Pictures of the Decade :US hotels heiress Paris Hilton poses at a photocall

US hotels heiress Paris Hilton poses at a photocall on the Carlton Hotel pier during 58th Cannes Film Festival. Paris Hilton, the socialite turned reality TV star, came to epitomise the cult of celebrity which boomed in the past decade as the public showed an insatiable appetite for news and gossip about the rich and famous. Magazines and TV channels focusing solely on the daily lives of celebrities, however mundane, drew huge audiences while the increasing number of reality TV shows gave unknown aspirants their shot at fame. Taken on May 13, 2005 by Eric Gaillard