Hilary Duff is still getting some mileage out of a pair of bygone rivalries. "It's hard to find people who don't feel like they're in competition with you," the shiny-toothed starlet, 20, sighs in the May issue of Allure. Like, say, Avril Lavigne, who four years ago sneered of Hil, "I don't really like her." According to the Duffster, "I said something about how she didn't like her fans dressing like her, and how she should appreciate that because it's a compliment. She called me a goody-goody." (And a "kiss-ass," but who's keeping track.) "Everyone is trying to prove who they are, and their position," she continues. "So, I'm 'the good girl.' She's 'the bad girl' or 'the party girl.'" As for Lindsay Lohan and their alleged battle for Aaron Carter's affections, Hilary gripes, "Supposedly, I stole [her] boyfriend. We were, like, 13! And I've never stolen anyone's boyfriend! I don't know how you do that! ... She was talking about it and I wasn't. It made us both look bad ... We are fine now, by the way." Another thing that "looked bad," says Duff, was dating Joel Madden when she was barely old enough to drive and he was hitting the quarter-century mark. Still, she remembers, "He was never nervous, like, 'I could get arrested.'"

Speaking of Madden, the Good Charlotte front man isn't afraid to show his softer side in front of a mockery-disposed demographic. People reports that while performing Wednesday night at Queens College in New York, Nicole Richie's meatier half got mushy over daughter Harlow. "You know, no matter how many beautiful girls there are in this audience," he told the student-packed crowd, "I must confess that three months ago, I had a little baby girl, and she's my one and only true love." We'll assume Richie remains his true love runner-up, especially given that she was watching from backstage and frequently exchanged looks with Madden during the show.

Robert Downey Jr. and Sarah Jessica Parker in Santa Monica, Calif., 1990

Robert Downey Jr. is dredging up ancient history as he stumps for the big-budget superhero flick "Iron Man." In a confessional sit-down with PARADE, the actor recounts how his addictions ruined his seven-year relationship with Sarah Jessica Parker. "I was so selfish. I liked to drink, and I had a drug problem, and that didn't jibe with Sarah Jessica, because it is the furthest thing from what she is," he tells the feel-good Sunday insert. "She provided me a home and understanding. She tried to help me. She was so miffed when I didn't get my act together." Downey recalls how the actress "would pull me out of a hangover, and we'd go pick out furniture together. She is a force of nature!" Parker packed in the romance in 1991 and tied the knot six years later with Matthew Broderick. "I was in love with Sarah Jessica," Downey says, "and love clearly was not enough. I was meant to move on. And, after some heartache, she was meant to find her home with a great star." He's now married to producer Susan Levin, who was "absolutely clear" that she wouldn't tolerate any recidivism on his part. "That doesn't mean that other women, business associates, movie directors, insurance companies, judges and law enforcement hadn't been clear about it too," he adds. "It was that, before I met Mrs. Downey, I just didn't give a god----. What changed is that I cared."

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