LOS ANGELES – George Clooney’s former flame Sarah Larson may have caused jaws to drop when she ate a scorpion on "Fear Factor," but we think Hilary Duff was even more daring by putting the deadly creature down her pants while filming the futuristic flick "War, Inc."
"Everyone made a big deal out of it on the set — not because it was vulgar or in a sexual way — it was more like ‘Oh my God, you are putting a scorpion in your pants!’ The whole place was freaking out," Duff said. "I had the whole crew standing there clapping and being like 'Good job, you did it one more time!' It was really scary and it was a real scorpion."
But unlike so many young stars that seem to cause lots of trouble in Tinseltown, Duff said she stays sane by staying out of the spotlight.
"Everyone thinks I’m so perfect — I’m really not. I am a normal 20-year-old and I do things that normal 20-year-olds do," Duff said. "But I just don't feel like my business and my whole life is the whole world's business.
"I want people to pay attention to my work because I work really hard and I work all the time and my personal life should be my personal life, so I don't necessarily want to go to all the places that I know I'm going to get photographed or I know there are going to be people staring at me," she said.
Speaking of which, Duff was spotted hiding out with her New York Islander beau Mike Comrie at "The Wackness" movie premiere after-party at Whiskey Blue last Tuesday night. We’re told the young lovers didn’t leave each other’s side throughout the entire event and even sat on the dance floor together in order to get some privacy in the packed party.
On the Strip: Khloe Outshines Kim, Pussycat Dolls Bust Out
Forget Kim Kardashian, it was all about little sis Khloe in Sin City over the weekend.
Khloe and fellow reality sibling Kourtney Kardashian were spotted on Friday night sipping margaritas in a VIP cabana at the Venus Pool Club ahead of Khloe's big 24th birthday weekend, which the sisters kicked off later that night at LAX.
The following evening marked Khloe's "official" party appearance (sigh, wouldn't it be nice to be paid to have a birthday bender) at PURE nightclub, where she was flanked again by Kourtney and also her more-famous sis Kim and Kim's beau, Reggie Bush.
We're told Khloe bounced from table to table (even getting up close with hip-hoppin' hottie Young Jeezy) while Kim and Reggie laid low and refused to separate their hips (or their lips for that matter).
Also boogying to the birthday beat at PURE's sister spot LAX was the Pussycat Dolls' lead singer, Nicole Scherzinger, who celebrated growing up with a surprise showstopping performance that also starred the other four gals in her glam group.
Over at the Hardrock's Prive on Friday night, Lauren "Lo" Bosworth got her groove on (sans BFF Lauren Conrad, who apparently got stuck in Italy) in honor of graduating from UCLA. We're told the former "Laguna Beach" babe hugged and cheek-kissed her, er, fans until the early hours.
Meanwhile, Dennis Quaid and his wife, Kimberly, hit up Bellagio's The Bank on Friday, sipping champagne and canoodling while positioned on a VIP table alongside NBA champs Ray Allen and Paul Pierce from the Boston Celtics.
Gimme More: Britney Spears Back for VMAs?
It will be hard for anyone to forget September 2007, when Britney Spears hit rock bottom with her bizarre performance (and wardrobe choice) as the opening act of MTV’s Video Music Awards. But it seems the bigwigs may want her to come back and boogie for the 2008 show which will be held in Hollywood on Sept. 7.
"Everyone deserves a second chance or third chance, right?" MTV Networks Music President Van Toffler told the Associated Press late last week, adding that he was only "sorta" joking.
The songstress’s controversial showdown last year managed to draw 7.1 million viewers, and was described by an MTV advertising exec as one of the best things that could have happened in terms of ratings.
"When I first saw it I started to panic," the MTV insider recently told Pop Tarts. "But I soon realized that this was obviously going to get a lot of attention around the world."
Speaking of attention, it looks as though Spears is set to deal with even more drama at the Los Angeles Superior Court based on predictions that her custody battle will go to trial as an attempt to settle out of court failed last week.
Kevin Federline’s attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan told E! that his client is seeking sole physical and legal custody of their two sons and wants his former wife to continue with the current visitation terms. However, Brit’s team is obviously pushing for her to get her babies back.
The trial is due to start on Aug. 25 and will result in a final custody ruling which is likely to remain for several years.
Lowe's Former Chef Claims Nanny Was Naughty
Rob Lowe's ex-chef James Maclear is standing by his old boss, and in a declaration filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on Friday he claimed that the Lowes' former nanny was one naughty young lady.
Maclear stated that within hours of meeting Jessica Gibson back in June 2005, she "changed into hot pants and was laying on the floor with her legs open in a very suggestive manner." He also said that he complained to his supervisor over her "constant sexual innuendo" and that she wouldn't take no for an answer despite being told he had a girlfriend.
On the other hand, Maclear added that he "never saw Sheryl [Mrs. Lowe] do or say anything that was sexually inappropriate or offensive."
Gibson filed a lawsuit earlier this year saying Rob Lowe "placed his hand inside Gibson's pants" several times from about September 2005 to around January 2008. The suit also alleges the actor grabbed Gibson's behind without her consent in December 2007, two months before she quit working for Lowe and his wife in February.
The suit also claims that Sheryl walked around naked, "completely exposing herself," and that Rob Lowe repeatedly asked Gibson to touch him, showed her pornographic images on his computer and asked her to give him a massage and tell him dirty stories.
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