ROLL CALL: Hilary Shows Skin & Beauty Goes To Bootcamp

Your Daily Dispatch of Celebrity Shenanigans by Tommy Vergason

July 12, 2007

BEAUTY & THE BOOT CAMP: As designer Michael Kors recently told ACCESS HOLLYWOOD, his friend Jessica Simpson “would play basketball in high heels if it was up to her.” But high heels probably aren’t Jessica’s footwear of choice today, as THE NY DAILY NEWS’ BEN WIDDICOMBE reports that Simpson is in Louisiana at boot camp! No, she hasn’t joined the military, but the character she’s playing in the upcoming film, “Major Movie Star,” does. “She left [yesterday] for Shreveport,” a friend of Simpson’s reportedly told Widdicombe. “She’s going to be in boot camp for two days to learn how to do Army drills and salute properly and that sort of thing.” “Major Movie Star” is reportedly about a pampered actress (Simpson) who enlists in the military to win the approval of a producer who considers her unsuitable for his new military-themed movie. A release date for “Major Movie Star” is still TBD, but is expected to hit theaters sometime next year.

COMFORTABLE IN HER BIKINI-CLAD SKIN: Another young singer/actress has been following a regimen, but it’s not for the military or a film role. Hilary Duff makes the cover of this week’s US MAGAZINE for its first annual swimsuit issue, showing off her toned, slimmed-down body in a revealing bikini. And while Hilary told US that she’s content at her current weight of 109 lbs., she revealed that a 2003 report criticizing her about her weight made her “obsessed” with dropping pounds. “I would beat myself up if I had some fat,” she reportedly said. After two years of a “hard-core diet and exercise binge,” her weight reportedly plummetted 30 pounds, causing her sister, Haylie, to worry. “[Haylie] said, ‘Why are you being so strict with yourself?’ It was like an awakening,” Hilary recalled. “I don’t want to be so skinny that people are like, ‘Oh my god, she’s lost a lot of weight.’” These days, instead of counting fat grams or calories, she reportedy relies on a hearty helping of common sense: lots of greens, lean protein and fresh fruit. “You need to find balance,” she is quoted as saying.

SEXY SALMA: In today’s media culture, “young and skinny” seems to be the standard that often equals “sexy.” A refreshing report from FORBES, however, indicates that everyday people on the street find neither of those attributes to be so important when it comes to sex appeal. Curvy actress Salma Hayek tops a list of “appealing stars” released by polling firm E-Poll Market Research, whose data indicates that the average age of Hollywood’s 15 sexiest celebrities is 36. According to the polling firm, which provides appeal rankings for more than 3,000 celebrities (both men and women), 65 percent of the U.S. population would use the term “sexy” to describe the 40-year-old star. Other 40 year-olds, Halle Berry and Pamela Anderson, made the list (at #‘s 5 and 14, respectively), as did 42 year-old Elizabeth Hurley at # 9. Matthew McConaughey was the highest-ranked male in the poll, coming in at # 41.

‘THE WOMEN’ GET SOME R&R: An all-star cast of female film veterans are gearing up to shoot a remake of the film classic, “The Women,” but not before they take a “working holiday” together in Martha’s Vineyard. E! ONLINE’s MARK MALKIN reports that Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes and Debra Messing are reportedly on the upscale Massachusetts island for some prepwork and cast bonding. “They have hit the island for some girl time, for some rest and relaxation, to get to know each other and to read through their scenes,” a source reports. According to Malkin, director Diane English is with the actresses on their sojourn, and co-star Bette Midler is expected to join them shortly. Production of the long-delayed remake is scheduled to start in the fall.