TINSELTOWN SPYWITNESS.

Byline: Elizabeth Snead and Joel Stratte-McClure

GOING IN STYLE: Why is Tori Spelling one of Hollywood's 50 hottest trendsetters?

``Because I'm so passionate about fashion and style that I wake up every day excited about putting together an intriguing new look,'' Spelling said at a party Thursday at the Montmartre Lounge in Hollywood honoring Life & Style magazine's list of StyleMakers.

``But underneath the contemporary trends, I really love the old Hollywood era and the looks perfected by Veronica Lake, Elizabeth Taylor and Natalie Wood.''

Joining Spelling (who arrived with hubby Charlie Shanian) as StyleMakers in the magazine's June 6 issue are Fantasia Barrino, Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, Paris and Nicky Hilton, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Beyonce Knowles, Jude Law, Lindsay Lohan, Jennifer Lopez, Jessie Metcalfe, Gwyneth Paltrow, Brad Pitt and Renee Zellweger.

Meanwhile, Kevan Hall, who's the year's Best Red-Carpet Designer, elaborated about what makes a true StyleMaker. ``These people know what look perfectly suits their particular features,'' said Hall as he surveyed a crowd that included Carmen Electra, Joely Fisher, Bai Ling, Brittany Murphy and Courtney Peldon. ``Nicole Kidman always accentuates the divine coloring of her hair and skin as well as her great tall, willowy body.''

We knew it wasn't just the dress.

BACK TO THE GRIND: Heath Ledger, sporting very dark sunglasses, didn't need a skateboard to speed past inquisitive reporters on the red carpet at the premiere of ``Lords of Dogtown'' at Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Tuesday.

Maybe the Australian actor, who barely glanced at a vertical skateboarding demonstration on a specially constructed half-pipe ramp, didn't want to chat about expectant girlfriend Michelle Williams. Or maybe Ledger didn't want to steal the spotlight from the actual lords of Dogtown, the Venice/Santa Monica neighborhood that pioneered extreme skateboarding 30 years ago.

``Heath surfed and skateboarded as a kid and didn't have to make any big cultural transition to portray me in the film,'' said Skip Engblom, the co-owner of the Zephyr Production Surf Shop, whose Z-Boys perfected an aggressive skating style. ``Watching him on the screen tells me more than I want to know about myself.''

Ledger and other ``Dogtown'' actors - including Emile Hirsch, Victor Rasuk and John Robinson - intently studied the real lords to prepare for their roles.

``These guys are heroes and poster boys to skateboarders everywhere,'' said Robinson, who grew up snowboarding in Portland, Ore. ``We don't skate as well as they did, but I think we captured their spirit.'' The ``Dogtown'' screenplay was written by Stacy Peralta, one of the original Z-Boys, who directed the award-winning documentary ``Dogtown and Z-Boys'' in 2001. He and other aging Z-Boys have bit roles in the film that opens Friday.

``This movie's got a wonderfully dirty quality that catches the feel, sound and tone of those times,'' said Peralta on his way to the after-party at the Avalon, where guests included Alexis Arquette, Bai Ling, Garcelle Beauvais, Rebecca De Mornay, Fred Durst, Jennifer Gimenez and Michael Keaton. ``If we're lucky maybe some of that style will come back when kids see the film.''

Bet that will make parents in today's Dogtown real happy.

JUST TAGGING ALONG: What preoccupied the cast of the HBO series ``Entourage'' at the premiere and after-party to launch the second season on Wednesday night? The real-life entourages, networks and friendships each has established to cope with the Hollywood fast lane, glamour and excesses.

``I don't have an entourage, I've got my girlfriend,'' said Kevin Connolly, sitting with the very hot Nicky Hilton around the pool at the Roosevelt Hotel after the screening at the El Capitan in Hollywood. ``Street smarts, not book smarts and agents, is what gets you somewhere in this business.''

But isn't it tough hanging with a Hilton in this town? ``I never realized exactly how super-famous she was until we started dating,'' said Connolly, 31, as Hilton, 21, took a call on her cell. ``But being intimated by this kind of stuff is not my thing. Hey, I'm from New York and have been acting since I was 6. This is easy!''

And, no, the couple didn't seek guidance in the Psychic and Tarot room at the patio party. Nor did Hilton have anything profound to say about Connolly's on-screen sex scenes with a Perfect 10 model in the second episode.

The new season, which begins on HBO on June 5 and will feature a guest appearance by Bono, has taught everyone some lessons about the biz.

``We all definitely need close friends to help us enjoy the good times and survive the bad times that are part of the acting game,'' said Adrian Grenier, who plays the sexy Vincent Chase, the character whose career is just taking off. ``But what's really required to survive in Hollywood is a lot of patience, a lack of desperation and a sense of humor.''

Grenier practices what he preaches. He watched the premiere from the balcony with a bunch of buddies and lots of popcorn.

The rest of the entourage - including executive producer Mark Wahlberg, stars Kevin Dillon, Jeremy Piven, Debi Mazar and guests Bai Ling, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Gina Gershon - were all underneath him.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) SPELLING, SHANIAN: That look is working for her.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

(2) HIRSCH, LEDGER, RASUK, ROBINSON: 'Lords' almighty.

Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images

(3) CONNOLLY, HILTON: Dating an heiress not as hard as it looks.

Marsaili McGrath/Getty Images