Perez Hilton

I'm going to contrast the modest style of the Monkey See site by critiquing one of the more controversial celebrity blogs – PerezHilton.com. Perez Hilton, the self proclaimed “Queen of all Media,” is not ashamed to call his blog Hollywood’s most-hated website. Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. (a.k.a. Perez) gained notoriety from his over-the-top blog, which focuses on gossip about musicians, actors and celebrities. His signature style includes posting tabloid photographs over which he has added captions and scribbled crude drawings (e.g., Girl, Interrupted!). His eccentrics have garnered some negative attention, particularly the role he’s played in the increasing coverage of celebrities in all forms of media.

The aesthetics of PerezHilton.com scream all things media, as well as borderline egocentrism. The headline banner at the top of the page, which varies slightly from day-to-day, boosts a caricature image of Perez’s face.  The background wallpaper of the site also changes on a daily basis, and features advertisements for upcoming Perez appearances. The actual blog appears in the direct center of the page and is flanked by banners containing a hodgepodge of advertisements. The cluster of ads is better left ignored, unless you’re looking for biographical, contact information or conditions of use, which are imbedded within the left column under “Fo’ One One.” This left-hand column is reserved for Perez-centered promotions, for example, PerezTV, PerezMobile, links to follow him on Twitter and Facebook, and more.

Contrasting from the visual overload of background graphics and advertisements, the blog itself is highly organized and refreshingly current. Approximately two or more posts are added an hour, keeping the blog’s visitors up-to-date on celebrity gossip. Content ranges from Hollywood movie deals to political controversies. There’s nothing Perez won’t speak his mind about, particularly, his opinionated stance on gay/lesbian rights. For example, he posted this story about University of Michigan student, Chris Armstrong, speaking out on CNN. This is particularly pertinent given the recent tragedy and controversy surrounding the death of bullied Rutgers student Tyler Clementi.

A positive feature of the site is its convenience for forwarding an individual post. My friends and I enjoy sharing funny, shocking or interesting things we find online. PerezHilton.com makes this easy by including a “Permalink” at the bottom of each post. This link will take you to a site where that post is permanently archived with a specific URL. Also, by scrolling across the title of any blog post you have access to the direct link to that story. I often will copy and paste the URL of one of these “Permalinks” in an e-mail, or on a Facebook wall, to share with my friends. If that seems like too many steps, there are also links at the bottom of each post which will forward the story directly to your Twitter or Facebook account for you.

An additional feature of the site is the hyperlinks made available within each post that will direct you to related stories previously posted on the blog. For example, the above mentioned Lindsay Lohan story (Girl, Interrupted!) states, “Sources from the Betty Ford Center are revealing that Lindsay Lohan is not only receiving treatment for her drug additions, but also her need to be constantly connected to her email and Twitter.” Clicking the hyperlink attached to her name brings you to the Archive for the ‘Lindsay Lohan’ Category. This page contains only posts relevant to the actress. This feature is helpful to the extreme pop culture addict who needs to know all they can about a particular person, movie or issue.