Last updated : Friday, September 18, 2009

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Perez Hilton: Scoop on the Queen of All Media

What happens when a celebrity blogger steps out from behind his computer and joins the ranks of the very people he gossips about? He starts a star-infused empire that reaches far beyond the confines of the web and includes fashion, music and TV aspirations sprinkled with a bit of controversy and a lot of chatter about the gossip king himself, Perez Hilton. The famously flamboyant blogger gave us the scoop on his new style site, his favorite (and not-so-favorite) celebs, and an exclusive invite to his latest, famous foe.

The self proclaimed "queen of all media" who gets A-D list celebs biting their well manicured nails as they anticipate his posts, has been out and about even more than usual lately. Spotted of course in over-the-top outfits that only good friend Lady Gaga could compete with, Perez's  passion for fashion is probably the only thing that could usurp his love of celeb scoop, and the launch of his new style site- cocoperez.com proves it! He says he loves to "wear things that are colorful, loud, and will get me noticed" and as is often the case with Perez, his mission was accomplished at the site's launch party. While he was spotted at last week's VMAs, wearing a multi-colored Moods of Norway blazer over a bare chest and accessorized with yellow painted hands, it was his oversized Mickey Mouse tee he found at a vintage shop in Tokyo worn over well, nothing that got our tongues wagging. His bare bottomed look (inspired by Gaga of course) was meant to call attention to himself, his party, and thus his new site. Forever a marketer of himself and his brand, the launch party garnered much of the attention he hoped for- in attendance was of course girlfriend Gaga, Amanda Bynes, Christian Siriano and more. And naturally Perez was there in all his glory promoting the site which is just as fabulous but much more fashionable than perezhilton.com. "It's been so much fun and a whole new challenge. I've always had a strong interest in fashion. I feel there's nothing deep about fashion it IS entertainment. Clothes are meant to be fun, they're meant to entertain." And so is the new site. Like its counterpart it's celebrity driven, quippy, and fun to read and a natural transition for the brash blogger. 

Of course what sets Perez apart from most celeb obsessed bloggers is his fresh fearlessness of riling up Hollywood's elite. In recent weeks a tweet battle ensued between the blogger and Demi Moore. The actress became offended when a picture of her daughter in shorts appeared on his site. When we asked about it Perez said, "I'd like to take this opportunity to reach out to Demi right now and invite her to my concert in LA. Her ticket's free." Of course the blogger's peace offering would be made through the press, promotion part of what Perez does best.

This is not the first time the blogger has had a squabble that played itself out over the web. His well publicized spat with Miss USA contestant Carrie Prejean caused quite a stir. Because of Perez and his notoriety the dethroned beauty queen has extended her 15 minutes of fame way longer than anyone expected. And while Perez got mixed reviews of his criticism of the contestant's response to his question about legalizing gay marriage, his dedication to the cause can not go unnoticed. In addition Perez's passion for equality, healthcare reform and other charitable organizations is an integral part of what makes him tick . That's right fashion lovers, this brash blogger has a heart which we saw front and center at the Susan G. Komen Pink Dress fashion show to fight breast cancer where he joined other celebs and walked the runway in Moods of  Norway for the first time. The show was not the biggest ticket in town and Perez had little to gain except to bring some star status to an important cause. We asked him how it felt to go from a front row reporter to a runway star? "I don't consider myself a celebrity, just someone who is well read and can laugh about the whole fame thing." Laugh, blog, and call celebs out on the things most of us would talk about at the water cooler but never have the guts to publish, which is why we love the gossip queen and of course why, despite what Perez claims, he's a star. 

And despite what some might think, there are many Hollywoodites he loves. He's enamored with songstress Lady Gaga who has become a good friend, "Gaga is soooo smart and inspiring. When we're together we just have such a great, honest exchange. Seriously, it's inspiring." Of course, he's just as quick to discuss those on his hit list, "Celebs I'm down on - Kanye West is a bit obvious but it's true! What he did at the VMAs didn't shock anyone, it was more like here we go again. But I was really sad for Taylor Swift. I think awards are fine, but silly but it really meant something to her." And while we admire Perez's compassion for Swift and support of Gaga, his presence at the VMAs was by no means as a cheerleader alone. His love of music has become yet another branch of the Perez brand. On the horizon? A concert tour, (perezhiltonpresents.com), a new record label for which he discovered the quirky, colorful folkish artist Sliimy (who Perez also describes as cute and fashionable and who inspired his painted hands at the VMAs). In fact Hilton told us it's his musical endeavors that's the best thing that's happened to him this year. As for the worst, "This year for the first time I started to care about what people thought. I think because for the first time I transcended the genre and really broke into the mainstream and became part of the zeitgeist and started doing things that are relevant. But that has a double edged sword. Perez Hilton is just a character and while I'm interested in what people think, it doesn't really matter. 

So how will the gossip boy balance it all - his hugely popular celeb site, the new style site and his first ever concert tour? "It takes work to work. And that's all I do really - work, work, work. Being in NY for fashion week I only slept about 3.5 hours a night and normally I only get about 6. If I have meetings I try to get them to come to me."

But all of this is just the tip of the gossip monger's iceberg. Up next for Perez- TV! He says it's the big missing piece in everything he's aspiring for. We'll watch for the gossip - definitely, the outfits - for sure, but to see what the "queen of all media" pulls out of his hat next, now that's worth waiting for.

We asked Perez to answer some fun questions. He was game! Read on.

Q: Who's the best dressed celebrity?
A:   Heidi Klum always looks amazing on the red carpet. Maybe that's not fair to say because she's a model, but she always looks memorable and beautiful. Victoria Beckham (including her new line), and Katherine Heigl as well always look great on the red carpet. Maybe not always in real life, but always the red carpet.

Q: Who's the  worst dressed celebrity?
A:  Jon Gosselin and Madonna - I love Madonna, but she's not been dressing well lately.

Q:  If you could be any Gossip Girl character, who would you be? 
A:  Chase Crawford, because he's so cute. 

Q:  If you had to be stranded on an island with Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie or Zack Efron who would you choose and why? 
A:  Zac Efron, because he's so cute. 

Q:  If you could have dinner with any president in history who would it be? 
A:  JFK because he seems like he was a fun president, he was good looking, and had interesting friends he could bring along like Marilyn Monroe.

 

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