MY PAL PARIS  —  COULD it be that Lance Armstrong has taken a break from incessantly working out with his new best friend, Matthew McConaughey - to spend time with Paris Hilton?  The two showed up to the Key Club in L.A. Tuesday night to catch the band the Vacation.

TV ROLE 'WENT TO HER HEAD'  —  CAROLYN KEPCHER, Donald Trump's co-star on "The Apprentice," has heard him say "You're fired!" for the last time - because this time he said it to her, sources told The Post.  —  The icy, 36-year-old blonde - who was running the Trump National Golf Club …

Is 'Vixen' fixin' Whitney's woes?  —  Whitney Houston appears to have rid herself of hubby Bobby Brown.  Whether he gets back into the house may depend on hip-hop temptress Karrine Steffans.  —  Houston's friends have long blamed Brown for her woefully heavy eyelids.

CLOONEY MAD FOR BARKIN  —  EXCLUSIVE GEORGE SMITTEN WITH OLDER CO-STAR  —  GORGEOUS George Clooney has a new lady in his life - and he's crazy about the twice-married 52-year-old mother-of-two.  —  The eternal bachelor usually dates much younger women - including TV presenter Lisa Snowdon …

There is Nothing Unnecessary About a Scarlett Johansson Sex Scene  —  It's official.  Movie critics are dumb.  According to ContactMusic, after screenings of Scarlett Johansson's latest film The Black Dahlia, many critics complained that they could not concentrate after seeing Scarlett's steamy sex scene.

Love Is In The Airhead  —  OMG ... yesterday was so much fun.  It was a long day but definitely worth enduring just to be able to hang out at the MTV VMA Forum all day long.  It was kinda fun doing all the writing and posting on the fly but I much prefer the format that I normally employ on a daily basis.

Scientology was set to show Cruise the money  —  Plus: Paris Hilton wanted too much money to gab on talk show  —  Did Scientology almost show Tom Cruise the money?  —  After the "Top Gun" star was dropped by Paramount, he was shopping around for financiers, and a source reports that top execs …

John Travolta is Friendly  —  For years there have been blind items about a famous executive-star, "Pert Member."  A guy who often lends his private jet to closeted gay actors so they can have sex with their boyfriends without fear of getting caught.  He also has a beautiful Hollywood actress …

Justin & Cameron Bring 'Sexy Back' in NYC  —  Though they can't seem to escape rumors of discord, Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz looked cozier than ever Wednesday night at Timbaland's pre-VMA party in New York City.  —  The couple arrived at the bash at Manhattan nightclub Nikki Beach …

Kanye West Is A Whiny Bitch  —  One of the best videos wasn't even nominated, according to Kanye West, the maker of said video.  West, who's nominated for best pop video at Thursday's MTV Video Music Awards for Gold Digger, says his elaborate Evel Knievel spoof Touch the Sky— featuring Pamela Anderson — was better than that.

Capote returns to big screen with new film, gay kiss  —  VENICE (Reuters) - Truman Capote returns to the big screen with a new star-packed Hollywood film about the brilliant but conflicted writer and an "abrasive" kiss between its two main male characters.  —  Douglas McGrath's "Infamous …

Nicole Richie & Brody Jenner: Heating Up  —  Nicole Richie and Brody Jenner's relationship may look like a typical quickie Hollywood romance, but don't be fooled: The pair go way back - he even predates Paris Hilton.  —  "I was there when (Brody) was born!"

Paris Grinds With Pro Skateboarder  —  Paris Hilton did more partying on Paris Hilton Day than we were first aware of.  It seems that she celebrated getting the key to Las Vegas by getting close with her ex, Chad Muska.  —  In the video, Hilton can be seen dancing real close to Muska …

Candy May Net $130 Mil That Tori Won't Get  —  The stakes in the Candy Spelling - Tori Spelling war just got a lot higher.  The buzz in Beverly Hills real estate offices is that Candy Spelling has unloaded her 56,000 square-foot Holmby Hills mansion for a cool $130 million, and that the new buyer is an Arab prince.

VH1 casts blasts from the past  —  Clay, Sizemore size up cabler's Sunday sked  —  VH1 has found its next pair of "Celebreality" Sunday stars in Andrew Dice Clay and Tom Sizemore.  —  Filling the void left by the highly rated train-wreck docudrama "Breaking Bonaduce," …

With Love, From Hilary Duff  —  Another week, another celeb is dropping their scent.  Hilary Duff has partnered with Elizabeth Arden who are the same folks who brought us the many successful Britney perfumes.  Ms Duff's perfume, called With Love, will be in department stores in September.