I probably spent more time watching Paris Hilton than I did talking to her at last night's Fox party, which I suspect is the way Paris likes it.

In fact, I felt like a bit of a stalker as I stood behind her in her little yellow frock -- "Yves Saint Laurent, vintage," she told a reporter more interested than I -- watching as she checked her look in a compact mirror, made and took phone calls and sipped a drink through a tiny straw from a glass held by an assistant, all while studiously ignoring the rabble surrounding her.

There's a tricky kind of etiquette at these parties, which only qualify as parties to those who never give or go to actual parties, which presumably bring together people who might want to see one another. Press parties are more like petting zoos, and both reporters and the smarter performers and producers see them as an opportunity to get real work done (even though the music's generally too loud for in-depth conversation), to talk about shows and the business with people who write about it.

Though someone like Kim Delaney might greet me cordially as a familiar face in a crowd she sees every six months, we're not friends, we're business acquaintances, and even if her press hasn't always been the best, she's smart enough to accommodate a reporter from her hometown (and in fact, has always been both sweet and professional about it). She knows why she's there. (In this case, because she has an upcoming guest-star arc on "The O.C.")

Paris Hilton, who knows from bad press, could learn a lot from her.

You can probably see the results of our meager exchange in tomorrow's Tattle, but it won't convey the arrogance of the "Simple Life" star, whose presence at a press party where really talented people like Hugh Laurie ("House"), Peter Gallagher ("The O.C.") and "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane all seemed to be engaged in enthusiastic conversation with the reporters they were giving up an evening to promote their shows to wasn't of much use to anybody, I suspect.

A few minutes later, I was told, Miss Hilton stopped "doing press" altogether, so I suppose I should feel lucky.

But somehow I don't.