Wynn Resorts Ltd.

215px
Type	Public
Traded as	NASDAQ: WYNN SEHK: 1128 S&P 500 Component
Industry	Tourism Gaming
Founded	October 25, 2002
Founder(s)	Stephen A. Wynn
Headquarters	Paradise, Nevada, US
Key people	Stephen A. Wynn Co-Founder, Chairman, CEO
Products	Resorts & Casinos
Revenue	$ 2.987 billion - 2008
Operating income	$ 356.2 million - 2010
Net income	$ 210.21 million - 2008
Total assets	$ 6.742 billion - 2008
Total equity	$ 1.692 billion - 2010
Employees	20,600 - September 2009
Website	WynnResorts.com

Wynn Resorts Limited (NASDAQ: WYNN) is a publicly traded corporation based in Paradise, Nevada that is a developer and operator of high end hotels and casinos. It was formed on October 25, 2002 by former Mirage Resorts Chairman and CEO Stephen A. Wynn.

History[link]

One month after agreeing to sell Mirage Resorts to MGM Grand in a hostile takeover, Steve Wynn laid the foundation for his next venture, buying the Desert Inn for $270 million.^[1]

Wynn found an early partner in Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada of Universal Entertainment Corporation.^[2] Wynn, together with Universal subsidiary Aruze USA, controlled almost half the stock, making it harder for outside investors to exert control, as they had done at Mirage in response to Wynn's prolific spending.^[1][3]

Wynn Resorts made its initial public offering on NASDAQ on October 25, 2002.

The company's first project, Wynn Las Vegas, opened on April 28, 2005.

Wynn Macau, the company's second project started construction on June 28, 2004. It opened September 5, 2006.

Encore, an extension to Wynn Las Vegas, broke ground on April 28, 2006, the first anniversary of the opening of Wynn Las Vegas. Steve Wynn announced a planned redevelopment of the golf course at Wynn Las Vegas, called Wynn Golf and Country Club, into two separate resorts, and a large lake, connected by the "Wynn Parkway". Redevelopment will not take place before 2009.

Encore at Wynn Macau, the company's second project in Macau Peninsula, Macau, People's Republic of China, opened on April 21, 2010.

Wynn bought 52 acres (21 ha) of the Cotai Strip in Macau where he hopes to break ground in 2012 for Wynn Cotai for a 2013 or early 2014 opening.

The company considered opening a casino as part of the Entertainment City development in the Philippines, but decided against it because of corruption in the country's gaming industry.^[3] Okada decided to proceed with the project alone, leading to the rupture of his partnership with Wynn.

The dispute went public with reciprocal accusations of corrupt practices. Wynn and his allies accused Okada of bribing Philippines gaming regulators with over $110,000 in benefits, including free nights in a luxury suite at Wynn Las Vegas, while Okada questioned the propriety of Wynn Resorts' record $135 million donation to the University of Macau.^[2] Okada resigned as vice chairman in October 2011, and the following February, after a company investigation by the Freeh Group confirmed the charges against him, the board of directors forced Aruze USA to sell back its shares at a nearly 30% discount.^[2] Aruze had been the company's largest shareholder, with a 19.7% stake.

Effect of the Recession on Las Vegas operations[link]

In Las Vegas, the 1st quarter of 2009 was the first where the Encore was fully operational after its opening on December 22, 2008. The prior year quarter includes only Wynn Las Vegas. Overall revenue from the resort increased from $327.2 to $345.9 in the first quarter, a very modest increase considering the additional hotel tower and new food and beverage outlets.

Despite the additional casino at the Encore (which added 97 tables and 857 slot machines to the original 190 tables and 2000 slots) net casino revenues for the combined resort were lower than the first quarter of 2008 when only The Wynn was operating. Net casino revenues for the combined resort dropped from $125.1 million to $117.5 million.

Gross non-casino revenues for the quarter were $228.4 million, a 13.3% increase from the first quarter of 2008, driven primarily by higher hotel and food and beverage revenues resulting from the opening of Encore. Although the added 2,034 suites at Encore nearly doubled the suites in the property hotel revenues were up only 20.6% to $85.1 million during the quarter, versus $70.6 million in the first quarter of 2008 due to declining room rates and lower occupancy rate. Food and beverage revenues increased as a result of the additional 12 food and beverage outlets located in the Encore expansion. Retail revenues declined and entertainment revenues also decreased primarily due to the closure of the Spamalot production show in July 2008.^[4]

Effect of the Recession on Macau operations[link]

In the first quarter of 2009, net revenues declined to $448.7 million compared $491.5 million in the first quarter of 2008. Gaming on the VIP tables declined drastically.

Properties[link]

Image	Logo	Property	Location	Date Opened
		Wynn Las Vegas Resort & Country Club	Las Vegas Strip, Nevada	April 28, 2005
	100px	Wynn Macau Resort	Macau SAR	September 6, 2006
		Encore at Wynn Las Vegas	Las Vegas Strip, Nevada	December 22, 2008
		Encore at Wynn Macau	Macau SAR	April 21, 2010

Sources[link]

• Las Vegas Sun

References[link]

External links[link]

Companies portal

Wikinews has related news: World's most expensive hotel-casino opens in Las Vegas

• Wynn Resorts, Limited

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Joe Francis
Born	Joseph R. Francis (1973-04-01) April 1, 1973 (age 39) Atlanta, GA[1]
Alma mater	USC[2]
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Known for	Founder of Girls Gone Wild
Website
Joe Francis Official Website

Joseph R. "Joe" Francis (born April 1, 1973) is an American entrepreneur.^[1] He is the founder and creator of the Girls Gone Wild entertainment brand.

