Paris vs. Jerry? Fans are oblivious (Sept. 7)
By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune
Two celebrities who were in Las Vegas were in the news lately, and I think a comparison of them might teach us a lesson or two.
One of them is Paris Hilton, the heiress to the hotel fortune who was tossed into the Las Vegas clink Aug. 27 for cocaine possession. Of course, she got out three hours later, because the jailers didn’t want her around, with all the news
photographers and other onlookers who were crowding and wanting to know what was going on. She was in Las Vegas to party, which is basically all she does, although she does claim to be a business woman, too.
The other celebrity is Jerry Lewis, who also was in Las Vegas, helping raise some $58 million to fight muscular dystrophy.
Let’s see now. Paris Hilton gets drunk, her boyfriend gets pulled over, a search finds cocaine on her and she spends three hours in jail.
Jerry Lewis stands before a national television audience for hours, as he has done for years, pleading for Americans to open their hearts and wallets to fight a crippling disease that still baffles doctors.
On a scale of 1 to 10, with one being practically useless and 10 being a hero, how would you rate Paris and Jerry.
Personally, I’d rate Paris a 1 and Jerry a 10.
Back when Paris’s great-grandfather, Conrad Hilton, was alive, working to build the chain of hotels that made his granddaughter rich, Jerry Lewis, who is 84, was making millions of people laugh through his movies and television shows. During his prime, he was one of the most popular performers on the planet. The French, for example, enjoyed his comedy so much they conferred national honors on him.
Paris, who would like to be known as an actress, but has had little luck at it, has been photographed for magazine ads and television commercials.
Let’s see: For professional accomplishments, I’d rate Paris a 2 and Jerry another 10.
That totals Paris Hilton 3, Jerry Lewis 20.
But which of the two is the focus of the news? Which one do most folks care about? Well, Paris, of course. Go figure.
