Gossip/Celebrity News

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Haley Joel Osment Charged with DUI

Sixth Sense star Haley Joel Osment has been charged with three misdemeanors including driving under the influence, the Los Angeles district attorney said on Thursday.

Osment's blood-alcohol content in the July 20 incident was double the legal limit (at 0.16), Jane Robinson, a spokeswoman for the D.A., tells PEOPLE.

The 18-year-old actor crashed his 1995 Saturn last month at around 1 a.m. near Los Angeles. Osment lost control of his car, hit a mailbox on a brick base and flipped over, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Greg Sisneros said at the time.

Osment was also charged for possession of marijuana while driving and being under the age of 21 and driving with a .05 percent blood alcohol content, according to Deputy District Attorney Ed Green.

In the accident, Osment broke a rib and hurt his shoulder but was expected to make a full recovery.

The actor is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 19. The D.A.'s office is asking for bail to be set at $15,000. If convicted, Osment faces up to six months in county jail.

Robinson, the office's spokeswoman, noted that Osment is a first-time offender, and though punishment is up to the judge in the case, first-time DUI offenders are normally sentenced to probation and alcohol treatment.

Osment was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the 1999 M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense. His next project is Home of the Giants, in which he plays a high school journalist.

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Pam Anderson, Kid Rock Wed in Nashville

Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock exchanged vows once again – this time at Nashville's notable Tootsie's Orchid Lounge in the wee hours of Thursday morning, according to ***t Webster, the groom's Nashville-based publicist.

The unsuspecting crowd at Tootsie's was taken by surprise when the singer on stage, Dustin Wilkes, announced: "You guys aren't going to believe what we have next – Kid Rock and Pam Anderson are going to get married on stage and we're not even kidding," a Tootsie's patron, McKenzie Davis, told PEOPLE. "The place went crazy."

The club's staff were equally shocked by the star couple's appearance. "We had no idea they were coming until they walked through the door," said Tootsie's bartender Stephanie Rose.

The ceremony, which took place on the stage, was performed by Davidson County General Sessions Judge John Brown just after midnight, according to Kid Rock's rep, ***t Webster. The bride and groom both wore white – hers a white Juicy dress and his a tank top.

"They did the regular vows, and when it came to the 'I do' part, he responded 'Hell yes!,' " said Davis. "Her response was, 'Unfortunately yes!' and she got a laugh out of that."

Kid Rock, who owns a condo in Nashville, then serenaded his bride with a version of 'Some Kind of Wonderful.'

"They are just totally in love," said Webster. "They are a happy couple. It's an awesome thing to know that two individuals are so much in love that they want to spend all their time together."

On July 26 at a Las Vegas press conference, Anderson announced: "I'm going to get married a few times this month to the same guy" – and she has lived up to her word.

Anderson, 39, and Kid Rock (real name: Bob Ritchie), 35, initially said "I do" July 29 near Saint-Tropez, France. They then went on to get married in Beverly Hills before this latest Tennessee tête-à-tête.

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Ashton: Demi and I Never Argue

As they approach their first wedding anniversary next month, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore are enjoying a relationship that has "the same energy as before but more depth," he says.

In the upcoming issue of Parade magazine, Kutcher, 28, says of life with his 43-year-old wife, "We have frustrations, like every relationship. It's just the way we deal with them."

Having watched his mother and stepfather argue and then "not talk for a day," Kutcher says, "Why go through that? Demi told me once, 'When you're right, that's all you get to be.' And for some reason, that made sense to me."

Kutcher claims their marriage is friction-free. "We had one argument in the first three months of dating, and since then we haven't had any," he says. "We deal with issues before they become arguments.

"I've never tried to change my wife, and she has never tried to change me," he continues. "It does bad things when you turn the other person into the ball and chain in your life."