Early life[link]

Francis was born on April 1, 1973. Francis grew up in Laguna Beach, California where he attended Laguna Beach High School. Francis worked for various media production companies, where he produced Banned From Television videos, using clips not suitable for mainstream broadcast from the studios he worked at to market on a direct to consumer basis.^[1]

Education[link]

Francis attended the University of Southern California. While there, he took part in their prestigious^[3] Entrepreneur Program. In addition to taking many business courses, Francis took numerous film and television courses. Francis graduated from USC in 1995 with a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration. ^[1]

Business Ventures[link]

Francis is the founder of numerous businesses mainly dealing with the film industry. In addition to founding the Banned From Television series, Francis is the creator of Girls Gone Wild.^[4]

Banned From Television[link]

Francis’ first business venture began when he was working as a production assistant for Real TV (also known as America’s Best Caught on Tape), a reality television program that aired footage of extraordinary events that were not usually covered in mainstream news. It was there that Francis came up with the idea for Banned From Television. During his time at Real TV, people who worked in the studio would often view footage involving car accidents, attacks, etc. Francis licensed the footage which he then sold through the Banned From Television videos which he marketed on paid television advertisements. While viewing footage for inclusion on Banned From Television, Francis came across footage of female college students flashing their breasts during Mardi Gras and Spring Break. It was this footage that sparked Francis’ next business venture with Girls Gone Wild.^{[2] [4]}

Girls Gone Wild[link]

His company donated 100% of their gross sales of their Mardi-Gras themed DVDs to the Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Katrina following the hurricane.^[5]

Legal[link]

Francis and Girls Gone Wild have come under legal scrutiny on occasion, including past allegations that footage of women in GGW videos was used without consent.^[6]

Civil[link]

In June 2007, Francis and his company were sued on charges that images were used without the subject's permission.^[7] The plaintiff, Ashley Alexandra Dupré dropped the suit after Francis released footage showing her agreeing to be filmed.^[8]

In 2008, four women sued Francis' company in Florida for filming them while underage, with one girl saying she had been 13 when filmed.^[9] An all-female jury ruled that the plaintiffs were not entitled to any damages.^[10]

Charges in Florida[link]

In an incident at Panama City Beach, Florida, during spring break 2003, Francis was arrested and released on a $165,000 bond. He was charged with 71 counts, including racketeering, drug trafficking, and child pornography. Police^[who?] confiscated his private jet and other property.^[11] At a July 27, 2006 hearing, the judge disallowed much of the evidence,^[12] and on January 4, 2007 dismissed most of the charges, ruling that the remaining evidence did not support the allegations, and the seized assets were returned. Francis pleaded guilty to 18 U.S.C. § 2257 record keeping violations and was fined $1.6 million and sentenced to perform community service.^[13]

On April 12, 2007, Francis was accused of bribery, possession of a controlled substance, and introducing contraband (cash and drugs) into the Panama City, Florida jail. The Associated Press reported that Francis (in jail for contempt of court) offered a guard one hundred and then five hundred dollars for a bottled water. Jailers^[who?] allegedly found drugs including Lunesta and lorazepam in the jail cell. Francis says he had disclosed the medications upon his incarceration.^[14]<^[15][16] On March 12, 2008, Francis was convicted on child abuse and prostitution charges after pleading no contest. He also pleaded guilty to charges related to having contraband in his cell during the time he was held in jail. He was sentenced to time served (339 days) and more than $60,000 in fines and costs.^[17]

Federal tax problems[link]

On April 11, 2007, Francis was indicted by a federal grand jury in Reno, Nevada on two counts of tax evasion^[18]

Francis was charged with filing a fraudulent corporate tax return for a company for which he allegedly is the sole shareholder. The United States Department of Justice says that Francis claimed over $20 million in false business deductions on his corporate tax returns during 2002 and 2003.^[19] The Los Angeles Times quoted his attorney, Jan L. Handzlik, as saying: "The government has chosen to make a criminal case out of what we believe to be, at most, a civil tax dispute..."^[18]

On April 22, 2008, a change of venue was made to Los Angeles, in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.^[20] At a hearing on July 21, 2008, Francis pleaded not guilty to felony tax evasion. Francis' attorney, Robert Bernhoft, said that tax returns for the businesses were prepared and filed by a former corporate accountant without being shown to Francis. Bernhoft said that when the accountant left the companies, the accountant contacted the IRS to report the accounting mistakes with the hope of collecting a bonus from the government Tax Whistleblower Program.^[21]

In September 2009, Francis pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns and bribing Nevada jail workers. The plea agreement reportedly requires him to pay $250,000 in restitution. He received credit for the time he served in jail, and would be subject to one year of supervised release.^[22] On November 5, 2009, U.S. District Judge S. James Otero accepted Francis’ deal on the grounds that a key witness withheld information from prosecutors.

“It took us seven months, but in the end we demonstrated that the felony tax charges never should have been brought in the first place. As a result, the indictment was dismissed and the charges were reduced to only two misdemeanors with no jail time." Brad Brian, lead trial attorney, ^[23]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joe Francis

• Joe Francis Official Website
• Joe Francis at the Internet Movie Database

Francis Higbee Case
Francis H. Case
U.S. Senator from South Dakota
In office 1951–1962
Preceded by	J. Chandler Gurney
Succeeded by	Joseph H. Bottum
U.S. Representative for South Dakota's 2nd District
In office 1937–1950
Preceded by	Theodore B. Werner
Succeeded by	E. Y. Berry
Personal details
Born	(1896-12-09)December 9, 1896 Everly, Iowa
Died	June 22, 1962(1962-06-22) (aged 65) Bethesda, Maryland
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Dakota Wesleyan University Northwestern University
Occupation	Journalist
Military service
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps United States Army
Battles/wars	World War I

Francis Higbee Case (December 9, 1896 – June 22, 1962) was an American journalist and politician who served for 25 years as a member of the United States Congress from South Dakota. He was a Republican.

