Hairstylist stands by his friend Hilton

Sunday night, Michael Boychuck sent stylists over to do Paris Hilton's "hair and stuff" at a mystery location in Vegas.

The next day, as if styled by magic, Paris and her goddessy locks shone as a morning star in court, while she pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of drug possession and obstructing an officer.

Now Boychuck is coming to her defense publicly.

"I've never seen her do drugs in 18 years," he told me Monday. "Absolutely not."

Why did he call to be in this column?

"I just think she needs to know that her friends support her. I've known her a long time. I think she's a really great person. She's helped a lot of people in this town. She's helped a lot of clubs. She's saved a lot of animals."

I asked Boychuck for an example of someone Paris has helped.

"Myself," he said. "The night the incident happened, she was doing a promo shoot for me" for free, he said. "She did that out of friendship."

In fact, Boychuck did Paris' hair before she got arrested. That's his work on display in her glorious mug shot.

Boychuck said someone at E! TV told him, "We've never had more e-mail or texts about how great a celebrity's hair looks in a mug shot."

The most prized gift he has received ever is a photo collage Paris made him. "It's hanging in my salon," he said.

"She did it by hand!" he said. "That, to me, is one of the nicest things anyone can do for someone -- is giving them their time."

He said Paris also helped Jeff Beacher by turning up for his (since-defunct) Vegas show night after night.

And she recently rescued many rabbits from a pet store, he said (and as Paris has posted on Twitter).

So I asked Boychuck: What's all this about Paris pleading to coke possession?

"I don't judge people," Boychuck said. "I don't know what's going on. So I can't comment on that. But where I'm from, you support your friends. You don't dump on them."

As Boychuck sees it, for the Wynn to have banned her is "a publicity stunt" and a "harsh" move against a star who has brought the Wynn and Vegas much publicity, paparazzi and money.

"She helps the economy a lot," he said. "I've seen her get up (from dinner) and take a picture with people more than any celebrity ever."

The media are "definitely making sure she looks as not a good person," he said.

Others around the Strip who have piled on with nasty stories against Paris may be envious cynics, he said.

I informed Boychuck of my shocker of a discovery on Monday. I asked representatives for the major hotels and clubs on the Strip if any will follow Wynn's lead to ban or punish Paris.

Not a single hotel or club rep even responded. That signals the rest of the Strip will take no Wynn-styled action against the heir and her hair.

"I'm glad," Boychuck said, "they're not taking that stand" against his friend, who once commanded $100,000 to appear at clubs.

"I'm sure she's helped a lot of executives with appearances. She's the first one who knows her value too."

What's her value now?

SAY WHAT?

"A really cynical part of me thinks if she (Paris) has an adviser, they'd be like, 'All right, you have to get busted for coke, or people are going to figure out you actually do nothing.' " -- Jim Gaffigan, from an interview running in Friday's Neon. He performs Friday-Saturday at The Mirage.

Doug Elfman's column appears Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. E-mail him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.