I've got no problem with Tim McGraw, nor his desire to extend his brand through fragrance -- if Paris Hilton and Gene Simmons can do it, why can't he? My problem is with this commercial:
The message I get from that spot is: "If you wanna smell like a roadhouse juke joint filled with sweaty musicians...McGraw." Is this really the best the advertising whiz kids could come up with?
Paris Hilton is pretty much critic-proof at this point, but it can at least be stated that last night’s My New BFF premiere was as gruesome as you thought -- hoped? -- it would be. Fourteen shameless contestants, all caricatures of extras from the 1995 movie Clueless, are desperately vying to become Hilton’s newest accessory. Hilton is accompanied by her own Salacious Crumb -- last season’s Onch -- and challenges her fawning court with competitive strip-offs. Every girl’s father died a little bit inside when brassy Tiniecia told the camera, "What girl doesn't fantasize about working a pole one day in life?"
My opinion of Paris Hilton has followed an up-and-down trajectory, not unlike the recent perambulations of Wall Street. Let's review her major career highlights (by year) and listen to her brand-new single, "My BFF," in the context of the recent financial-sector collapse.
1987 Paris Hilton celebrates her sixth birthday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunges a record 507.99 to 1,738.74, a drop of 22.6 percent that becomes known as the Black Monday crash.
2001 Paris has her first film cameo in Zoolander. The Dow takes another massive hit, falling 684.81 to close at 8,920.70, the largest dollar loss in history.
2003 The unofficial Paris sex video appears online; Fox reality show The Simple Life, starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, debuts. The Dow rises 86.30 to close at 10,008.16, its first close above 10,000 since May 27, 2002
2006 Paris releases her eponymous debut album, Paris, on vanity label Heiress Records. The Dow rises 56.99 to close at 11,727.34, establishing a new all-time closing high.
2007 Paris serves a widely publicized sentence in a Los Angeles County jail facility. The Dow loses 416.02 to close at 12,216.24, a decline of 3.29%
2008 Paris releases her first political ad; her new single, "My BFF," is played on Ryan Seacrest's On Air radio show. Banks around the country fail, a last-ditch effort to win bipartisan support for a $700 billion bailout bill falls through, and the Dow suffers a severe 777 point loss (7.0%), its worst point loss on record.
NEWS ANALYSIS: Due to the totally jank nature of "My BFF" -- and I'll admit, I did not totally loathe Paris' last single, "Stars Are Blind" -- I'm not surprised the market took the hit it did. But PopWatchers, what do you think of the single? Have you watched her new reality show, Paris Hilton's My New BFF? Do you think it's time someone furnished Paris with a parachute? Made of lead?
You'd think the David Letterman-John McCain mini-feud would have blown over after a day, with both sides having better things to do (McCain had an economy to fix, Dave had to interview Paris Hilton), but on Thursday, neither side was shutting up about it. On the candidate's side, his spokesperson Nicolle Wallace went on NBC's Today and claimed the senator had bowed out of the Late Show at the last minute because he "felt this wasn't a night for comedy." Which was not the false excuse McCain had given Letterman. He'd told Dave he needed to fly to Washington right away to help solve the economic crisis, but he actually remained in New York until the next day and had been getting his face made up for an interview with Katie Couric during the Letterman taping he'd skipped, as Dave revealed via live feed. For his part, Letterman continued zinging McCain for weaseling out on him on a way that seemed inconsistent with his straight-talking war hero reputation. (Watch the meat of Letterman's mean but funny diatribe here.) Dave even brought up McCain's snub in passing during his chat with Hilton, who mentioned having been dissed by McCain herself.
Meanwhile, the fallout continued. Reaction was apparently mixed at CBS; Letterman employee Craig Ferguson backed his boss in this Late Late Show monologue, while CBS News staffers were reportedly livid that Letterman had embarrassed McCain (and, by proxy, Couric) by hijacking their feed. More than one pundit has suggested (here and here, for instance) that Dave's continued lampooning of McCain could have a real-world political effect; not that Dave's rants will persuade voters to pull the lever for Obama, but they could make voters see McCain in a less flattering light. A more cynical view suggests that Letterman will keep milking this feud for as long as he can, as he did his one-sided feud with Oprah, culminating in an eventual conciliatory visit from the senator which Letterman and CBS will hype for ratings, after which all will be forgiven, and Dave will go back to making jokes about George W. Bush's stupidity and Bill Clinton's libido (still comedy gold, even all these years later).
What do you think, PW-ers? Will Letterman's continued pounding have an effect on potential McCain voters? Is he just drawing this disagreement out for ratings' sake, or does he have a valid complaint? And if it is valid, has Dave gone from legitimately aggrieved to merely petty and petulant, or is his lampooning of the candidate still funny?
Hey, remember that political ad spoof Paris Hilton did for FunnyorDie.com less than 72 hours ago (watch it below if not)? Kinda great! And yet, perhaps also kinda five or six Internet buzz cycles in the past already. But before we move on to our next shiny distraction, let's take a moment to set the record straight. Some, including myself, have been wondering about how exactly Paris pulled off all that wonky energy-policy talk for the ad. I mean, that kind of jargon regularly trips up John McCain when he tries to talk about it. Was Paris using cue cards? A teleprompter? Honestly, to me it looked like someone might have Photoshopped her mouth moving and dubbed in the words. BUT! The Funny or Die crew have revealed that Paris needed no such technological aid to shoot the ad. She memorized thewhole speech, people. All minute and fifty seconds of it. Shame on any of us who suspected otherwise. Please join me in registering your apologies to Ms. Hilton below. (Furthermore, Funny or Die claims she didn't even ask to be paid for the skit. And people call her materialistic!)
