And you people in Old Blighty thought you could send Posh Spice over here without paying the consequences. For years we’ve been shipping our abrasive, tedious celebutards to the UKpeople like Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow come all too readily to mindbut the arrival of Posh and Becks in California suggested that Britain was not without some retaliatory firepower. However, the news that Paris Hilton might be joining Celebrity Big Brother suggests this trade war might be going nuclear. According to the always-reliable Sun, the price for Paris signing on is still in negotiation, but it’ll be steep; currently they’re talking $600,000, and the price tag might go into seven figures before this is settled. The Big Brother people think Paris will help them live down last season’s vulgar racism embarrassment (fat chance), while Paris thinks the show might give her a chance to polish her image:

She wants people to see she’s not a bimbo or a wildchild. The only time anyone hears about her is when she’s up to no goodor saying something ridiculous. She’s actually smart and funny, with a lot of interesting things to say.

The flaw here, of course, is that Paris is always up to no good and constantly says ridiculous crap. But the experience promises to be informative and interesting for everyone involved. And if you Brits retaliate by sending Pete Doherty over here, next year you might find yourselves watching Rosie O’Donnell co-hosting the Charlotte Church Show.