Last Friday we learned that happy news that popstar/actress Hilary Duff and hockey player Mike Comrie got themselves engaged to be wed while they vacationed in Hawaii (and over the weekend we saw just how thankful Hil D. was to get her fat ring) and today we get to see photos of Hila-rie making their way home from their holiday:

Hilary was well aware of the paparazzi presence at the airport as the couple tried to leave so she did her best to try and hide the big, fat diamond she was wearing on her finger … apparently, Hilary was feeling more shy at the airport than she was on the balcony of the couple’s hotel. She did manage to inadvertently flash her ring tho — check out the size of her new engagement rock after the jump …

On Friday we learned the happy news that popstar/actress Hilary Duff and hockey playin’ hunk Mike Comrie got themselves engaged (Hilary‘s publicist has officially confirmed the engagement). The blog at Bauer-Griffin, apparently, managed to catch the exact moment when Mike proposed to Hilary while they were on vacay in Hawaii last week:

What followed next, after this sweet down-on-one-knee moment, was totally natural and extremely hilarious! After the jump, find out what Hil D. did for Mikey to show her extreme appreciation after he popped the question …

Congratulations are in order for popstar/actress Hilary Duff and her hockey-playin’ beau Mike Comrie … according to new reports out today, the couple are engaged to be wed! After a couple years of dating, it appears that Hila-rie are finally ready to say I Do. They’re gettin’ hitched, y’all!!

Disney diva Hilary Duff has become the second hockey fiancée of the season, thanks to her engagement to Edmonton Oilers star Mike Comrie. A source close to the 22-year-old actress confirms to E! News that she got engaged to her boyfriend of more than two years while vacationing in Maui this week. Duff’s mom seemingly laughed off reports of her daughter’s engagement this week (just like the couple themselves did a year and a half ago), but we’re guessing that was before she caught a load of pictures seemingly catching the 29-year-old Comrie at his very moment of question popping. There’s no word yet on a wedding date for the happy couple. Congrats, you two!

Yes, much congrats to the happy couple!! It’s funny … I remember when Hilary Duff and Joel Madden were my fave Hollywood couple and now, here we are all these years later, and they’re both engaged to other people … it’s funny the way life works itself out. I hope you’ll join me in sending the warmest wishes and our heartiest congrats to Hilary and Mike! Congrats!!

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Those of you who have been watching the new season of Gossip Girl surely must be aware of how much tail Dan Humphrey (played by Penn Badgley) is getting on the show … I mean … a lot. He’s already been there and done that with Serena (played by Blake Lively) and Vanessa (played by Jessica Szohr) and just this season he got bizzy with Georgina Sparks (played by Michelle Trachtenberg) and soon he’ll be gettin’ his freak on with Olivia Burke (played by Hilary Duff). I mean … WTF? Here are pics of Penn makin’ out with both Jessica and Hilary on the NYC set of GG this week:

HMMM. I guess now that Chace Crawford‘s character has settled down with Joanna Garcia‘s character and Ed Westwick‘s character has settled down with Leigton Meester‘s character … the field is wide open for Penn to get his mack on. I guess it’s gonna take me some time to get used to the idea of Dan Humphrey breakin’ hearts on GG but … that’s why they call it fiction, right?

[Photo credit: Splash News]

E!‘s Watch with Kristin blog brings us our first look at Hilary Duff in character as Olivia Burke on Gossip Girl. Here is a new promo pic released by The CW that features Hil D. in her debut ep on the show which will air on October 5:

Here she is! Hilary Duff joins the cast of Gossip Girl as movie star Olivia Burke for the Oct. 5 episode titled “Dan de Fleurette,” and we have the exclusive first look at Duff in character on the set! Duff’s character is assigned to be Vanessa’s (Jessica Szohr) roommate at NYU—their dorm room is the setting of the still above—and through Vanessa, Olivia gets to know Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley). Olivia becomes attracted to Dan, and vica versa. Of course, there’s a twist: Dan is so tuned out to pop culture that he doesn’t realize the girl he’s falling for is a huge movie star famous for her role in a Twilight-esque series of vampire movies. Still, the two college kids manage to make their odd-couple pairing work, and cuteness ensues. Yay!

