Perez Hilton (sniff) apologizes (sorta)

Well, readers: it looks like there’s been yet another development in the ick-inducing story that refuses to go away. I’m referring to the ongoing drama surrounding gossip blogger Perez Hilton, who has been quite the busy bee after his brief appearance as a presenter at the MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto this past Sunday.

For the two or three of you who haven’t heard, Hilton exchanged some nasty words with Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am at a late-night shindig following the MMVAs. After refusing to stop writing about the Black Eyed Peas on his website, Hilton then made matters a whole lot worse by addressing Will.i.am with a gay slur I don’t even feel comfortable repeating here. (Think British word for cigarette.)

Hours later, Hilton gave a sobbing statement on his site, claiming he’d been assaulted by a member of the BEP entourage, and though someone managed to capture much of the scuffle on camera phone, the images were too unclear to determine just who had clocked Perez. Peas manager Polo Molina finally turned himself in to police and was charged with assault, and on Wednesday, Hilton filed a lawsuit against Molina in which he alleged battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Naively assuming the prospect of winning $25,000 US in damages would finally silence the blogger, I was shocked to learn that late last night, Hilton posted a lengthy apology on his site. It even sounded heartfelt. He stated, “I am sorry. And I mean it. No one is forcing me to write this.” And later: “I am sorry that any good work I have done for promoting equality may be tainted by me reclaiming a hurtful word – that’s been personally used against me and the gay community – to hurt someone that was verbally attacking me. It was stupid.”

Try as I might not to be cynical, something about this apology doesn’t sit right with me. For one thing, the timing is odd, coming right on the heels of the lawsuit. And, more tellingly, Perez’s “incredible sadness and regret” arrives after three days of seriously bad press, in which no one, including those of you posting comments to this blog, expressed any sympathy for Hilton during his black-eyed drama.

It’s also of note that embedded deep in Perez's apology text is a snarky reference to GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation organization that publicly tsk-tsk-ed Hilton for using homophobic language in his tiff with Will.i.am. Maybe it’s just me, but when Hilton states, “I am NOT apologizing to GLAAD. I could care less about them, my former employers” he strikes me as someone far less repentant about, or accountable for, his recent use of hate speech than he would like to appear. His further remarks that he’s now reaching out to Isaiah Washington, an actor not exactly known to be friendly with friends of Dorothy, only makes his “sorry” seem all the more half-baked.

However, I’m pleased to report that one or two small positive developments have emerged from the dung-slinging in this recent hoopla. Hilton has promised to donate any money he collects from his lawsuit with Molina to the more-than-deserving Matthew Shepard Foundation. And if you visit Perez's site today, there is a refreshing lack of obscene drawings of cocaine or male genitalia on young starlet’s faces. Instead, a subdued Hilton is writing positive words for Farrah Fawcett's family: “Our thoughts are with them during this difficult time!”

What do you think of Perez's apology, readers?

--Lee Ferguson