Caught in the Act!

Originally posted Wednesday December 24, 2008 01:00 PM EST

Kate Hudson Photo by: Fame

• Literally the center of attention, Kate Hudson caught up with a table of pals in a corner booth of the Beverly Hills Hotel's Polo Lounge. "She was very casual, no makeup," says an onlooker. "She was right in the middle of everyone just soaking up the relaxed atmosphere, laughing and chatting." Hudson would frequently talk to a male companion – who sat to her left – but the onlooker tells us it "seemed friendly" and noted that "he left early."

• On a break from shooting a commercial for Ecco clothing line, Vanessa Hudgens headed to Live On Sunset. The actress, plus her makeup artist and hairdresser, did a little shopping at the new store. A "very bubbly" Hudgens played with a little black puppy at the store, and also gushed about her own toy poodle. She zoomed around the racks, consulting her friends about what looked the best on her. Hudgens picked up a couple tanks, a vest and a sweater all by Joie before heading out to finish her shoot.

• Tristan Wilds, Jessica Stroup and AnnaLynne McCord, of the CW's 90210, filmed their upcoming Valentine's Day episode in NineThirty Restaurant and Whiskey Blue at the W Hotel in Westwood, Calif. "AnnaLynne was singing in between takes," says a source, "She literally broke into song." Also, Stroup and Wilds seemed to mimic their characters off screen. "They were flirting in between takes," adds the onlooker, "Being touchy and giggling a lot when cameras weren't rolling."

• Preparing for her Aspen vacation, Paris Hilton stopped into Intuition, a Los Angeles boutique. The heiress brought along her new BFF, Brittany Flickinger, and picked up some cute winter clothes, including a medieval stripe dress by T Bags.

• Also shopping: Leonardo DiCaprio, loading up on skincare products at bluemercury Century City in California. The actor picked up two containers of Bliss Minty Scrub and spent about an hour browsing in the store with his friends. According to a source, DiCaprio spent more than $200 during his shopping trip.

• Nick Cannon, deejaying a Grinch-themed party to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation at The Underground in Chicago. Arriving sans Mariah Carey, Cannon was on the mic the entire night, getting the crowd pumped up with lots of Kanye West and Beyoncé tunes.

• By JENNIFER GARCIA, MARY MARGARET and LESLEY MESSER

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