LOL! Isn’t it amazing that Hilary Duff in character as Olivia Burke looks a lot like Hilary Duff in, well, real life? I’m thinking the fact that the Olivia character is described as “movie star who enrolls at NYU“ will help Hilary‘s acting abilities immensely … but, I guess there’s always room for epic failure. I’ll hold off on judgment of her acting skills on GG until I actually see them in action. This is a nice sneak peek tho … hopefully we’ll get to see something more substantial soon.

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Production continues on the third season of Gossip Girl which begins airing next month … earlier this month we saw photos of new castmember Hilary Duff filming her first scenes for the show and today we get to see another photo of her and her female GG cohorts making their way to the Manhattan set yesterday afternoon:

Oh yeah, Penn Badgley is featured in these pics as well but I’m sure he don’t mind gettin’ lumped in with the ladies. I’m really looking forward to the return of this show especially to see if Hil D. will enhance the show or not. Not for nothing but I haven’t actually seen Hilary Duff in anything before so I have nothing to base an early opinion on … I do trust the GG folks to make some great eps so … I’m hopeful. Shoot, no matter what Hilary‘s role on the show will be I deffo know that I’ll be tuning in for Chuck Bass‘s gay kiss :) Woot!!

[Photo credit: X17]

In early July we learned that former popstar and sometimes actress Hilary Duff would be joining the cast of Gossip Girl in the show’s 3rd season this Fall and yesterday was her first day on the job. Here are a few pics of Hil D. with her new GG cohorts Chace Crawford, Penn Badgley and Blake Lively on her first day of filming on the NYC set of the show:

Clearly, Hilary is trying to get more acting gigs under her belt … she’s been in a couple of movies recently and did a guest stint on Law & Order: SVU earlier this year. This new gig on stint on Gossip Girl could be just the right vehicle to get her back on the acting map. Long gone are her days on Lizzie Maguire, so she’s got some work to do to get back in the public consciousness as an actress. While her attempt to get her own show on NBC, titled Barely Legal, didn’t get picked up by the network at least she can take heart that the folks at GG took pity saw that she would be a great asset to the show. I mean … she’s already decked out in a hipster straw hat … she’s well on her way. Do any of y’all think Hil will blend seamlessly in with the rest of the cast or will she stick out like a big “guest star” sore thumb?

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Not only is Hilary Duff joining the cast of Gossip Girl as a “movie star who enrolls at NYU” this coming season but she has also be tapped by DKNY as the new spokesmodel for their Femme by DKNY line. Apparently, the line features DKNY‘s trademark jeans but, for some reason, Hil D. just can’t seem to let her fascination with leggings die the painful death they deserve:

We first got a sneak peek of Hilary Duff’s Femme for DKNY Jeans line when Gossip Girl co-star Jessica Szohr turned up at a Louis Vuitton party sporting a $59 floral cardigan from the collection, and now, the ads are out. Hilary stars alongside models Sophie Srej and Gracie Carvalho in a New York City street-inspired ad campaign. Combining Hilary’s personal style and the individuality of New Yorkers — the inspiration behind her designs — the Femme for DKNY Jeans fall ‘09 ads were shot on the Manhattan streets by Scott Schuman, best known for his street style blog The Sartorialist. With Hilary joining the cast of Gossip Girl this fall, we couldn’t think of a better theme than the gritty and glam streets of New York for her latest design venture.

Um, I don’t know that the “individuality of New Yorkers” can really be expressed in a line of clothing designed from inspirations gleaned from the ex-Lizzie Maguire but … good for her for making the effort! I’m sure these new threads will be flying off the shelves … especially if any of them get featured on upcoming eps of Gossip Girl. And suddenly, Hilary‘s decision to join the show makes much more sense. At least she, unlike some of her poptart contemporaries with their own lines of clothing, has got a more respectable design house behind her. Will any of YOU be wearing Femme by DKNY this season?

