Advice from Jeannette Walls, gossip columnist, MSNBC

When you read an item, think of who the source might be — whom it would benefit. Usually people are trying to get back at an enemy, plug themselves, or divert attention from the real story. If somebody is described as “a major heartthrob,” you know it’s been leaked by the star’s PR people. (If a couple is “blissfully happy,” you know the marriage is in trouble.) Blind items — things we know but can’t be specific about or name names because we’ll get sued — tend to contain reliable information, because it hasn’t been planted. The adjectives give clues (for example, someone who’s “friendly” is probably from the cast of Friends). “Gal pal” is often a euphemism for a lesbian lover. If someone is “looking much slimmer,” it usually means “liposuction!” “Looking much younger”: “face-lift!” And to me a “no comment” is generally a confirmation. If it’s not true, they’ll usually deny it.