LOS ANGELES – It’s hard to believe that child phenomenon Dakota Fanning is going into 10th grade, but mention Orlando Bloom and you’ll see a little blush of the cheeks that makes you realize the actress is truly a teenager.
The young starlet recalled the moment back in 2001 when she received the award for Best Young Actor/Actress from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, but was too short to reach the microphone, so presenter Bloom lifted her up for the lengthy acceptance speech.
"I met him again later on the set of 'War of the Worlds' and we talked and had a laugh about it," Fanning told Pop Tarts at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Luncheon in Beverly Hills on Wednesday. "It was funny, but I’m actually a bit embarrassed thinking about it now."
And despite the fact that at the tender age of 14 she has already starred alongside the likes of Tom Cruise, Sean Penn and Robert De Niro, Dakota insisted that she isn’t the subject of typical teen teasing or jealousy.
"I am lucky that the friends I do have are really accepting of me. I go to school then I go off and shoot a movie, then come back," she said, adding that she doesn’t feel any resentment from her peers.
The likes of Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Rosario Dawson and Aaron Eckhart also stepped out for the star-studded affair, in which the association presents grants to aspiring filmmakers.
But after waiting an extra long time in anticipation of funnyman John C. Reilly, we were told that the actor would be not be attending as he was involved in a car mishap on his way to the event. A rep for Reilly told Pop Tarts that his tire blew out as he was driving, but he is totally fine and nobody was harmed in the incident.
Brody Addresses Alcoholic Rumors; Federline Won't Talk Britney
Most of the time, Brody Jenner is happy just to laugh off tabloid fodder, but when Star magazine recently reported that said his father, Bruce Jenner, pays his bills and that he has an alcohol addiction, "The Hills" hottie was fuming.
After giving his two cents to the magazine’s reporter at Ryan Sheckler’s Celebrity Golf Tournament on Tuesday, Jenner came to Pop Tarts to set the record straight.
"One of the biggest misconceptions people have of me is that I am supported by my parents. I want to say that I totally make all my own money and pay all my own bills and have done so for the past six years," the 24-year-old insisted.
"Some people think all I do is party and that’s how I get paid. Well, no — I’m 24, and of course I like to have a good time, but I have a life and a work schedule. I do happen to work hard during the day, but people don’t see that."
We also bumped into a very mellowed-out Kevin Federline, who even continued with his shot in the middle of Tuesday's earthquake.
"I’ve been working here and there, but I’m not revealing anything about what’s coming up or what I’m doing," he said. "My focus is my family — the boys are doing great."
And Britney? "Not here to talk about that," he said quickly.
Catty Clothing: Montag Beats L.C.
In the days following the news that Lauren Conrad had been booted from the sales floor at Kitson boutique, her former friend Heidi Montag stepped into the limelight on Saturday in what can only be described as a slap in the face.
L.C.'s line was dumped due to her refusal to make an in-store promotional appearance, so Montag took the opportunity to send Robertson Boulevard into a spin and sign off her "Heidiwood" clothes for hundreds of fans. At the same time, a "Buy One Lauren, Get One Free" sale was under way at the store in order to get rid of Conrad's leftover stock.
L.C. was also spotted strutting around the shops near Kitson on Saturday — but her appearance came a little too late.
"Lauren says she doesn’t care about losing the $50,000," a Kitson rep told us. "But what she doesn't understand is she would have gotten a $500,000 order with all our new stores opening."
Paris Thinks She's So Sexy
Paris Hilton made a not-so-rare appearance at Sin City hotspot PURE on Tuesday evening to celebrate the launch of her new line of shoes.
The hotel heiress made a grand entrance to her one-hit wonder "Stars Are Blind" (she even grabbed the mic and started singing) before serenading partygoers with her own rendition of Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?"
But her beau Benji Madden had better watch out — the blonde beauty was seen schmoozing alongside "Saved By the Bell" star Dennis "Principal Belding" Haskins. Oh, the competition.
Spotted or Snapped a Star? Got a Good Scoop? E-mail poptartstips@gmail.com.
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