Victoria's Secret model to replace Megan Fox in 'Transformers 3'?

Hear that? It’s the sound of men everywhere cursing that they aren’t Michael Bay.

After Megan Fox was dropped as Shia LaBeouf's love interest in "Transformers 3," Bay has the oh-so-difficult task of finding a starlet suitable to fill her skimpy outfits.

Now there's speculation that Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who apparently read for the role last week, is the front-runner.

Not too surprising, right? Huntington-Whiteley's impressive acting chops have already been seen down the runway as she pretends those stiletto heels aren't painful to strut in during all those televised "Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows." 

Also on the rumored short list with Huntington-Whiteley is Sarah Wright, who appeared in the critically acclaimed -- er, panned -- film "The House Bunny," and Brooklyn Decker, who is the reason dudes everywhere are glued to the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Sorry, Heidi!

Paramount began production on "Transformers 3" earlier this month in Los Angeles, so Bay might want to hurry up with the casting.

-- Yvonne Villarreal

Photo: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley arrives at the Victoria's Secret "What Is Sexy? List: Bombshell Edition" party in Los Angeles in May. Credit: Associated Press

Want the headlines? Follow the Ministry of Gossip on Twitter. And if you want to become a fan on Facebook, find us at facebook.com/ministryofgossip.

---

Clicking on Green Links will take you to a third-party e-commerce site. These sites are not operated by the Los Angeles Times. The Times Editorial staff is not involved in any way with Green Links or with these third-party sites.

---

Heidi Montag says she can fill Megan Fox's 'Transformers' role [poll]

Heidi Montag has let "Transformers" director Michael Bay know, via Twitter, that she's game to fill Megan Fox's shoes as Mikaela Banes in the third installment of the robot-action franchise should the director trip, hit his head on a rock and suffer a dramatic fall-off in casting judgment.

"Michael Bay I love your work! I know what a artistic brilliant genius you are! Cast me in the next Transformers."

(We'd like to point out that those quote marks actually come from Heidi herself, who seems to have cleverly packaged the comment for public consumption -- and we like to daydream that she or whoever speaks English for her made those girly "quote marks" in the "air" with her "hands" while "tweeting." That would be a artistic brilliant thing to do.)

Fox and the franchise have parted ways, it was announced Wednesday, with some speculation ...

Maxim's Hot 100 list: Katy Perry is tops, but Heidi Montag flops

Katy Perry rocketed up Maxim's Hot 100 list this year, jumping to No. 1 after buzzing around at No. 15 in 2009.

What made her so much hotter this year -- the Russell Brand engagement? The ProActiv acne treatment commercials? After getting hooked on 2008's "I Kissed a Girl," Maxim seems to like Perry's "California Gurls" single for 2010, and has high hopes for a super summer backed by tunes from her upcoming album.

Girl-next-door Perry didn't make the cover, however. That hotness was delivered by Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks.

Rihanna moved up a spot this year to No. 6, up from No. 8 in 2009 and No. 15 in 2008 -- maybe all those photo shoots helped? Megan Fox, meanwhile, fell to No. 5 from No. 2 in 2009. (Yeah, the unfunny school budget cuts video took the edge off for us too.)

After popping onto the list at No. 100 in 2008 and falling off it last year, Tila Tequila thankfully remains un-Hot in Maxim's eyes. The mag appears unimpressed with Heidi Montag as well -- she made the list in 2008 and 2009, but fell off this year, possibly due to the weight of her massive new breast implants.

How soon until hubby Spencer Pratt lovingly tweets his outrage? We're betting soon, because "The Hills" costar Audrina Patridge -- who didn't even make the cover of People -- came in 12th.

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Katy Perry arrives at the 27th Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards on April 21 in Los Angeles. Credit: Chris Pizzello / Associated Press 

Think our headlines are hot? Follow the Ministry of Gossip on Twitter (we're @LATcelebs) or swing by our Facebook page and 'like' us right into your news feed.

PREACH IT! Still more proof that reality TV ain't real

Still think your favorite reality TV show is being totally honest with you? You might not want to read this.

Now comes fresh evidence that the reality genre is anything but believable. Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag -- the epic fame whores at the center of MTV’s "The Hills" -- reportedly are being urged by a producer to stage fights.

"MTV has been asking them to do inappropriate things for the show,” a source close to the couple (in other words, the couple) tells X17 Online. "They've wanted Spencer to play up his aggressiveness for ratings, and he doesn't want to do it. For Season 5, MTV producers even asked Spencer to hit his own sister Stephanie."

By now, this sort of news, presuming it’s accurate, should come as no surprise. Lauren Conrad has confessed that she staged some of her scenes on "The Hills," such as one phone call that actually had nobody on the other end. CW’s new airborne reality show "Fly Girls" seems to take bad acting to a whole new level. (The Washington Post called it a “reality-esque series filmed in deceptive, 'Hills'-style fake-o-vision, about a quintet of Virgin [America] Airways flight attendants who are based out of LAX and are forced [by producers?] to share a condo, which they call the Crash Pad.”)

And then there’s the E! show "Pretty Wild." We got this behind-the-scenes peek at the show in a recent issue of Vanity Fair:

Heidi Montag reveals her huge new Hollywood presence

In case you hadn't heard, Heidi Montag of "The Hills" has had a little work done. The kind of work that makes a mother cry.

