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06/27/2007: "The Bubblehead Talks!"
OK, I admit it - I watched the Paris Hilton interview on Larry King Tonight. Heck, how could you not? So far, we don't even know if she can talk - all she's ever had to do is stand and pose! But the answer is, yes - she can talk, and she even had some (relatively) interesting things to say.
By now, everyone in the free world knows the story of Paris Hilton and her jail time. It's been covered from every angle possible except the one that matters - Paris herself. NBC was rumored to have offered $1 million for the exclusive first interview, but instead she came to Larry King. It's always interesting to watch the uncomfortable way a news channel squirms when they become the news themselves, and tonight was no different. There was the news coverage of Paris arriving outside the CNN studios in Los Angeles - the walk past the paparazzi and fans, the hug from a gracious King who escorted her into the studio. Even after the interview was complete, she was still the news - we had to watch Andy Cooper discuss why the Larry King interview was important - if in fact it was.
Paris comes from the Hotel Hiltons, and she's never had much use for an education - a fact that showed in her interview. I'm told she got a GED rather than complete high school, and she comes across as much younger than her twenty-six years. Combine that with the basic lack of life challenges she's had to face, and you can see how a stint in county lockup could be terrifying. She talked about the troubles she had in the beginning - the claustrophobia, the panic attack, etc - but also how she adapted to the strange environment. She read from her journals - they sounded rather junior high - and talked somewhat about working with folks with cerebral palsy or people released from jail trying to readapt to society.
It's a shame that with nearly a month to prepare for this interview, she didn't do a better job of selling the new Paris. She talked in generalities about how God has a plan and she must use the experience to better herself, but this kind of forum would have been a great place to announce a solid plan to follow some of the paths she claims to have found. Instead, though, it was all generalizations. Even Larry King - the master of the followup - had trouble forming a second questions after some of her pat, short answers.
After the interview, Anderson Cooper led a panel discussion about what it all means. Perhaps the funniest part of his show was the obvious affection everyone on the panel had for Paris - everyone, that is, but Anderson, who simply doesn't get it. He showed his frustration over her failure to take advantage of her priviledged upbringing, which I would interesting considering his own pedigree - he's the son of Gloria Vanderbilt.
It wasn't earth shattering TV, but it was interesting - chewing gum for the mind. It should be interesting to see how she's reviewed by those who watched.
UPDATE: Little Miss Paris is getting a valuable lesson today in the power of TV - and of fact checkers. When Larry asked her if she'd never used drugs, Paris confidantly answered, "No, never." Apparently she forgot about all those "ParisExposed.com" videos - you remember, the ones that came from the storage space auction? In them, she's shown bragging about smoking pot as she lights the pipe. Oops. Also, she must not have prepared very well for the interview. She's kept talking about how God helped her through the experience, yet when Larry asked her favorite Bible passage all she could do was stammer something about not having a favorite. I guess she doesn't watch sports and see all the "John 3:16" signs ...
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
