ROLL CALL: Paris Builds Mysteries & Britney Bares Skin

Your Daily Dispatch of Celebrity Shenanigans by Tommy Vergason

June 5, 2007

BEACH BLANKET BRITNEY: Britney Spears hit a beach in Mexico this weekend for a little fun in the sun, reports PEOPLE. Donned in a bikini and a reported turquoise and white sarong, Spears walked the beach with her blonde hair extensions pulled back in a ponytail. According to the report, Britney spent three days in Mexico, and stayed at the Four Seasons in Punta Mita (26 miles from Puerto Vallarta). A source reportedly tells PEOPLE that a “happy and carefree” Britney spent her little vacation with a friend, and offered some sage advice to an older couple on the beach. “Be careful, there are lots of man o’ war jellyfish washing up on shore, you don’t want to get stung,“she reportedly told the couple, who did not recognize her at first. In related news, USMAGAZINE.COM has posted video from the new E! series, “Sunset Tan,” In which a pre-rehabbed Britney stops in to the tanning salon for a “cocktail” of tanning-bed time followed by a Mystic spray. In the video, a bashful-looking Britney laments her “grubby” toes, and marvels at the “fresh” and “sexy” tan she gets, noting that tanning is her “time to escape from the world.”

Just Ahead: Two Paris Hilton Mysteries Investigated After the Video!

MTV MOVIE MYSTERY: E! ONLINE’s MARC MALKIN reports on a little Paris Hilton mystery, as he tries to get to the bottom of her failure to actually get on stage at the MTV Movie Awards this past Sunday. According to a source, the hotel heiress had agreed to appear on stage during the live ceremony at the Gibson Amphitheater, rather than merely make a surprise appearance as an audience member. The source claims that Paris backed out because she “wasn’t feeling the love” after host Sarah Silverman’s opening monologue included cracks about her that spurred many in the audience cheer for Hilton’s impending incarceration. Malkin, who was in the audience, says one man reportedly shouted “More time for Paris” over the din. Of course, in retrospect, Paris checked herself in to jail later that evening — so that could have had something to do with her not wanting to be on stage in the spotlight. Reps for Hilton, Silverman and MTV did not comment when contacted by Malkin.

BUT DID SHE WEAR A SMOCK?: Another Paris mystery poses a question — could art be in her future? As Access showed you last week, a thoughtful-looking Paris was photographed working diligently on a mysterious art project, just days before she was expected to begin her jail sentence. THE NY POST’s LIZ SMITH gets to the bottom of the mystery, as she reports that Paris was being creative at Color Me Mine, a paint-it-yourself ceramics shop in Hollywood. Paris was reportedly painting bowls for her mom, Kathy, and her sister Nicky. Smith says that her friend, writer Hal Lifson, went to Color Me Mine with baby daughter Sofia, and Paris reportedly put aside her brushes to “coo and compliment” the child. According to Smith, Paris revealed that her style as an artist is “heavily influenced by Peter Max.” Paris reportedly has no plans for a gallery exhibition, but Smith says she didn’t seem to rule out “pop artiste” as a future endeavor.

GOOD GIRL GONE BAD: Another star who made a big splash at the MTV Movie Awards was R&B sensation Rihanna, who performed her smash hit “Umbrella” with some help from Jay-Z. Rihanna rocked the song in a black leathery number and severe bob cut that gelled nicely with the title of her new album, “Good Girl Gone Bad.” COMPLEX magazine spoke with Rihanna about her new album, and asked her what’s changed about her new (harder) sound and image. “I was in charge, and adamant about working with people like Timbaland,” she reportedly said. “I wanted to work with Ne-Yo because we had great chemistry on the last album—and of course Justin Timberlake.” As for Jay-Z doing the intro to “Umbrella” on the album, Rihanna said that his inclusion was an added bonus. “Everyone told me that they had a surprise for me, and I flipped,” she is quoted as saying. “[Jay-Z] loved the song.”

THE ‘BAYWATCH’ BEAUTY…OF MAGIC: Pamela Anderson found herself in new territory on Saturday, when she debuted as a magician’s scantily-clad assistant in the Las Vegas show “The Beauty of Magic.” Anderson, wearing a tiny dress and thong, began a three-month stint in magician Hans Klok’s show at the Planet Hollywood Hotel. PEOPLE reports that she levitated and performed such tricks as making a floral arrangement disappear and making money actually appear. “I know how to make it disappear,” she is said to have joked onstage. Audience members reportedly included Pam’s “Baywatch” co-star David Hasselhoff, Amy Winehouse and new husband Blake Fielder-Civil, Sylvester Stallone, “Dancing With The Star’s” Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Dita Von Teese. “It was fun. I like doing crazy off-the-wall things,” Pamela reportedly told PEOPLE. “I never thought I’d be in Vegas doing this. I love it… It’s really physical, but I like physical stuff. That’s what the fun is. It’s really challenging, but I’m sore, I’m bruised up a little, but I like that.”

IN DEVELOPMENT: Mark Ruffalo is about to try something challenging himself, as VARIETY reports that he will play a blind man in the upcoming film, “Blindness.” Ruffalo will reportedly star with Julianne Moore in an adaptation of the Jose Saramago novel about an outbreak of blindness that sweeps an unidentified town. He will play a doctor who loses his sight along with everyone else in town, except the doc’s wife. Shooting reportedly begins this summer in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

In other movie news, Russell Crowe is about to add “feature film producer” alongside his acting credits, reports VARIETY. Crowe’s new production company, Fear of God Films, has optioned a spec script called “Dolce’s Inferno.” Crowe will reportedly develop the project as producer, and does not plan to star in the film. The contemporary romantic comedy concerns a hardnosed L.A. gossip columnist who falls in love and watches his world spin out of control. Crowe is also reportedly planning to make his dramatic directing debut on “Bra Boys,” a feature adaptation of the documentary about Australian underground surf culture.

BIONIC SHOPPER: And finally, a fun little tidbit. THE NY DAILY NEWS’ BEN WIDDICOMBE reports that actress Michelle Ryan, star of NBC’s upcoming “Bionic Woman,” shopped in New York City last week — and she reportedly acquired a “Bionic” souvenir. Ryan reportedly found herself at Howdy Do Pop Culture on E. Seventh Street in the East Village. The store’s proprietor, “downtown drag queen celebrity” Brandy Wine, reportedly tells Widdicombe of Ryan’s purchase: “She left with a vintage Bionic Woman jogging figurine bank.” The new “Bionic Woman” show is a re-imagining of the ‘70s hit series, “The Bionic Woman.”

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