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How Could Rob Pattinson Keep a Girlfriend Secret?

Wed., Apr. 1, 2009 4:34 PM PDT by Leslie Gornstein

Vince Bucci/Getty Images

Why is Robert Pattinson asked about Kristen Stewart and Camilla Belle when there are just as many rumors about him and Nikki Reed? Would Pattz really be able to go undercover with a girlfriend?
—What Privacy?

Clandestine relationships have happened successfully in the past. Julia Roberts shocked the planet in 1993 when she walked down the aisle—barefoot—to marry first husband Lyle Lovett. "The year's nuclear nuptial surprise," People declared at the time.

Ditto with Michael Jackson's 1994 surprise marriage to Lisa Marie Presley. And we now know that Lance Bass secretly dated men while in 'N Sync, and it never became public until after Bass came out.

Does Jason O'Mara have any new projects coming up? Life on Mars is ending tonight, and he's great!
—Raked Reviews, via Twitter

Whelp, his IMDb cupboard is bare, there are no pilot reports floating around in the industry rags, and O'Mara's publicist didn't immediately return calls. Sounds like you might be waiting a while to see his Irish hotness again.

How can you really tell if the celeb Twitter account you are following is the real deal?
—NomadNP, via Twitter

I touched on this in a column a few weeks ago, but in general, you can't, at least, not without help.

Social media expert Lori Dicker at Karma Media Labs suggests checking any photos the Twitterer uploads. If they're backstage or otherwise authentic-looking—and not something that can be pulled off WireImage—that's a good start.

Then make sure to follow a verification service like Valebrity, which Tweets updates on real Twitterers—like the Greg Grunbergs and the John Mayers—vs. the fakies.

When celebrities change their names early in their careers, do they actually change them legally?
—YR

Sometimes.

The former Destiny Hope Cyrus has legally changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus. The Law & Order actress S. Epatha Merkerson was actually born Sharon, but she legally changed her name to the initial.

Other people who legally changed their names: Elvis Costello (from Declan Patrick MacManus); Cher (from Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPierre Bono Allman); Elton John (from Reginald Dwight); and Angelina Jolie (from Angelina Jolie Voight).

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