Not so pretty (and kind of mean) in pink

In barely three years, Mario Armando Lavandeira -- best known as Perez Hilton -- has emerged as one of the most-read (and most-hated) bloggers about celebrities, the New York Times says in a new story. The way-gay Lavandeira (above, with singer Gloria Estefan) started Perez Hilton as a hobby about three years ago, presenting himself as a Latin version of another self-invented celebrity, Paris Hilton. He now earns as much as $9,000 a week for a single advertisement, the NYT says, and $45,000 for the most expensive ad package. (Believe you me: I'm not making a dime off Castro Confidential. Yet.)

[Photo: Lavandeira with Estefan in Miami at her restaurant, Larios on the Beach. NYT]