Paris Hilton publishes memoirs
She conquered reality TV with The Simple Life, captured the home video market with One Night in Paris and now Paris Hilton has her eyes set on the best-seller list. Hilton‘s 198-page memoir, titled Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose (Fireside), is hitting bookshelves Sept. 7, The Associated Press reports. According to excerpts from the book, published in the Sept. 6 issue of People magazine, Hilton writes about her youth as an heiress. “It’s traditional for an heiress to be raised in a sheltered way,” Hilton writes. “No one thinks that’s true of me, but it actually was.” But the party girl insists she wasn’t spoiled. “The rumor is that I got a credit card at age 9, which is ridiculous. It was more like 19, and I had to get one myself without my parents.” Hilton also explains she has come to terms with being small-chested: “It was so embarrassing being flat-chested that I wore padded bras till I was 17. Now, I’m happy to be small. It looks better in clothes.” Her memoirs also reveal her plans for the future. “I don’t always want the glamorous, jet-set life. Let’s face it, I’ve done it,” she points out. “Someday soon, I want to have children and a big house with a lot of animals–like my parents had.”
Tommy Lee to star in reality series
Here’s a reality show you won’t want to tune out! Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee has signed on to star in an NBC reality series centered on his enrollment at yet-to-be-named college. Reuters reports the still-untitled show is currently in development and does not yet have a premiere date. This is Lee‘s second try at reality TV. In 2002, the musician had a development deal with VH1, but the network declined to pick it up as a series and instead aired it as the special Tommy Lee: The Naked Truth. Lee, who is reportedly eyeing a reunion tour with Motley Crue in 2005, is also hitting bookshelves Oct. 19 with his autobiography, Tommyland (Atria Books).
Apprentice 2 cast unveiled
NBC has revealed the cast of The Apprentice 2, which premieres Sept. 9. The second season of real estate mogul Donald Trump’s reality series features 18 contestants–up from the first season’s 16–including four New Yorkers and four Harvard graduates. The oldest contestant is 37 while the youngest is 23. There are also a few coincidences with female contestants: There’s Stacie and Stacy, two Jennifers, an Ivana and Pamela–who bears an uncanny resemblance to Trump’s adviser, Carolyn Kepcher. According to the AP, the 18 contestants lived in a specially designed suite in Trump Tower with such amenities as a three-hole putting green, a basketball hoop, a $100,000 kitchen and a couch from Trump’s own apartment.
Tommy Hilfiger eyes reality TV series
Like daughter, like father? Reuters reports fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger is eyeing a competition-style reality series centered on the fashion world for CBS. The talks come just weeks after Tommy Hilfiger Corp. announced it was selling its building at 485 Fifth Avenue in New York and eliminating one of its four distribution centers in New Jersey. Earlier this month, the clothing and accessories company posted a first-quarter loss of $7.6 million, or 8 cents a share. Hilfiger’s daughter teenage daughter Ally ventured into the world of reality TV last year with MTV’s Rich Girls. The show, which wasn’t exactly well received, followed Ally and her gal pal Jamie Gleicher through the course of the summer following their high school graduation.
Queer Eye for Gene Simmons?
Kiss bassist Gene Simmons says on his official Web site the producers for Bravo’s Queer Eye for the Straight Guy have asked him to be on the show. “They called me and asked me if I would do it. I’m a fan of the show. We may shoot on the 28th of September,” Simmons says. Bravo did not immediately return the AP’s calls seeking a comment. The hit makeover show fearing the “Fab Five”–Ted Allen, Kyan Douglas, Thom Filicia, Carson Kressley and Jai Rodriguez–is now in its second season, airing Tuesdays on Bravo at 10 p.m. (EDT).
Charlize Theron new face of Dior fragrance
Cosmetics giant Christian Dior announced Thursday Oscar winner Charlize Theron will be the new face of the fragrance J’adore. “Ms. Theron was chosen because she represents modern femininity and embodies the spirit and energy of Dior. She is a classic beauty,” Pamela Baxter, president and CEO of LVMH Perfumes and Cosmetics, Dior’s parent company, said in a statement. Print ads and TV commercials featuring Theron will debut next month–about the same time ads for Chanel No. 5 featuring another Oscar winner Nicole Kidman will premiere. Dior’s artistic director John Galliano oversaw all aspects of the ad campaign.
Warners finally to release Matrix set
At last, Warner Home Video is releasing the 10-disc Ultimate Matrix Collection. Variety reports the set, priced at $79.92, will be released Dec. 7. The compilation includes the three films, more than 35 hours of bonus features including more than 100 old and new featurettes and previously released animated shorts. Also in the set are previous stand-alone length DVDs such as the Animatrix collection of Matrix-related animated shorts, The Matrix Revisited documentary and even audio commentaries by critics who didn’t like the movies. For an extra $50, Warner will offer a limited edition set that comes with a Neo mini-bust figurine and an 80-page collector’s book.
Black Eyed Peas joins forces with EA’s Sims
Electronic Arts Inc., the world’s largest video game publisher, announced Thursday the Black Eyed Peas will produce the soundtrack to the upcoming game The Urbz: Sims in the City, Reuters reports. Goals in The Urbz, which places characters in an urban metropolis, is to build up street credibility and become a ‘player’ with access to all the fashionable hotspots of the city. Along the way, virtual versions of band members Will.I.Am, Fergie, Taboo and apl.de.ap appear as musicians and teach dance moves to players. Console versions of the game will also include nine tracks from the upcoming Peas album Monkey Business recorded in Simlish, the babbling language in EA’s hit Sims video franchise.