Kutcher also prides himself on his amiable relationship with Moore's ex-husband, Bruce Willis: “In order for it all to work, I have to have a good relationship with Bruce. He's not 'the other guy.' He's not in competition. We have our own friendship. I'm not saying it's not hard, man."
Moore has three daughters with Willis – Rumer, 18, Scout, 15, and Tallulah, 12, whom Kutcher considers his kids as well. "There is not a human being I could love more than those girls and their mom," he says. "If I had a daughter that was of my blood, I wouldn't love that child any more."

And he doesn't rule out having a child with Moore. "I feel like I have three kids," he says, "and we'll see whether we're given another child."

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JonBenet's Mom Almost Met Suspect

As questions mounted on Friday about John Mark Karr's alleged admission that he killed JonBenet Ramsey in 1996, it emerged that the little girl's mother, Patsy Ramsey, almost met Karr before her death from cancer in June.

As they pursued their investigation, authorities asked Patsy in late May if she would be willing to meet Karr, the Ramsey family's attorney, Lin Wood, told the Associated Press. Patsy agreed to meet him if it would help the case, but she died before any such meeting could take place, said Wood.
Karr, a 41-year-old former schoolteacher, was arrested in Thailand on Wednesday and allegedly confessed to the murder, one of the most high-profile unsolved mysteries of recent times. But certain aspects of his story already appear to be unraveling, and the confusion only deepened on Friday, as Thai authorities changed some details of their account of what Karr told them.

Speaking with the AP, Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul originally said Karr told him that he'd sexually assaulted JonBenet and given her drugs. Suwat also told a press conference Thursday that Karr said he had picked up Ramsey at school. On Friday, however, Suwat confirmed to the AP only the sexual-assault confession. He could not confirm that Karr said he had given the girl drugs, and Suwat admitted that the story about Ramsey being picked up from school came from a documentary he had seen and not the interrogation.

At a press conference in Bangkok Thursday, Karr said, "I was with JonBenet when she died." Visibly nervous and stuttering as he spoke, Karr added, "Her death was an accident. … I loved JonBenet."

However, Karr's ex-wife, Lara Knutson, who was 16 when she married Karr, told KGO-TV in San Francisco that she was with Karr in Alabama the entire Christmas season when JonBenet was killed. The 6-year-old girl was found beaten and strangled in the basement of the family's home in Boulder, Colo., on Dec. 26, 1996.
To back up her claim, Knutson is now searching for evidence that will prove Karr could not have killed Ramsey, Knutson's attorney, Michael Rains, tells PEOPLE.

"She's got homework to do," he said. "She's going to go through old records, photographs, home movies – anything she has from that time period to show that Karr was with his family in Alabama that Christmas."

Karr's brother, Nate, has also brought John Mark Karr's comments into question, telling Atlanta FOX affiliate WAGA that his family will provide information to prove the allegation that Karr killed Ramsey is "just ridiculous."

Karr's arrest in Bangkok came about after University of Colorado professor Michael Tracey's contacted authorities in Boulder. Tracey, who produced a documentary about the JonBenet killing, had been communicating with Karr for at least two years, said university spokesman Barrie Hartman.

For now, Karr continues to be held in a Bangkok immigration detention center. He is expected to be brought to the U.S. as early as this weekend.

Boulder, Colo., authorities are keeping mum about the investigation. District Attorney Mary Lacy said Thursday, "John Karr is presumed innocent," investigators have "much more work" to do, and the public should not to rush to judgment.

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John Mark Karr: His Dark Past

While the investigation of John Mark Karr, the suspect arrested Wednesday in connection with JonBenet Ramsey's 1996 murder, is still ongoing, some disturbing facts about his past have come to light, including the fact that he was twice married to teenage brides.

• In 1984, Karr, who is now 41, married his first wife, then 14-year-old Quientana Shotts. "I got scared by his ways," Shotts told the Atlanta Journal Constitution on Thursday. "He never was real violent, just pushy." The couple's marriage ended after nine months and was annulled in March 1985, the paper reports.

