Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton slims down and turns up the heat.

by Michelle McCarthy

Love him or hate him, Perez Hilton is the definition of a self-made man. In the span of merely four years, the 30-year-old Miami native, now living in Los Angeles, has taken his celebrity gossip website, perezhilton.com, from a little-known hobby to one of the most-read and influential sites in Hollywood — accumulating fans and detractors along the way. One thing’s for sure, the Queen of All Media is incredibly driven — and he’s got zero regrets.

What inspired you to lose all the weight?

Well, I want to get laid.

Any luck?

Not yet, but guys are flirting at least. I enjoy the flirting that’s been going on recently, but unfortunately flirting hasn’t translated into much of anything else.

How are you doing it?

I work out five days a week and I’m getting my meals delivered.

Would a boyfriend fit into your crazy schedule?

Absolutely. I could see a boyfriend Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday and Sunday.

You garner a lot of negative press. Have you always had thick skin or has it developed because of your site?

It happened because of the website. One of the reasons things don’t bother me is because people don’t really know me. I don’t really care or necessarily want them to know me. No one really knows the real me except my friends.

Why do you think your celebrity blog is the most popular?

I work harder than all those other bloggers. That’s the honest answer. If you look at my website today, it was a crazy-bananas ridiculous day. I updated my website over 70 times. No one updates that much—not even sites with staffs of 40, 50 people. I’m doing it pretty much all myself with my assistant—who’s my sister.

You’re not just a blogger; you’re a personality. Was that your goal?

No, the goal in doing all the TV and media was just to get more readers. It fueled the website, and as a result I ended up being a personality. But I use it to my advantage. To me, it all goes back to the website. I make sure that I update it seven days a week. That’s my number one priority because the website’s what created all the opportunities for me in the first place.

Do you ever get time off?

I force myself to. When I do have free time, I make the most of it. It’s always jam-packed and I’m doing a ton of stuff. My favorite thing to do is just hang out with my friends. We love to play games. I love to go do local fun things. We went to a water theme park this summer and Vegas a bunch of times. I also love to go see concerts and musicals.

What’s been the most exciting celebrity encounter you’ve had—good or bad?

The most exciting wasn’t really an encounter—it was more of an experience—and that was when Madonna made me a video for my website.

What about bad ones?

They happen. [Laughs] I haven’t had one recently, but I’ve had not-so-nice encounters with Jesse Metcalfe, Tara Reid and douches like that.

Speaking of which, would you rather be trapped in an elevator with Jessica Alba, Mischa Barton or Samantha Ronson?

Samantha Ronson because at least we could talk music. After we get over the fact that we’re not exactly chummy and we’re stuck in an elevator, we might as well try to preoccupy ourselves and talk about something we have a common interest in.

On a brighter subject, who would you rather: Channing Tatum, Chace Crawford, Zac Efron or Jake Gyllenhaal?

[Pause] Zac Efron, obviously. Duh.

What’s next?

My book, Red Carpet Suicide: A Survival Guide on Keeping Up With the Hiltons, comes out Jan. 6. It’s all about Hollywood, celebrities, how people get famous and how they stay famous. Also, I was in Another Gay Sequel, and I did a song for the soundtrack called “The Clap.” It’s all about STDs.

Did you ever dream you’d have so much influence in Hollywood?

I never honestly dreamed that anyone other than my friends would be reading my website. It’s really cool now that I’m at the point where 9.5 million people a day, on average, are checking it out. I’m living my own American Dream.