Biography[link]

Case was born in Everly, Iowa. He moved with his parents to Sturgis, South Dakota at the age of 13. After graduating from the public schools he attended Dakota Wesleyan University and Northwestern University graduating in 1920. Meanwhile, during World War I he served in the United States Marine Corps, and subsequently he served in United States Army Reserve and the Marine Corps Reserve.

Immediately after finishing college he began a 15-year career as a newspaper editor. Until 1922 he was the assistant editor of the Epworth Herald in Chicago. From 1922 to 1925 he was the telegraph writer and editorial writer for the Daily Journal in Rapid City, South Dakota. From 1925 to 1931 he was the editor and publisher of the Hot Springs Star in Hot Springs, South Dakota. Finally from 1931 until he entered Congress he was the editor and publisher of the Custer Chronicle in Custer, South Dakota.

U.S. House of Representatives (1937-1950)[link]

Case entered politics in 1934 when he ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives but lost. In 1936, however, he was elected to the U.S. House and served in it for seven terms. Before the United States entered World War II he was a moderate supporter of isolationism. Case left the House in 1951 when he became a senator.

U.S. Senate (1951-1962)[link]

Case decided to run for the Senate in the 1950 election, and defeated the incumbent John Chandler Gurney in the Republican primary. In the general election he easily defeated Democrat John A. Engel receiving 63% of the vote. In his first term in the Senate he served as chairman of the United States Senate Committee on the District of Columbia from 1953 to 1955, and was a supporter of greater self-rule in the district. In 1954 he served on a committee to investigate censuring Senator Joseph McCarthy. Case was reelected to the Senate in 1956, in a very close race against Democrat Kenneth Holum receiving 50.8% of the vote.

Case served in the Senate from 1951 until his death. He died of a heart attack at the Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland on June 22, 1962. His death occurred several months before the expiration of his second term in the Senate.

Case was known as a moderate Senator whose main goals were to expand America's road and waterway infrastructure, particularly in South Dakota. Lake Francis Case, along the Missouri River, is named after him, as is a bridge on I-395 in Washington, D.C.

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	World War I portal
	United States Marine Corps portal

References[link]

• Francis H. Case at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Retrieved on 2009-02-16

External links[link]

• "Research Opportunities in the Francis H. Case Papers at Dakota Wesleyan University". http://www.dwu.edu/library/case.htm. 

v t e United States Senators from South Dakota Class 2 Pettigrew Gamble Sterling McMaster Bulow H. Bushfield V. Bushfield Mundt Abourezk Pressler T. Johnson Class 3 Moody Kyle Kittredge Crawford E. Johnson Norbeck Hitchcock Pyle Gurney Case Bottum McGovern Abdnor Daschle Thune

Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton at the Fox Reality Awards on October 13, 2009 in Los Angeles.
Born	Paris Whitney Hilton (1981-02-17) February 17, 1981 (age 31) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Businesswoman, socialite, model, producer, fashion designer
Years active	1993, 2000–present
Net worth	US$ 100 million (2012)[1]
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	115 lb (52 kg; 8.2 st)
Religion	Roman Catholic
Parents	Richard Howard Hilton Kathy Hilton
Website
Official site

Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American businesswoman, potential future heiress, producer and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton (founder of Hilton Hotels). Born in New York City and raised in both California and New York, Hilton began a modeling career as a teenager when she was with Donald Trump's modeling agency, T Management. Her hard-partying lifestyle and rumoured short-lived relationships with Leonardo DiCaprio and Oscar de la Hoya led her to earn a position as a daily fixture in entertainment news — gossip-section Page Six, of the New York Post often includes articles about Hilton. Being known as a socialite, Hilton was hailed by the media as "New York's leading It Girl" in 2001.^[2] She went on to make cameo appeareances in Zoolander (2001), Wonderland and The Cat in the Hat (both 2003).

Hilton gained significant notoriety for her participation in a sex tape, which was released in November 2003, shortly before the premiere of the television reality series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood best friend Nicole Richie. The show was a massive hit for the FOX network, premiering with 13 million viewers,^[3] and brought Hilton and co-star Richie to an international recognition. She then released her 2004 tongue-in-cheek autobiography called Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose,^[4] she landed a supporting role in the 2005 horror film House of Wax, and recorded the 2006 music album Paris. She starred in the reality show Paris Hilton's My New BFF which was filmed in 2008 and also resulted in a second season. The show proved to be a success and was branched out to 2009's Paris Hilton's British Best Friend and Paris Hilton’s Dubai BFF. Hilton was in 2008's Repo! The Genetic Opera, where her work gained critical acclaim.

