News

Paris Too Hot for India

Cable viewers in India are being denied the privilege of viewing Paris Hilton's "Stars Are Blind" video after it was classified as "adult viewing" by the country's Central Board of Film Certification. The classification is essentially a kiss of death exposure-wise, as the country's courts have prohibited all TV stations from airing that sort of material.

Hilton's record company handlers tried cleaning up the video before sending it to the censors, but even that didn't work. "In fact, we had edited the video and sent a fresh copy," said Narenda Kusnur, who handles international A&R for EMI Virgin India. "But they weren't happy with that."

But there may be an escape hatch. A shampoo company is sponsoring the release of Hilton's debut album in India, and they may be able to stream "Stars Are Blind" on a promotional website.

"To the best of our knowledge, there are no rules yet regarding censorship on the 'Net so we plan to use the online platform to generate buzz," said Kaveri Khullar, the marketing manager for EMI Virgin.

Back in the States, Hilton is in the midst of an apparently one-sided celebrity feud with Ricky Gervais, star and creator of BBC's The Office and HBO's Extras. When Gervais didn't grant Hilton's wish to appear on Extras, she responded by saying, "I guess he's obviously scared of starring alongside an A-lister." Past co-stars on the show have included such notorious B-listers as Ben Stiller, Kate Winslet and Samuel L. Jackson.

--The ARTISTdirect Staff
08.24.06