Turn on the television. Open a magazine. Go online. In just about any media source you go to, you are bound to hear something about Paris Hilton. Just who is this girl plastered all over the place? Where did she come from and what does she do?Paris Hilton was born in 1981 to Rick and Kathy Hilton, making her the great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the man who founded Hilton hotels. She was born into a family with an estimated fortune of $300 million. Not too bad, huh? Paris grew up in the famous Waldorf-As-toria, a high-class hotel in New York City, as well as in other homes in Beverly Hills and the Hamptons. Once she graduated high school, she decided college was not for her and made a name for herself by becoming a model. She did an ad campaign for Iceberg, an Italian label. She also landed big national gigs including spreads in GQ, Vanity Fair, and FHM.
Paris has also made a name in film and television. She has guest starred in such movies as “Wonderland,” “The Cat in the Hat” and “The Hillz.” Most notably Paris appeared with Ben Stiller in “Zoolander.”
She also recently starred on the hit show “The Simple Life,” along with Nicole Richie, Lionel Richie’s daughter. The show chronicles the daily activities of the two super-rich girls living on a farm in a small town in Arkansas. The duo take the town by storm and are featured doing things like milking cows, working at a fast food restaurant, and making pies for a contest at the town fair. Needless to say, they do not fit in. The girls are up at the crack of dawn doing their make-up and deciding which outfit looks best only to show up late at their jobs and make a mess out of whatever they touch. It made for great TV, however.
Paris’s popularity rates are now so high that her show “The Simple Life” was viewed by more people than a Diane Sawyer exclusive interview with President Bush. According to Nielsen Media Research, Bush’s interview drew 11 million viewers while “The Simple Life” drew 11.8 million viewers. Bush’s words on Iraq and Saddam Hussein were just not enough to beat Paris baking pies and working on the farm in a mini-skirt.
Hilton has also made TV appearances on the show “Las Vegas,” MTV’s “Video Music Awards,” and has been featured on E!’s “It’s Good To Be…,” a show recapping how the Hilton sisters have gotten their wealth and what they spend it on. She was recently signed on to be the host of the next Miss America pageant.
Despite her movie and TV appearances, Paris is famous just for being Paris. She and her sister Nicky are known to be party girls and the paparazzi follow them anywhere they go. Paris has made headlines by dancing on the top of bars, going topless and wearing designer shirts with crude messages on them. The paparazzi also love to follow her because of her romantic links. Paris has been spotted with such celebrities as Leonardo DiCaprio, Tommy Hilfiger model Jason Shaw, and Sum 41 lead singer Derek Whibley. The release of a sex tape of Paris and her most recent ex-boyfriend, Rick Salomon, has further continued the media frenzy around Ms. Hilton and her wild antics.
We will just have to keep our eye on the media and see what Paris gets into next. Whatever it is, good or bad, you can rest assured it will be all over the place.