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Puttin’ on Paris!
The Big TV Event this week is bound to be Paris Hilton’s post-jail chat with CNN’s Larry King Wednesday night at 8.
If we are to believe the advance hysteria, the world will stop spinning on its axis while the celebutante describes her recent incarceration.
If Mr. King holds true to form, the questions will have nothing to do with why she was driving drunk in the first place or chose to drive with a suspended license while she was on probation. Nor is he likely to ask why she was in a medical facility instead of the general jail population or why she and her family have been toying with the media over this Big Interview.
Although they all vehemently deny it, major media organizations such as ABC and NBC reportedly offered the Hilton family anywhere from $100,000 to $1 million for this hallowed sit-down. ABC’s Barbara Walters had been courting the family for weeks, taking collect calls from Princess Paris from behind bars and cooing about how sick and sad the poor thing was over all this.
Pleased to be free from criticism, CBS News did not participate in the negotiations.
Apparently surprised by the negative reaction for their high-dollar dealings for exclusive rights to an interview, the Hilton family (who aren’t exactly strapped for cash) ceased wheeling and dealing and awarded the post-jail chat to CNN, which has a firm corporate policy against ever paying anyone for an interview.
According to the New York Post, Walters is furious at the Hilton family.
“Look, I’ve done prison interviews before, but people like the Menendez brothers were really important news stories — this wasn’t,” Walters sniffed, indicating that she didn’t really want what she didn’t get.
Like a bloody accident, Paris’ chat with Larry will be hard to ignore … but I really wish we could.
Austin anchor in DC
Last weekend, on a brief trip to Washington, D.C., I flipped on the local news and bumped into former KXAN anchor Leslie Cook!
Partnered with Robert Hadlock a few years ago, Cook is now a reporter/weekend anchor for ABC station WJLA and NewsChannel 8, the District’s local cable news channel.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: News coverage
Comments
By Fred
June 27, 2007 10:09 PM | Link to this
Yep, Leslie looks good in DC. She moved of course due to her husband getting a high level job with FEMA I believe. I watched her climb the ladder here and am waiting for Tonya Kerr to do the same. It's hard to change market and take a reporter job after having a higher spot. Now if you're a news junkie like me and spend long holidays with the relatives in DC you'll also see ex-Austinites Jeff Napshin and Sharon Gibala on the news over there.
By Kat
June 27, 2007 5:30 PM | Link to this
This whole Paris Hilton - Jail adventure is such a joke! Let's focus on more important things in life...
By kelso
June 27, 2007 9:29 AM | Link to this
I have to say I was a bit disgusted when I saw that the Statesman had posted a poll about something as silly as P. Hilton's eye color on their homepage. Actually, more than a bit disgusted.
By James
June 26, 2007 9:50 PM | Link to this
Actually I'm with you Carol, I'd feel better about time spent doing that than investing any interest (which I too don't have) in Ms. Hilton. Actually, I wish I could get back the 5 minutes I just wasted reading this blog...
By Carol
June 26, 2007 11:29 AM | Link to this
I am probably one of a very few, but I have no interest in anything Paris Hilton has to say. I have better things to do, such as scrubbing the grout in my bathroom.