Internet gossip king Perez Hilton doesn't like to be called a blogger. "I like to call myself an entertainer," he proclaims. "The way I try to present my website is as a form of entertainment." The way Hilton, 28, looks at life and work is also a form of entertainment. His schedule alone would exhaust a less enthusiastic pop-culture junkie; in the past few months, he's traveled to Sundance, the Super Bowl, Amsterdam, New York and Miami to do reporting for his site PerezHilton.com.
It all started when Hilton was a freelance journalist for
gay publications. He had a lot of free time and started a website because it
seemed easy. His first, PageSixSixSix.com, was a hit with readers but not with
the New York Post gossip column. Thus Perez Hilton, a fictitious cousin of
Paris, was born. His new site takes full advantage of the immediacy of the
Internet, consistently scooping even the daily publications. "People come back
because I only put stuff up that's true. I like having credibility." Celebrity
isn't exactly everything Hilton imagined. "I wake up every morning at 5:30 a.m.
and do tons of morning radio. I get almost 1,000 e-mails a day. I do it until 7
p.m. and have events at night. I work harder now than ever." And people
certainly notice. A high point for Hilton was being recognized in print by
gossip icon Michael Musto. What does Musto think of Hilton? "Perez is great
because he's fearless, rambunctious, and gayer than Ikea on Super Bowl Sunday.
He's the new me!" High praise indeed.
Mickey Boardman
Perez wears a blazer by Ben Sherman, briefs by 2(x)ist. * Hair products by Redken.
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