• In September 1989, Karr married his second wife, Lara Knutson, who was then 16. The couple have three sons.

• Police in Sonoma County, Calif., where Karr had been working as a teacher, said he was charged in 2001 with five misdemeanor counts of possessing child pornography. He was jailed for six months, then released on the condition that he stay off the Internet and away from schools, according to the New York Times. He later jumped bail and failed to appear in court.

• In October 2001, Knutson filed for a protective order to keep Karr away from her and their sons, citing his child pornography arrest, reports CNN. In her divorce petition, Knutson said when she married Karr she was unaware of his Internet habits or propensity for "kiddie porn."

• In court documents, Knutson also stated that, in August and September 1996, an Alabama school district dismissed Karr from his job as a substitute teacher after complaints from parents that he had been "too affectionate" with children. (Bravell Johnson, school superintendent in Alabama's Marion County, confirmed that parental complains led to Karr's dismissal, reports CNN.)

• Karr's father, Wexford Karr, told the Denver Post that his son had been deeply interested in the JonBenet case and had researched a book on the subject. He was also fascinated with the death of 12-year-old Polly Klaas, who was abducted from her Petaluma, Calif., home and killed in 1993.

• Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy said Karr was arrested at approximately 6 a.m. local time Wednesday in Bangkok, where he was living and had begun his employment as a second-grade schoolteacher the day before.

• Officials in Bangkok said he had traveled to the country – which is notorious for its child sex trade – five times in the past two years.

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Kevin Federline Aims for the 'Oh My God' Factor

Kevin Federline isn't nervous about making his nationally televised debut as a rapper at the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday: In fact, Britney Spears's husband tells PEOPLE he's going for the "Oh-my-God" factor when he closes the show with a song from his upcoming album, Playing with Fire.

You're making your debut on the Teen Choice Awards. Are you nervous?
I'm not freaked out at all, man. There ain't no way. I'm ready. It's going to be incredible. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve here and there.

Why are you going public now as a performer?
It was (the) right time, right moment. I've been getting people ready, I think, you know. Now I think they're ready. I'm ready. I've been getting ready myself. It’s taken me a year almost. I mean I’m ready to perform, my music is ready to be heard. Everything. Just ready to step out and do it.

Could you have performed in front of such a big audience a year ago?
I could have if I had to. But I think I took my time, made stuff a lot better. I think if I would have done it a year ago, it would have been more of a thing where people would have laughed at it. I just wasn't ready. The music wasn't ready.
How have you changed since then?
I've just progressed, like my writing is better. Everything has just been progressing and progressing.

What are you going for with your performance?
I think I'm going to go for the Oh-my-God factor. That's what I'm aiming for.

Does it hurt when people link you only to Britney?
Not really, no. I'm glad that people link me to Britney. That’s my wife. That’s my family.

How’s Britney?
She's good, man, better than ever right now. She's a happy mom.

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WEEK AHEAD: Jessica Hosts Teen Choice Awards

Jessica Simpson is the master of ceremonies at the Teen Choice Awards – and her ex, Nick Lachey, will be there, too. PEOPLE looks at the big night (and the potential drama), plus other events happening in the coming week:

SUNDAY, AUG. 20: Jessica Simpson and her Employee of the Month costar Dane Cook will host the festivities at the Teen Choice Awards live from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles (FOX at 8 p.m. ET). Of course, the biggest buzz of the night isn't who's nominated – it's whether Simpson will cross paths with ex Nick Lachey (who's up for male hottie) and girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo (nominated for choice TV personality) on the red carpet. Plus, aspiring rapper Kevin Federline plans to go for the Oh-my-God factor by performing the closing number for the show. Raise your hands in the air!

