The Movable Buffet

Dispatches from Las Vegas
by Richard Abowitz

Category: Paris Hilton

Was Paris Hilton visibly 'wasted' at Prive?

August 31, 2009 | 11:21 am

An interesting tweet sent by "Peepshow" star Shoshana Bean talked about running into a woman who seemed to Bean to be embarrassingly wasted at Planet Hollywood on Saturday night. The woman, according to Bean's tweet, turned out to be Paris Hilton. Hilton, of course, is the sister of one of DJ AM's former girlfriends and an expert at partying like a rock star. Hilton was at Planet Hollywood's Prive that night, according to Robin Leach's blog, making an appearance at the nightclub. Bean wrote: "@ Prive exiting bathroom, blonde girl surrounded by people, can barely stand We step aside she comes in. Paris Wasted." Leach refers to the tweet on his blog but does not cover the full content.

I contacted "Peepshow's" PR rep to talk to Bean. At first the rep had "no comment" but offered to look into the situation. Five minutes later, the "no comment" had hardened into a decision that by only doing PR for "Peepshow," Bean's Twitter account falls outside that scope. I find that answer slightly disingenuous. But taking it at face value, I am trying to reach Bean directly.

I know what you are thinking: Why would this thing be a big deal, true or not? Paris Hilton being allegedly wasted is an old story, especially in Vegas.

But this could be a very sensitive issue, not to Hilton but to Prive, a club for which Planet Hollywood recently paid a $500,000 fine for failing to sufficiently monitor the nightclub's behaviors, including serving visibly intoxicated patrons. Until recently, the club was closed after losing its liquor license. Two weekends ago, it reopened, working under a temporary liquor license that will soon be reviewed. A decision to serve someone visibly intoxicated, no matter if it was Paris Hilton or a regular tourist, could have disastrous consequences for the club's future and for landlord Planet Hollywood, which is on the hook to pay an even bigger fine if the club repeats its earlier alleged infractions.

Update: I heard back from a representative of Bean: "Shoshana does not wish to be interviewed regarding the tweet about Paris Hilton."

Photo: Paris Hilton. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

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Paris Hilton: a woman of wealth and taste

June 19, 2009 | 9:52 am

Who would guess that Paris Hilton knew a thing about being classy? She seems to think she does. And poor Hilton seems to be under the delusion that Las Vegas strives to be classy as well. Everyone who comes to Las Vegas for the classy experience, please raise your hand!

Then again, it is also possible that Paris Hilton is a brilliant satirist, this fully on display by offering this sentence to reporters while promoting the Dubai version of Hilton's television show:

“I respect the culture in Dubai — it’s much classier than Las Vegas."

Ah, to run through all the classy things Paris Hilton has done in Las Vegas over the years would wear my fingers out. There was the night I watched her walk into a wall at a nightclub. Oh, there is also the infamous night at another nightclub where she used a pot to .... Oh, there I go.

Anyway, part of Hilton's satirical genius in this quote, perhaps inadvertent, comes from the fact that these days Dubai actually owns a large chunk of Vegas, having bought stakes in Cirque, a nightclub and restaurant company (Light Group). Its biggest commitment of all is partnering with MGM-Mirage for the massive CityCenter development of hotels, condominiums, stores and casinos on the Strip.

If you are interested in some of the classy things Dubai does when not buying chunks of Vegas and wowing Paris Hilton, check out Amnesty International's site. One of Hilton's claims to fame, for example, would be eligible for capital punishment from the classy rulers (What? You thought this place had elected leaders?) of Dubai.

But this is really the key: Vegas has never striven to be classy. That is why the companies here don't think twice about doing business with places like Dubai or places overseen by the government of China. Las Vegas can create the illusion of class in a restaurant or within a hotel room for sure; class can definitely be rented or purchased here. But that is only an illusion. Las Vegas isn't at all about class; this city is about conspicuous and unnecessary consumption. That classless and class-free dedication to embarrassing and shameless excess is exactly why Paris Hilton has always been popular in Las Vegas. She totally lacks class, and Vegas embraces her for that. Doesn't she know? Hasn't anyone told her?

Photo: Paris Hilton in Vegas in September 2007. Credit: Sarah Gerke

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Paris Hilton hosts belated 'official' birthday party

March 3, 2009 | 10:18 am

One sign of the poor economy is how little we have been seeing of Paris Hilton in Vegas compared to years past. You might think she quit the party scene to head to medical school or something. But no. Vegas has just seen less of her, probably because no one wants to pay her appearance fees like in years past.

Back in the day, Hilton could not age without spending her birthday weekend partying here. This year, the Hard Rock has scored her for her only "official" birthday party on March 6. This date should not be confused with any unofficial date in the past, such as Feb. 17, her birthday.

