MOVIES

Kiss and tell

Nick Cannon beats a path from Nickelodeon to "Drumline" to smooching.

By Michele Hatty

At 23, Nick Cannon already has made a name for himself among an audience that literally has grown up with him. He first captured the attention of tweens, and his peers, by spending three years bopping around various Nickelodeon programs, including hosting his own eponymous show. His turn in last year's hit college comedy "Drumline" -- a gig that won him a Best Kiss award nomination at the MTV Movie Awards -- cemented his popularity with Gen Y. Musically, he's a new-era Will Smith, rapping songs with catchy lyrics. Next up: He stars in "Love Don't Cost a Thing," out next Friday, a smart update of the 1987 Patrick Dempsey teen comedy "Can't Buy Me Love." Cannon plays a nerd who pays a popular girl to go out with him in a bid for acceptance with the high school in crowd.

We spoke to him about the things we do to be cool:

What's the dumbest thing you've done for love?
One day I took some of my grandmother's jewelry and gave it to this girl named Jasmine. We were on a field trip to Sea World, and I thought it would be cool to give her one of my grandmother's rings, because I liked her so much. But she threw the ring in the water with some snapping turtles, and within seconds it was gone. The next day my grandmother was looking for her ring, and I had to tell her what had happened.

Gosh! What kind of ring was it?
It wasn't something real special, but it was nice for a second-grader! [Laughs.]

We've heard your fascination with jewelry continues to this day ...
I have a bad jewelry habit. I go to Jacob the Jeweler [New York celeb jeweler Jacob Arabo]. I should stay out of his place. I've probably spent half a million dollars on jewelry.

What?!
Not all of that was for me. And I've bought certain girls jewelry that I wish I could take back now!

Maybe you should stick with kisses -- they're still free. So tell us: What's the secret to a great smooch?
You gotta use your lips, and you gotta take your time. There's an art form to it. If you use your lips, it kind of gives you room to play, instead of just trying to tongue-wrestle somebody. Also, most guys are not sensual enough. Be sensual -- like maybe put your hands on her face or on the back of her neck or something. That always pays off in the end.