Is someone trying to harm Brittany Murphy?

A source who used to work for the perky star says she talks darkly of "a high-powered Hollywood player" who is allegedly stalking her.

And when her then-boyfriend, Simon Monjack, disappeared for 10 days in April, Murphy claimed he had been kidnapped by agents of this mysterious figure, says the source.

"When he came back, he had head injuries," says the former insider. "He was pale and sometimes had trouble standing."

Not only that, but the former staffer also claims Murphy said she was unable to pay him because the money had been used for ransom.

However, the alleged kidnapping seems to exactly coincide with the dates reported by The National Enquirer that Monjack, a British citizen, was jailed by U.S. immigration authorities for overstaying his visa.

Monjack, a screenwriter, is not short of enemies. Several anonymous sources have posted unflattering stories on the Internet about his past relationships. On June 13, a man identifying himself as Arturo Globenfeldt posted a message on Monjack's Imdb.com page claiming he owes him $16 million in film investment money. Globenfeldt, whose blog indicates he is in Portugal, did not immediately respond to an e-mail.

A rep for Murphy also did not respond to a request for comment.

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Clay Aiken and a bevy of male chorus dancers partied into the wee hours at Cain nightclub over the weekend.

The group was celebrating the forthcoming Off-Broadway show, "Idol: The Musical" which is all about Clay and his "Claymates," the fans who love him. The guaranteed-to-be-a-classic show begins previews July 5.

Spies say the group ordered multiple bottles of Snow Queen vodka and poured into cabs together after a long night.

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Pals say Nicky Hilton wasn't thrilled her business trip to Greece was cut short by the liberation of Paris.

"Her parents dragged her back because they didn't think it would be good for the family's image if they didn't show a united front," says a snitch.

"She loves her sister, but she thinks the whole media circus is ridiculous."

Nicky was in Greece for a fashion show with boyfriend David Katzenberg. She arrived driving his car at her grandparents' house at 10 p.m. Tuesday "looking really annoyed," says a witness.

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Shakira and Penelope Cruz partied into the early hours of Wednesday at the Box on the lower East Side. The two hung out in the balcony sipping drinks and watching the sexy burlesque show.


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ANYONE hoping to see Britney Spears perform at Cyndi Lauper's True Colors tour at L.A.'s Greek Theater on Saturday will be sorely disappointed. Spears' choreographer, Misha Gabriel, told People magazine she would hit the stage with Lauper, Rosie O'Donnell, Erasure, Debbie Harry and The MisShapes. But a source told Page Six, "There's no way. Britney said she would only dance or lip-sync - and to be on stage with Cyndi, you have to actually perform. It's not happening now." It's probably for the best - Spears has come out of retirement a few times to guest-appear (dancing and lip-syncing) with the M+Ms, and it didn't go down well with the audience. One fan who will be very disappointed at the True Colors no-show: O'Donnell, who last week posted a video on her blog where she told Spears, "Brit, if you're watching, honey, you and me - we're gonna share, like, a backstage moment, 'cause I love you, kid!" A rep for True Colors said, "She was invited to appear on the first date in Las Vegas but we never heard from her."


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Mary-Kate Olsen and her sweetie Max Snow are getting serious. Ring serious, according to In Touch Weekly. Only problem is, Olsen’s twin sis Ashley isn’t crazy about the guy.

The twins celebrated turning 21 on June 13 with two parties, and Snow bestowed two gifts on his pint-sized gal. He gave her a vintage Hermes Kelly bag on her actual birthday, and two days later during a lavish party at her Hollywood Hills home, he slipped a diamond “promise ring” on her finger, reports the mag.

“Mary-Kate and Max are very serious,” an insider told ITW. “They’re practically living together and will probably get engaged before the end of the year.”

Olsen’s rep denies Snow gave her a ring, but the mag says it’s a Snow family heirloom with rose-cut diamonds set in platinum. The source adds, “She loves Max so much.”