MONDAY, AUG. 21: Now that they're on the lam, see what happens as Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) and his fellow jailbirds on Prison Break make their way into the world. As they try to stay under the radar and avoid being caught, they're also on the hunt for $5 million that's supposedly hidden in Utah. The action heats up on FOX at 8 p.m. ET.

TUESDAY, AUG. 22: Jon Bon Jovi, Mary J. Blige, Kenny Chesney and John Legend are among the music stars teaming up for a good cause at the JCPenney Jam: The Concert for America's Kids. The event – hosted by Dr. Phil and wife Robin – will benefit after-school programs across the nation and air on CBS at 8 p.m. ET.

FRIDAY, AUG. 25: Monk is wrapping things up in its season finale: Watch everybody's favorite obsessive-compulsive detective (Tony Shalhoub) as he goes to a rock concert. Get the hand sanitizer! (USA at 9 p.m. ET).

NEW THIS WEEK:
• Movies: Snakes on a Plane, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Julianna Margulies; The Illusionist, starring Jessica Biel, Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti; Trust the Man, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Billy Crudup, Julianne Moore and David Duchovny; Material Girls, starring Hilary and Haylie Duff; Factotum, starring Matt Dillon, Marisa Tomei and Lili Taylor; 10th & Wolf, starring Giovanni Ribisi, James Marsden and Brad Renfro
• Music (in stores Tuesday): Merle Haggard, Back to the Barrooms; Mae West, Come Up and See Me Sometime; Fatboy Slim, The Greatest Hits: Why Try Harder; Pee Wee Hunt, Twelfth Street Rag; Dusty Springfield, Complete A & B Sides 1963-1970
• DVDs (in stores Tuesday): House, M.D.: Season Two; Just My Luck; Veronica Mars: The Complete Second Season; Silent Hill; Double Indemnity; Poseidon; Kicking & Screaming; Threshold: The Complete Series; Invasion: The Complete Series

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Scrubs Star John C. McGinley Engaged

When John C. McGinley woke up Saturday morning, the last thing on his mind was presenting at the Creative Arts Emmys later that day. His first order of business: Get engaged.

The Scrubs star, who plays Dr. Perry Cox on the Emmy-nominated show, popped the question to his girlfriend of two and a half years, yoga teacher Nicole Kessler, 34, in Malibu.

"At about 9:30 this morning I asked Nicole to come down to the lower part of the garden with me in Malibu. I wanted to show her some different flower ideas I had. And I had the rock in my pocket," McGinley, 47, told PEOPLE on the red carpet of the CAEs at L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium. "I told her, 'Sit down here to see the view of the ocean' – we live in a bird sanctuary – and I said, 'Will you marry me?' and I took out the rock."

"I instantly said yes," says Kessler, who is also a birthing doula. "And then I think I was speechless for about five minutes after John told me what the diamonds meant. I was just in tears and just beside myself. I'm still beside myself."

The couple, who live together, first met through McGinley's son, Max, 9 (with ex-wife Lauren Lambert). "My son walked up to Nicole on the beach and I was throwing the ball for the dogs in the ocean. And, Max went over to this hot blonde behind me and I was just aghast. I was like, ‘Max you get the dogs. I'll talk to the hot blondes.’ And, so we switched." And of course, McGinley says, Max, who has Down syndrome, will be in the wedding in "one way or another."

The ring – a 2-carat round diamond flanked by two 1-carat diamonds and a couple of smaller baguettes – was designed by Mervin Haan at a downtown L.A. diamond factory. "I wanted it to be a big rock in the middle, which is Nicole because she is the rock in this relationship. And then on either side of that diamond, I put a carat, and that represents me and my son, Max." The other stones represent the kids to come, McGinley said.

What makes it work? "John makes me laugh," says Kessler. "He brings strength into my life and he challenges me to be more of a person than I ever thought I could be." McGinley quips back, "Nicole is a better athlete than me. She's just flat out better."

