Paris Hilton stunt puts prop comic in pokey

Paris Hilton doesn’t have the option of taking her hair off. But then again, her cell is air-conditioned so she probably doesn’t need to.

Joe Trammel shed his blond wig to cool down one afternoon last week as he sat in the prison of his own making, a pink-painted 4-by-8 cell perched on an outdoor Fremont Street stage. “I don’t have much of an appetite in here just because it is so hot,” he says during one of the least glamorous stretches of his “Glamour in the Slammer” stunt.

The prop comic from “V — The Ultimate Variety Show” decided to costume himself as Paris and confine himself in public view for the duration of Hilton’s jail time. Except for the hours between 7 and 11 p.m. when he releases himself for “V,” he’s sticking to the stunt (which also raises money for Stop DUI).

“I’m like a zoo animal here,” he says. “I’m averaging about two hours (of sleep on a prison-striped futon) a night because people come and wake me up in the middle of the night.”

Hilton’s on-again, off-again jail drama got the stunt off to a rocky launch. Trammel has determined that whatever happens to the heiress, his vigil will end with a “release party” June 26th.

The Strip casinos passed on the stunt. You see, Paris Hilton is an “earner,” as big a draw as any legitimate stage act. She is said to get six figures for an advertised nightclub appearance, and owners compete for the privilege.

Trammel? He earns a living. Since 1994, he has done OK as a specialty act on the Strip. Learning the moves from his dance-instructor mom in Arizona, Trammel worked as a break dancer for corporate events before developing a manic routine in which he rapidly changes costumes to snippets of pop and movie music.

In 2005, he was a contestant on the Wayne Newton-hosted reality show “The Entertainer.” “I really thought I’d made it after that,” he says. Now he’s hoping to expand his act into a longer show called “The TV Guy.”

This stunt is getting attention. Trammel’s voice is hoarse from more than 60 radio interviews, and his cell phone rings again while we’re talking. “Australia? I love the accent,” he says to the caller. Hanging up, he smiles. “She called me ‘Mate.’ “

But is it going anywhere? “It would be nice to actually announce when I get out of here, ‘Hey I’ve got a room now,’ ” he says. “If I don’t get a room out of this, then it’s just a PR stunt. But it’s still something I’ll never forget.”

He has heard the stories of street people and recent guests of the real jail downtown. Everyone likes to talk about Paris Hilton.

“I had no idea but I’m seeing average people literally start arguing about her. I’m sitting up here watching it,” he says. “I’m actually thinking about putting together a documentary. I didn’t plan on doing a documentary, but I’ve seen a lot while I’m out here.”

Mike Weatherford’s entertainment column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact him at 383-0288 or e-mail him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com.