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Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly is reporting that pop star (and sometimes actress) Hilary Duff will join the cast of Gossip Girl for their third season (which just went into production in NYC this week) for a story-arc that will feature her as a “movie star who enrolls at NYU” and is roommates with Vanessa (played by Jessica Szohr):

Is the Upper East Side big enough for Serena, Blair and the Duffster?! We’re about to find out because the onetime tween sensation is joining Gossip Girl for a multi-episode arc, sources confirm to me exclusively. The actress-designer-pop chanteuse will play Olivia Burke, a movie star who enrolls at NYU in search of a traditional college experience. She ends up rooming with Vanessa (Jessica Szohr) so it’s safe to say she’ll be majoring in Drama! Duff will debut in this season’s fourth episode, slated to air Oct. 5. Gossip producers spotted an opening in Duff’s schedule after NBC passed on her comedy pilot Barely Legal.

Whoa! Now that’s a scoop. First GG manages to attract Michelle Trachtenberg to join the cast and now Hilary Duff … not too shabby. I hadn’t heard that NBC passed on Duff‘s Barely Legal TV series so that’s news to me as well. I really think that Hil D. will fit in perfectly with the Gossip gang. I’m sure it won’t be long until we see her on set in NYC filming her first scenes for the series. What do y’all think … is this news about Hilary joining the GG cast good news or bad?

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Last Friday we saw pics of Hilary Duff switching on the lights at the Empire State Building in NYC in honor of the 24th Annual AIDS Walk New York that was scheduled for this weekend in the Big Apple. Today we learn that Hilary, her boyfriend Mike Comrie, actor Michael Urie and personality Carson Kressley were joined by over 450,000 people who trekked thru NYC to help raise 5.6 million for AIDS charities. Here are a few pics from yesterday’s AIDS Walk and some deets about the event itself:

The 24th AIDS Walk New York, the annual walkathon that raises money for local AIDS service organizations, took place in Manhattan on Sunday. Organizers estimate that more than 45,000 people attended, raising as much as $5.6 million. Many participants walked in honor of people who they had lost to HIV/AIDS: a brother, a sister, a friend. Monique Parker came to pay tribute to her brother Anthony who passed away in 2005 at age 45. She explained that it had become a tradition for her to attend the event. A number of family members and friends had joined her in her homage to Anthony. Minerva Velasquez came in memory of her sister Myriam who died of AIDS back in 1994, leaving two sons behind her. “It’s a celebration for me. We honor the good times spent together, especially the fun moments,” Velasquez said. “My sister was truly a very funny woman and I want her to be remembered that way. She never lost her humor until the very end.” Since its inception in 1986, the funds raised by AIDS Walk New York have benefited Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) – a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based organization that has been a leader in the fight against AIDS – and dozens of other tri-state HIV/AIDS service organizations. AIDS Walks allow service organizations to be accessible to anyone who is HIV positive, even people with little or no financial means, which helps local communities prevent the spread of the disease. Participants met at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday and braved the drizzle and wind in Central Park, right by the Sheep Meadow (south of 72nd Street) where the walk started. The opening ceremony featured actress and singer Hilary Duff, Carson Kressley (“Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”) and Brooke Smith (“Grey’s Anotomy”). In addition, the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus – who greeted attendees with a “Welcome ladies and gentlemen and everyone in between” – were there to interpret popular songs such as the famous “Dancing Queen” by the band ABBA, which did not fail to cheer up the crowd before the beginning of the 6.2-mile walk. Participants started walking through Central Park at 10 a.m. all the way up to 110th street – Cathedral Parkway – and down Riverside Drive before finishing up back in the park on 72nd street. Volunteers were cheering walkers and giving out free refreshments and snacks all along the way. The crowd was very diverse: young, old, gay, straight, black, Caucasian, Latino and the general atmosphere was very friendly.

Because of the struggling economy, estimates on funds raised by this year’s AIDS Walk New York were set very low … the $5.6 million was a number that far exceeded what organizers were hoping for. Said Dr. Marjorie Hill, CEO of Gay Men’s Health Crisis: “Today’s powerful results show that tough times, indeed, will not break our stride.” Congrats, kudos and much thanks goes out to those folks who participated in yesterday’s AIDS Walk. Until a cure can be found, we must not slow our resolve to help raise funds and awareness to battle this deadly disease. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it … much love and respect goes out to the celebs who use their fame for great causes like this. It says a lot that folks would take time out of their bizzy schedules to participate in important events such as this. Please keep up the great work!!

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]