• April 11, 2005
• Vol. 63
• No. 14

Scoop

Ringing in Their Love

ASHTON KUTCHERAND DEMI MOORE BUY MATCHING BANDS BUT CONTINUE TO DENY TALK OF A WEDDING OR A BABY

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher celebrated the Jewish holiday of Purim—during which revelers traditionally wear costumes—by dressing up as an FBI agent and a dashing gangster, respectively, and attending a March 24 party at L.A.'s Kabbalah Centre, where they danced and sang with some 400 other devotees throughout the night. (For Madonna's costume, see page 73.) But were the celeb couple disguising something else? Say, perhaps, an upcoming wedding or, even more intriguingly, a pregnancy?

Officially, reps for the couple aren't commenting. But according to a source, Moore and Kutcher commissioned wedding rings from celebrity jeweler Neil Lane last month. (Lane has no comment.) Says the insider: "The wedding is being planned."

As for baby rumors, Moore's rep is still standing by his previous statement, which said: "Having another child is something Demi would like to do, but she cannot at this time say she is pregnant." Still, a source close to the couple says that Moore, 42, "is definitely pregnant. She's about two months," while another friend says that the actress is nervous about revealing too much too soon. For his part, Kutcher, whose latest film, Guess Who, was the top box office hit Easter weekend, is remaining cagey. When Ellen DeGeneres asked him on her March 22 talk show if Moore was expecting, the 27-year-old actor replied, "I don't know if she is or not. I keep saying 'no.' I am just going to say, 'I don't know.' Maybe that will be 'no.' "

Charlie & Denise
TAKE IT TO THE COURTS

With a $1.6 million home, a six-figure salary and 1-year-old daughter Sam between them—not to mention another baby due in June—the battle over who gets what may just be getting started for the recently split Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen. When Richards filed for divorce March 2, she asked for alimony and full custody of the children (with visitation rights for Sheen). On March 21 Sheen, 39, responded with court papers of his own. The actor, who makes a reported $170,000 an episode for CBS's sitcom Two and a Half Men, asked for joint custody of the kids and requested that spousal support "not [be] payable to either party." It remains to be seen whether a court date will be scheduled for the two, and they are keeping mum about proceedings. "Charlie is taking the high road," says Sheen's rep. "He's not going to exacerbate the situation or talk about anyone." Onscreen Richards, 34, is revving up her feisty side: In her UPN pilot Wildlife she plays Jolene, a hot-tempered vixen.

A Lotta Togetherness
Although rumors about a marital rift continue to swirl, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey insist that everything is hunky-dory on the home front. And if time spent together shopping, cuddling and clubbing are any indication, the two seem to be solid. Recently the couple have been seen sharing a late breakfast at the Marmalade Cafe in LA.; browsing at the Calabasas Commons plaza; spending a weekend in Palm Springs; and dropping in on The Tonight Show to scoff at breakup rumors. Though Lachey's reality show for MTV (which premieres this month) is called The Nick Lachey Project, Jessica will be there too. Says Nick: "She's a part of my life and everything I do."

WHITNEY'S ROUGH RETURN TO REHAB
Her Porsche may be her vehicle of choice, but Whitney Houston had to settle for a caged area in the back of an unmarked police car March 23 when she was picked up in Georgia and brought to an undisclosed rehab facility. A spokesperson for the Fulton County Sheriff's Office says they received an order from the county probate court to apprehend Houston. "Our policy states that officers issuing this type of order do not go in uniform and that they drive an unmarked car with a cage for the person's safety and privacy," the spokesperson added. (The reason for the order and who issued it is confidential information.) Whitney's rep would only confirm that she was in a facility.

It's been a rocky year for the troubled diva. Last March she spent five days in rehab for what her spiritual adviser said was an addiction to prescription drugs; in December her Porsche clipped a city bus (there were no injuries); two months later she was hospitalized in France after becoming ill on a transatlantic flight. Her rep blamed food poisoning. Those close to Houston—including her husband, controversial R&B singer Bobby Brown, and her mother, noted gospel singer Cissy Houston—aren't commenting at the moment. Meanwhile, work on Houston's upcoming album with Clive Davis has been put on hold indefinitely.