She has appeared in various lists compiled by magazines such as Maxim, FHM as well as Stuff. She is also regularly placed on lists composed by Forbes magazine and was named one of the "100 Hottest Women of All-Time" by Men's Health.^[5] Critics also suggest that Hilton epitomizes the title of famous for being famous;^[6] she is an example of the modern phenomenon of the "celebutante", the celebrity who rises to fame not because of their talent or work but because of their inherited wealth and controversial lifestyle. She has parlayed her media fame into a fashion line and various perfumes with her celebrity endorsement — her fragrances have reportedly earned $1.5 billion. Currently, there are 55 Paris Hilton Stores worldwide and her brand includes, in addition to perfumes, purses, watches, t-shirts and shoes. She earns over $10 million a year from her brand and is paid $300,000 for appeareances in clubs and events.^[7] As of 2012, her net worth is estimated to be $100 million.^[1]

Early life and education[link]

Hilton was born in New York City, New York, to Kathy (née Avanzino), a socialite and actress, and Richard Hilton, a businessman. She is the oldest of four children: she has one sister, Nicholai Olivia "Nicky" Hilton (b. 1983), and two brothers, Barron Nicholas Hilton II (b. 1989) and Conrad Hughes Hilton III (b. 1994). Her paternal great-grandfather was Conrad Hilton, who founded the Hilton Hotels; he was of Norwegian and German ancestry.^[8][9] She is a half-niece of two child stars of the 1970s, Kim and Kyle Richards.

She was raised Roman Catholic and still attends Mass.^[10][11] Hilton moved between numerous exclusive homes in her youth, including a suite in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan, Beverly Hills, and the Hamptons. As a child she was good friends with other socialites, including Nicole Richie and Kim Kardashian.^[12]

Growing up in Los Angeles, Hilton attended the Buckley School and the exclusive St. Paul the Apostle Church and School, where she graduated in 1995.^[13] She then attended her freshman year of high school at the Marywood-Palm Valley School in Rancho Mirage, California from 1995–1996. Then in 1996, when Hilton was 14, her family moved to the East Coast.^[14] In New York, she briefly attended Convent of the Sacred Heart (while Lady Gaga was a student there) in 1996 before transferring again to the Dwight School.^[15][16] At 16, Hilton spent one year at the Provo Canyon School, a school for emotionally troubled teens.^[17][18] She then attended the Canterbury Boarding School, in New Milford, Connecticut from the fall of 1998 to February 1999 for her junior year, where she was a member of the ice hockey team.^[19] In February 1999, the month she turned 18, she was expelled from Canterbury for violating school rules.^[16] After being expelled from Canterbury, she returned to the Dwight School before dropping out a few months later as a high school junior.^[12] She later earned her GED.^[12][20][21]

Entertainment career[link]

2000–2002: Early work[link]

Hilton began modeling as a child, initially at charity events.^[22] When she was 19, she signed with Donald Trump's modeling agency, T Management.^[22] Hilton stated that while she "wanted to model," Trumb was wishing for have her at his agency, and after she signed she was "loving" the work.^[22] Hilton has also worked with Ford Models in New York, Models 1 Agency in London, Nous Model Management in Los Angeles, and Premier Model Management in London. She has appeared in numerous advertising campaigns, including Iceberg Vodka, GUESS, Tommy Hilfiger, Christian Dior, and Marciano. In 2001, Hilton began to develop a reputation as a socialite, being identified as "New York's leading It Girl" whose fame was beginning to "extend beyond the New York tabloids".^[22] She has appeared in several magazines, including Elle, the April 2004 issue of Maxim^[23] and the October 2005 cover of Stuff.

Hilton started to act by doing cameo appearances in films such as Zoolander (2001). However the next year, 2002, she was one of the leads in the straight-to-video horror movie Nine Lives. The film did well in sales. Beyondhollywood.com felt that "Hilton’s presence in the cast is the film’s main marketing point, which is plainly obvious by the fact that she’s front and center on the box art and is the only recognizable name in the cast" and also noted that her character was basically herself: "Hilton plays — what else? — a spoiled American socialite who shops on three continents in one day. The script is even clever enough to take a few jabs at Hilton’s real-life social standing, even mentioning that she’s been on the cover of a few sleaze rags in her day".^[24]

2003–2005: Career breakthough[link]

Hilton's breakout role came in 2003, when she co-starred with socialite counterpart Nicole Richie in the Fox reality series The Simple Life, which premiered on December 2, 2003, shortly after Hilton's sex tape was released.^[25] The show started airing to surprisingly well received ratings; the premiere episode drew 13,000,000 viewers, increasing Fox's Adults 18-49 rating a phenomenal 79%.^[3] "everyone likes it because it's for all ages. People from the city will be like, 'Oh my God, I cannot believe you did that,' and people from the country think it's funny because they do it every day",^[26] Hilton said about the reason why the show was successful. Some entertainment writers felt the overnight success of Hilton was spawned by the whole tape controversy. Entertainment Weekly commented: "I dare say the Paris Hilton-Rick Salomon tape received more print and television coverage in a week than the run-up to The Simple Life received in the months since its premiere was announced. We in the media have become Paris-ites".^[27] People magazine wrote that the show "no doubt was helped by the very public saga of a pirated three-year-old video tape, which recently made the rounds on the Internet showing Hilton engaged in various sex acts with ex-boyfriend Rick Salomon".^[25] At that time, she started to be recognizable for her onscreen dumb blonde persona in reality television. According to UK's Now magazine, in a 2009 interview she said that "For five seasons I was stuck doing this character. It was kind of hard always having to play that character when it's not who I am".^[28] In a January 2011 interview with Movieline, she remarked: "In The Simple Life, producers told me to play a dumb blonde and that's what I did. I didn't realize at the time that I'd have to do that for five seasons and keep up this character of me. I think people assume that that is how I am in real life but I'm actually quite a businesswoman".^[29]

