My Name is Earl

If wishes really could come true, I believe that we'd never see the likes of Paris Hilton or Kevin Federline on our television screens again.  However, we live in a world where wishes are nothing but wasted breath, which is why K-Fed just finished up a three episode arc on One Tree Hill and Paris Hilton will soon be appearing on NBC.  Yes, the network announced today that the airheaded heiress will be embarrassing herself on the one hour return of My Name is Earl on April 3.  The episode, entitled "I Won't Die With A Little Help From My Friends," finds Earl unconscious and seeing various things from the real world in his comatose state.  One of the things that pops up in Earl's mind is Paris Hilton, who will be playing herself in the episode.

Series creator and executive producer Greg Garcia says, "When we wrote the role of Paris Hilton in the script, we weren't exactly sure who to go with for the role.  But after an exhausting search we finally settled on a relatively unknown actress by the name of Paris Hilton.  I can't wait to see what she does with the role and I can't wait for America to discover her."

The stint on My Name is Earl is only the latest in a line of bizarre television appearances for the celebutante. You might expect to see her pop up in terrible shows like Las Vegas or George Lopez, but what was she doing on quality fare like The O.C. and Veronica Mars?  She also played I Dream of Jeannie star Barbara Eden on an episode of NBC's American Dreams.  It's obvious that the networks think that Hilton's name provides a boost in the ratings, but does it really?  Have you ever known anyone who has tuned into a show simply because Paris Hilton was guest starring?  I certainly hope not.

At this rate it's impossible to tell where Hilton will pop up next.  If The Wire wasn't about to air its series finale, I'd worry that she'd randomly appear in a complex role as a Baltimore cop.  What if she suddenly shows up as one of the freighter folk on Lost?  Hilton's ability to land roles on quality television shows truly frightens me.  I may not be able to wish her away, but I suppose it doesn't hurt to try.

My Name is Earl returns to NBC with a special one hour episode on Thursday, April 3 at 8pm.


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of NBC)