In better times, those were two dollar bills

The economic downturn has hit Paris Hilton. During her recent trip to London, the heiress netted just £25,000 in appearance fees -- almost £50,000 less than her last trip across the pond. A source close to Paris told The Daily Mail:

"Paris demanded £50,000 from Paper nightclub. They were prepared to pay - but on the condition that she turn up twice, not go anywhere else before or after that evening, and stay for a minimum of two hours. But she didn't want to adhere to all the conditions so the club cancelled her appearance. Whisky Mist also refused to pay. But she went there anyway because there was a chance that she would bump into royalty - and she did in the end. 'The only club that paid her was Movida, and that was an estimated £25,000. Although it's a lot of money, to Paris's people it's nowhere near as much as she used to be able to command." (Source)

Times sure have changed since I used to associate with the "working girls." It wasn't that long ago that I could get some yanky cranky with a happy ending for $10 (£6.44), sucky sucky for 20 bucky (£12.89), and the whole enchilada for $25-$30 (£16.33-£19.33) depending on my negotiating skills. Paris gets £25,000? That buys a hell of a lot of Valtrex, gov'nah.

[Splash News]