Hilton launched a lifestyle brand in 2004. She helped design a collection of purses for Japanese label Samantha Thavasa. The 10-piece line collection, a jewelry line designed by Hilton, started being on sale on Amazon.com.^[30] "I grew up surrounded by the finest fashion and jewelry designs, and I really wanted to create a line that was beautiful and very high quality, yet affordable and available to everyone," Hilton stated. "This jewelry is for the heiress in everyone."^[31] The line was described as "inspired by Hilton's personal style – feminine, flirtatious and glamorous – with heart, star and cross motifs."^[31] She was involved in the creation of a perfume line by Parlux Fragrances. Originally set to be a small release, high demand led to a wider release before December 2004. The launch was followed by a 47% increase in sales of Parlux products, predominantly due to sales of the Hilton-branded perfume.^[32] After the success of Hilton's perfume, Parlux Fragrances released several more perfumes with her name, including fragrances for men.^[33]

In the autumn of 2004, Hilton released an autobiographical book, Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose,^[34] co-written by Merle Ginsberg, which includes full color photographs of her and her advice on life as an heiress. She mentioned in the book she was looking for a simpler life: "I don't always want the glamorous, jet-set life," she wrote. "Someday soon, I want to have children and a big house with a lot of animals – like my parents had".^[35] Hilton reportedly received a $100,000 advance payment for this book. Some in the media panned the writing as amateurish, and the book was parodied by Robert Mundell on The Late Show with David Letterman. The book was in the New York Times bestseller list, ranking at seven.^[36] The quote "Dress cute wherever you go; life is too short to blend in", which appeared in the book was added to The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations in September 2009.^[37] Hilton followed her book up with a designer diary, also with Ginsberg, called Your Heiress Diary: Confess It All to Me in 2005 and also in that year, she released her second fragrance Just Me.

Hilton at a press conference for GoYellow.de in Munich, on May 20, 2005.

After Hilton hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guest Keane in February 2005,^[38] she got her first major role in the horror thriller film House of Wax, in which Elisha Cuthbert and Chad Michael Murray also starred.^[39] The movie, after being first screened at the Tribeca Film Festival,^[40] opened in May 2005, receiving mixed reviews.^[41] She described how her character was like: "I think Paige is like a small town girl. She's sort of like me, but not really. She was more shy, more insecure, and she, like, cared so much about this guy, and she thought like she was, like, scared he wasn't going to marry her and things like that."^[42] Matthew Turner for the View London said that Hilton "does better than you might expect".^[43] Also, MTV felt that she gave a good enough performance: "Paris Hilton is actually pretty good — she seems natural, at ease. She can be sweet and appealing, she can be sexy (no stretch), and she can be a good sport, too.^[44] Her role as Paige Edwards won the Teen Choice Award for "Best Scream" and earned her a nomination for "Choice Breakout Performance  – Female".^[45] (It also won her the 2005 Razzie for "Worst Supporting Actress" at the 2005 Golden Raspberry Awards.)^[46] She also earned a nomination for "Best Frightened Performance" at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards. House of Wax grossed over $70,000,000.^[47]

The Simple Life, which ran for three seasons on FOX, was cancelled after a dispute between Hilton and Richie in 2005. Hilton commented: "It's no big secret that Nicole and I are no longer friends. Nicole knows what she did, and that's all I'm ever going to say about it."^[48] Neither Richie nor Hilton spoke publicly about the cause of the split, though it was speculated that the pair fell out due to Nicole showing one of Paris' homemade sex tapes to a group of their friends. They relinked their friendship in October 2006.

2006–2008: Focus on music and film[link]

After Hilton founded Heiress Records, a sub-label of Warner Bros. Records, in 2004, she released her self-titled debut album, Paris, under the label on August 22, 2006. Although the album reached number six on the Billboard 200 for a week, its total sales volume has been low^[49] – but the first single "Stars Are Blind" was a top ten hit in 17 countries. "I have always had a voice and always known I could sing, but I was too shy to let it come out. I think that is the hardest thing you can do, to sing in front of people. When I finally let go and did it, I realized it is what I am most talented at and what I love to do the most," she said in an interview, expressing her passion for music.^[50] Allmusic commented that the album was "more fun than anything released by Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson, and a lot fresher, too." Billboard magazine described it as "an enjoyable pop romp". As a whole, critical reception was mixed.^[51][52]

The straight-to-DVD motion picture Bottoms Up was released in late 2006. The film came out with negative reviews; Australia's Urban Cinefile remarked that Hilton, as the lead role, "spends most of her screen time flicking her hair as she delivers lines like 'books are those things you read'".^[53] In December 2006, Pledge This!, film in which Hilton appeared and produced, premiered in a limited release before going directly to video. She missed the premiere of the movie at the Cannes Film Festival in protest to the addition of some nude scenes that were going to be included in the film. Hilton said, "I was so angry I snubbed my own premiere."^[54] In August 2008, Worldwide Entertainment Group Inc. sued Hilton in the Miami District Court, alleging she did not honor her contractual agreement to provide "reasonable promotion and publicity" for the film.^[55] It was reported she was paid $1,000,000 for her work.

Ater The Simple Life was cancelled by FOX in 2005, it was subsequently aired by E! Entertainment Television for the fourth and fifth seasons. There were some complications to shoot the fifth season because of the arrests of both Hilton and co-star Richie in 2006. Despite talks of a sixth season,^[56] the series finished its run at the end of the fifth season in 2007.^[57] The show brought high ratings for the network. In that year, Hilton modeled for 2 be free^[58] and her fourth perfume came out, called Can Can.

Hilton at the Scream Awards on October 19, 2007, Los Angeles, CA.

