Hey Paris, the party is over

SO-CALLED celebutante Paris Hilton is counting down the hours -- and planning a glamour makeover -- before beginning her simple life behind bars.

Hilton, 26, has until one minute to midnight on Tuesday (Los Angeles time) to report to the Century Regional Detention Facility in LA.

Stepping out of her designer duds and into a jail-issue jumpsuit will mark the end of the party for Hollywood's most famous member of the partygirl brat pack.

It also heralds the start of another lucrative stretch for the heiress socialite wsiho has created her fame and boosted her fortune by doing mostly nothing.

She will pen her jail-time memoirs during the minimum 23 days she will be imprisoned for violating probation when she drove while her licence was suspended.

And the inmate-to-be plans to turn the "perp" walk -- from her limousine to the county jail gates -- into a catwalk, according to New York reports. They say she insists the media see her looking her best before her extended leave from the limelight.

As the clock ticked away relentlessly -- and she was said to "break down and cry a lot" at the prospect of incarceration -- the star of reality wannabe show The Simple Life found time to make a red carpet appearance on Friday with little sister Nicky.

Nicky found time to tell reporters she thought Paris's jail punishment "was pretty absurd".

While Paris Hilton is said to be fretting -- and "preparing and praying" and being photographed toting copies of the Bible and The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment -- she has been living it up with drunk driver Lindsay Lohan, the actress who is hooked on Oxycontin, also called Hillbilly Heroin.

But Lohan can't play for a while either; she checked into a rehabilitation clinic this week.

People magazine reported Hilton also had sought support on the shoulder of Simple Life co-star Nicole Richie -- a brat pack pal facing charges of driving under the influence of marijuana and a cocktail of prescription medication.

Hilton reportedly has been matched with a cellmate who is serving time for reckless driving -- and who prison authorities believe won't want to "cash in" on the Hilton-as-a-jailbird saga.
When it's all over, Hilton will be off to St Tropez to party as the face of a canned sparkling wine -- as if it were all just a bad dream.

Is this simply a case of a bunch of spoiled brats behaving badly?
Almost every day, the wild antics of Lohan, the Hiltons (mostly Paris), Richie, Britney Spears and Mischa Barton make headlines that cement their reputations as the hardest-partying celebrities in Tinseltown.

Lohan's rehab check-in is the second in four months. Hilton grew up shielded by the real world and swaddled in privilege. So did Beverly Hills brat Richie, daughter of 1980s pop star Lionel Richie. And Barton's career has nosedived since TV's The OC -- she fell, dead drunk, at an afternoon barbecue only days after being seen at Cannes smoking marijuana.

With their massive bank balances, jetset lifestyles and hitherto seemingly unlimited career prospects, the question begs to be asked -- why do they do it?

Many factors appear to have affected Lohan, who seems the most troubled.

She spent most of her adolescence in the glare of the spotlight after rocketing to fame at 11 in Disney's The Parent Trap and has had little chance to experience life outside showbiz.

Her remarkable transition from adorable child star to out-of-control party girl follows a childhood that saw her father jailed for securities fraud in her pre-teen years. Then, after her parents' acrimonious divorce, Lohan was effectively the family bread-winner.

For Hilton, privilege, wealth and fame appear an intoxicating insulator from the rules and consequences of the real world.

The hotel heiress was genuinely shocked at a Los Angeles courthouse when a judge sentenced her to jail -- thinking the consequences for flagrantly ignoring probation conditions did not apply to her.

After Lohan's arrest and admittance to rehab, many Hollywood watchers have suggested the anti-social behaviour of Tinseltown's newly-minted glitterati has its roots in the LA party scene's willingness to turn a blind eye to the often-illegal antics of young stars.

The opportunity for stars to party hard at trendy clubs and bars -- often drinking, despite being under age, for free due to the cachet their attendance brings a venue -- is one of the worst-kept secrets in Hollywood.

Doormen at Hollywood hot spots have been lifting the velvet rope for teen stars for years.
Two decades ago, Drew Barrymore became tabloid fodder after being spotted drinking at Hollywood clubs when she was 13 and 14.

These days, there is no hiding the illicit behavior -- thanks to Hollywood's aggressive paparazzi.
Johnny Grant, longtime Hollywood showman, Tinseltown's unofficial mayor and who has seen many star antics, is shocked by the partying and law-breaking of the current young brigade.

"They're out of hand," Grant, 84, says. "They used to be much more discreet -- studios used to control their images."

But he says there is hope -- if they follow the example of Hollywood's most famous former young addict.

"Maybe these young people should have a talk with Drew Barrymore," Grant says. "She was very public with her drinking and straightened herself out to become a star."