FOR SALE: TWINS' PAD
Before even moving into their 6,000-sq.-ft, $7.3 million Manhattan apartment, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are selling it. Why? "It turned out to be too much space," says their rep. The twins will continue to live in their separate digs: Ashley in a three-bedroom Tribeca apartment, Mary-Kate and Luca, her new Labrador, in a SoHo loft.

MOVING UP OR MOVING OUT?
Taxes aren't the only thing Bill Rancic has to deal with this April 15. His prize for winning the inaugural season of The Apprentice—a one-year gig as an executive in Donald Trump's organization—expires that day. Currently in talks with The Donald for an extension, Rancic admits salary is a sticking point: "He's a tough negotiator. Now it's a matter of dollars and cents. But it's my first choice to continue working for him." Says Trump: "I hope things work out."

ESTATE FOR RENT $1,860 PER PERSON, PER NIGHT

Diana Slept Here

But does it come with a queen-size bed? Charles Spencer, Princess Diana's brother, caused a stir among royal watchers after he gave an interview to a magazine for owners of American Express's exclusive Centurion Card, about renting Althorp, the Spencer ancestral home, to tourists for overnight stays. (Portions of the estate have been open to visitors and corporate clients during the day for years.) The article mentioned that Althorp sleeps up to 30 people, with "five sumptuous state bedrooms." Editors at Britain's Daily Mirror, which reported Spencer intended to charge about $1,860 a night, pointed out how tacky it was for him to rent out the room in which Diana had slept. But Spencer told PEOPLE that Diana's room will remain private. "I have never allowed public access to Diana's room," he says.

TELL SCOOP

WHICH CELEBRITY DOG IS THE CUTEST?

Text the word VOTE, followed by the letter identifying your choice, to 72667 ("Scoop"). Example: VOTE A

A Tinkerbell (Paris Hilton)
B Bit Bit (Britney Spears)
C Chloe (Lindsay Lohan)

We'll confirm your submission and print results next week. Your local carrier's standard messaging rates apply to all SMS correspondence. Available on participating carriers. For full details, go to people.com/mobileterms

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS WHICH RELATIONSHIP WILL LASTTHE LONGEST?

Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey 51%
Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore 28%
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner 11%
Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz 5%
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony 4%

POP QUIZ

Alicia Silverstone
It has been 10 years since Alicia Silverstone charmed audiences as the Valley Girl with a credit card, and heart, of gold in Clueless. These days Silverstone, 28, can be seen onscreen as a shampoo girl in the comedy Beauty Shop. As for life offscreen? Scoop inquired.

You have some wild dance scenes in the film. Steal any of those moves from music videos?

I haven't turned on MTV in 10 years, but then I haven't turned on a TV in 10 years. I live under a rock. Except for 24. I love 24. I just learned [the dance moves] from a choreographer. I do shake it like a salt shaker.

How about that booty shakin' moment—the hardcore rap dance?

They showed me what to do, and I said, um, you want me to do that? At first it was scary and uncomfortable, because it felt like a violation of my privacy, but now I can't stop dancing like that. I just can't help it.

You became a vegan seven years ago. How has your life been different?

My energy level changed dramatically when I went vegan. At first it was literally having more energy, and then it was having a lighter energy—being more awake and more present. You know that feeling where you're being pulled into the ground? For me, it's more like I can't get back to the ground.

At home, do you prepare your own meals?

I love to cook. I was just away for five weeks, and the first thing I did was I saw all my dogs and they all ran into the garden with me, and I picked my salad out of my own garden. I grow broccoli. I grow brussels sprouts, passion fruit, lemon, grapefruits, avocado. I ate all my cilantro already, which I'm bummed about. I love it, though. It's so much fun.

What's in your future? Marriage and children?

I do want to get married and have kids, hopefully many kids, but that's not something I like to discuss because it's very private. I won't talk about my relationships.

ON THE BLOCK

SCHWARTZMAN'S SHOW HOUSE

PRICE; About $1.2 million
PLACE: Los Angeles
Jason Schwartzman, 24, known for his starring turns in Rushmore and Slackers, has sold his French traditional-style home to purse designer Jana Feifer. Built in 1940, the 2,000-sq.-ft. Hollywood Hills house features two bedrooms, an enclosed lanai and a lagoon pool, says Sotheby's International Realtor Jeffrey Hobgood.