Hilton envisages her new ‘BFF’ in Dubai

Melanie Swan

• Last Updated: June 18. 2009 1:22AM UAE / June 17. 2009 9:22PM GMT

DUBAI // Paris Hilton launched filming for her new reality television show last night, saying it would be “totally different” from the previous series, in the US and Britain, in deference to the local culture.

The hotel heiress, reality show personality, television producer and businesswoman, 28, greeted a press conference at the InterContinental Hotel yesterday with “salamu alekum”, and immediately asked how to say her two trademarked catchphrases – “that’s hot” and “that’s huge” – in Arabic.

Ms Hilton said she had researched the Emirates’ rules and customs before arriving to film Paris Hilton’s My BFF, an acronym American girls use to denote “best friend forever”. She promised that her Middle East debut would offer none of the controversy associated with previous shows.

“I wanted to know everything about this place first because I wanted to make sure everything was OK,” she said yesterday. “I just want to respect everyone here.”

She admitted that unlike in London and the US, she would be “like a fish out of water”; she has never been to the region before despite travelling extensively.

“I expect to learn a lot here; it’s a completely different world,” she said.

The launch was opened by a catwalk show featuring the 22 female contestants, all vying to be Paris’s BFF. The Dubai-based MTV series is open to women only, unlike previous shows. Ms Hilton also promised to dress more conservatively in Dubai than she does in Los Angeles. “I love the way the women dress here,” she said. “It’s a lot more conservative and elegant than Hollywood. I’m excited about trying new fashion. The women here are so beautiful. I can learn a lot from these girls.”

Ms Hilton is scheduled to be in Dubai for 20 days, and plans to use her spare time to explore some of the most popular attractions.

A trip into the desert, camel riding, indoor skiing, getting a henna tattoo and splashing out some of her millions at local malls ranked highly on her “to do” list.

She said she hoped that filming the show in Dubai would show those people who have never visited what a “cool city” it is.

mswan@thenational.ae