Drama Surrounding Nikki Blonsky

Nikki Blonsky, the star of “Hairspray,” is having some trouble keeping her stories straight these days. A pair of he-said, she-said stories has hit various gossip and news websites recently, and all signs indicate that Blonsky is on the wrong end of some little white lies.

A phony boyfriend

First, Blonsky was accused of using two different men as fake boyfriends in an attempt to get some press coverage and rejuvenate her acting career. Talent manager Blake Woodruff says he was one of the men. He told several media outlets that Blonsky hauled him onto the red carpet at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network awards and asked him to identify himself as her boyfriend. Another reported phony boyfriend scam happened with aspiring actor Tommy Potoeski. A photo of Blonsky kissing Potoeski was circulated to media outlets by a restaurant publicist; Blonsky’s representation confirmed the relationship. Not long after, her Twitter account stated that she was “openly and happily single.” Woodruff claims that Potoeski is another fake boyfriend.

Selling shoes on the side

While the boyfriend brouhaha was still brewing, Blonsky took to Twitter to deny reports that she had taken a job selling shoes at a high-end boutique to help make ends meet after movie roles dried up. While Blonsky was in denial, however, the owner of the boutique told reporters it was absolutely true. Blonsky's longtime friend, the owner confirmed that the erstwhile star works two or three shifts a week until the end of the summer, when Blonsky begins an exciting new project.

Fake boyfriends for publicity’s sake and shoe store shifts for extra cash: Nikki Blonsky has gotten some controversial headlines recently. Although her career seems to have stalled, perhaps she can generate some more healthful headlines in the future.