We’ll call this a solid rumor. Insiders at ABC’s The View have hinted that Whoopi Goldberg will replace Rosie O’Donnell on the daytime blabber-fest. Other hopefuls included Kathy Griffin, Rosanne Barr, Ricki Lake and Gayle King.

Whoopi reportedly got the inside track based on her experience and the fact that she’s a New Yorker. The producers must be hoping that Whoopi will serve as a toned-down version of Rosie (who has a tendency to step on some toes).

Hopefully, the show won’t get too bland, though. As funny as Whoopi is, some of the best moments on The View come when the hosts are at each other’s throats. Maybe she’ll slap Barbara Walters if the ratings sag. Then even I’d watch the show.

It took jail time for Paris Hilton to learn that stupidity gets her nowhere. ‘The Simple Life’ star spoke with Barbara Walters by phone on Sunday, releasing a statement that the media should pay more attention to “more important things” than her 45 days jail sentence, according to ABC news site

"I used to act dumb. … That act is no longer cute," Hilton said over the phone to Walters. Hilton used the excuse that she had an unknown medical condition, while serving three days in the joint. Although a sheriff set her free and let serve out rest of her sentence at home, the judge sent her back on Friday.

Hilton also told Walters that her jailhouse experience has changed her. “Now, I would like to make a difference. … God has given me this new chance."

Yes, God give us all a chance, including you Paris. Now this is your chance to use that thing inside your head which called a brain, much more often.

The meds appear to be working. Paris Hilton says she’s done playing dumb.

That leaves us trying to imagine the world as it will be if Hilton gets out of jail, drops the silly socialite act, and does all the things the voices in her head have been telling her to.

ABC News is reporting that Hilton and Walters had an eventful phone call.

"I’m not the same person I was," she said. "I used to act dumb. It was an act. I am 26 years old, and that act is no longer cute. It is not who I am, nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who looked up to me. I know now that I can make a difference, that I have the power to do that. I have been thinking that I want to do different things when I am out of here. I have become much more spiritual. God has given me this new chance."

She has had a person whom she described as a spiritual adviser who said, "My spirit or soul did not like the way I was being seen and that is why I was sent to jail."

"God," she said, "has released me."

That’s quite a turnaround after a mere week in (and out of) jail.  Maybe the mental ward is helping.  The psychotropic drugs she’s reportedly on probably don’t hurt.

Read more…

As Paris adjusts to life behind bars, possibly learning the fine arts of check kiting, identity theft and selling oregano as marijuana, her brother recovers from the trauma of almost being robbed at knifepoint by a common criminal.

Page Six reports that a couple of nightclub security guards swooped in and saved the day, assuring that nobody was hurt and the attackers didn’t get any money.

Good thing!  With his sister’s new jailhouse connections, any harm to baby bro might have led to some ugly street justice being ordered from the Century Regional Detention Facility.

Instead, we’ll soon see her blandly tell of the incredible agony she suffered, unable to comfort young Barron Hilton as she happened to be unjustly incarcerated at the time. 

Haven’t you heard? Hilton has already scheduled a post-prison interview with Barbara Walters. Be sure to program your TiVo!

Update Apparently Hilton finds the slammer to be cold and scary, but the people are really friendly. (TMZ)

Read more about Barron’s close call…

Barbara Walters asked Avril Lavigne if she regretted not going to college, then Avril says proudly she’s a high school drop out. Barbara tells Avril she could still go back to school, and Avril says "Um Yeah no that’s okay." There are a lot of smart people that didn’t finish school, and built incredible businesses because they were smart. Avril, well she’s just a stupid punk. She needs an education.