A wedding date has not been set yet. "We haven't gotten that far," says Kessler. "It's still that trembling, oh-my-God-we-got-engaged stage. I don't have one of those fairytale wedding ideas."

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Karr En Route to U.S. to Face Charges

John Mark Karr, the 41-year-old teacher who admitted involvement in the 1996 death of JonBenet Ramsey, is now in transit to Los Angeles where he will face charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and child sexual assault, officials said.

Police said Karr appeared nervous ahead of his deportation, but "generally he is fine," immigration police chief Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul told the Associated Press.

"We treat him well since he is a high-profile suspect. Yesterday he said that he wanted to eat American food so we ordered from Kentucky Fried Chicken for him, but this morning he had the standard breakfast," of Thai food, Suwat said.
Also Sunday, a doctor at a Bangkok clinic specializing in sex-change operations said Karr had sought treatment there. "He was one of my patients," said Dr. Thep Vechwijit at Pratunam Polyclinic, who declined to provide further details.

A staffer at the clinic, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Karr had consulted the doctor about a sex-change operation.

Bangkok is regarded as a global center for sex change operations, which cost a fraction of the price charged in Western countries.

Karr was arrested in Thailand on Wednesday, a day after he began teaching second grade in Bangkok, Boulder County District Attorney Mary Lacy said.

According to ABC News, Karr, dressed in a shirt and tie, said nothing as he was ushered from his Bangkok jail cell into a van to take him to his Thai Airways plane for the 15-hour flight. U.S. guards will serve as his escort.

Karr is then expected to be flown to Boulder for police questioning and another test for DNA, which is seen as being key to the case. The results of a DNA swab taken in Bangkok were not immediately known.

Meanwhile, JonBenet’s father, John Ramsey, is dealing with renewed attention from the press since Karr’s revelation. (Mother Patsy Ramsey died in June, of ovarian cancer.)

This weekend Ramsey was trailed by camera crews as he took his son to college at Purdue University, said longtime family attorney Lin Wood.

"He cannot go back to his home in Michigan because it is surrounded by the media," Wood said. "Last night, I've never heard him so angry. He is upset. He is worried about his son's physical safety."

[Sepideh_UK]

VCaay in dokhtare cheghadr naaze adam hamash mikhad negash kone

Oh MY God. This is just ridiculous

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Nick, Jessica Dodge Run-In at Teen Awards

As if perfectly timed for the release of Jessica Simpson's album A Public Affair, Sunday afternoon's Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles had all the makings of a public spectacle.

During the ceremony, Simpson shared the stage with cohost (and rumored former love interest Dane Cook) while her ex-husband, Nick Lachey, who was nominated for several awards, sat in the front row.

In fact, both Simpson and Lachey were nominated for choice hotties – and could have had to appear onstage together – but neither won in that category. Instead, Jessica Alba and Orlando Bloom took home those awards.

Before the ceremony, Simpson and Lachey managed to steer clear of each other on the red carpet, as well. Simpson, who made her appearance around 4:15 p.m., trotted around with her mom Tina and hairstylist Ken Paves, who shouted "We love you, Jessica!" behind her on the carpet.

Lachey, with only his publicist in tow, did not appear on the carpet until 45 minutes later – just minutes before the live broadcast began.
Lachey also missed the first portion of the show, during which Simpson and Cook joked about their rumored romance. Cook then asked Jessica if there were anyone in the audience who could serve as her background reference. The camera flashed to a seat where the Family Guy baby, Stewie, sat.

Once in the audience, Lachey sat front and center, next to Jessica Alba and her boyfriend Cash Warren, where he remained until he was presented with the choice love song award for his single, "What's Left of Me." During his acceptance, a clip from his music video ran, showing girlfriend Vanessa Minillo.

Onstage Lachey joked, "I just want to start about by saying ... awkward? A little bit." (Later Simpson won for choice breakout female star in a movie for The Dukes of Hazzard.)

