Paris Hilton looks for a friend in Middle East
Paris Hilton poses at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles May 31, 2009.
Credit: Reuters/Fred Prouser
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Celebrity heiress Paris Hilton is bringing her reality show search for a new best friend to Dubai, where her hard-partying style will be reined in a notch to accommodate Middle East sensibilities, the production company behind the series said on Tuesday.
Production on the latest version of "Paris Hilton's My New BFF" will begin later this month in Dubai and take 17 days, Ish Entertainment said.
As in the U.S. and British versions of the program, the show will revolve around a group of contestants trying to win Hilton's affection and the title of her "best friend forever," or "BFF" to use text-messaging lingo.
"We're very aware we are not making the same show we would make in Los Angeles," said Ish co-founder Michael Hirschorn.
Despite the high alcohol content often found in similar reality shows, Hirschorn said that to respect the local mores of Dubai, alcohol may be nixed from the program.
He added that the idea for the show intrigued him.
"I was excited about the sheer, 'Oh my God, what's going to happen' factor," Hirschorn said.
Lions Gate Entertainment Corp will distribute the show internationally, and the program will likely air in Arab countries and possibly in the U.S. on cable channel MTV or on the TV Guide Network, which is owned by Lions Gate.
No air date has been set for the show starring Hilton, who has never before been to Dubai.
Hilton, 28, is the daughter of Rick and Kathy Hilton of the Hilton hotel family, and is a favorite of the paparazzi everywhere. Her show "Paris Hilton's My New BFF" began last year on MTV and was soon followed by a British version.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Jill Serjeant)
