Talking with Paris Hilton

Apparently, the world runs on Paris Hilton time.The reality-show star/hotel heiress is scheduled to call six times for an interview about her new MTV series, "Paris Hilton's My New BFF," airing 10 p.m. EDT Tuesdays.Five times she simply doesn't make the call. The sixth time she phones two hours later than scheduled.She offers no explanations or apologies. She's simply Paris Hilton -- and maybe that's explanation enough.But even then, Hilton is not exactly living up to her media image. She's warmer than anticipated, polite and ready to clear up misconceptions about herself."People who know me or meet me understand me," she says, "but most people don't. They don't know I am a really good person with a big heart."They don't know I am very smart and work very hard. There is a lot more to me than what people give me credit for."After countless magazine covers, Internet analysis and even a short stint in jail, she's been pegged as everything from a Beverly Hills snob to a trendsetter and pop-culture icon.The general public doesn't understand the root of her celebrity. She runs several companies, has made 16 films, released a CD of dance music, modeled and done commercials and, of course, that sex tape that was leaked to the Internet. She's known for going to clubs and having her photo taken. Hilton also starred in the loosely scripted series "The Simple Life" for Fox and E!That series, which comically played off her pampered image, had her and pal Nicole Richie subjecting themselves to life in small-town America.On her MTV series, Hilton is looking for a new best friend, not that she needs one. She already has a rock-star boyfriend, Benji Madden of the band Good Charlotte, and much of the young jet set in Los Angeles is at her beck and call."BFF" was pitched to Hilton. She agreed to do it because she says it sounded fun, not that she was lonely."I wanted to meet people outside Hollywood," she says. "... Most celebrities are not the same when you meet them. I'm real. I don't care what other people think about me. I'll make fun of my image. I just want to make people laugh."The series is done with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Eighteen contestants -- 16 girls and two boys -- vie to be Hilton's new close friend.They compete in challenges and live together in the process. Each week, one or more of them are sent packing at Hilton's discretion. Look at this series as Hilton's version of "The Apprentice," with the payoff being a simply fabulous life instead of a job with Donald Trump.More than 300,000 applied to be her best friend, she says. The finalists had to undergo psychological testing before getting the OK to be cast."Some people didn't make it," she deadpans before lapsing into a slight giggle. "I was looking for someone who was fun, who I could trust, who could be honest with me."In exchange, that person gets the perks of being in the Hilton inner circle -- the parties, the paparazzi and the chance to be treated as a star just by being in her shadow.The show has already emerged as a hit for MTV.Perhaps the only truly authentic aspect of the whole experience is the bond Hilton has made with the winner. "We hang out," she insists, "but it's on the DL."Her search is not stopping. Hilton has been asked to do dozens of other versions of the show in various countries around the world.Being Hilton's best friend is now a global obsession."Every single country wants me to come there and find a BFF," she says. "I don't know how (the heck) I can fit this into my schedule. I guess I'll see how it all pans out. But wherever I go, I know I'm going to have fun."(E-mail Terry Morrow of The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee at morrow2(at)knews.com.)