Perfectly at ease, however, was the final presenter of the evening, the pregnant Britney Spears. Signature gum in mouth, she introduced her husband, Kevin Federline, who closed the night with a performance of his song, "Lose Control."

"This show has been very good to me and my career over the years. And I'm hoping that it will be as good to our next performer," said Spears.

And, with that, Federline appeared, sporting a loose white shirt and white hat and a an ensemble of high-stepping young dancers.

"I ain't here to brag," Federline rapped in a tough-guy style before his number – and the awards show itself – came to an end.

2006 Teen Choice Awards Winners

Movies
Action adventure - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Actor, drama/action adventure - Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Actress, drama/action adventure - Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
Actor, comedy - Johnny Depp, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Breakout, female - Jessica Simpson, Dukes of Hazzard
Chemistry - Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, The Break-Up
Liplock - Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, The Lake House
Rumble - Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) v. Commodore Norrington (Jack Davenport), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Summer movie, action/adventure - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Television
Comedy/musical - High School Musical
Reality - American Idol
Actress, drama/action adventure - Rachel Bilson, The O.C.
Actor, comedy - Wilmer Valderrama, That '70s Show
Personality - Ashton Kutcher, Punk'd
Actress - Mischa Barton, The O.C.
Breakout show - So You Think You Can Dance
Breakout star - Zac Efron, High School Musical
Chemistry - Vanessa Anne Hudgens and Zac Efron, High School Musical
Summer TV series - So You Think You Can Dance

Music
Single - Fall Out Boy, "Dance, Dance"
R&B artist - Rihanna
Rock group - Fall Out Boy
R&B/hip-hop track - Nelly Furtado, feat. Timbaland, "Promiscuous"
Rock track - Fall Out Boy, "Dance, Dance"
Love song - Nick Lachey, "What's Left of Me"
Breakout, female - Rihanna
Song of the summer - Nelly Furtado, feat. Timbaland, "Promiscuous"
V Cast Music artist - Nelly Furtado

Other awards
Hottie female - Jessica Alba
Hottie male - Orlando Bloom
Comedian - Adam Sandler
Red carpet fashion icon, female - Jessica Alba
Red carpet fashion icon, male - Nick Lachey
Choice grill - Brooke Hogan
Action sports athlete, male - Shaun White

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Diddy, Kim Porter Expecting Their Second Child

Sean "Diddy" Combs and his longtime girlfriend, model Kim Porter, are expecting their second child, the mogul's rep confirms to PEOPLE exclusively.

"The couple is thrilled about the news," says the rep.

The couple already have a son, 8-year-old Christian, and Combs has another son, Justin, 12, with fashion stylist Misa Hylton-Brim.

The record mogul and hip-hop performer, 36, also runs the men's fashion company Sean John and recently launched his own fragrance, Unforgivable. His new album is due out in October.

Combs and Porter, 35, first began dating in the nineties. They split in 1999. However, the couple later reconciled and Combs told PEOPLE in March 2003, "My love life is straight. I'm back with Kim."

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Paris Hilton: My Album's So Good, 'I Cry'

Paris Hilton is releasing her album Paris on Tuesday, though for the 25-year-old hotel heiress, socialite and star of The Simple Life, making music is nothing new, she reveals.

"When I was little," she tells Blender magazine for its September issue, she was forced to practice piano, violin and guitar "every day ... since I was 11. My mom made me."

All the practice seems to have paid off: Of her new album, she tells the magazine: "I, like, cry, when I listen to it, it's so good."

Already, her breathy, reggae-infused single "Stars Are Blind" has climbed to the top of Billboard's dance music chart, and her producers are waxing enthusiastic about how hard-working Hilton is.

"She would sit for hours and not ask for a break, and she never gave me one bit of attitude," says Kara DioGuardi, who worked on three tracks with Hilton (and whose credits include Ashlee Simpson's "Pieces of Me").

Hilton says she had DJs at clubs play cuts from the album without revealing the artist, to test reactions.

