By Anna David, Photographs: Davis Factor

ay what you will about Tara Reid—and people have, especially lately—but the gravelly voiced actress who tends to be photographed with a drink in hand is no shrinking violet. No one has ever used the word "boring" to describe this Jersey girl, who happened to have a "wardrobe malfunction" in 2004 that made people forget all about not just Janet, but the entire Jackson family.

But Reid is no Courtney Love in the making (even though she did sing in Josie and the Pussycats, and has seen her fair share of smudged eyeliner). As the star of Alone in the Dark, in which she plays an anthropologist who teams up with a former orphan (Christian Slater) to save the world from disease, and the creator and executive producer of a yet-to-be-named television show that's loosely based on her life, Reid is finally ready to let her professional accomplishments speak as loudly as her personal affairs.

She'd also like to set the record straight about a few things. "The tabloids and media create a fake persona of what you are," she says. "People don't realize what a family girl I am and how down-to-earth I am." Regarding those girls whom faithful "Page Six" readers might think of as Reid's figurative sorority sisters—the Paris/Nicky/Lindsay contingent—Reid claims that those friendships are media-manufactured, as well. "I don't hang out with any of those people," Reid says, politely declining to list specific names. "I might see them out at something. But I don't call them on the phone or anything."

So who does Reid have programmed into her phone? Sounds pretty much as if it's family members, boyfriend Russian hockey player Sergei Fedorov—and her trusted pals in Vegas. "George Maloof is one of my best friends," she enthuses. "And I've also known Andy Sasson forever, and I'm good friends with Harry Morton. So I have a lot of friends who run a lot of the things there."

VEGAS: What do you like best about Vegas?

TARA REID: There's really just so much to do there—you can gamble, go out dancing, eat great food, see awesome shows, get massages, lie out by the pool.

What do you like to do most?

I always know that I'm going to get to hang out with the Maloof brothers and have a good time. They're such great people, and are great hosts. Sometimes I'll go with George to other casinos because it's illegal to gamble at your own. We always win together for some reason! I also love N9NE at the Palms, Rain and Ghostbar. But I really only go, like, three times a year—for awards shows. I've been working a lot lately.

How did you like doing Alone in the Dark?

It was really so much fun. I knew nothing about anthropology so I went to study it at a museum. The lines and words were so difficult and I wanted to know what I was saying so I could make it sound believable. Just to be able to play a role like that— someone who's well-educated and smart—was great. It wasn't like the sexy characters I normally play: I was wearing glasses, my hair was back, I wore no makeup.

You're also developing a TV show.

I'm the executive producer and creator. The girl is an actress and it's about what she does with her friends and what she goes through. She's always getting in trouble but doesn't want to—she wants to be good but can't stop having fun. She has a great heart. It has a little bit of the Lucille Ball character. It's going to make fun of situations and myself.

Why are you interesting to so many people and have been in so many gossip columns lately?

It really has to do with the genre that we're in. It's not just me. And a lot of it is so make-believe—they'll have you in a place when you're not even there. I remember one time they had me with Britney Spears when she was breaking up with Justin, and meanwhile I was in Mexico and don't even know Britney Spears. You have to take it with a grain of salt.

How do you do that?

You have to. At the end of the day, I go to bed knowing who I am and what I've done. I move on and as I get older and time goes by, it will settle down a little bit. It's finally getting to the point where it's becoming a boring story, stuff about me. People try to knock me down but I never fall completely. I pull myself up, dust myself off, and go back. The hardest part of it is when I'm not working, just keeping myself busy—like, what do I do? I have to keep myself out of trouble. [Laughs]...

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