Macaulay Culkin's Strange Performance; Taylor Kitsch's Awkward Sex

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Welcome to the Smart Set. Every morning we bring you the gossip coverage, filtered. Today: Macaulay Culkin is up to some strange things, Taylor Kitsch is a bit shy, and Britney and Demi are the best of friends.

What ever became of young Macaulay Culkin, the big-time child actor of the early 1990s who popped up recently in a paparazzi photo looking shockingly thin, only to disappear again? Well, he's a DJ now, or at least he hosts a monthly party at Le Poisson Rouge in the West Village, during which he plays his iPod and everyone kinda gathers around a central theme. The party described by Ramin Settodeh in The Daily Beast today was a dinosaur-themed fake kids birthday party, with face paint and costumes and all that. Random club kids show up to this thing and so do Macaulay's brothers and friends, but Settodeh was unable to talk to him, only observe him from afar, and it's all very strange. Settodeh compares him to Jay Gatsby, but doesn't an elusive adult who throws youth-themed parties (he also did a school dance/prom theme once) sound like someone else, someone a little realer and more connected to Macaulay Culkin? Meaning, is little Kevin McAllister turning into a New York version of Michael Jackson? Remember when they used to hang out? Remember how they basically had the same childhood? It's all a little sad and spooky to think about, but it's what this story kinda makes us think. Anyway, it's a short thing, and worth a read. Sigh. [The Daily Beast]

Onto less serious matters, Taylor Kitsch says that filming sex scenes with Blake Lively for the upcoming movie Savages was "very awkward to do" and that he was "just glad it was over with" when they'd finished. Aha. OK, sure. Yes. Filming graphic sex scenes with a relative stranger in front of dozens of other strangers would probably be somewhat awkward, yes. But also, like, you're Taylor Kitsch and she's Blake Lively. Tim Riggins and Serena van der Woodsen doin' it can't inherently be that awkward. Not when normal people actually have sex. Talk about awkward! All the regular ugmo humans are grossly mashing into each other all the time, and prince of the dusk Taylor Kitsch and dawn goddess Blake Lively had to just pretend a few times and that's what was awkward and it was so good when it was over? That's not how that works, I don't think. It can't be that bad for the ethereal supernatural beings while all the gross, sweaty mortals down here on Earth are rubbing up against each other all over the place. It just can't be. We have to believe in a higher, better power, don't we? [People]

Britney Spears and Demi Lovato, both young performers with a few troubles up their sleeves, have apparently been getting along well while filming auditions episodes for The X Factor. One story is that a guest judge from the UK taught them a little game: Come up with a word that they all have to say while evaluating a person. Like apparently once the word was "tiger" and Demi said, "I can see a little tiger action." Which, OK. And then Britney said, "he was like a big tiger." Yeah, Britney, that's... that's the word, but I think the point was to be a little cleverer or subtler than that? How'd they do on the next one, let's see. The word was "umbrella," so Demi said "You're the umbrella to my rain" and then Britney said, "You're my umbrella to everything." Which... doesn't even make sense? Britney, do you understand the assignment? Apparently the guest judge guy threw out other words like "slinky" and "punk rock" and "mountain." So how did that go? Demi says "You're as much fun as watching a slinky go down the stairs," and then Britney said, "You're a slinky." Demi says "I like your attitude it's kinda rebellious, kinda punk rock." And then Britney says, "You're gonna pump... rock. Pumpkin. Crock." and giggles to herself, pleased with her game. Demi: "You're gonna have a big mountain to climb if you want to compete on this show." Britney: "Mountain. [giggle]" Sure, Britney. Sure. Jeremy's... iron. I have a ball. Perhaps you'd like to bounce it. [Us Weekly]

Oh, those football players. Always getting into tough, rowdy scrapes in tough, rowdy places. Take this recent example, in which New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker, who's like Tom Brady's less handsome younger brother, got in a big fight with his crew and some bouncers. Yup. So where were they? At some rock club or something? At a UFC match? Well, no, not exactly. They were actually trying to get into an event at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic. Yeah, they were there for Welker's bachelor party essentially, you know just eating good food and tasting some really delicious and interesting wines, as burly football players like to do, when suddenly a scuffle broke out. Pretty typical, guys. Pretty typical. I mean, remember when Rob Gronkowski got in that big brawl at the Newport Jazz Festival? And then of course who can forget the melee that Aaron Hernandez started at Tanglewood last summer? Just ghastly. [Page Six]

Uh oh, make way for awkwardness. All of Mitt Romney's twenty-three five sons, Tagg, Matt, Josh, Ben, and Craig, will be on Conan as guests on Wednesday. Which, uh, should be really interesting? "Tell me, boys, what has it been like growing up in such a political family?" "I have a pressed collared shirt and am wearing chinos." "Aha. So, how are you finding being on the road for the campaign?" "An O'Doul's for me, please." "Right... And what do you think your father's chances of winning are?" "Loafers. These are loafers." The Romney boys don't seem very interesting, is what I'm saying. A little square, maybe. Oh well, it'll at least be funny/sad to see Andy pushed way to the side of the couch, maybe even off of it entirely. Poor Andy. [Playbook]

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