"People go crazy," she says. "They love it. Everyone's like, 'Who is this?' I don't tell. Because I don't want someone putting their phone up and recording it and making a ring tone off of it. I think when people don't know it's me, they won't judge it. But if they know it's me, then they'll be like, 'Ugh.' They won't even dance."

Hilton, who recently told British GQ magazine that she was taking a vow of chastity for a year ("I'll kiss, but nothing else"), also tells Blender that she's just a girl who can't say no – when it comes to the constant attention from fans asking for pictures and autographs.

"I think people expect me to be this bitch snob," she says. "But I'm really nice, and I feel bad if I'm mean."

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Superman's Brandon Routh Engaged

Brandon Routh is engaged to his girlfriend, actress Courtney Ford, his publicist tells PEOPLE exclusively.

"They are very happy," says Kacey Spies, who represents the Superman Returns star.

The couple, who have been dating for three years, will costar in the upcoming short film Denial. They plan to wed next fall.

Routh, 26, proposed earlier this month with a ring from Los Angeles-based jeweler Neil Lane.

The couple met "not through acting. I used to work at Lucky Strike," Routh told PEOPLE at the Golden Globes in January, referring to the hip bowling alley in Hollywood. "I was a bartender. And her brother was having his (wedding) rehearsal dinner party there."

Added Ford, 28, "He met my whole family the day he met me."

The pair, who told PEOPLE they like to watch DVDs – particularly the special features – together, were apart for five months while Routh was shooting Superman Returns in Australia, but Ford says they relied on "nightly phone calls."

Speaking with PEOPLE in June, Routh called Ford his personal kryptonite. "She brings me to my knees," he said.

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New Survivor to Divide Teams by Race

Fueled by critics who slammed its lack of diversity, CBS's Survivor has unveiled a new twist for its upcoming season: Contestants will be divided by ethnicity.

When it premieres Sept. 14, Survivor: Cook Islands will feature 20 castaways divided into four tribes: black, white, Asian and Latino.

"We're going to take some heat for it," says creator and executive producer Mark Burnett of the twist, which was announced Wednesday morning. "But it's a great cast."

For a show entering its 13th season with steady ratings but ebbing buzz, the decision could be a shot in the arm if it once again generates Survivor water-cooler chatter.

"Some people will think this is controversial. Others will think, 'What's the big deal?' " host Jeff Probst tells PEOPLE. "Either way, it's going to be very interesting."

Along with the usual real-estate agents and struggling actors, the cast of characters competing for the $1 million purse includes a heavy-metal guitarist, a female police officer who has been shot in the line of duty, a Vietnam War refugee who manages a nail salon and a gay fashion director for a denim company.

The segregated Survivor grew from an effort to diversify a show that has featured primarily white contestants (and winners – only two of the 12 winners have been minorities). "We've taken a lot of flack," says Burnett.

But Probst says the main reason for the Emmy-winning show's largely white complexion was a dearth of minority applicants. "Most of the people who apply are white," he says. "That's just a fact."

In response, the Survivor casting team scouted for a more diverse group of players everywhere from the Internet to audition tapes for another CBS show, The Amazing Race.

Until the tribes merge later in the season, the four teams will battle each other and, perhaps, racial stereotypes. "There are going to be people looking for stereotypes: Will this tribe be smarter than this tribe, or will this tribe be faster than this tribe?" says Probst. "That's why I think it's fun. But five people on a tribe do not represent an entire ethnic group."

Set in New Zealand's Cook Islands, the location of the famous mutiny on the HMS Bounty, this season features a pirate theme, including Tribal Councils held on an elaborate shipwreck set built into the rocky coastline of a local island.

Whether one ethnicity ends up plundering – or walking the plank – "This is a game that starts very even," says Probst. "Everybody starts the same way with the same materials and the same chance: a 1-in-20 shot at a million bucks."