The "Queen of All Media" or Blogger Gone Wrong?
Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton (born Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr. on March 23, 1978 ) has become one of the most successful bloggers in the world of celebrity gossip--his blog, originally titled PageSixSixSix.com but now widely known under the name perezhilton.com, has become many people's primary source for celebrity gossip. But despite his financial success, there is severe controversy and criticism surrounding this blogger--as many would say, it's the price of fame.
His trademark is his blunt absence of political correctness and courtesy. He often doodles white spots--which many people believe are "obviously cum stains"--and shapes on pictures of celebrities and other topics of his blogging, and sometimes even draws captions for photographs. He often creates his own juvenile nicknames for celebrities--infamously, he named child actress and singer Miley Cyrus "Slutty Cyrus" after the many nude photo scandals surrounding the star, and Lindsay Lohan, due to many months of speculation that she is gay or bisexual, has been christened "LezLo". In accordance with his almost astonishing lack of maturity, his blog is completely made up of his opinions about celebrities, and the aforementioned "nicknames" are not the most controversial area on the website, which often includes off-color jokes about actors or musicians. He often openly criticizes celebrities such as Miley Cyrus for their actions, and at one point even had an open Internet feud with British singer Lily Allen for no apparent reason. His unusual dislike for some celebrities such as Jessica Alba or Britney Spears has gained him a large amount of criticism, although the celebrities themselves rarely respond to his accusations or teasing. Many have criticized him for what they call an "immature" approach to the world of celebrity gossip, but the self-appointed "Queen of All Media" appears oblivious.
Another one of his famous activities includes "outing" celebrities--Hilton, a member of the gay community, is open about his desire to "out" celebrities he believes are still "in the closet". Some of his primary targets in this area include Jodie Foster, Anderson Cooper, and Queen Latifah--surprisingly, other targets of his "outing" include Lance Bass and Neil Patrick Harris, who came out as gay long after Hilton began "outing" them on his blog. Other celebrities who are topics of this area of his blog, however, state clearly that they are heterosexual or remain close-lipped about their sexuality. Many groups oppose this activity, including famous gay-rights organization GLAAD. A representative for the group states: "Media speculation about a celebrity's orientation is not something we support. This kind of gossip can lead some people to the decision to come out, as we've seen recently, or it may drive others further into the closet. People are going to become more guarded and secretive and not less, because they don't want to create any opportunities [for anyone to out them]." Hilton, however, has responded by stating: "I know there is some controversy about outing people, but I also believe the only way we're gonna have change is with visibility. And if I have to drag some people screaming out of the closet, then I will. I think that lots of celebrities have an archaic fear that being gay will hurt their career but look at Rosie. Look at Ellen."
Celebrity gossip isn't his limit, however. A little-known fact about the "Gossip Gangster" is that he has what some people would call a "soft side". Starting in January of 2008, he begin blogging about charities and philanthropic causes almost daily, encouraging his readers to donate to or become active in the organizations. Some of the causes he has expressed support for include aid for poverty in third-world countries such as Ethiopia, animal rescue programs, welfare associations, and charitable organizations for active or retired members of the military. In addition, he also occasionally covers political news--he openly supported Senator Hillary Clinton in the early days of the the presidential race, but has since given his support to Senator Barack Obama and his campaign. Global news is also in his reach--he has been active in reporting Micahel Phelps' astounding performance in this year's Olympics, and has also covered the various censorship controversies currently surrounding the Chinese government as the Olympics go on in Beijing.
Many opinions surround this "Laptop Samurai", although if his progress is any indication, there is little doubt that he will continue in his openly declared mission to become the "gay Latino Oprah". So what's your opinion? Is Hilton simply a blogger gone wrong, an immature Internet bully, or a unique leader in today's technological culture? Does he have what it takes to become the next big media giant, or is he simply a fad--here today, gone tomorrow? You decide.
