Paris Hilton is no shmuck

So two-time Academy Award winner Sir Anthony Hopkins joins the long list of celebrities who have spoken up for or against socialite/reality TV star Paris Hilton? According to reports, the acting great made his sharp observation while shopping for his wife. Said Hopkins "We're living in a pretty strange time... they had this big plasma screen on with these women on the catwalk. I thought, 'God almighty, what have we become?' These girls - anorexic, walking like machines, no soul."

Hopkins, who stars in the movie The Wolfman, with Benecio del Toro, didn't pull any punches, though he ended his observation with an air of resignation: "You look at fashion magazines and you think, 'What are we living in?' You look at the red carpet, Paris Hilton, you know, these people and you think, 'Is there anything going on up there?' It's a mass enslavement and it's kind of fascism. And it's the androgyny of it; the androgyny of the human soul. I don't think people think any more. But maybe I'm just old."

No question about the "old part" but for those not exactly in their 40s or beyond, even in their 20s, who have had it up to their necks with the spate of inane reality TV shows churned out by the dozen, the antics of Paris Hilton on and off screen have been duplicated by the likes of those populating the latest TV boob hits like Jersey Shore (can't believe they actually have someone named "The Situation", though it sounds better than Snookie).

Then again, Hopkins's observation isn't anything new. It's just that there is a market for these types of entertainment and while critics may shudder in horror, that is the current reality on the ground. But whatever one says about Paris--frankly one of my favorite Paris moments is when she asks her sister Nicky what a "washing machine is like"--she's no dumb blonde.

She managed to parlay her sex video notoriety into a slew of reality TV shows and films (forgettable though it may be) and was gracious enough to accept whatever tirades come her way, from John McCain to even talk show host David Letterman. She had probably earned enough cash to last her two lifetimes--she even gets paid just to attend parties for God's sake.

So say what you want of Paris Hilton, like Madonna she isn't going away anytime soon. And Hopkins and the others critical of this millionaire socialite will have to learn to deal with it.