Media frenzy heats up as Hilton preps for jail
By Damara Popoola
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 6/2/07 – The countdown’s nearly up as on Tuesday, tabloid princess Paris Hilton will finally head to the Century Regional Detention Facility to serve her 23 day sentence for driving without a valid license in violation of her probation.
For the past weeks the quasi-celeb’s public persona has alternated between apologetic contrition and feckless nonchalance. One moment Hilton’s seen looking dour in a sweat suit and the next she’s partying with friends at the latest trendy watering hole. However, the reality of her predicament may be hitting her as last week she was photographed on various occasions carrying copies of the Bible and “The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment.”
Whatever happens, it’s likely the “Simple Life” star will only be more famous after she emerges from prison. Just as the blonde bombshell was able to spin her sex tape scandal into celebrity, she’s sure to maximize the exposure from her jail time into more publicity. Daily News columnists George Rush & Joanna Malloy have even reported that Hilton plans to keep a jailhouse diary to be published after her release.
And to make sure she’s looking pretty for the cameras when she enters the county jail, the hotel heiress supposedly has an at-home day of beauty planned for Monday. “It’s understood that the glamorous inmate-to-be plans to turn the perp walk into a catwalk and she wants the media to see her looking her best,” Rush & Malloy wrote. Beautiful or not, come Tuesday the celebutante will trade the trappings of elite affluence for a standard issue orange jumpsuit and a bare 10 x 8 prison cell.
“It’s pins and needles,” said celebrity photographer Karl Larsen. “She could possibly go today and everyone is going to be fighting for position. She’s not coming in shackles from the court house, so she can come in any way. Your muscles are frozen so you can get that shot.”
Since Friday paparazzi have already began to stake out prime real estate in front of the county jail in hopes that they will be able to get the money shot of Hilton as she enters the facility. As intense as the publicity circus has become, Francois Navarre, co-owner of the X17 paparazzi agency, said the quality of the photos captured will depend mostly on the heiress and whether she plays to the cameras. “For once, I think she’s going to be discreet as possible,” Navarre said. “It’s too humiliating.”
