A Look At Paris Hilton’s Future

December 4th, 2007

This is a story that’s just too good to be overlooked.

Leona Helmsley, aka the Queen of Mean died of heart failure in August. When she did, her dog, a white Maltese named Trouble, inherited $12 million US. The man in charge of the dog’s [fake cough masking laughter] trust fund said that the bitch’s care will cost about $300,000 US a year. That’s inclusive of medical care, chef-cooked meals, grooming and security. I think that’s more than KFed gets in spousal support.

Helmsley, it should be noted, was a billionaire and a much hated one at that. She and her husband managed some of the most prestigious properties in New York – I think that this is an example of one of those “only in New York” stories – including the Empire State Building. She was also at the helm of hotels across the country.

Paris Hilton and Tinkerbell, take note: Don’t head down this path. Now that I think about it, Leona, also served time in prison about twenty years back for tax evasion. Think of it as the DUI of the 80s.

Examples of her quotable ignorance are many: She once said that “only little people pay taxes”. She was known to abuse her employees, though in her defence it was Dynasty era and everybody was drink-tossing/face-slapping. (See: http://youtube.com/results?search_query=dynasty+catfight)

She excluded two grandchildren from inheritance “for reasons which are known to them”. Umm…hello? Does anyone else recall Paris saying of her feud, er, one of her feuds, with Nicole, “She knows what she did”?

Nice and relatable she wasn’t, but she did figure out eventually that philanthropy could redeem her. And when you’re donating a couple mil, it matters less if you’re doing it for the press.

So she dies. Doggy gets a nice cash out. The rest of us continue about our day to day pretending, trying to ignore the face that a 7 lb. creature, swathed in a mini-cardigan and known for acquiring enemies due to frequent biting, is richer than we’ll likely ever be.

But a story like this needs another twist (Just like with Paris, you thought it would stop with the sex tape and so many years later she continues to throw us curveballs).

BBC reports that the dog has been receiving death threats. Emphasis on the plural, pooch has been the target of about 20 threats. Trouble has been whisked away to a safe house in Florida (by private jet, no less) under an assumed name. And why do people want no more Trouble? Because when the mutt dies, any remaining money from her inheritance will go to charitable foundations.

People want to off a dog for charity! What do y’all think?

Tinkerbell, better watch your back!

Photograph Courtesy Getty Images

Posted on Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 at 1:50 pm by Sabrina Jalees and is filed under Celebrities & Pop Culture.