From the Hollywood starlet files, it’s a happy birthday to Sophia Bush, who turns 25 today. While she takes a big hit for having once been married to squinty-eyed hair gel champion Chad Michael Murray (who’s only a step above Devon Sawa in the poor-man’s-Shane-West sweepstakes), Bush will always hold a special place in my heart for showing me her zebra-print panties on the set of The Hitcher (don’t ask).



I’ve never seen One Tree Hill, but Bush starred in Stay Alive and John Tucker Must Die, the latter of which made box office hay out of its savvy Comedy Central ads featuring costar Brittany Snow in a red bra-and-panty set. And upcoming she has The Narrows, costarring Vincent D’Onofrio, Kevin Zegers and Monica Keena, from director François Velle, who helmed the quite funny, underrated comedy New Suit, from 2002. All in all, Sophia is really charming and cute, and capitalizing on her time in the sun fairly well, though I’d love to see her cast in a smart indie romantic comedy, though I guess those are few and far between. The main problem, perhaps? The surname Bush isn’t exactly doing her any favors right now. Don't laugh (too hard) — while she won't be mistaken for Dubya or anything, these things sometimes have a way of percolating in subconscious fashion in the minds of filmmakers and casting directors. Just ask '70s starlet Rhonda Nixon. Who, you ask? Exactly.