Aguilera puts her pinup days in the past

Courtney Hazlett The Scoop

Christina Aguilera might not be selling her baby pics to some celeb magazines, but does that mean she’s selling photos of herself to Playboy? “Hef has always loved Christina,” an “insider” told OK! magazine.

Alas, the rumor appears to be untrue. Aguilera’s rep calls the report “false,” and a friend of the singer’s told OK! that her pinup days are behind her now. “That was old Christina, Christina circa four years ago. She’s looking to reinvent herself and grow. She wouldn’t consider it but she finds it flattering to be offered at all.”

Scarlett’s paparazzi strategies
Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman share the cover of W magazine, and while much of the interview is pegged to their roles as sisters in upcoming film “The Other Boleyn Girl,” Johansson makes a point many starlets should take a note of: “You’re never going to find me at the Ivy,” Johansson said of the paparazzi-friendly L.A. eatery. “I don’t care how good the Cobb salad is. These tabloid magazines — I think they’re hideous and the downfall of society.”

Video   Portman and Johansson’s sister act Feb. 12: The two actresses talk about their upcoming film, “The Other Boleyn Girl,” and what it was like to work together. Today Show Entertainment

While I’m not passing judgment on the magazines that buy the photos taken outside the Ivy, the larger point Johansson makes is a good one: If you don’t want to be photographed and you don’t want your life to end up in the gossip magazines, don’t go to the restaurants that attract photographers.

The March issue hits stands nationwide on Feb. 26.

‘Thriller’ 25 years later
This year, Michael Jackson’s album “Thriller” hits the quarter-century mark. To commemorate the occasion, Quincy Jones, who worked on the album, dished to MySpace TV about not having any idea that “Thriller” would be the success it is today.

“Anyone who says that (they knew ‘Thriller’ would be so successful) is lying, trust me they don’t have a clue. We were just trying to get finished. We did ‘Thriller’ in eight weeks,” Jones said.

Why was there such a rush to get it done?  Jones’ dance card was full, to say the least. “Eight weeks because we’d already done Paul McCartney, and I had to stop a Donna Summer album I was working on and work with him and Michael on ‘The Girl Is Mine’ and then I had to get back on Donna and then (Steven) Spielberg made us do a song for ‘ET’!,” Jones explained to MySpace. “He was doing ‘ET’ at the same time we met. We only had 8 weeks left so we got three studios and we did ‘Thriller’ in 8 weeks.”

You can check out the full interview here. An expanded anniversary edition of “Thriller,” which includes seven bonus tracks, was released Feb. 12.

Is Sheryl Crow talking about her breakup?

Slideshow   Celebrity sightings Ginnifer Goodwin gets serious at the “Single Man” screening, Beyonce wows Berlin at MTV awards, Claire Danes is a BAFTA beauty and more. more photos

Since adopting her son, Wyatt, Sheryl Crow has kept a low social profile, but she told Reader’s Digest, “I have been dating. But Wyatt’s going to be quite the little gatekeeper when it comes to who gets to stay.”

And in what might be interpreted as a nod to her breakup with Lance Armstrong, Crow told the mag she’s looking for a different kind of guy. “Over the years, I’ve been attracted to people who were much more egocentric. Now I’m ready for someone who’s not so consumed by his own life. I want a partner committed to give-and-take.”

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