Hilton wants to shed her party-girl image

New York – Meet Paris Hilton, grown-up.

The 26-year-old socialite has vowed to change her party-girl image after serving a 23-day jail sentence in June for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.

“There are a lot of bad people in L.A. Before, my life was about having fun, going to parties – it was a fantasy,” she tells Newsweek magazine in its Oct. 22 issue, now on newsstands. “But when I had time to reflect, I felt empty inside. I want to leave a mark on the world.”

Hilton says she is now committed to using her celebrity status for the greater good. Next month, she plans to pack her bags for Rwanda to bring attention to the African country.

“I’m scared, yeah. I’ve heard it’s really dangerous,” she says. “I’ve never been on a trip like this before.”

Hilton, accompanied by a children’s charity called Playing for Good, will visit schools and health-care clinics as part of a five-day charity mission. The trip will be filmed – not surprising, given Hilton’s love of the camera.

Zeppelin’s back catalog will be available online

London – Led Zeppelin, one of the last major acts to resist digital distribution, is releasing its back catalog online.

Led Zeppelin said the songs, including “Communication Breakdown,” “Whole Lotta Love” and “Stairway to Heaven,” will be available from online music stores Nov. 13. The band is due to release a two-CD retrospective, “Mothership,” the same day.

“We are pleased that the complete Led Zeppelin catalog will now be available digitally,” guitarist Jimmy Page said in a statement Monday. “The addition of the digital option will better enable fans to obtain our music in whichever manner that they prefer.”

The band has signed a separate deal with Verizon Wireless to offer their songs as ringtones and downloads to mobile phones, Verizon said in a statement.

Lynch encourages meditation in Israel

Jerusalem – David Lynch, on a five-day visit to Israel to encourage transcendental meditation, met with Israeli President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres.

Lynch “is one of the greatest directors of our generation and a giant artist on his own, and it is a great honor for the state of Israel to host you and listen to you,” Peres said Monday. “The whole of Israel recognizes your work and is proud to host you.”

The 61-year-old director, who has received Oscar nominations for “The Elephant Man,” “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Dr.,” is visiting Israel to encourage transcendental meditation as a new approach to eliminating violence in schools and creating a peaceful world.

“Real peace is not just the absence of war, but the absence of all suffering, all negativity,” Lynch said at the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in Jerusalem. “Change comes from within. From the first meditation, boom, you’re there.”

T.I. remains jailed on weapons charges

Atlanta – T.I. was ordered Monday to remain in custody on federal weapons charges until a bail hearing later this week.

The chart-topping rapper was arrested Saturday, hours before his scheduled performance at the BET Hip Hop Awards. Federal authorities say he tried to buy three machine guns and two silencers from a man cooperating with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives.

T.I., born Clifford Harris, appeared briefly in federal court Monday. Wearing a black shirt and black jeans, he entered the courtroom expressionless and scanned the crowd filled with family, supporters and media.

The government wants to keep the 27-year-old rapper in custody as the case proceeds, but his attorneys planned to argue for his release on bond at a hearing scheduled for Friday.

Lincoln Center to honor Streep in annual gala

New York – Meryl Streep is about to collect yet another honor, this one from the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

The Film Society announced its gala retrospective Sunday evening at the closing night festivities of the 45th annual New York Film Festival. The 58-year-old actress will be honored April 14 at Lincoln Center for the Film Society’s 35th annual Gala Tribute.

“While her luminous on-screen presence is never less than dazzling, you always feel her keen intelligence and wit, her extraordinary level of insight,” Gala Tribute Director Wendy Keys said in a statement Monday. “She truly embodies every character she plays.”

The Film Society of Lincoln Center has annually paid tribute to major film figures since 1972, when it honored Charlie Chaplin. Other honorees have included Fred Astaire, Alfred Hitchcock, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Jane Fonda and, most recently, Diane Keaton.

Kylie Minogue, Taiwan’s Jolin Tsai record duet

Hong Kong – Kylie Minogue has recorded a duet with Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai that will be included in the Asian edition of the Australian pop diva’s upcoming album.

The collaboration was announced Monday on EMI Taiwan’s Web site. Both Minogue, 39, and Tsai are EMI artists. They recorded “In My Arms,” the third song on Minogue’s new CD, “X,” her first studio album in four years.

Tsai said in a statement that she considers Minogue a “goddess” and her concert DVDs required viewing. They apparently recorded separately, with Tsai saying she imagined recording the song next to the Australian pop star.