Now you can cry too after clicking here and experiencing Montag's shock-and-awe surgically "enhanced" body, which she unveiled this weekend poolside at Aria in Las Vegas. "The Hills" goes off the air April 27; Montag was wearing a swimsuit supposedly from her new line of bikinis.

Don't forget, folks, she wants to make them bigger.

No, not the bikinis.

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Heidi Montag arrives to host a Valentine's Day evening event at the Pure Nightclub at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Credit: David Becker / Getty Images.

For more on Heidi Montag or Spencer Pratt, click and scroll down. Follow the Ministry of Gossip on Twitter (we're @LATcelebs) and Facebook.

MTV finally leaving 'The Hills' but not before Heidi Montag gets her 15th minute

After years of privileged young things on journeys of self-discovery, MTV will lay to rest its reality hit "The Hills," which is about to premiere its sixth and final season on April 27.

Au revoir is in order for current cast Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, Kristin Cavallari, Audrina Patridge (who debuts new beau Ryan Cabrera in the new season) and Stephanie Pratt.

“I think we’ve told the story of struggle and of finding yourself in L.A.,” producer Adam DiVello says.

This doesn't mean the show is going quietly. A major moment captured for the last "Hills" hurrah includes Montag unveiling her many plastic surgeries to her mother, Darlene Egelhoff -- for the first time.

“It’s a really touching but heartbreaking scene to watch,” says "Hills" executive producer Liz Gateley. 

Um, we would imagine, given that Heidi's already  described her mother's reaction, saying Mom looked at her as though she were a "circus freak."

Interesting points for the final season will include the romance of Patridge and singer Cabrera, as well as Cavallari's battle against drug-abuse rumors. 

"The Hills" is a spinoff of MTV's milestone reality show "Laguna Beach," which documented dramatic teens in the eponymous affluent beach town in Southern California. 

After high school graduation, "Laguna" alum Lauren Conrad was cast as the "Hills" lead and remained the central character of the program. She filmed her last moment of catharsis in trendy eateries in March 2009. 

-- Matt Donnelly 

Photo: "The Hills" gals pose for promotional pictures, featuring a pre-surgery Heidi Montag, far right. Credit: MTV

Want more headlines on the lovable Heidi Montag, like her husband's new Defense job, Playboy magazine shoot and costarring with Jennifer Aniston? Yes, we said Jennifer Aniston. Get it here! Then follow us on Twitter and friend us on Facebook.

PREACH IT! Spencer Pratt, fighting for truth, justice and the American database

Where to begin with this one, where to begin ... Well, this story definitely falls under that extremely necessary MOG category of “There Are No Words.” Maybe we should just stick with the facts. When they’re this amazingly flabbergasting, you really don’t need much else.

People magazine reports that Spencer Pratt -- half of the most media-desperate couple on Earth -- has chosen a new profession. After studying software engineering at USC -- “with a focus on encryption” -- Pratt has announced he’ll work for American Defense Enterprises in its cyber security division.

"Upon learning of President Obama's declaration that the 'cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation,' I have decided to refocus my energy and devote my full resources to helping America face this and other unprecedented challenges," he told People in a very not-pre-written statement.

"My new mission is this: To do my part in maintaining the technological superiority of the U.S. military and prevent emerging technologies from threatening our nation's security,” Pratt continues.

Quick hits: Heidi Montag, Sean Hayes, Elton John -- psychics, sexuality, death threats and 'Idol'

For a Friday afternoon, here's some quick-hit celeb news -- click the links for the full stories.

Heidi Montag, the girl we hardly recognize since all those surgeries, got good news this week: She's been cast in her first feature film comedy, with Adam Sandler, and starts filming Monday. Might she have gotten the news sooner if she'd brought on psychic Aiden Chase to replace hubby Spencer Pratt as her manager before Wednesday? Someone should ask Gene Kelly.

Sean Hayes, of "Will and Grace" fame, is gay. This is news, you say? Technically, yes. Oh yeah, he's opening on Broadway soon with Kristen Chenoweth in "Promises, Promises" too.

Nigel Lythgoe is an Elton John fan -- the producer says he'd love to have Elton replace Simon Cowell on the "American Idol" judges panel. Neal Horsley, however, is not so much of a fan ...

Report: Heidi Montag will soap up her after-market mods and show them off in Playboy

Seems "The Hills" star Heidi Montag's 10 new plastic surgery nips and tucks really have built up the 23-year-old's self-esteem.

Now that she looks almost nothing like she did as recently as November, the blond -- she's still blond -- is apparently confident enough, MSNBC's the Scoop says, to pose topless for Playboy!

That's instead of just settling for those lame-o, no-nudity bikini shots she popped for the mag back in September. 

(Get this -- she said they even had to Photoshop one of her lame-o you-know-whats bigger, just to fill out the bikini top! Can you imagine the horror?)

You go girl! Woo! Hoo! Because nothing says "I'm happy just being the strong woman who is me!" than pressing your bangin' new triple-Ds up against a soapy shower door and banking six or seven figures for your scantily clad day's work.