Paris: Light At The End Of The Jail Cell

(CBS)  According to Los Angeles County officials, heiress Paris Hilton is getting out of jail on Tuesday after being ordered to serve 45 days for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case. She is serving just 23 days for good behavior.

Last week, the New York Post reported that NBC News was going to pay Hilton $1 million for the first interview. It was also reported that ABC was willing to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars. In the end, CNN's Larry King ended up winning the interview without paying anything and he is scheduled to talk to Hilton on Wednesday.

"NBC said they never actually committed to it," editor at large of Life & Style Weekly Ashlan Gorse told The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm. "Everyone was thinking Barbara Walters was going to get it."

It's been a tumultuous journey for Hilton. When she first entered jail, L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca released Hilton to electronically monitored house arrest after just three days for medical reasons. He later said she was medicated when she entered jail, unbeknownst to him and his staff. Many people said Hilton, 26, received preferential treatment.

"It just doesn't look good as to what happened, and people are outraged. And I think we all are," Supervisor Don Knabe said.

Judge Michael T. Sauer finally ordered the heiress back to jail.

"The fact that she was released from jail and then sent back to jail was unprecedented," CBS legal analyst Trent Copeland said. "We've never seen anything like that in Los Angeles county history."

---

Photos: Paris In Stripes

---

Copeland spoke to Sauer and he told Copeland he thought very hard about sending the heiress back to jail. Copeland said Sauer told him he didn't look at it as a single probation violation, but because she drove twice, he saw it as a double probation violation.

Hilton's return to custody was chronicled by every camera in Los Angeles. Even when the over-exposed heiress was finally out of camera range, people still couldn't stop making fun of her. Nonetheless, there is some serious fallout from Hilton's brush with the law. The same day she leaves jail, County Sheriff Lee Baca has to testify before the board of supervisors about why he released her June 7.

And the question remains: Will Hilton return to her partying ways? She said before she entered jail that she hopes to become a role model for other young people. Hilton also told Barbara Walters in a telephone interview that she wants to drop the "dumb act" and get involved in more charity work.

Reports surfaced that Hilton's father, Rick, was shopping around a big Las Vegas blow-out to celebrate his daughter's impending release from jail, but Gorse said Hilton realized that a party might not send the best message.

---

Photos: Hilton's Hideaway

---

"When she gets out she's planning a small, intimate dinner at home with her parents and maybe a couple of close friends," she said. "I'm sure it was the handlers. We all know Paris likes to party but we're hoping we're going to see a little more demure Paris when she comes out of jail."

Copeland said that Hilton's case may be the tipping point for celebrities and the justice system. Before Hilton, it was typically thought that celebrities are treated better than the average person. But he said the trend may be going the opposite way now.

"Where most people are expecting to have celebrities treated differently or special, but they're given worse treatment because they are celebrities and made examples of," he said. "I don't know if that will happen truly going forward, whether it's Phil Spector or Lindsay Lohan. But the tide is turning as to the expectation whether celebrities are given preferential treatment. We do know Paris Hilton received a sentence that was harsher than what most people would receive under ordinary circumstances."

[erloester]

Miss Hilton is rich, thus is recognized by US media as a celebrity, as are all "rich" persons, a general weakness of "media." How often is a young, "unrich" woman, who cannot afford "nosejobs," whose dad can4t contribute to slush-funds of local politicians, awarded similar attention for similar driving infractions? Four years ago, here in Germany, a male acquaintance was confined in a federal prison for one year for identical driving infractions. He could not afford a private attorney. Nor could he provide heterosexual engagements for his male detainees. His wife and child lived on "welfare" the year he was in prison.... TV personalities, whose income depends on interviews of persons who have engaged in such maladaptive behaviors, are successful, due to the maladaptive interests and demands of the viewing audience. The media of today focus on such superficial occurrences, in accordance with directives issued by the maladaptive leadership of the USofA. Such maladaptive leaders wish to distract from, thus "cover up" the murders, assassinations, general "international plundering"- under the guise of democracy- that they are spearheading. Has "mankind" improved ? dr.b_helthi

[awbsdad]

When is the party"

She should donate millions to the jail system and to MADD as a punishment.

Bet you a dollar she will be back in the same situation within 6-12 months. What then? More crying?

I say MORE TIME AND STAY THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe you and some of your buddies can have adjoining cells!

[figuy30]

Harsh punishment? How sad. The only real victim in this "event" is the middle class taxpayer. Police, court costs, judge, jail, a "well paid" sheriff, etc. What could be worse now than being paid high fees ($$millions) especially to someone who really needs it for the priviledge of an interview. Perhaps the sponsors of these network tv shows that can afford exorbitant fees should be informed about how America feels about viewing trash.

[elgraz]

Paris who ??????

[kailumego1]

This is pretty pathetic, trash is trash even if it's covered in wealth and riches.

There are so many other newsworthy stories to report on, but NBC and ABC have chosen to demote itself to such trivia nonsense as Paris Hilton.

How insane, there is a civil war in the Congo that has been going on for past 10 years, innocent people are dying daily in Dafur, India is scandaled with humantraffiking, as is Pakistan, and 3,500 U.S. troops have died in Iraq, and these news networks have nothing else better to do than to report on this intellectually impotent disturbing amoral young woman.

Paris Hilton has about as much intellect as my parakeet, which my parakeet probably undoubtedly has more.


She has absolutely no redeeming qualities other than she is heir to the Hilton fortune, and she is suppose to be a representative of the upper-class, how discouraging.


But, what is equally discouraging and disappointing news networks scrabble over getting a story from this simpleminded brainless fool.

[ernie_b1]

I don't know, even though she comes from a wealthy family, I kind of feel sorry for her. Somewhere a long the way she became this media hound who does anything for attention, and it's all planned and orchestrated. My daughter, who is about the same age, is beautiful, kind and intelligent, and working her way through med school ... so much character.

[garsh548]

Here we go again, I think Paris will go back to her old ways within the next year. Let's hope she don't kill someone at that time. If it was me, i wouldn't have the same freedom.

[samthetvcat]

Apparently since Paris isn't going to get the $1mil for being on NBC, The Learning Annex has offerred her the $1mil to do one of their seminars. Isn't that outrageous? I'm not sure she gets the fact that she's viewed as something of a carnival freak by people - like if The Learning Annex hired Michael Jackson he'd be just as popular.

Kind of a sign of societal malaise when big corporations are paying these amounts of money to somebody like Paris Hilton . . . the fact that she would be willing to accept the money under these circumstances to me shows that she really isn't any more 'enlightened' than she was before . . . ugh!

[akimaada]

In the news this noon, it was said Paris would be building transitional housing for women transiting from prison. Our church is building a transitional home for women 18-51.If she is serious in giving back to the community she can start with us. Usually scared straight programs are geared towards young people, however if it worked for Paris Hilton that is good.

[akimaada]

In the news this noon, it was said Paris would be building transitional housing for women transiting from prison. Our church is building a transitional home for women 18-51.If she is serious in giving back to the community she can start with us. Usually scared straight programs are geared towards young people, however if it worked for Paris Hilton that is good.