From Gossip Blogger to Music Mogul

Feb. 27, 2008 — -- The "Gossip Gangsta" is morphing into a music mogul.

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton (offline name: Mario Lavandeira) confirmed to ABCNEWS.com that he's in talks to get his own imprint at Warner Bros. Records, which would allow him to recruit, sign and develop new music artists.

Lavandeira is known to his legions of gossip lovers for snarky updates on Britney's breakdown and raunchy doodles on photos of Beyonce. But he also hypes his favorite singers and musical acts on perezhilton.com, which, according to ComScore Media Metrix, attracts about 2.8 million visitors each month.

And he said he has already found the next big thing.

"I've discovered the next Justin!," he told ABCNEWS.com, referring to pop superstar Justin Timberlake. "He's 20. Just as hot. Can sing and write his own music. And he's straight!"

Lavandeira added that this venture "is more than just discovering talent … It's also developing them, helping them grow and guiding their career."

For Warner Brothers Records, a division of Warner Music Group, it could also be a way to stay relevant in an ever-changing marketplace, when blogs, social networking sites and file-sharing programs are increasingly influencing what songs become sensations.

Lavandeira declined to comment on when the deal would be finalized and how much he stands to gain from it. The New York Times reported that he "could receive $100,000 a year as an advance against 50 percent of any profits generated by artists he discovers and releases through Warner Bros."

But, he assured, he has many more projects in the works. Expect a Perez Hilton fashion line this summer, a Perez Hilton book this fall, and, if he has it his way, Perez Hilton pop culture dominance after that.

"I see myself as the next Oprah," he said. "The gay, Latino Oprah."