Famous people visit Harvard all the time, but the university announced that two equally well-known, yet quite different, women would be visiting soon. JK Rowling will be speaking at commencement, and the Harvard Lampoon will honor Paris Hilton on February 6. You'd think that Harry Potter creator JK Rowling and socialite Paris Hilton would have nothing in common, but you'd be surprised …

Let's start with the obvious. Both are blonde. Both have an excellent grasp on how to market and promote themselves. Both have established media empires. One says "That's hot!" while the other might say, "That's Hogwarts!" As far as "Hogwarts" is concerned, one of them might put the "warts" in "Hogwarts."

And their achievements speak for themselves: One wrote a famous series of novels, one starred in an underground film viewed by millions. One rose from poverty into fame, the other struggled under the brutal glare of overexposure and the iron grip of the Los Angeles Police Department. One spreads joy to children--and adults--everywhere. The other spreads the awareness of certain communicable diseases and the pleasure of eating at Carls Jr.

Michael Femia and Kerry Skemp provided inspiration for this post. Paris Hilton poster from the movie The Hottie and the Nottie. Image of JK Rowling from Wikipedia and used under a Creative Commons License.