Who wants to be Paris Hilton's new best friend?

By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Who wants to bask in the reflected glory of Paris Hilton?

That's the challenge the ubiquitous socialite is throwing out to 20 men and women who will compete in an MTV reality show to be her new "BFF" (best friend forever).

Hilton, 27, unveiled the series, with the working title "Paris Hilton's My New BFF," during a news conference at a luxury home high in the Hollywood Hills on Thursday.

Production on the 10-episode series is slated to begin in Los Angeles at the end of May, with an air date scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2008.

Wannabe members of Hilton's entourage must submit their details to a web site, www.parisbff.com, where online voters will decide their fate. The 20 finalists will move into a house with Hilton, and will learn from the master about "normal girl stuff," like fashion, parties and shopping.

The winner, joining a long list of trusty sidekicks such as Dr. Watson, Tonto and Karl Rove, will get "an all-access pass to the VIP section of the VIP section," according to a statement.

At least until the inevitable celebrity feud flares up, which Hilton joked would "probably" inspire a new reality series. She declined to detail how the winner would be chosen, and what exactly they would win.

What is she looking for in a best friend?

 

"Someone that I can just trust, someone who's not gonna stab me in the back like has happened a lot in this town, someone I can have fun with," said Hilton, who co-created the series with Michael Hirschorn and Stella Stolper, former executives at VH1, the cable channel sibling of MTV.

Of course, Hilton already has a BFF, Nicole Richie, her co-star in the reality series "The Simple Life." Hilton said Richie understands the potential dilution of her BFF status, and is busy with her new baby anyway.

Any male contestants hoping for a BFF-with-benefits arrangement are out of luck. Hilton already has a boyfriend, rocker Benji Madden -- the twin brother of Richie's partner -- and said there would be no hanky-panky on set even if Madden is out of the picture by then.

(Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)