One of the criticisms levied against Los Angeles socialite Paris Hilton is that the heiress hasn't done anything to achieve fame -- infamous sexcapades notwithstanding.
It's only fitting that the creator of a blog that takes its name from the girl who's "famous for being famous" may now be asked to take on a position in a new industry on the basis of his apparent popularity.
In a Feb. 26 article, The New York Times reported that Mario Lavandeira, also known as celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton, may be adding a new title to his resume -- A&R man for Warner Brothers Records.
Although there has been no official statement released by his lawyers or Warner Brothers Records, the article stated Lavandeira is in talks to possibly earn $100,000 in advance and 50 percent of the profits made by any talent he brings onto the label.
This development comes in the wake of reports last year of the massive popularity of Lavandeira's brainchild, PerezHilton.com. The gossip blog garners 2 million page views per day, Entertainment Weekly reported.
According to Technorati.com, PerezHilton.com is the 18th-most visited on the Internet, following a list of blogs that includes liberal American political favorites The Huffington Post and Daily Kos. Just as these blogs have focused on real-time news developments instead of waiting for the next morning's paper, no longer do tabloid junkies have to wait for a new issue of Us Weekly or People to hit the newsstands thanks to blogs like Perez Hilton's. For a fix, readers simply need to log on to one of the countless blogs that document celebrity misadventures.
Curt Chandler, a senior journalism lecturer and professor at Penn State, noted the "immediacy" that comes along with blogs rather than the traditional news source.
"I think a great example is when Heath Ledger died and the way it was covered in the blogs compared to other news sources," Chandler said. "Blogs like TMZ.com are really putting pressure on more traditional news sources. TMZ was giving its readers up-to-the-minute information. You got pieces of the story as it was released."
While Perez Hilton, the individual, has become a figure in the media by appearing on VH1 programs or talk shows, Dlisted.com, damnimcute.com, TMZ.com, defamer.com, and jossip.com are just some of the other celebrity gossip sites that offer daily fixes for those wondering about the trials and tribulations associated with being Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears.
Julia Davidov (sophomore-nursing) is an avid gossip blog reader.
"I read it because I just find it so ridiculous that it's funny," she said.
Ford Risley, Penn State's head of the journalism department, is not surprised that these blogs have gained so much popularity.
"There has always been and always will be a fascination with celebrities. The more problems they have, the more popular they are," Risley said. "Celebrity gossip blogs are just one way celebrities are able to stay in the eye of the public."
Davidov agreed with Risley in the sense that celebrities continue to make their public persona known.
"Every day it seems to get more and more out of hand with what the people do. Like what is going on in Britney Spears' life is not relevant to my life at all, but it is entertaining to read," she said.
While Risley said blogs are "geared toward the people who will read them," he also thinks younger people visit them to do more research on an issue.
"I think younger people like to find out what is happening and then go back and find source materials through Internet blogs," he said.
With the rise in popularity of blogs in the media, Risley said he thinks the way traditional news sources disseminate information will begin to change in the future.
"I think it's is going to form more into a newsblog. I think it will become more of an ongoing conversation with the readers," he said. "Instead of having one big story, it will be two or three about the daily news updates."
