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COLUMNS: August 22

Lately I've been obsessed with summer television. I've been watching "The OC" mainly because there's nothing else on, but I'm also hoping this will shape into a guilty pleasure a la "90210." For those of you who haven't been watching, here's a synopsis of where we are after Episode 3: Ryan, the kid from the wrong side of the tracks, gets into trouble and is helped out by Public Defender, Peter Gallagher, who ends up being a reformed "kid from the wrong side of the tracks" himself but who now is married to the richest woman in Orange County. Ryan's alcoholic mom deserts him and leaves Ryan facing a life in "the system" until do-gooder Peter Gallagher steps in and brings Ryan home with him. Peter's rich wife doesn't think they're equipped to deal with Ryan, but Peter and Peter's son, Seth, want Ryan to stay. After three episodes of "set up" we now find Ryan living with the rich family, and I hope we'll be able to get into some serious teenage angst storylines.

I was discussing "The OC" with a friend today. She was telling me how she couldn't stand the adult neighbors next door and I said, "Yeah, but who cares about the parents? Their storylines will blow over soon enough. I mean, who ever cared about Mr. And Mrs. Walsh?" I thought this made complete sense until my friend said, "But we're in our 30's now! Shouldn't we care more about the parents than the teenagers?"

Should I? Does this mean I should send "What a Girl Wants" and "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" back to Netflix without watching them? Should I not be excited that they're remaking "Can't Buy Me Love?" Should I be embarrassed to admit that I loved "Freaky Friday" not for the Jamie Lee Curtis parts, but for the hot teenage boy, Jake?

I thought about this all morning, until I decided I didn't care what my friend says. She watches "The Gilmore Girls," "Smallville" and a host of other WB shows! For now I'm just going to find solace in the words of my twenty-something friend, Julie, who on my 33rd birthday told me, "You may look old, but you act young!"

Words to live by.

Take this with a grain of salt, my friends. While I would love to see JHo go back to her ghetto-fabulous ways, I also read today that her wedding to Ben is on for September in Hawaii.

Jennifer Lopez is so upset about fiance Ben Affleck's controversial strip club visit, she's turned to the one man she can still trust - former lover Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs. J.Lo's relationship with co-star Ben took a nosedive after the National Enquirer tabloid alleged he'd had sex with strippers after a wild party in a Vancouver, Canada bar, with some pundits even speculating the showbiz wedding of the decade would be called off. And while the superstar couple has been putting on a brave face in public, heartbroken Jen has turned to her bad boy rapper ex for solace and a shoulder to cry on. A source tells Heat magazine, "They have been on the phone constantly since the scandal broke. And watching the way she smiled as she talked to him, it was clear she was really pleased to hear from him. She is crying on P. Diddy's shoulder. She's far more upset about this whole incident than she would ever let on." The claims of Ben's infidelity have driven miserable Jennifer to ask for Diddy's support - but now her increasing friendship with him is putting her future with Ben at stake. When asked at a recent party where his lady was, the actor reportedly snapped, "She's probably with P. Diddy." (IMDB.com)

Why doesn't anyone ever question Jared Leto's sexuality? I worked with a girl who went to art school with him and claimed to be friends with Jared and his boyfriend!

Britney Spears has found the ultimate way to get back at ex-lover Justin Timberlake and his new squeeze Cameron Diaz - she's dating the actress' ex-fiance Jared Leto. Britney was reportedly left hurt by press reports of Justin's four-month relationship with Cameron - but she seems to have bounced back fast. The star was caught on camera leaving Los Angeles restaurant Dolce with Fight Club actor Jared on Saturday night - and pals say the pair are getting close. A friend reveals, "Britney is upset about seeing Justin looking so close to Cameron. Jared was a shoulder to cry on, and he and Britney have known each other a long while as friends. However, in recent weeks they have seen each other more regularly and are growing closer. She really enjoys Jared's company but they were wary of the attention they would get considering who their old flames are." Britney and Justin split in March last year amid rumors the sexy singer had a fling with dancer Wade Robson. Cameron and Jared were engaged for three years before splitting earlier this year. (IMDB.com)

What's up with Justin being a cheap bastard?