According to one site, this will be Paris' third birthday party she has hosted to -- paraphrasing Whitman -- celebrate herself. Anyway, always interesting is how press releases describe the critically and commercially unacclaimed singer, star of box office flops and symbol of excess in a time of recession.

For this party, the press release offers the modest claim of Hilton as "world-renowned beauty." Beauty is a quality that's notoriously subjective, so we'll let you decide.

Photo: Sarah Gerke

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Paris Hilton sells shoes at the mall

July 28, 2008 | 7:22 pm

Tomorrow at 3 in the afternoon I am going to go watch Paris Hilton sell shoes at the mall. I have covered Paris Hilton a lot in Vegas including off-the- top-of-my-head interviews at five red carpets at casinos (Palms, Hard Rock, Caesars, Palms, Luxor). Then there are the many, many nightclub events I have interviewed her at. And, I am leaving out her multiple press-friendly visits to Beacher's Madhouse. I haven't written a Paris Hilton story in a while, because around New Year's Eve, I sort of ran out of things to say about Paris Hilton the party professional.

In fact, everyone including me has written about Hilton in nightclubs so often the topic has become dull. Paris Hilton was at a nightclub in Vegas and the sun rose. Neither event needs a story.

I once wrote about Paris Hilton in a movie theater, watching her badly reviewed movie. But even that was at the Palms, and still the nightclub crowd packing the movie theater consisted literally of employees from Pure and LAX, under bosses' orders to enjoy the movie.

But watching her hawk shoes in a mall feels new and exciting. It almost seems like Paris has a job.

Hilton will be signing photos for the first 300 people who buy a pair of her new line of shoes at Macy's at Fashion Show Mall. Unlike the thousands spent to be near her in a VIP section at a nightclub, I am told the shoes could cost as little as $50 a pair for the bottom end, and with that you even meet Paris Hilton to get your photo. Could this be a sign of the recession that even Paris Hilton is working at a mall?

I do not know if this is from the Paris Hilton line, but for some reason Buffet photographer Sarah Gerke, probably bored of taking bland red-carpet photos of Hilton, one day took this photo of her feet. (photo by Sarah Gerke)

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Paris Hilton: cloud of nothing?

February 26, 2008 | 11:37 am

It is shocking to hear common sense enter the world of Vegas nightlife, particularly these days. But Andrew Sasson surprised me. He doesn't even revere Paris Hilton, and isn't afraid to say so; and this man owns nightclubs in Vegas?

You see, while I had Sasson, founder and owner of Light Group, on the phone about his new partnership with Dubai, I had to ask him about the IRS investigation into his big competitor Pure Management Group. Unsurprisingly, he offered "No comment," though, I must add, he delivered his "No comment" with a schadenfreude-filled giggle. That is my interpretation of the giggle, anyway.

And who could blame him? The competition between Pure and Light (for customers, for venues, for employees, for talent) in Las Vegas has been intense and sometimes vicious.

I had heard how Pure Management Group's use of paid celebrity hosts, in particular, infuriated Sasson.

And so I asked Sasson about his thoughts on paying celebrities to hang out at his clubs in Vegas, and the intensity of his answer speaks for itself.

I should note that while Pure Management Group is not mentioned by Sasson even once in his answer, Paris Hilton has become a regular hostess at all of PMG's clubs (Pure and LAX), including on New Year's Eve:

Richard Abowitz: What do you think of compensation for celebrity hosts?

Andrew Sasson: We don't really do it. When I started a long time ago -- I don't know if it was right or wrong, 20/20 hindsight -- we would send private jets and give them great suites in the Bellagio and wine them and dine them like they were kings. And that was enough compensation. This now has created this crop of celebrities that don't have any other careers. The only career they have is hosting parties. It is truly pathetic. Have we been party to it? Yes, in some cases, but very, very minor. Look at New Year's Eve at Jet two years ago. We looked around and there was Paris Hilton and this person and that person. And I said, "You know, if we are going to pay, I want a performance." So, we went out and got Kid Rock. And I could stomach that because people would actually see an entertainer. But then this year we didn't do it. We looked at the money and it didn't make sense to us. And we did not do it at the Bank either.

Look, I can stomach making a donation to charity and a true celebrity wants that. But if you call up these big celebrities like Tobey Maguire or Leonardo DiCaprio and offer them $50,000 to show up, they will be insulted. They go where they want to go. Then you have the Paris Hiltons of the world who really don't have any career. They just don't have anything. They were created by the media. They are clouds of nothing. They are almost cartoon characters. And their prime income is going to nightclub parties and getting paid for it.

