A Pricey Dinner with Ricky Martin

Plus, get the gossip on Tara Reid, Shannon Elizabeth and more

Originally posted Wednesday November 24, 2004 06:00 AM EST

Ricky Martin Photo by: Seth Browarnik / WireImage

How much do you love your favorite star? No, really, how much? In a charity auction on eBay sponsored by Godiva, fans had the chance to bid on dinner parties with stars including Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Benjamin Bratt and Sarah Jessica Parker – but the one who inspired the largest bid was Ricky Martin. Fan Jody Lang is so loca for the Latin singer that she bid $47,200 for him (the money will go to the Ricky Martin Foundation) – and she cashed in her win last weekend, dining with Martin at Chef Allen's in Aventura, Fla. So what's it like to know that someone spent that much to dine with you? "We were thinking about it on the way (to the restaurant) and it's like, what are we going to do, we have to do something besides this," said Martin. But Lang, 34, who was decked out in a red dress to meet Martin, seemed happy just to feast with the heartthrob. "It's a ton of money but it's a dream come true and an opportunity of a lifetime," said Lang, a consultant. "For that, I don't know if you can really put a price on it. He represents so much to me. He's an international spokesman who works with children. I'm an avid salsa and Latin dancer. I love his music. At his shows, he has a way to bring everyone together no matter what your background. He has this infectious power that is just beautiful." And, "he's taller than I thought."

Partying with Tara
Looking for Tara Reid? Lately it seems Miami hotspot Onda Lounge is a safe bet. The My Boss's Daughter star recently showed up there for two out of three nights. We spotted her one evening hanging out in a VIP area with a group of friends until about 1:20 a.m., wearing a midriff-baring (but breast-covering) orange-and-white tie-dyed top, white pants and a gold belt. Reid sipped cocktails, chatted with friends and occasionally got up to dance on the ledge behind her couch. Also at the club that night: Rebel Billionaire stars Steve Berke and Jessica McCann, who arrived together at 12:45 a.m. Berke had his "Moosh Pillow" in one arm and McCann in the other, and the two looked cozy for the whole evening.

At Home with Ashanti
R&B singer Ashanti isn't the only talented member of her family, she tells us. "There are a couple of singers in the family, and a couple of people play the piano, so it doesn't even have to be a holiday. We'll start singing at a barbecue or something. Everyone's usually having a ball." Ashanti – whose new CD, Concrete Rose, hits stores Dec. 7 – will perform on the Oxygen Network Nov. 28, when she'll share the stage with country legend Kenny Chesney and rapper Ja Rule.

Free Association
We asked Sopranos star Lorraine Bracco for her quick takes on a few hot topics:
• 57-year-old woman gives birth to twins: "Oh boy! I'm 50. Oh boy!"
• Britney Spears trying hypnosis to stop smoking: "Good for her."
• Cameron Diaz scuffles with a paparazzo: "Love it! I wish she knocked them down even more."
• Kirstie Alley in Fat Actress: "I don't really know what to say to that."
• Keith Richards possibly playing Johnny Depp's dad in Pirates of the Caribbean 2: "How fabulous would that be?"

Caught in the Act
Spotted Recently:
• Pierce Brosnan, watching Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli as he rehearsed for an appearance on Good Morning America. "Pierce just kind of sneaked up outside the dressing room and listened," says a spy. "He said, 'Oh. Don't mind me. I'm just standing here. I just want to listen. It's beautiful.' "

• American Pie beauty Shannon Elizabeth and former Law and Order: SVU star Stephanie March, swinging in a hammock with a sexy and shirtless but unidentified man at a Manhattan party celebrating the opening of the posh Aqua Resort in Cancun. "The two of them were giggling like schoolgirls," says a spy. But Elizabeth's hubby, actor-director Joe Reitman, and March's fiancé, celebrity chef Bobby Flay, had nothing to worry about. "As hot as the male models were at the party, Shannon and Stephanie were totally behaved," says the spy.

• By JON WARECH, BRENDA RODRIGUEZ and KC BAKER