by Maggie Larkin

Created on: December 21, 2009

Perez Hilton has changed the face of celebrity gossip as we know it: what used to be rumor mill is now a star-making and star-breaking machine that has hurt many more people than it has helped. His negative approach to almost anyone's actions makes me wonder what he expects from people, and how his approach is affecting the expectations of his readership. 

I'll admit it: I used to be addicted to Perezhilton.com. I checked it multiple times a day for news about my favorite celebrities. That is, until I realized that I could care less about half of the people he wrote about, and I didn't even know who the other half were. When I ventured over to another gossip blog, Dlisted, I discovered all of Perez's stories, published one day earlier. Perez often reports old news that he lifts from many other struggling gossip blogs. That was the last straw. Now, I rarely visit gossip blogs unless something serious happens and I want to know the story, like Brittany Murphy's untimely death. 

In the golden days of Hollywood, it was the stars' job to keep out of trouble, and the studios under which they were contracted deflected as many scandals as possible. For example, Vivien Leigh and Lawrence Olivier were not allowed to live together while Vivien was filming Gone With the Wind, as they were both still married to other people. I'm not saying that was the right thing for a studio to do, now the pressure on young hollywood is to make sure your name is in the news at whatever cost. At the same time, there is a whole new sub-industry in Hollywood: the paparrazzi. Celebrity gossip used to be a secret, with the dirty laundry aired out by columnists like Hedda Hopper and Luella Parsons, now it is in your face: paparazzi follow celebrities everywhere, constantly prodding them and provoking them in to the behavior that will really sell a magazine (see all of the camera-smashing meltdowns as evidence).

While I often am annoyed by famous people who complain about the paparazzi, I can see how it can be terrible. On one hand, they  sought out a career in the public eye, but on the other hand, most of them simply want to act or create music, not be "famous figures". 

At the same time, Perez certainly helps a lot of celebrities, charities, and businesses. By posting a couple of his songs, Perez boosted the very talented singer/songwriter Eric Hutchinson's career in to the national scene. He also is partly responsible for the not-so-talented Lady GaGa's rise to fame. Either way, these were acts who needed a boost, and he gave it to them. Perez also encourages political activity, however superficial it may be. It could be a stretch, but maybe President Obama should be thanking Perez Hilton for his exposure to the youth in media. He has also raised a lot of money for Gay rights charities, among others.

Despite these good deeds, Perez Hilton is now famous for doing very little in the broad spectrum of things. He is a very busy man, but all he does is tear others down on his way to the top. This is not a healthy or admirable lifestyle, and I hope he does not inspire his massive legion of followers.

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