In January 2007, Hilton released the DreamCatchers line of hair extensions in partnership with Hair Tech International.^[59] In early August 2007, Hilton signed a licensing agreement with Antebi for a signature footwear line, "Paris Hilton Footwear", featuring stilettos, platforms, flats, wedges, and a sports collection, expected to reach stores in 2008.^[60] In mid August 2007, Hilton launched a line of tops, dresses, coats, and jeans at the Kitson Boutique in Los Angeles.^[61] She felt the event was "a dream come true" and described the clothing line as " fun, bright and flashy".^[62]

In December 2007, Hilton posed nude, covered in gold paint, to promote "Rich Prosecco", a canned version of an Italian sparkling wine.^[63][64] She also traveled to Germany to promote the drink, appearing in various print ads for the product.^[65] Hilton's love for dogs led her to create an apparel line for dogs called Little Lily by Paris Hilton, with some of the proceeds going to benefit animal rescue. "I have 17 dogs and I like to dress them, so I started designing this clothing line and it's really cute, like dresses and jeans — everything you can imagine for humans, but for dogs," she said in an interview during Super Bowl XLII festivities.^[66]

In April 2008, she guest starred on the My Name is Earl episode "I Won't Die with a Little Help from My Friends".^[67] On August 6, 2008, Hilton appeared in a one minute fifty second long video online, Paris Hilton Responds to McCain Ad, directed by Adam McKay and posted on the Funny or Die website. The video featured Hilton in a parody advertisement, and was made in response to a television campaign advert Celeb, by the 2008 John McCain presidential campaign. In Celeb, McCain briefly compared his rival Barack Obama to that of celebrities such as Hilton and Britney Spears, going on to question his readiness to lead and criticize his energy policy. In what The Washington Post opined "might just be her best acting role yet,"^[68] Hilton appears in the video wearing a leopard print swimsuit.^[69] The video received seven million views in two days garnering worldwide press coverage, and drew both written and verbal media response from both campaigns. Continuing the spoof campaign, in October Hilton featured in a second parody video posted on Funny or Die, the two minute twenty second long Paris Hilton Gets Presidential with Martin Sheen, alongside Hollywood actor Martin Sheen, with his son, actor Charlie Sheen, appearing in a cameo role. Hilton, heavily made up and in a green evening dress, interviews Martin Sheen in a kitchen, discussing various political issues, seeking his advice from his days playing a fictional President on The West Wing.^[70]

Hilton at the MTV Video Music Award on September 7, 2008.

A the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, it was screened a documentary about Hilton called Paris, Not France.^[71] "I think there's a lot of misconceptions in the media. This movie is very personal. It's kind of like a diary", she said about the motion picture.^[72] Hilton admitted that when she talked with the movie director Adria Petty, she "broke it down to her and talked about things that have never been spoken about before, and people will learn a lot from that".^[72] It is shown in the documentary how she felt about the way the media had portrayed her: "I'm basically being judged, and they're creating this false person, and I can't do anything about it".^[73] Petty, during the premiere at the festival remarked that Hilton has "created a mystery about herself that a film like this maybe wouldn't have been a great thing for her in the past. But now, she's been so saturated in the media. We're so used to her. To see a new side of her is so exciting".^[73] Later, in 2009, the film was aired in July for MTV.^[74][75]

Hilton starred in an MTV reality series titled Paris Hilton's My New BFF, about her search for a new best friend.^[76] The series premiered on September 30, 2008.^[77] That day, Hilton released her song "My BFF" on KIIS-FM with host Ryan Seacrest.^[78][79] It was the theme song for the BFF show .^[79] The series proved to be a hit, by being watched in its premiere episode by 1,200,000 viewers and averaged a 1.6 rating among spectators 12-34 in its Tuesday 10 p.m slot, topping all other cable shows in the hour.^[80]

Hilton played the character of Amber Sweet, the surgery- and painkiller-addicted daughter of a biotech magnate in the goth/rock musical with a cult film following, Repo! The Genetic Opera. Bloody Disgusting noted that Hilton "is QUITE good in her role, both acting and singing (all of the primary characters sing their own songs). I usually can’t stand her in anything, but she won me over here".^[81] Horror.com said: " Not only is this by far Hilton's best role, she's actually got a grain of gravitas in the end".^[82] She remarked that "Just getting a role like this offered to me was new to me because I always get offered a certain role just basically playing myself".^[83] The film, first screened at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con International, received a limited release in the United States and Canada on November 7, 2008.^[84] Around that time, Hilton released her fifth fragrance for women called, Fairy Dust.^[85]

2009–2011: Worldwide TV career[link]

Hilton and then boyfriend Doug Reinhard at the 66th Venice Film Festival, 2009.

As a result of the American version success, on January 29, 2009, Paris Hilton's British Best Friend, a spin-off, began airing on ITV2 in England. She began to film the show in October 2008. She said that she would not leave London until she could "find that amazing girl or guy who can meet the challenges of being" her "British bestie".^[86] She also felt that her friend had to be "hot", "can keep up" with her – it had to be somebody who "is real and won't be a backstabber".^[87] The show did quite well; it was watched by 428,000 viewers in its first episode^[88] and brought 605,000 viewers for its finale.^[89] The second season of Paris Hilton's My New BFF premiered on June 2, 2009. In that same month, Hilton shot Paris Hilton's Dubai BFF^[90] (which, after some complication, it was aired in 2011). Runner-up of the British series Kat McKenzie died on July 3, 2009, of a suspected overdose.^[91] Hilton guest-starred in the fifth episode of Supernatural's fifth season. "Paris Hilton is playing a demonic creature that takes the form of ... Paris Hilton," creator and executive producer Eric Kripke said in a statement. "It'll be a fun, irreverent episode and we here at Supernatural are thrilled that Paris agreed to do it."^[92] In July 2009, her sixth fragrance for women Siren was launched.^[93]

