Perez Hilton - Who???

Mario Armando Lavandeira was born on March 23, 1978 in Miami, Florida to parents from Cuba. He is known better by his nickname of Perez Hilton, which he snagged from celebrity attention junkie Paris Hilton, about whom he frequently writes about and claims to have befriended. Perez Hilton has made a fortune by enraging celebrities of all shapes and sizes with his infamous gossip blog.

He is well educated, graduating in 1996 from Belem Jesuit Preparatory School and then from the New York University with a BA in Drama, an oddly appropriate major considering the amount of drama he causes on a regular basis. He originally attempted a career as an actor; when that didn't prove successful, he tried being a media relations assistant for LGBT rights. He is openly gay and briefly was the managing editor of Instinct, a gay men's magazine. He turned to blogging because, in his own words, it seemed easy. He is known for his angle on celebrity gossip and is unapologetic in his desire to mingle with and be a part of the celebrity culture. In April, 2009, his website was ranked as 491st most trafficked on the Internet, with the majority of it hits from young women ages 18 to 24.

Not surprisingly, he has been the defendant in a number of lawsuits because he is accused of posting paparazzi photographs and other copyrighted content. News agencies, photographers, journalists, and bloggers alike have made this claim. Some of the lawsuits against him are seeking many millions in US dollars. He has pronounced many celebrities to be closet gays and has announced their names on his blog. These individuals haven't discussed their sexual orientation openly or say they are heterosexual, so they are not entirely pleased with his pronouncements.  Once again, it is like watching a traine wreck - you can't look away!  And it makes for great water-cooler talk!