What's the big surprise?

MTV announced that the season finale of Laguna Beach (next Monday) will air commercial-free, as it did last year. It will feature "live segments with the cast members" and, as many cast members have been hinting at throughout the season, a surprise twist. I really can't imagine what this surprise twist could possibly be. That Jason's actually thirty? That Stephen and Kristin "get back together"? Or -- my favorite -- that Kristin and Lauren become friendly?

... or maybe that it's Talan Torriero's two years older than his fellow classmates? According to E!'s Ted Casablanca, Kristin helped Talan ring in his twentieth birthday at Mood sometime this past week. [Probably November 2nd, which is what IMDB cites as his birthday. November 2, 1986.] As reputable a name as Casablanca's is, I'm not sure the guy really knows what he's talking about. He spelled Kristin's last name with an "e" and added that "K.C." quit her classes at LMU to pursue her acting career. It took me a second to realize he was talking about Kristin and not Casey, especially since neither of them attend(ed) LMU. E! needs a new intern. [Photo courtesy of SoCalHollister on therealoc boards]

Speaking of Talan, he's been cast in a "supernatural teen thriller" called Driftwood, which also stars a Diamond Dallas Page (wtf?!), Ricky Ullman (yay, Phil!) and was written and will be directed by Tim Sullivan. According to videobusiness.com, it's "set in a camp for troubled teens haunted by a host of murdered youth." Can't wait for this one.

As for Season Three of Laguna Beach, executive producer Tony DiSanto tells the New York Post that “The idea is since these kids who live there go off to college, they come home occasionally so it will be similar to this [second] season in that you’ll see a lot of familiar faces coming through, but the story will focus on a whole new batch of high school juniors and seniors.” MTV is toying with the idea of bringing cameras into LBHS again -- that is if the town concedes: “I would be open to discussions. After season one we decided to stay out of the school so as not to disrupt education and classes. Maybe now there is an opportunity to get into the school for a couple of key events, a sporting event would be great.”

Laguna Beach, the town, is none too happy with last week's "documentation" of the landslide benefit. Mayor Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider said: “I’m very disappointed; they
[MTV] didn’t live up to the promise to have a trailer at the end of the landslide show, asking for donations for the families ... They hardly featured anything about the landslide and the families; it would have helped the image of the show if they had.” Adopt a Landslide Family committee member and planning commissioner Anne Johnson said, “At the event it was kind of magical, a wonderful event they put together in a short time. I didn’t think it came through; it was a very good thing. The MTV kids worked very hard and that didn’t show. MTV went for more sensationalism."

Even Dieter was disappointed -- “It’s funny how they overshadowed the landslide with such superficial drama ... Trey and I got such emotional footage when we filmed. We went from house to house to talk with the victims. There was so much [human] emotion. I wish MTV would have covered it more.”

And for those who can't get enough of bad girl Kristin Cavallari, I'm sure you know to tune into MTV this coming Sunday to watch her get Punk'd. [Photo courtesy of "gabs" on therealoc boards]

Lindsay Lohan told New York's Daily News that she's thinking of taking some time off to get schooled at NYU. "I would go to NYU. I'm a New York girl, and it's easy to get to London and LA from here." Oh is that the reason why? It has nothing to do with Mary-Kate and Ashley and the trendiness of the school? Oh, okay.

Nicole Richie is rumored to be in talks with the people behind The O.C. to see if she can't nab a small role on it. Ever since The Simple Life was canceled (I think I may have missed the official announcement), she's been looking for a new project. Luck would have it that FOX already loves her, and so does O.C. star Mischa Barton! Nicole Richie, coming soon as the first real "ethnic" character!

Elisha Cuthbert recently revealed that she lost to Paris Hilton in a couple of drinking contests while shooting House of Wax in Australia: "We went out once or twice to go head-to-head on the shots. I can drink, I can hold my liquor, but I think she beat me ... I like a Jack Daniel's which I turned Paris onto. Before, she was drinking some turquoise thing. I said, 'Girl, if you're gonna drink, let's do the whiskey.'" Turquoise? Nouveau absinthe? Hmm ... [Photo courtesy of Yahoo! Movies]