looking more alert than usual. “I never had to do that, you know,†she explained. “Doing that in front of someone you don’t even know. It’s pretty embarrassing.†Ms. Hilton told Mr. King that after 22 days in a solitary cell, she is a changed woman. Maybe she is. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/arts/tel...amp;oref=slogin Quote
Guest StuCotts Posted June 28, 2007 Posted June 28, 2007 No doubt we've had enough Paris Hilton already. BINGO!! Quote
TotallyOz Posted June 28, 2007 Posted June 28, 2007 No doubt we've had enough Paris Hilton already. I have had enough of her. But, I have not had enough of Paris. I love that city. It is also often expensive and nasty. Much like her. Quote
