I dunno whether it's an act or not. Like... Nicole Ritchie at least appears half decently inteligent and can carry on a normal conversation (judging by the times I've seen her on various talk shows etc)... but Paris... she just sits there like a lump going "That's hot..."

I think she needs a dose of reality to bring her down to earth.
I mean like... gimme a break. She's in a jail cell with 3 square meals a day... writing utensils, a toilet and a bed.
Hell... compared to some of the places I was stuck in on the road she's living in paradise.
Try staying in a hotel room with fleas and crabs and just enough room for a bed and a side table... with a train going by outside that's so close the whole room shakes... and a door that won't close because a construction crew is making renovations and has 2X4's sticking out past your bed and out the door.
That and having to keep your food on the windowsil outside to keep it cold cause there's no fridge and living on Mac and Cheese for 2 months... heated up on a hot plate.
Hell man... she's got it good compared to some of the places I stayed in.