Whether or not you agree with John McCain's "Celebrity" ad lumping Barack Obama in with personalities like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, you have to appreciate the surprising thoughtfulness of Hilton's response. I mean, she actually seems to have a good political idea here! I'm not referring to her energy policy suggestion -- too wonky for me to grasp! -- but her vice presidential pick. Who doesn't love Rihanna?
My colleague Adrienne Day, meanwhile, wonders (tongue firmly in cheek) if Paris as the presumptive celebrity presidential candidate would be such a bad deal. "We already have (or have had) several celebrities in office," Adrienne notes, "even some who've actually starred in real movies, such as Clint Eastwood, Sonny Bono, and Arnold Schwarzenegger (though all in California, go figure). It looks like Paris would have no problems reading the teleprompter. And she's obviously motivated by the love of her country -- why else would she go on record calling McCain a "wrinkly white-haired guy," while her own mother donated $4,600 to McCain's campaign earlier in the year? The craziest thing? McCain's own spokesperson, Tucker Bounds, agrees with Paris!"
Two other bonuses about Paris' new gig: She's actually kinda funny (for a change), and perhaps her newfound political awakening means she'll be spending more time in D.C., and less time playing to the paparazzi. That's a ticket we can all get behind, no?
Our reactions thus far to the still-in-post-production Repo! The Genetic Opera — the sung-through sci-fi/horror musical about organ donation and repossession, starring Paris Hilton, Anthony Stewart Head, Sarah Brightman, and Paul Sorvino — have ranged from bemusement to skepticism. Still, we have to give the film props for its retro-grimy Soviet-style poster art. You've probably seen the poster featuring Hilton popping up around the Web, but here's an exclusive look at the Sorvino one in full. Creepy, no? The film, currently in post-production, seems not to have a firm release date (Lionsgate will likely release it this fall), but you can track its progress on its official website and its MySpace page, where you can also hear some of the songs. I was hoping for a tune called "50 Ways to Lose Your Liver," but alas, no such luck.
Attention all loners, EW.com writer Gretchen Hansen is currently searching for a new "BFF." Just yesterday she announced plans to launch gretchenbff.com (a website where potential candidates can submit qualifications and complete friendship compatibility surveys.) Hansen denies accusations that the concept was stolen directly from Paris Hilton, whose upcoming MTV reality show will feature 20 finalists competing to be named the socialite's ''best friend forever.''
"If there are similarities, it's just a coincidence," says Hansen. "I mean, Paris is turning companionship into some kind of farce. Friendships are supposed to be meaningful and real and that's why I won't do a reality show until after I pick the first-place winner of my friendship."
What is Hansen looking for in a friend?
"Well, that's where Paris and I are different. Paris claims to want someone she can trust; someone who won't stab her back or ditch her when times are rough. I'm just looking for someone attractive to hang with so I can get into more bars. I guess I'm seeking someone good looking, but not as good looking as me. And someone to straighten my hair before we go out. Kind of like a servant, just prettier and friendlier. Yeah."
Would she consider being Hilton's "bestie"?
"Maybe. People these days are looking for love and camaraderie in all the wrong places. At least Paris and I are smart enough to know the best places to start: TV and the Internet."
Have sitcom guest spots become the new career rehab stations for scandal-plagued starlets? This week, we've had news that Paris Hilton is appearing in a fantasy sequence on My Name Is Earl (airing Apr. 3), and that Britney Spears (left) is filming a spot on March 24's How I Met Your Mother (she's playing a dermatologist's assistant who develops a crush on the unsuspecting Ted, played by Josh Radnor, at right). (And we know that Lindsay Lohan has been in talks for a while with the Ugly Betty folks for a guest arc.)
I think these guest spots are a smart move for the performers. No heavy lifting, demonstration of an ability to poke fun at yourself, and just enough work, at regular hours, to prove your professionalism and dependability.
Only downside is the potential resentment by other comeback-seeking stars. According to TV Guide, Alicia Silverstone dropped out of the Spears HIMYM ep because she feared (justifiably, I'd say) that Britney would upstage her. How are scandal-free stars in need of a comeback supposed to reestablish themselves if the scandalous stars are stealing their thunder?
Show of hands: Who's looking forward to watching Britney on HIMYM or Paris on Earl? Who thinks these guest spots are a step in the right direction that will help these starlets get back on solid footing — and who thinks they're too little too late? And what other scandal-repair stunt-casting would you like to see?
What's truly disturbing about this video, shot at an Oscar-night party on Sunday, is not that Gary "I don't give shout-outs" Busey berates an 11-year-old celebrity reporter from an outlet called Starzlife.com... it's the notion of an 11-year-old celebrity reporter. Period. Aren't there child-cruelty laws to prevent kids from laboring under these conditions?
Gracie Stagg defends her career choice in this ABC News interview, saying "I've met Paris and she's not really like that," in response to Busey's remark calling the hotel heiress "a pathological liar."
What's scarier to you — Gary Busey's behavior, or Gracie Stagg as the new face of journalism?
My opinion of Paris Hilton has followed an up-and-down trajectory, not unlike the recent perambulations of Wall Street. Let's review her major career highlights (by year) and 
You'd think 
Our reactions thus far to the still-in-post-production Repo! The Genetic Opera — the sung-through sci-fi/horror musical about organ donation and repossession, starring 
Have sitcom guest spots become the new career rehab stations for scandal-plagued starlets? This week, we've had news that 
