Back in July, when we first heard rumors of L.A. Candy getting the Hollywood treatment, we asked you guys whether Lauren Conrad should play herself (er, star as the novel's protagonist, Jane Roberts) in the big-screen edition. And while an overwhelming 67% of you thought LC should cast herself in the leading role, the Hillzie claims she's not even in the running.

"I think my acting is offensive!" Lauren told People.com late last week, after it was announced her bestselling book was being turned into a full feature film. "I'm an awful actor, I'm not super comfortable with it. In fact I was just trying to do lines ... and they'll tell you, I cannot memorize lines."

So who does that leave? We rounded up three actresses we think would be perfect for the part. Starting with...

BLAKE LIVELY:
Cute, blonde and uber experienced at playing Miss Popular, Lively (best known as Serena van der Woodsen on Gossip Girl) fully understands what it's like to be the TV "It" girl. The only problem? We've mostly seen Lively in roles where she luuuurves being the center of attention (like Bridget in Traveling Pants). For Candy, she'll need to be more of a reluctant hero -- but if she can deliver Jane's wide-eyed vulnerability (and "Who, me?" humility), we're thinking she'll make LC proud.

AMANDA SEYFRIED:
Although often cast as the second banana (think: Regina George's lackey in Mean Girls and Megan Fox's sidekick in Jennifer's Body), Seyfried's got the kind of quiet confidence and unassuming beauty that's hard to ignore. A wispy, doe-eyed blonde, the Mamma MiaI actress is the perfect stand-in for small-town Jane, and we can totally see her shy, good girl act stealing the show from the ditzy Gaby and paparazzi-addicted Madison.

TAYLOR SWIFT:
Okay, fine. So she doesn't have the same acting cred as the first two, but Taylor HAS dabbled in TV (CSI, anyone?), plus she's sweet, adorable and totally believable as the girl-next-door. Despite blowing up big in the country music scene, Swift's still way more deer-in-the-headlights than diva, and she's got the "Imma let you finish" moment to prove it. The closest thing to a real-life Jane (besides Conrad herself, obvs), Swift's as innocent as they come. And if you don't believe us, just ask her ex-boyfriend: self-proclaimed virgin, Joe Jonas.

+ Got any better ideas? Tell us who you think should play Jane Roberts in the movie vershe of L.A. Candy, plus feel free to start casting the roles of Gaby, Madison, Scarlett and Braden!

Lauren Conrad may have handed over the Hills torch to Kristin Cavallari, but that hasn't stopped her former costar-slash-nemesis Spencer Pratt from calling her out in the press. Earlier this week, Spencer told the NY Post that LC left the show "because Speidi was getting more famous than her," and predicted she'll come crawling back "when she realizes her move didn't work."

So when will that be? Well, judging by LC's recent wave of success, not anytime soon. Last night, the ex-Hillzie celebrated the release of her new Kohl's line (LINKTOKOHLSPOST) and on Tuesday, Variety reported that her debut novel, L.A. Candy, is being adapted to the big-screen by the producers of Twilight! (Conrad will co-exec produce.)

'Course, you could easily argue that most (all?) of LC's post-Hills prosperity can be traced right back to her reality roots.

L.A. Candy, though not explicitly autobiographical, was clearly inspired by Lauren's own experiences in front of the camera. The three-book series (the second installment, Sweet Little Lies, is due out in early 2010), follows protagonist Jane Roberts, a wide-eyed 19-year-old who becomes an overnight celeb after agreeing to star in a reality series. (Yep, no similarities there!)

But back to the issue of Speidi vs. LC. Since Spencer called Lauren's popularity into question, we thought we'd settle this little grudge match once and for all. Are the Pratts really bigger and better than LC?! Take the poll and let us know!

We first caught Whitney Port reading Lauren Conrad's L.A. Candy late last month, and now she's gone ahead and published her official book review! Turns out, Whit thinks LC's a "wonderful writer," even if she does kinda/sorta/TOTALLY remind Whitney of Jane Roberts, (i.e. the book's narrator slash girl-next-door).

"I just finished reading [L.A. Candy] and I absolutely loved it!!!" Whitney wrote on her website yesterday. "[I]t was so fun to see how our lives were re-imagined on paper." Natch, Whit identified most with LC's wide-eyed protagonist ("Jane was the truest to real life," wrote Whit. "She was very Lauren!") but said the whole thing hit super-duper close to home. So just how strong WAS the feeling of deja vu?

Read more...

America's Next Top Model fans can expect to see a familiar face on the show during its upcoming fall cycle. And no, we're not referring to the series' host/star/creator/photographer/judge/guidance counselor Tyra Banks. According to E! Online's newshounds, Hills refugee Lauren Conrad will be joining the panel on an episode as a special guest judge! (Preferably in the chair next to renowned fashion photog Nigel Barker.)

But don't worry, Hillzies -- LC won't be making ANTM (or the CW) her new permanent home. As of now, she's still sticking to her no-reality-TV policy and trying to get her new book, L.A. Candy, made into a movie.

'Course, if she WAS looking to move into Top Model territory, we're thinking LC would make an amazing addition! (And maybe Kelly Cutrone could come along and knock some sense into those "too-skinny" contestants?)

