'Man-crazy' Uchitel

Rachel Uchitel has gone to great lengths to shoot down rumors she had an affair or even a brief fling with Tiger Woods -- including hiring celeb pit-bull lawyer Gloria Allred. Yet, as is often the case, the sudden emergence of Uchitel in the public eye has turned the glare on her.

According to an associate from Uchitel's days at Bloomberg News -- back when she worked there as a junior TV producer prior to 9/11 -- Uchitel had something of a reputation as ''a flirt and pretty aggressive when it came to men. ... She was one of the most man-crazy women I've ever met.''

That said, the source did stress Uchitel's ''party girl'' persona did not diminish the fact ''she was truly, deeply devastated and emotionally a mess'' after her fiance, investment banker Andy O'Grady, was killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in 2001.

When the Bloomberg insider learned that Uchitel had changed careers and become a VIP nightclub hostess after an emotional breakdown following her fiance's death, he said, ''I did think that kind of job better suited Rachel's personality.''

Before all that, Uchitel rebounded romantically and married Wall Street trader Steven Ehrenkranz in 2004 -- a union that lasted only four months. Their lavish wedding was showcased as the main story in the Sunday New York Times ''Vows'' section.

A member of Ehrenkranz's family clearly remembers that ill-fated marriage, calling it a ''nightmare'' for him -- adding Ehrenkranz had been warned by numerous friends and family members not to marry Uchitel.

MORE ROMANCE: In happier news, word has it the bright red 1966 Ford Mustang fastback Megan Fox has bought boyfriend Brian Austin Green just might be an early engagement present.

- Seems there was a good bit of skepticism evident at Tom Arnold's fourth marriage in Maui over the Thanksgiving holiday. A guest at the event reports an informal pool was organized -- betting on how long Arnold's marriage to home organizer Ashley Groussman would last! The couple, who met in April 2008, got engaged at Arnold's 50th birthday party in March.

MOVIE SCHMOOZE: Not surprisingly, the one-and-only Mike North is excited he will be ''shadowed'' Dec. 9 and 10 by Max Allan Collins -- author of Road to Perdition. Collins is being brought to Chicago by producer Carl Amari (''Madison'') as part of a plan for the author to script a film screenplay ''loosely'' based on North's eclectic life experiences.

LEGAL BRIEF: Drew Barrymore is reportedly consulting her attorneys about possible legal action against longtime nemesis and online gossiper Perez Hilton. In his new book, True Bloggywood Stories: The Glamorous Life of Beating, Cheating and Overdozing, Hilton claims the actress is stoned virtually 24/7.

A BIG TV TOAST: Chicagoan Anthony Terlato and his son, Bill, will be featured on Bravo's ''Top Chef'' (9 p.m. Wednesday and Dec. 9) -- a two-part season finale that also will showcase two Terlato-owned wineries in Napa Valley, Calif. Wednesday's show includes Anthony Terlato conducting a tasting at his Rutherford Hill Winery.

AGENDA ACTION: Superstar paleontologist Dr. Paul Sereno will screen and discuss his new film, ''When Crocs Ate Dinosaurs,'' at 2 p.m. Sunday at Northwestern's Thorne Auditorium in Streeterville. The program, co-sponsored by the Chicago Council on Science & Technology, National Geographic and Project Exploration, is open to the public. ... ''Something About Oscar,'' Morris Gearring's one-man show about the legendary Oscar Brown -- directed by Chuck Smith -- runs Wednesday through Saturday at Greenhouse Theatre Center, 2257 N. Lincoln.

SEEN ON THE SCENE: Big issues clearly were on the menu as Ariel Capital's head honcho and Obama insider John Rogers dined at Gibsons on Rush with Princeton prof and leading civil rights activist and philosopher Cornel West and the Rev. Michael Pfleger.

OUTTAKES

"I'm 60, and I'm playing the lead in romantic comedies! Bette Davis is rolling over in her grave."

MERYL STREEP, star of the upcoming "It's Complicated," talking to Vanity Fair about her enduring career, unusual for an actress.

Color Photo: David Zentz, AP / Rachel Uchitel was "one of the most 'man-crazy' women I've ever met," said a former associate of hers at Bloomberg News. Color Photo: Mike North Color Photo: Meryl Streep