I will be the first to admit that I am a daily checker of gossip blogs, as evidenced in this post. My day can’t start until I see what shenanigans Amy Winehouse is up to on whatever tropical island she’s on, or how Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson got into another fight. Celebrity/pop culture news is fascinating and most of the time, I have a love/hate relationship with it. While I love seeing photos of what my inner adolescent and fan girl likes (Robert Pattinson and Stephen Moyer I’m looking at you), I hate seeing celebrities glorified and/or also ripped to shreds.

This is why I do not visit Perez Hilton anymore. The site and its owner do not need an introduction here from me, as I’m sure everyone and their mother has heard of it. With a Pepto-Bismol pink background and kindergarten like lewd scribblings over celeb photos, Perez Hilton has certainly made a name (and a fortune) for himself with his dainty little blog.

Not only has he gotten the attention of the collective media and public, but he’s managed to become a psuedo-celebrity himself and occasionally posts photos of him and celebrities he encounters at all the soirees he’s been invited to.

While he has recently started to post entries entitled “A Worthwhile Cause” featuring charities and organizations that undoubtedly appreciate and benefit from the exposure, what turned me off from visiting every day to just about once a week is the fact that over the years, months and weeks, it began to represent a lot of things I was against.

While Perez Hilton is a big advocate of equal rights for the gay community, he carries a double standard when it comes to respect for others, having frequently picked on and ridiculed people such as Adam Sandler’s toddler daughter and Rumer Willis, daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore. And for what reason? Their looks.

Teen sensation Miley Cyrus is another victim. She frequently appears on the site, except instead of being referred to as “Miley,” Perez Hilton insists on calling her “Slutty” Cyrus.”A 15-Year-Old Slut Who Is NOT Miley Cyrus,” Hilton writes as a headline, while scribbling the words “Waiting for Rehab” on another photo of the teen.

As a man, even as a gay man, he probably doesn’t understand what that might do to a 15-year-old girl. Nor does he care.

I also don’t understand his thoughts about Amy Winehouse, especially since he was once semi-close to the singer. He now regularly blasts her on his website. Make no mistake, Perez Hilton does have an agenda, especially when it comes to his doppelganger in real life, Paris Hilton and new BFF singer Katy Perry. He only posts positive-slanted entries about them.

Either way, the commentary is mediocre at best. The fact of the matter is that in addition to be being unnecessarily mean, Perez Hilton is the definition of lazy journalism. Just two days ago, he reported that model Kate Moss was pregnant, only to retract the statement one day later. In his most famous incident in the summer of 2007, he announced the death of Cuban President Fidel Castro and went as far as to claim that the news was exclusive to his website. As we all know by now, no such event occurred.

I am by no means a big fan of celebrity journalism, but celebrity or not, there’s this thing called checking your facts and verifying information, two very important components of running a news outlet that he has no concept of.

Way back when, when I was still a semi-fan, I saw Hilton at a restaurant opening. With my best friend in tow, we decided to approach him and tell him that we loved reading his site. But then, we saw him fawning over himself in tow with two assistants and avoiding everyone in sight who wasn’t a celebrity. It was probably at that point that I realized the only thing Perez Hilton is interested in, is becoming a celebrity himself.

The fact still remains however, that it doesn’t matter what I think or what anyone else thinks, Perez Hilton has created a brand that he markets constantly and markets well. He’s had a television program, appeared on countless shows, magazines in newspapers and even has a book deal. I don’t know if the hype around him will last forever, but I know it’s not going to stop anytime soon.

Celebrity and Psuedo-Celebrity gossip sites that I recommend:

Dlisted – For the best commentary and on mainstream and off the wall news, read Michael K.

Oh No They Didn’t – The content is great, but the commentary is priceless. Are you having a bad day? Visit ONTD, because I guarantee you will leave amused.

Go Fug Yourself -I have never seen such beautifully written prose on the fashion mistakes of the rich and famous.