In February 2010, Hilton participated in an advertising campaign for the launch of the Brazilian beer Devassa Bem Loura, whose slogan in English roughly translates to "very blonde bitch".^[94] As part of the campaign, Hilton joined the brewery's float in the carnival of Rio de Janeiro.^[95] Despite the buzz caused by Hilton in Rio de Janeiro, Devassa beer had captured just 0.2% of the market at the end of 2010.^[96] Hilton launched her 10th fragrance, Tease inspired by Marilyn Monroe in August 2010.^[97]

Hilton provided her voice for the character of Bella in the ABC made-for-television film The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation (it is her first voice-over role). She said of the film: "I just think it's a really cute film" and that "I love animal movies, I love Christmas movies, and also, my grandmother, who passed away a couple of years ago from breast cancer, actually had a standard poodle and her name was Paris. So when I'm watching this, it's kind of like watching grandma's dog. It's kind of like a sign to me."^[98] The film aired on November 28, 2010^[98] and attracted good ratings with 2.611 million viewers.^[99] In December 2010 Hilton launched her own motorcycle team.^[100] "I can't believe I have my own racing team! So cool! :)" Hilton wrote on her Twitter while at the launch. The team, whose colors are pink, white and blue, will compete in the MotoGP 125cc category from 2011-2013.^[101]

Hilton at her birthday party at LAVO nightclub on February 17, 2011.

Later that year, Oxygen Channel gave the go-ahead to a new reality show called The World According to Paris. The show followed Hilton in her daily life,^[102] and premiered in June 1, 2011 to 409,000 viewers. Although being the highest Wednesday premiere for a show,^[103] it was considered a bomb and that led the media to surmise Hilton had became irrelevant and even during an interview with ABC News' Dan Harris, she walked out after being asked if she was worried about her moment having past.^[104] The New York Times wrote that Hilton "is an attractive woman with proven talent for marketing and self-promotion, though as a reality heroine she seems a little passé — a Sony Walkman in an iPod era, a Friendster in the age of Facebook or, to put it in context, a single-process blonde in a triple-process world", and also remarked that she "appears to have plenty of boyfriends, present and ex. Paparazzi still snap her picture. But it’s hard to see how she can recapture the kind of audience she enjoyed in her heyday — even by streaming her premiere live on Facebook".^[105]

She also modeled for Brazil fashion week in 2010 and 2011 In São Paulo, Brazil.^[106] In 2011, it was launched a new collection of fragrances called the Passport collection. The perfumes are inspired by popular cities such as Paris, France; South Beach, Florida; and Tokyo, Japan,^[107] she was named "Billion Dollar Entrepreneur" by Variety magazine and was featured on the cover^[108][109] and opened up her third store in the Philippines.^[110] Also in that year, a Paris Hilton brand store was opened in India with plans to open 8 more stores.^[111] She also modeled during Ukraine Fashion week 2011 for designer Andre Tan.^[112]

2012–present: Upcoming projects[link]

In September 2011, at the Sun City music festival, Afrojack previewed Good Time, an unfinished demo with Hilton's vocals.^[113] In the same month, DJ Antoine revealed that he had met with Hilton twice to discuss collaborating on her upcoming album.^[114] In October, Manufactured Superstars revealed that their next single would be "Drunk Text", which stars Hilton in the music video.^[115] The video was leaked on February 23, 2012, and there were many speculations from media outlets, stating that the single was going to be part of Hilton's upcoming album. Later, her spokesperson said that "we can confirm that the video leaked today is not part of Paris Hilton’s new album. This video was recorded over a year ago. The first single will be out in a few months, we will let everyone know when it’s due for release."^[116]

In January 2012, at the 69th Golden Globe Awards After Party, she stated she was going to appear in Darren Lynn Bousman's horror film Devil's Carnival, remarking that the film was a musical. In an interview with the director, he admitted that although considering Hilton for a role in the film, he felt that "there just wasn't anything in there that was perfect for her". He told, however, he will work with Hilton in the future.^[117] In March 2012, it was reported that she will appear as herself in Sofia Coppola's The Bling Ring, a film about a group of teenagers who robbed the houses of celebrities such as Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Orlando Bloom between 2008 and 2009,^[118] is scheduled to be released in 2013. In February 2012, she launched a new line of sunglesses in Shanghai.^[119] The launch was a "huge success", she said.^[120]

In the January 2012 issue of FHM magazine, Hilton gave an update about her second studio album, stating: "I've been working on the album with lots of other top DJs for a while now and I think people will be really surprised. It's very modern and very catchy; perfect party music".^[121] She has since told MTV News "I was just in the studio with RedFoo the other night, so we're going to be doing my new single with LMFAO," and continued to say "I'm going with a whole new genre. I have Afrojack executive-producing the entire album. So we've just been coming up with the most incredible tracks."^[122] She also stated that she is working with Snoop Dogg^[123] and Flo Rida.^[124] It was announced in early May that the single, which is called "After Midnight", will premiere on June 5.^[125] She also made headlines after reporting she will have her debut as a DJ at the Pop Music Festival in Brazi on June 23.^[126] Afrojack praised Hilton during an interview with Castanet, reported the New York Post.^[127] While discussing about working with her in the upcoming album, he said: "The thing is with her… she’s like one of the most talented performers I know. She may not be a Celine Dion, but she knows how to perform on stage. She knows how to sing, believe it or not".^[127] Also, he commented that "In the studio with her for the first time, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But the girl can sing. And she loves the dance music so we made some nice music. And it was fun".^[128]

She said she will be opening a beach club in 2012: "The first one is opening in the Philippines soon. It's going to have nightclubs, restaurants, bars, gyms. Everything really".^[129] It has been reported that her fragrances have grossed over $1.4 billion in revenue since 2005.^[130] As of March 2012, there are 55 Paris Hilton Stores worldwide,^[120] and her signature brand includes 17 different products lines such as t-shirts, shoes, fragrances, handbags and watches.^[131]

Celebrity status[link]

Hilton promoting her cell-phone video game Jewel Jam.

