Spotlight on backstage puts focus on pranks

Some celebrities were amused; others seemed to be a bit confused.
CULVER CITY, Calif. (AP) -- Eminem and his D12 crew became backstage bullies at the MTV Movie Awards, living up to their names as they hassled people and played pranks.
Most of the stars were all smiles onstage -- which fans can see for themselves 9 tonight. But in the narrow production passageway behind the scenes at Saturday's taping, some celebs still needed to learn their lines, some wanted to socialize, while others were in a hurry to escape to the afterparty.
Then there was D12. Costumed as various stars of yesteryear, the Detroit rap crew passed the time before their performance by taunting glamorous and beautiful passers-by.
"Sharon Stone! I'm Rick James," shouted D12's Kon Artis, who was dressed as the funky singer. He stopped the stunned "Basic Instinct" star in her tracks and caressed her hand. "I love your movies," he purred.
She forced a smile. "I ... love your music ...?" she said with uncertainty, before her entourage hustled her out a side entrance.
D12's Bizarre ogled her as she walked away. "Sharon Stone ..." he growled.
When Halle Berry passed by, Kon Artis shouted: "Halle! We love your music!"
The Oscar-winning actress, who doesn't record music, did her best to ignore them.
Keeping out of sight
Eminem, dressed as Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose, remained out of sight for most of the hijinks, shrouded behind a small, curtained room.
He missed Christina Aguilera, a longtime musical foe he once famously mocked in song, as she sneaked past the D12 crew. She giggled "Nice!" to a friend, cocking her head at the ridiculously costumed guys. They were too busy cavorting in front of an MTV camera to notice.
Eminem emerged in time to cross paths with "Texas Chain Saw Massacre" remake star Jessica Biel. He looped his arm across her shoulders and escorted her to the exit, then -- in the shadow of his massive bodyguard team -- pretended to pick a fight with her in front of the crowd outside.
"You and me -- after school!" he taunted.
Biel was happy to play along. "3 o'clock!" she yelled back.
For the less rowdy, the dimly lighted hallway was just a place to hang out. Tom Cruise, who presented an award with his "Collateral" co-star Jamie Foxx, was adjusting his sunglasses to hang from the neck of his T-shirt before being confronted by a fan -- Vin Diesel.
Not taking them back
By far the biggest star on the show, Cruise didn't mind mingling or greeting the occasional admirer. Once onstage, Cruise threw his sunglasses and leather jacket to some screaming fans, leaving him just a small T-shirt for the rest of the night.
Would he need the jacket back?
That question caused a look of alarm to cross his face. "No," he said, as if the last thing he needed to do was reclaim a fan's souvenir. "They can have it. Let them keep it."
One star who spoke to no one was host Lindsay Lohan. The "Mean Girls" star was always running back and forth from the stage to her dressing room for quick changes into six glitzy outfits.
Others, like Queen Latifah, lingered as long as possible, creating miniblockages in the corridor as their celebrity colleagues stopped to chat. Jake Gyllenhaal and girlfriend Kirsten Dunst hugged and kissed at the end of the night, further tying up traffic.
At one point, Paris Hilton and her Backstreet Boys beau Nick Carter squeezed through the crowd. The hotel heiress/reality TV star leaned back and smiled, "Do I look cute?" as if she already knew the answer.
Carter responded with a kiss to her cheek. Then they went outside so she could smoke a cigarette.