I think it is going to stop. It has to stop. People are pretty intelligent. It is ridiculous. They are going to get over being crowded with thousands of others to watch one of these girls jump up and down, and the media will get over it too.

Nightclub culture has changed. There used to be a mystique to it. Now, any person can buy their way in, and that has cost nightclub culture a lot of flavor. I think things will come back more to how they were. We are at an extreme. Things hit an extreme and then they come back.

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On the importance of Paris: Vegas economics 101

February 18, 2008 | 1:10 pm

Paris Hilton.

You should care about anything else? What talent does Paris have? Why is she so famous?

All of the hate and self-righteous outrage Paris Hilton generates has become sort of funny. I am sick of people telling me I should be writing about more important things than Paris Hilton. The truth is that where I live, Paris Hilton is important. How important?

Last night I went to an invitation-only screening of Hilton's abysmally reviewed film at the Palms, "The Hottie and the Nottie."

I've interviewed Paris Hilton more than a dozen times over the years, and so I had a book with me to read for when she was late. She is always late. I am press, and waiting for Paris Hilton is part of my job. For the screening she was about 40 minutes late. Not bad.

But waiting with me in the audience during that time, waiting more than a half-hour to start a film none of them could have been looking forward to viewing, were the president of the Luxor, a managing partner of Pure Management Group (owners of -- among other hotspots -- LAX and Pure), the owner of the movie theater and a number of other people who don't usually wait in Las Vegas for anything, ever. These are the people you wait to meet. But they all sat patiently waiting for Paris Hilton to arrive to commence the showing of "The Hottie and the Nottie."

By comparison, after Paris Hilton arrived, the request was made to hold off on starting the film two minutes because Palms owner George Maloof was on the way down to the theater. But then Paris Hilton would have been the one waiting, and that is inconceivable. The movie started ASAP, and Maloof walked into a dark theater (inside a casino he owns) as the first scene was playing.

I honestly thought as the movie unfolded --- the movie was truly awful, obvious and not even fun bad --- that things would be awkward at the end. Who could have enjoyed that movie? Yet, the theater was still as crowded at the end as at the beginning. I think everyone in the theater except me applauded wildly at the conclusion. A few people laughed inadvertently in the wrong way or at the wrong parts, and I could not find anyone except Paris to say good things about the film. But no one wanted to knock the film either. "It was shorter than I expected," one executive enthused before fleeing the theater.

Either many of these people in Vegas sincerely liked this movie, or Paris Hilton is so ridiculously important here that people were willing to watch and applaud that film no matter what the content. I know how I am casting my vote. But I saw the movie, and the audience. I saw one person sleeping and a few others texting, but overwhelmingly this audience actually watched the movie until the end and had enough energy left to applaud the thing. That alone is a testament to Paris Hilton's importance to Las Vegas.

I imagine the people who spend time hating and bemoaning the fame of Paris Hilton are the same people who hate Las Vegas. This is a town that reveres privilege, wealth, power, excess and self-pampering. Paris Hilton has become almost a shorthand to represent that to some people. Golly, she even represents that to me. And I've done my share of mocking her occasionally evident lack of brain power.

But lost in that is another truth about Paris Hilton. Dealing with her for years now has always been easy. I am not the only one who says that. Obviously, she is friendly to the press. But she is also generally known for being very sweet here. Many people in Vegas who have worked with her directly in all sorts of capacities feel that way. She has built up a lot of goodwill in Vegas. In addition to the VIP crowd, the theater was also filled with frontline employees from the Vegas nightlife industry.

To be fair: I think the nightclub workers were being compensated or required by their bosses to be at the screening. (They admitted that they were watching the movie as part of their job. But they would not tell me what, if any, specific bribe brought them to see "The Hottie and the Nottie.") Yet, whatever got them into the theater aside, they were having a fun time and spoke fondly of Paris Hilton even as she kept us waiting.

I was sitting next to a large group of cocktail servers whose tips go up when Paris Hilton hosts at their club. Most of these nightclub employees have had direct dealings with her and as a result they seemed happy to be at this movie to support her. When Paris Hilton arrived, she acted and was treated like she was among friends. She really was. I live in a town that loves, really truly loves Paris Hilton.

Why she matters and why Vegas loves her is actually quite simple. Paris Hilton fills a nightclub. Any nightclub, and any night of the week. And she does it by simply showing up. She is the single most important hostess in Vegas. She is endlessly reliable (along with being reliably late) in her draw. She makes locals lots of money.

Even in Vegas tips go up and down, but when Paris Hilton packs a nightclub, she packs the place with big spenders and big tippers. Lots of hotties and no notties.

