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Thursday
• Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, coming "within minutes of each other" to the VMA Style Villa swag suite at Bryant Park Hotel. Lachey arrived first with his entourage, and scooped up a specially made leather wristband from the Rockband jewelry line, misunderstanding when designer Lee Dahlberg told him it was made of calfskin. He thought he said "cat skin."Knowing that Simpson was on her way up, Lachey avoided his ex (having a near-miss like at the Teen Choice Awards) by exiting via the stairwell to get to another suite on the floor below. There, he picked up $600 worth of goodies from the G-Star denim line. Only minutes later, the pop diva, dad Joe and her stylist pals Ken Paves and Jessica Paster made their entrance to the suite. Simpson made her way to the G-Star booth and picked out a slew of items, including a pair of jeans for her reported new beau, John Mayer. "Oh, we'll take them for...," she told Paster, who mouthed the words "John Mayer." Ironically, it was the same style Lachey chose for himself.
Of course, besides her 10 bags full of swag, her biggest score of the day was getting the winning key to a new $50,000 Chrysler Crossfire.
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Wednesday Night
• Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, dancing the night away at The Manor lounge. As they snacked on chocolate-covered strawberries in the VIP section with pal Kanye West, the deejay gave a shout-out to his "new friends" and started spinning Lopez's "Get Right" to their delight. The trio finally left together a little after 2:30 a.m.• Alicia Keys and Mandy Moore, rocking out in the audience at John Mayer's concert at New York's Jones Beach. Mayer, Jessica Simpson's reported new squeeze, played songs from his upcoming album Continuum and jammed with tour partner Sheryl Crow on her song "My Favorite Mistake."
• Pharrell Williams, hosting a pre-VMA party at downtown hot spot Chinatown Brasserie. Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Kelly Rowland, Common, Scott Storch, Amerie, and Paris and Nicky Hilton joined him for custom cocktails (including ruby-red mimosas) and an amped-up set by DJ Jus Ske. Ex-Destiny Child's singer Rowland told us that she was looking forward to Beyoncé's VMA and birthday party on Thursday.
• The O.C. star Rachel Bilson, sitting atop a banquette at Marquee as JC Chasez danced between her knees at a Stuff magazine/Amp'd Mobile party. Meanwhile, host Jermaine Dupri drank champagne and held court in a booth with rapper Bow Wow. Dupri told us that girlfriend Janet Jackson couldn't make the fete – or the VMAs – because she's back in L.A. rehearsing for an appearance on the Today show. Also there: Amerie, T.I. and Ja Rule.
• Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo, hitting Cellar Bar at the Bryant Park Hotel for a party celebrating his album What's Left of Me. The couple cuddled together at a banquette and danced at their table to the Black Eyed Peas' "My Humps" and kissed while Chamillionaire's "Ridin' Dirty" played.
They left hand-in-hand and headed over to new hot spot Tenjune, where they perched in a private booth. When the '80s classic "Safety Dance" played, Minnillo grinded on her man and spent several songs sitting on his lap. And at one point they made out against the wall. Also making the scene: Lance Bass and boyfriend Reichen Lehnkuhl, Ryan Seacrest (who chatted up Miss USA Tara Conners), Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Shannon Elizabeth, and Lauren "L.C." Conrad and Heidi Montag from MTV's The Hills.
• John Legend, previewing songs from his upcoming album for 300 fans at Verizon Wireless's private event at the Bowery Ballroom. "Do you know what PDA stands for?" he asked the crowd. "Doing it in public!" The R&B singer told us he was excited about Justin Timberlake's VMA performance. "I like Justin – I want to see him."
• By LIZA HAMM, BETHANY LYE, KRISTEN MASCIA, LESLEY MESSER, JENNIFER ODELL, HITHA PRABHAKAR and MICHELLE TAN
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