LOS ANGELES -- Twice a year, top stars are forced to mingle with the nation's TV critics to promote their shows, a drill delivered with stale sound bites and fake guffaws. But stick around long enough and even the most prepared celebrity will slip in a one-liner -- accidentally or purposely -- that reminds you that Hollywood is populated with more than talking mannequins. Here are a few favorite quips from our recent two-week trip to la-la land:
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"I used to have this rather romantic idea of playing in a jazz trio in Lisbon. I don't know why I settled on Lisbon. I've never been to Lisbon. I know nothing about it. I think they have red tile roofs. And it's always been at the back of my mind that that's where I would wind up, playing 'Autumn Leaves' in some hotel lobby somewhere," Hugh Laurie on his possible future after "House."
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"We don't have a ton of stunts in the sense of, you know, 'Buffy.' So far, the trickiest stunt I've had is standing next to the very tall Kristoffer Polaha and Mike Colter and trying to look like I'm not 7," Sarah Michelle Gellar on her new role in CW's "Ringer."
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"I think you've proven that there's nothing wrong with being selfish. You are somebody who I've admired, who has ruthlessly succeeded in their career even when you left the Pussycat Girls behind, and there's nothing wrong with that, because it is about goals and ambition," Simon Cowell giving a backhanded compliment to his "X Factor" colleague Nicole Scherzinger.
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