In this celebrity-obsessed time, where even the seemingly most innocent home visit by a UPS delivery-person, handyman, or allegedly discreet escort specialising in pirate-themed bondage can result in a humiliating four-page, cameraphone-photo spread in Life & Style spotlighting the appalling tackiness of an actor's window treatments, an image-conscious famous person's best friend is the nondisclosure agreement, the first legal line of defence against preventable privacy violations. The LAT today risks third degree burns by getting too close to the sizzle of Hollywood's hottest legal document:

"It's the information age, and information is power," says Peter Dunham, an interior designer based in West Hollywood who is often privy to VIP secrets through his work for celebrities. Dunham says requests for nondisclosure agreements have become so prevalent, he's had to add a boilerplate in his contracts stating that he and his staff will keep their lips sealed on every detail, be it the celebrity's address, her budget, the kind of flowers she prefers in the foyer or the intimate details of what lies in her closets.

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