Mario Lavandeira, popularly known as Perez Hilton, has been very successful in running Hollywood’s most hated website PerezHilton.com. He was recently ranked number two on Forbes list of top 25 web celebrities.

Hollywood stars fear the wrath of Perez Hilton, a controversial gossip-monger with a poison pen and hugely popular Web site. Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, styles himself “The Queen of Mean” and has earned a rabid following thanks to his snarky voice and irreverent habits–like doodling rude captions on paparazzi photos. Critics say he plays favorites, particularly Paris and Nicky Hilton, who are rarely portrayed in a bad light. And Hollywood photo agency X17 is suing him for copyright infringement, claiming he posts its photos without permission. But the blog is still a hit, and Hilton has even gained a measure of offline fame: He’s frequently cited as a source or appears in person on television programs ranging from ABC’s Good Morning America to MTV’s New Year’s Eve special.

Despite his success, he has been constantly criticized for using photos without payment, permission or credit to others. Here is an interesting video on You Tube where Perez is having a heated conversation with a photographer.

According to Wikipedia, Lavandeira’s professional occupations before blogging included some acting work, a stint as a publicist, and writing for gay publications. He started blogging “because it seemed easy.”

He has also been getting attention for “Outing Celebrities“.

On July 26, 2006, Lance Bass officially came out as gay, and Lavandeira received criticism for having been partially responsible. “It upsets me that people think what I’m doing is a bad thing,” Lavandeira told Access Hollywood. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing. If you know something to be a fact, why not report it? Why is that still taboo?” On November 2, 2006, another celebrity often questioned by Hilton for remaining closeted, Neil Patrick Harris, revealed that he is gay. Prominent members of the gay community who have criticised Lavandeira’s outing tactics include Arts & Entertainment Editor of The Advocate Corey Scholibo, actor Bruce Vilanch, and Damon Romine, spokesperson for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

Other celebrities who Lavandeira frequently calls on to come out of the closet, despite that many of them maintain they are heterosexual, include Anderson Cooper, Jodie Foster, Kevin Spacey, Clay Aiken, Queen Latifah, Ricky Martin, Matt Dallas, Wentworth Miller, Richard Simmons, and Sean Hayes.

Despite ups and downs, his success in the blogosphere is undeniable, where, he constantly trashes, humiliates and makes fun of celebrities. No matter what he says, his readers just seem to adore him.

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