She denied proclaiming herself as the "iconic blonde of the decade" such as Diana, Princess of Wales, and Marilyn Monroe in the May 2007 issue of Harper's Bazaar.^[132] She appeared in the 2007 Guinness World Records as the world's "Most Overrated Celebrity".^[133][134] In a poll conducted by the Associated Press and AOL, Hilton was voted the second "Worst Celebrity Role Model of 2006", behind Britney Spears.^[135] Hilton has often appeared in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women poll, ranking at number thirty four in 2006, twenty three in 2005 and fifity nine in 2004.^[136] She was named one of the "100 Hottest Women of All-Time" by Men's Health.^[5]

Critics suggest that Hilton epitomizes the title of famous for being famous;^[6] since her beginnings in the industry, she has attracted massive media attention for her controversial lifestyle, her arrests, her high profiled relationships and her party girl image. Back in the day, when her reality show The Simple Life was broadcast, she was a daily fixture in tabloids and there was a point where New York Daily News gossip columnist Lloyd Grove banned her from his page and the Associated Press conducted what they called an experiment in February 2007, trying not to report on Hilton for a whole week.^[137] According to a 2011 poll conducted by Ipsos, Hilton is the most unpopular celebrity among Americans, with 60% of the responders having an unfavorable opinion on her.^[138] In 2012, she ranked at number five in the "Most Over-exposed" list by Forbes.^[139]

Charity[link]

She has also helped with some humanitarian organizations. In June 2008, she donated money to the construction of a medical building at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. She stated that "The children I have met through my involvement with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles have truly touched my heart. I am proud to make a donation and lend my name to the fundraising effort to help children who are facing terribly serious illnesses. The fabulous new hospital facilities at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles will provide a caring, healing environment for children and their families for many years to come."^[140] In 2010, Hilton was named as ambassador for a new initiative from the USO that aims to give a MP3 player to all US active service troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.^[141]

She received the Heart of Gold Award by the Starlight Children's Foundation for her philanthropy efforts on March 26, 2011. After the ceremony, she wrote through Twitter that "These families and their children go through so much and my heart and prayers are with them. It's such an amazing feeling to give back and make a difference in someone's life. I am so honoured to be a part of such an amazing cause."^[142] She participated, alongside Fergie and husband Josh Duhamel, in the run that raised money for the people affected by the Japan Earthquake.^[143] Recently, she got involved with My Hope for Children.^[144]

Personal life[link]

Hilton loves small dogs, and lives with a Yorkshire Terrier and a female Chihuahua named Tinkerbell among many other pets. Hilton is frequently seen carrying Tinkerbell (dubbed an "accessory dog") at social events and functions, and in all five seasons of television reality show The Simple Life. In 2004, Tinkerbell "authored" a memoir, The Tinkerbell Hilton Diaries. On August 12, 2004, Tinkerbell went missing after Hilton's apartment was burgled, and a $5,000 reward was offered for her safe return.^[145] She was found six days later. By December 1, 2004, Tinkerbell was again spotted with Hilton at various events. Hilton has also purchased a male Chihuahua on July 25, 2007, from Pets of Bel Air in Los Angeles.^[146] Hilton's love for her dogs led to the rumor that she wanted to be frozen with them at the Cryonics Institute,^[147] but Hilton denied the rumor on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.^[148]

On January 22, 2007, Hilton's private life was thrust into the media spotlight with the launch of ParisExposed.com, a website that features images of personal documents, video, and other material allegedly obtained when the contents of a storage locker rented by Hilton was auctioned off due to lack of a $208 payment.^[149] The website began charging online access to this material and received 1.2 million visitors in just over 40 hours.^[150] Among the contents were medications, diaries, photographs, contracts and love letters, as well as a video of her shot by Joe Francis of Girls Gone Wild.^[151] On February 3, 2007, Hilton obtained a temporary injunction against ParisExposed.com, closing down the website.^[152] On February 5, 2007, CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 discussed footage obtained from the ParisExposed.com website which features Hilton using the ethnic slurs "niggers", "chink", "Jappy" and the derogatory term "faggot".^[153]

Relationships[link]

Current boyfriend Afrojack (left) and Hilton at Café Mambo, Ibiza 2011.

Hilton was engaged to fashion model Jason Shaw from mid-2002 to early 2003. In 2003–2004 she had a relationship with singer Nick Carter. Later she was engaged to Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis, from May 29, 2005, to November 2005. Thereafter, she began dating another Greek shipping heir, Stavros Niarchos III, before breaking up in May 2006. In early 2008, she was spotted with Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden and in May, Hilton announced her intention to marry Madden during an interview with television talk-show host David Letterman.^[154][155] The two broke up in November 2008, and "remain very good friends".^[156][157] She began dating The Hills star Doug Reinhardt in February 2009;^[158] Hilton has also referred to her intention to marry Reinhardt, saying "He's gonna be my husband."^[159] The couple broke up in June 2009, only to get back together again in August of the same year. On April 13, 2010, Hilton reportedly split from Reinhardt because she was worried he was just using her to further his career.^[160] Shortly after splitting from Reinhardt, Hilton started dating Cy Waits, entrepreneur and co-owner of Tryst Nightclub and XS Nightclub in Las Vegas.^[161] Hilton expressed that she would like to marry Cy, stating: "“I can see myself marrying him. We are so happy!”.^[162] In late June 2011, Hilton revealed that the couple had split up and remained close friends.^[163]