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IMAGES COURTESY OF FADED YOUTH

A few school districts in Illinois have banned hugging in elementary and middle schools, where students feel violated for expressing affection for friends…but adults don’t follow the same rules. Even when a hug is shared with the woman you’ve been accused of having an affair with and breaking up your seven-year marriage.

From Faded Youth, photos of Ryan Phillippe and Abbie Cornish, his costar in the upcoming film, “Stop Loss”, on a friend’s patio in Beverly Hills, sharing what appears to be a cigarette (though partaking in the 1998 film “Homegrown” may suggest he’s not anti-marijuana) and a hug.

Following his divorce from Reese Witherspoon, with whom he has two children, Ava and Deacon, Phillippe had this to say: “I’m not a perfect person, but I’m not guilty of a lot of the things I have been accused of. My priority is and always has been the health and safety of my family,” Phillippe said to People magazine.

On November 20 of last year, just following the announcement of the Ryan-Reese divorce and when speculation was high that Cornish was “the other woman,” the Australian actress denied any reports of a romance:

“We were very good friends and we did spend a lot of time together, yeah,” she was quoted by the Dailynews, as saying.

“But we’re friends and that’s it,” was quoted by Star magazine, as saying,” she added.

Earlier tabloids had claimed that Witherspoon decided to end her marriage to the Crash star after learning he had romanced Cornish on the set of their new movie, “Stop Loss” in Texas.

Reports also suggested that the Legally Blonde star found out about her husband’s alleged romance with Cornish after reading a saucy note on his BlackBerry phone.

But Cornish insists the reports are all false.”

Ah, the “good friends” excuse. Photos are damning evidence, so they’ll have a fun time backpedaling through the new gossip that they have resumed their romance. Best of luck to you, Ryan and Abbie! Suggestion: avoid any use of the phrase “good friends” as it almost always implies something more.

Kimberly Pierce made quite a stir with her 1999 flick Boys Don’t Cry.  It earned actress Hillary Swank an  Academy Award for best actress.  Pierce hasn’t made a movie since then.  This time around she’s tackling the difficult story of soldiers returning home from Iraq and being forced to go go back.

Ryan Phillippe is the soldier in question who refuses to go back to Iraq.  The film co-stars Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Timothy Olyphant and Abbie Cornish.

One wonders how this film will be received by soldiers, since I’m guessing no one involved with the production has ever served in the Armed Forces.  Will soldiers take to a movie, which essentially glamorizes desertion of duties?  Love to hear anyone’s thoughts on this.

Stop-Loss hits theaters March 28, 2008.

It was hard not to fall in love with Vesper Lynd, or for that matter the actress who played her (Eva Green) in Casino Royale.  She was hot and fragile and super intelligent and hell, if she could steal James Bond’s heart, then it’s also assumed she could easily steal ours.

But like all great Bond girls, she died.  So let the search begin for the next great leading lady.  MTV News caught up with actress Rose Byrne (Sunshine, 28 Weeks Later, FX’s Damages) to talk about the latest Bond rumors, simply because she was one of several actresses in the initial running for the part of Vesper Lynd.

Byrne remarked that her good friend, and fellow Aussie actress Abbie Cornish “got it.”  Cornish is best known for her dalliances with actor Ryan Phillipe, which eventually led to Reese Witherspoon divorcing him.

Apart from that she’s been outstanding in little seen movies like A Good Year, Candy and especially as the broken and fragile girl in Somersault.  (FYI that movie is probably known for Cornish showing of her ta-tas a lot)