Club-crawling couple Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz have been treating Manhattan like their own personal playground. Timberlake kicked off Tuesday night by jamming with the Black-Eyed Peas at S.O.B.'s. Later on at Suede in Chelsea, he and Diaz shared an illicit smoke while partying with Christina Aguilera, hip-hop producing phenom Pharrell Williams, basketball stars Allen Iverson and Vince Carter and "24" star Elisha Cuthbert. Timberlake, Diaz, and the rest of the gang later wound up at Plaid, where Iverson and Carter ticked off a waitress by leisurely sipping cocktails instead of spending money on a bottle. "They told her they wanted to check out girls, not buy bottles," said one club denizen. "They didn't even leave her a tip." The next night, Justin and Cameron's double-date pals Drew Barrymore and Fabrizio Moretti turned out at Irving Plaza to watch Timberlake perform. Our spies say the pair are getting along so well, they'll likely move in together in L.A. after Timberlake finishes his "Justified and Stripped" tour with Aguilera. (Pagesix.com)

I guess Kate Moss is too obvious…

Which model is beloved by the fashion world despite some nasty habits not usually associated with motherhood? Though she has a baby at home, this skinny icon smokes and drinks and snorts coke like a rock star. (PageSix.com)

Wait! When did Johnny and his wife split? How could I have missed this?

"Jackass" Johnny Knoxville has a gorgeous new girlfriend: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit stunner Melissa Keller. The wild child blonde, who has her nickname "Foxy" tattooed on the back of her neck, met Knoxville on a visit to the Vancouver set of "Walking Tall." (Pagesix.com)

Poor Gwynnie!

She may be one of Hollywood's big hitters, but it doesn't mean people don't overlook Gwyneth Paltrow sometimes. The wan actress had been invited by designer Valentino to spend the weekend on his yacht, moored off the coast of Majorca, but the forgetful threadmeister had neglected to sort out any transport for his guest. Expecting to be met by a chauffeur or celebrity babysitter, Gwynnie found herself instead abandoned at the checkout like an unclaimed piece of baggage or suspicious parcel.

She was there for at least 20 minutes with her mobile strapped to her ear, pacing up and down, until a flunky eventually arrived to whisk her away,' said an airport spy. Unused to having to rely on her own resources, Paltrow was said to getting 'very stressed' at the prospect of having to make her own way to Valentino's boat. This latest snub comes hot on the heels of moany Coldplay boyfriend Chris Martin's recent disavowal of any plans for marriage. Surely things must pick up soon? (Peoplenews.com)

Is it just me or does anyone else get a kick out of Geri Halliwell?

A holidayer at a swanky Dubai hotel was astonished to see Geri Halliwell appearing like a camel from the sands recently. Seemingly oblivious to the fact it was a six-star establishment with standards, the Atkins-enhanced celeb waltzed through to the pool and approached none other than Elle Macpherson, bestriding her like a colossus. 'I used to love your exercise video, but it just didn't work for me,' Geri remarked, plopping herself down.

Rousing herself, a sleek and sleepy mastodon (without tusks or wool), Macpherson raised an incredulous eyebrow. 'Have you tried mine?' continued Geri. Take a minute here to consider why they call Elle the Body, rather than Geri. 'No,' answered Macpherson, with admirable restraint. Geri patted her on the shapely thigh. 'You should. I'll have one sent to you.' And, like a titian apparition, she was gone. (Peoplenews.com)

Things are getting "scruffy" between Cruise and Cruz.

Are Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz cruising apart? The couple have made some touchy-feely-public appearances not long ago, effectively squelching widespread rumors that they've split, but the sultry Spanish star was very much alone at the New York premiere of her new film, "Don't Tempt Me." And she did not seem eager to discuss her on-again-off-again sweetie.

When someone approached Cruz and asked the whereabouts of Cruise, she said rather curtly, "He's in Los Angeles." "She wasn't unpleasant," says the source, "but she made it quite clear that she didn't want to discuss it any further." Perhaps Cruz was moody because the audience seemed less than enthusiastic about her new film. "I like Penelope as an actress, but this was so bad it made my teeth hurt," one reviewer told The Scoop. "She really needs a hit, and I had trouble sitting through this thing." (msnbc.com)


About Nikki B.

Nikki B lives in San Francisco with her husband. She has a dog and a cat who are both on anti-depressants and is expecting her first baby this fall.

Got a tip? E-mail Nikki

Talk gossip at the The Water Cooler

Past Columns:
September 12: Britney retreads Christina.
September 5: Scientologist superstars sign their freedoms away.
August 29: Arghnold says Oui to orgies.
August 22: In P. Diddy she trusts.
August 17: Courtney Love: The horror! The horror!
August 8: Who's wearing a Red Lobster bib with his thong?
August 1: Everyone loves a washed-up MTV hack.
July 28: Chris Penn puts a midget in his place.

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