GM Drives in Stylish Stars for a Pre-Oscar Outing

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com

RSVPs:  Demi and Ashton, Mary J. Blige, Denise Richards...
When:  Feb. 20
Where:  Paramount Studios 

To be a great party girl, you have to dress the part. So, to kick off the Academy Awards celebrations, I've decided to seek couture guidance from celebs at the Sixth Annual GM Ten Fashion Show. Last year, Lindsay Lohan and Mischa Barton strutted designer goods down the catwalk, so I can’t wait to see which stars stylist Rachel Zoe is dressing this year.

Before the big show, I grab a drink in the carpeted back lot at Paramount Studios. Rocker Josh Kelley hangs in the corner with fiancée Katherine Heigl's costar T.R. Knight. Meanwhile, actor Terry Crews chats up some white chicks under a heat lamp, while Zach Braff keeps warm near a new girl. There's no PDA yet, but I sense some serious chemistry between the Scrubs star and the lovely in a white dress beside him.

But the hugest oops and hottest convo topic of the night is still Britney Spears. “It makes me a little sad,” Lauren "L.C." Conrad says of the former pop star's shaved head. “I'm kind of rooting for old Britney to come back.” Aren't we all?

Forget bald Brit, Pete Wentz sympathizes with all girls. “I think it would be really terrible to grow up as a girl,” the Fall Out Boy says, when I talk to him about how women are getting skinnier and bonier by the day (remember, Rachel Zoe is styling this event).

“I feel like there are certain people who have certain body types and who are very slim,” he explains. “The problem is that when you hold that up as the ultimate icon for people to follow, like, there are certain people who don't have that body type. I'm a short dude. I can't beat Michael Jordan in a dunk contest.” Neither can Jennifer Hudson, who just walked by in a cleavage-baring black sheath. But she sure is showing the whole world that curves can be more beautiful than Denise Richards' skeleton clavicles. Doesn't Richie Sambora feed his girl?

Forty-five minutes after the show is scheduled to begin, people start taking their seats inside. I'm in shock when Orlando Bloom sits two rows behind moi. What? No Kate Bosworth and he's suddenly demoted? Even L.C. has nabbed a front-row spot with her former flame Stephen Coletti. Though, I'm guessing Hayden Panettiere had something to do with that. The little Heroes vixen is supposed to catwalk tonight, and I bet she enlisted her reality-star friends for some extra cheering.   

No surprise, Demi Moore and hubby Ashton Kutcher have front-row juice. Upon sitting down, Demi realizes her not-so-little-anymore daughter Rumer is at the far end of the catwalk with dad Bruce Willis. Demi tries to wave them over, but the seat next to her is already filled...by Penélope Cruz. I never knew Penélope and Demi were friends, but they gossip 'n' gab like schoolgirls till Justin Timberlake's “SexyBack” blares, signaling the start of the show.

The first star to bring sexy down the catwalk is Mary J. Blige. The Grammy winner emerges from a revolving door to the right of the stage as a Camaro convertible is driven from the left side door onto the runway. I'm so happy Mary's traded her milkmaid updo for loose curls. As Tyra Banks would say, the singer looks fierce. Now, let's see if Mary can keep up the look till the Oscars.

Too bad Tyra's not backstage. She could've given Denise Richards a few walking tips. The blonde looks flawless in her black Roberto Cavalli gown, but the minute she steps down the platform she trips in her Christian Louboutins. Denise keeps her poise but starts quite the trend. Rush Hour 3's Roselyn Sanchez almost has a spill at the end of the catwalk, too!

Suave as ever is Donald Faison, who hits the stage in a sleek white suit and all the right moves. After teasingly smacking his buttocks, Donald blows a kiss to his girl Cacee Cobb in the front row, and Jessica Simpson's former gofer turns bright red. Love can be so adorable.

And there's more over-the-top amour: Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane take a moment away from smiling at each other to cheer on Eric's costar Katherine Heigl. The blonde boogies down the runway in a white Dolce & Gabbana gown, stopping to point her finger at beau Josh Kelley. She playfully rolls her eyes and exits in what could easily be her wedding dress, whenever the lovebirds take that final step.

The last step of the night on the catwalk is Miss Hype herself, Jennifer Hudson, who steps onstage after a song by her Dreamgirls costar Beyoncé. Ironic, no? The award-winning actress sings along with a Mary J. Blige tune while walking in front of an Escalade, but she can't keep her eyes off the plasmas documenting the show above. I guess when you look that good you want to remember it, right? She probably should have kept her eyes on the ground, though, because she's the third girl to topple tonight. Oops!

As the models head backstage, Beck comes down on a platform singing his Grammy Award-winning tunes. But besides his Scientology pals Jason Lee and Jenna Elfman, the majority of the stars are already out the door. Demi slips on her silver coat and exits with Ashton as Kirsten Dunst pulls up in a golf cart outside. Someone should tell Kiki that fashionably late doesn't mean arriving after the show.

Luckily for Ms. Dunst, there are still some celebs hanging outside. With her boyfriend, Geoff Stults, off at a basketball game, Stacy Keibler enlists a heat lamp to keep her warm, while Adam Brody lingers to chat up a couple of cuties. But one of the last to leave is Lil John, who's reaping as much of Los Angeles as possible while he's in town. “There were just so many damn celebrities,” he tells me of the show. “I was like, 'This is kinda cool.' " 

Even cooler are all the bashes coming up. “I ain't been to any Oscar parties,” he says, flashing his glittering grill. “So, I'm gonna be like a kid in a candy store. I'm gonna go wherever they let me in, drinking the free liquor.” Yeahhh! And until this Party Girl gets crunked with the rapper at all the Oscar fetes, make sure you check out E! Online's Academy Awards predictions to see who I—and the rest of the scoop squad—think is going to take home gold this year.

 —Additional soiree scoping by my fete froshy Juontel White