In her dedicated quest to find a new best friend, MTV announced today the greenlight of a new series, “Paris Hilton’s My New BFF (working title)” starring Paris Hilton. The 10 episode series is scheduled to air on MTV in Q4, 2008. Production is slated to begin in Los Angeles at the end of May.

“It’s undeniable that the world is always talking about Paris Hilton, and the same could be said about MTV,” said Brian Graden, President of Entertainment MTV Networks Music Channels. “Paris is one of the most searched icons on the Web and has been the focus of everyone’s attention from TMZ to Forbes. Now MTV will reveal the life of Paris, turn her fans into friends, and see what it takes to get close to one of the world’s most well-known personalities.”

Through almost a decade at the top of Hollywood’s social scene, Paris Hilton has watched a generation of BFF’s ride her coattails to fame and fortune. Now she is looking for a new “bestie” to teach the secrets of celebrity living — how to turn your enchanted life into a multimillion dollar brand, how to manage public feuds and always rise above, how to survive scandal and then make it work for you, all the while wearing six-inch heels.

In her new MTV series, Paris will invite 20 potential best friends to Los Angeles to live in a house and compete in tests of loyalty, endurance, and girl politics to find her perfect wing-BFF. The contestants will have to prove that they have what it takes to make it in the glamorous but brutal world of Hollywood circa 2008 — the constant media attention, the relentless bloggers, the temptations of the party life and the bad taste in men. The winner gets the greatest prize of all in today’s America, an all-access pass to the VIP section of the VIP section, and life lessons from the master of contemporary Hollywood celebrity.

Over the next 6 weeks, beginning Thursday, March 13, the voting community on ParisBFF.com will have a say in who deserves a spot on Paris’ new reality show, and has what takes to become Paris Hilton’s new best friend. Wannabe besties will fill out their profiles with blogs, pictures, and videos that explain why they belong in this elite entourage. It’s going to take some serious convincing to set the winner apart from the pack and the chance to shine through no matter what it takes to get those votes. Who will be the next paparazzi obsession and quintessential star of the red carpet?

Paris Hilton is co-creator and executive producer. Michael Hirschorn and Stella Stolper are co-creators and will serve as executive producers. Chris Choun is executive producer. Jason Moore is executive producer. Tony DiSanto is the creative executive overseeing the project for MTV. “Paris Hilton’s My New BFF (working title)” is produced by MTV and Ish Entertainment. This is the first series greenlit under Ish Entertainment’s first-look deal with MTV Networks Music Group.