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Paris: Pied Piper of partying

February 15, 2008 | 10:42 am

Paris Hilton is ripping up Vegas this week appearing at clubs. Why she is here matters less than her role in Vegas as the Pied Piper of partying.

For example, on Wednesday she was at LAX to celebrate the fall Paris Hilton Collection. Has anyone ever met a person who actually bought a Paris Hilton garment? The problem: People who spend thousands to sit next to her at LAX are simply too fashionable to wear Paris Hilton, and who else cares? Hilton told one reporter this week that she is used to paying $800 for shoes, while her collection offers shoes at a mere $80. Great. But who wants to be Paris Hilton on-the-cheap?

Yet, Paris Hilton's nightclub draw in Vegas remains unrivaled by any other celebrity (unless Britney Spears returns to the Strip).

Tonight Hilton will be back at LAX to host a "posh post-Valentine’s Day party." Does that even mean anything?

But Sunday promises to be the most interesting event. Paris Hilton has a movie out, maybe you've heard? The movie has been trashed by more people than ticket sales suggest have seen the flick. "Worst movie of all time" is even being bandied about. But I've been invited to the Brendan Theater (at the Palms) for a screening of the film with the star in attendance. I almost never go to movies. So, don't expect a review from me.

I am mostly curious to see if Paris Hilton can manage to sit still and watch her own film without resorting to her BlackBerry. I am also hoping to ask her to give the Buffet her own review of her movie. At least, she will then be one of the few people I am sure has seen it. (Courtesy photo)

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Paris Hilton: party professional

January 1, 2008 | 2:43 pm

The love affair between Las Vegas and the Hilton sisters is mutual. Paris Hilton told me: "We love Vegas. We have been coming since we were babies."

Neither Hilton sister is exactly shy, but Paris and Nicky have very different public personalities. Nicky hosts in Vegas far less often and is significantly less extroverted than Paris. Nicky danced somewhat demurely, twisting slightly to the music while standing at their table. Paris arrived by striding onto the cushioned seat at the table. The crowd loved it. And Paris danced and danced on her seat for a long time before she sat down for the first time. She was there to dance, not to sit. And sitting was primarily done to sip her drink and then she was up again dancing. The crowd loved watching her, and a handful of media were allowed to stand in front of her, photographing every pose.

I was standing above and to the side of the fray remembering why I believe Paris Hilton is the greatest professional party-goer in the new Vegas nightlife. I am not smirking. When Paris Hilton is in a nightclub, she is not only having fun, she is acting out her fun to entertain the entire nightclub. I have often expressed my amazement at the money celebrities get to host events. But I do not doubt that they deserve to get paid, because the truth is that names sell tickets. And LAX is built out of a series of exclusive spots that people will spend thousands to own for a night in exchange for a view of Paris and Nicky Hilton. Some tables at LAX had reservation packages costing $20,000 for New Year's Eve, if you could get one. Whoever can spend that much money to look at the Hilton sisters probably deserves to have less money.

And when you live here, you are very aware that there are so many jobs created by places like LAX, Pure, Tao, the Bank and the other clubs that simply did not exist before the nightclub scene hit Vegas just a few years ago. A union server at LAX can support a family while working only three or four nights a week. That is the part people tend to forget when focusing on the decadence of the Vegas club scene.

(Courtesy photo)

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Paris and the drunk elephants

November 13, 2007 | 10:21 am

No, not dancing pink elephants.

I've called Paris Hilton less than bright before based on my conversations, interviews and observations of her in Vegas. But her concern reported by the AP for drunken elephants... Well, read the story.

Here is her best quote: "The elephants get drunk all the time. It is becoming really dangerous. We need to stop making alcohol available to them."

Anyway, there are no plans to stop making alcohol available to Paris Hilton. She will be allowed to drink all she wants at LAX at Luxor, where she makes a highly promoted appearance, unrelated to her newest crusade for the elephants, for New Year's Eve with her sister.

You notice how her old professional party girl job seems to be going better than her new humanitarian work?

Update: The AP has retracted the Paris Hilton elephant quote story.

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Paris Hilton as "Jail Bait"

November 2, 2007 | 9:08 am

Press photos are pouring in from the various Halloween parties in Vegas.

My favorite is of Paris Hilton at LAX.

Is there a difference between laughing at yourself and self-parody?

Well, Paris Hilton walks that imaginary line.

Check out the "Jail Bait" costume of this future philanthropist and soon to be scheduled humanitarian.

(Courtesy Photo)

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Dispatches from Las Vegas by Richard Abowitz

Dispatches from Las Vegas
by Richard Abowitz