Whitney Port's got a lot going for her: long, goddess-like tresses/legs, a hit TV show and an amazing support group of family and friends. But that doesn't mean the City star's immune to the occasional bout of nerves. Yesterday, Whit took a deep breath and steeled herself up for what promises to be an exciting (but stress-inducing!) next few days:

"Yikes...big week ahead!!" she wrote on her Twitter. "Only ten more shoot days and spring 2010 whitney eve samples on their last leg!! Exciting but daunting."

So what's she been doing to prepare? That'd be a whole lot of nothing! Whit spent the past weekend playing (and losing at) mini-golf, snapping pix of her fave snack foods and vacationing with the fam in Missouri. And before that, she was down in Miami for Fashion Week, where she caught some shows -- and even caught up on her summer beach reading! (Somehow we're thinking her friend -- and L.A. Candy author Lauren Conrad! -- would totally approve.)

+ Calling all Hills, City and ABDC fanatics! The Remote Control blog has officially gone global! Follow us on Twitter for your up-to-the-minute fix of MTV goss.

Break out the popcorn! Lauren Conrad's best selling book, L.A. Candy, could be making the move to the big screen! That is, if things continue to go according to LC's master plan. The Hills star recently caught up with the NY Daily News and told them she's "hoping for a movie deal." And it doesn't just sound like a pipe dream.

"I'm working on [a big screen adaption] right now, but I don't want to commit to anything until I see all my options," Conrad revealed. "We have had a lot of exciting news in that respect, though," she teased.

And speaking of exciting news, the Daily News wondered whether Conrad might cast herself in the film's starring role! (For her part, LC said she "ha[s]n't even thought about" who'll play fresh-faced protagonist Jane Roberts.)

But natch, we wanna know what you guys think: If the Candy series does get the studio treatment, would you want to see Lauren as the lead? Take the poll and sound off in the comments!

In 2003, Lauren Conrad was a typical high schooler living in Laguna Beach, California. Now, she's a world famous TV star, fashion designer and New York Times best selling author. Yep, LC's first book, L.A. Candy, has topped the list two weeks in a row now, with no signs of slowing down. And no one's more surprised than Lauren herself.

The happily retired Hillzie told People.com that she never saw any of her success coming. "If someone said to me five years ago when this all started that I would one day make the New York Times Best Seller list, I wouldn't have believed it," Conrad gushed earlier today. "I am so honored that it is now a reality."

So how'd she become a modern-day Jane Austen? Well, the first-time author played it smart, striking while the iron was hot and writing about what she knew (her main character is a girl-next-door turned reality TV star!), ultimately leading to a three-book deal with a major publisher.

Anywho, you'll be psyched to know that Lauren's already working on book two of the series -- and based on the first one's success, she might be back on the best seller list before 2010! That is, if she ever actually leaves...

In case you didn't know (or knew, but in your extreme over-excitement, totes forgot), Lauren Conrad's new novel, L.A. Candy, came out last week. And the book hadn't been in stores more than 24 hours before we'd downloaded it to our Kindle, read it from start to finish (what? sleep is sooo overrated!) and heaved a satisfied sigh as we turned the last pages in what we're convinced is The. Best. Reality-Inspired. Fiction. EVER.

Okay, okay, so we're slightly biased (being obsessed with Everything LC Does and all), but we totally, legitimately LOVED it. And, natch, we wanna hear how you guys felt about poor, sweet Jane and her gorgeous, smart-assy roomie/hot, commitment-phobic love interest/blonde, publicity-starved nemesis!

So take our poll and tell us whether you hearted/hated it, then sound off about anything/everything in the comments. (P.S. Anyone else love the beyond byotchy boss who turns into a total sweetheart/glamorpuss in front of the cameras?)

Lauren Conrad wasn't exactly floored when she found out that Doug and Paris were dunzo, but she did seem ever-so-slightly surprised. "I thought they were a good match," she mused to Access Hollywood reporters. And if that surprises you, keep in mind that LC probs had other things on her mind at the time. Like the fact that she's starting a gigundo publicity tour to promote her new reality-based novel, L.A. Candy.

Peep these pix of the Hillzie-turned-author celebrating her literary debut and let us know whether you'll be throwing a copy into your beach bags this summer!

Not gonna lie. When we first heard that Lauren Conrad was adding 'signed author' to her long list of job titles, we were a bit confused ... and admittedly kinda jealous. After all, LC's an expert in reality TV and fashion design, but it's not like she got a degree in creative writing at college (or spent countless hours schmoozing at a prestigious, post-grad publishing course!), or put years (and years!) into penning (grueling!) investigative magazine features ("Prom Queens Gone Crazy!") and (semi-absurd) online personality tests ("How Hot Are You?") before eventually earning the Editor position at a super-awesome (and highly-successful!) MTV blog ... like some (one) of us.

No, Lauren Conrad never even said she wanted to be a writer. But the truth of the matter is that she's not bad at it... OK, she's pretty good. Read this excerpt from her novel, L.A. Candy, which is loosely based on her own life as a real-girl-gone-famous. (And when we say "loosely," we mean that Brody's name has been changed to "Braden.")