Look out Paris, Britney: Perez is watching you
No one represents America's fascination with the rich and famous better than the blogger known as Perez Hilton. His snarky website tracking and teasing celebrities attracts as many as 4 million page views a day. (Not bad for a site he started for his own amusement less than three years ago.) But Mario Lavandeira Jr., the flamboyant founder of PerezHilton.com, isn't popular with everyone: He's facing three multimillion-dollar lawsuits for posting pictures without permission. Tonight, Hilton will be in Boston hosting a party at Mansion. We reached him on his cellphone.
Q You're in New York now and on your way to Boston. You have quite the social calendar.
A It's pretty crazy. But I'm doing the thing in Boston with Lady Sovereign, so it should be fun. I love her.
Q Are you paid to appear at these parties?
A They're using my name and likeness to promote it, so I better be paid. But it depends. Last night, I was at a benefit for the Museum of Sex, and I wasn't paid.
Q What's with the name? Sounds like another name I know.
A I just like it.
Q What does Paris Hilton think?
A We're very friendly. I didn't name my website after her. I just like the concept. I'm satirizing yet celebrating the wackiness of celebrity. I like having a character to play with, and to write in that voice. Perez says things that Mario never would, at least not to their face. [Laughs.]
Q Aside from its popularity, what distinguishes your website from other gossip blogs?
A I post new content daily and sometimes several times a day. And I only put up things that are true.
Q How much actual reporting do you do?
A I do more than any other blog that's run by just one person. I always have exclusive scoops and content. Maybe not every day but several times a week. If I say something, it's true.
Q A recent example?
A I was the first to report that Sheryl Crow was adopting a baby. For three or four days, nobody would touch it, and then she posted it on her website.
Q A lot of gossip sites just link to other sources.
A I'm not a news aggregator. That's part of what I do, but I also put up a lot of music, which most gossip blogs don't do. And I'm out at night. It's important for me to be there to see it firsthand. . . . I'm like a juggler. I have a lot of balls in the air, and sometimes I drop a few, but it's important to keep juggling. If I stop juggling, nobody will have fun.
Q What's your reaction to the lawsuits?
A I'm a polarizing figure. Some people love me and some don't, but I don't think I'm doing anything wrong.
Q You clearly have your favorites among celebrities.
A I treat the website like a soap opera. There are heroes and villains, people I'm rooting for and people I'm rooting against.
Q Angelina Jolie and Amy Winehouse are heroes, I know, but give me a few villains.
A Oh, gosh, there are so many: Kirsten Dunst, Mischa Barton, Jennifer Aniston, Jared Leto, Avril Lavigne, Star Jones. . .
Q Why are they all villains?
A They're people who don't have a sense of humor; they take themselves too seriously; and they aren't talented . . . . Or they just rub me the wrong way. [Laughs.]
Q Who's been particularly nasty to you?
A Most people are pleasant to deal with, but Tara Reid was nasty. We've since reached a truce.
Q She dated Tom Brady briefly.
A Ugh. Really? I've lost all respect for him. I have a big crush on Tom Brady. He's one of the few sports people with his own category on my site. And who's that cute tennis player? Andy Roddick? He has one, too.
Q What do you think of Brady and Gisele Bundchen as a couple?
A I find her extremely boring. The only thing exciting about him is he's pretty to look at, so maybe they're perfect together. Boring people attract boring people.
Q Are you making money with the website?
A I didn't make a dime until well over a year into it. That's what sets my site apart, too. Other gossip blogs started with the intention of making money. I don't care how much I make. I'm not motivated financially, and that's not a BS answer. I'm just happy being my own boss.
Q What color is your hair at the moment?
A Gray. Kind of a Anderson Cooper silver fox. I like to support my fellow grays. [Laughs.]
