In praise of Paris Hilton
Dec 4, 2006, 11:38 AM | by Gary Susman
Categories: Britney Spears, Music, Paris Hilton
Now, there's a headline I never thought I'd write. But she actually did something that was not only out of character but even praiseworthy, so I'll give her credit where it's due.
La Hilton was supposed to host tonight's live broadcast of the Billboard Music Awards -- actually, she was supposed to cohost it with new BFF Britney Spears, but Britney pulled out last week. Then, on Friday, Paris dropped out as well. The reason? She didn't like the patter scripted for her. "Paris did not want to say anything that could appear hurtful or embarrassing about people she knows," her publicist explained. It's safe to assume that meant she didn't want to tell any insulting jokes about her new panty-challenged pal.
Now, this kind of gesture from Hilton seems unprecedented to me. Not just because there is no awards show too inconsequential for her to grace with a public appearance -- the photo at left was taken last week at something called the Arby's Action Sports Awards in Burbank. Yet here's Paris saying no to a live, sorta-legit awards show on Fox, the network that made her a reality TV star. And why? Out of discretion over another person's public image. Discretion! Who is this alien pod creature, and what has she done with the real Paris Hilton?
I might actually watch the Billboard Music Awards tonight, just out of schadenfreude, just to see how they do without a host (probably fine; the Golden Globes go emcee-less every year without a hitch, and the Grammys have started to do the same), and to see if the show takes revenge on the two gals who left it in the lurch, getting other presenters to make jokes at Paris and Britney's expense. Hey, just because Hilton and Spears are suddenly too discreet to enjoy dish doesn't mean I am.
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