Heats up the Beach house

by Jeff Edelstein

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ-- Love came to MTV Beach House yesterday in the form of petite hottie Jennifer Love Hewitt, whostopped by to perform her new single, "BareNaked." Much to the dismay of the male fans in the audience, Hewitt was fully clothed, wearing a pair of jeans and a tasteful white shirt during her performance.

The former "Party of Five" star told veejay Quddus that this performance was the first time she ever played in front of an live audience.

And the diminutive star dazzled the crowd, including 20-year-old fan John Verstraete.

"I came here today just to catch Love," Verstraete said.

And while many male audience members claimed the same, Verstraete stood out.

For he didn't come in from Toms River or Parsippany or New York to see the show -- he flew in from Anchorage, Alaska.

"I've been a fan of hers since I hit puberty," Verstraete said. "She's so talented, has such an awesome personality."

MTV staffers found out where Verstraete came from, and gave him what he considers the opportunity of his lifetime.

"I got to introduce her," he said. "This has been so worth it. Definitely worth the 10-hour plane ride."

After her performance, Hewitt was escorted to her waiting van by security and the Seaside Heights police, preventing fans from storming her for autographs.

While this somewhat disappointed the man from Alaska, his mother got in a good word for him.

"I told her, 'My son loves you,'" Maureen Verstraete said. "She said, 'Thanks.'"

Before Hewitt's number, which consisted of her singing over an acoustic guitar, she told Quddus her new album was meant for reflective listening.

"I hope people put it in their car and drive to someplace beautiful, like here," she said. "And I hope they'll feel like they got to know me better."

One person who didn't get to know Love better yesterday was Carson Daly, the usual host of "Total Request Live," the show on which Hewitt performed.

Daly and Hewitt were a hot item for over two years, before she pulled the plug on the relationship.

MTV staffers were mostly tight-lipped yesterday concerning Daly's no-show for the program that made him a star.

"I'm sure it was just a scheduling conflict," said one.

Another staffer disagreed.

"I'm sure that's why he's not here," the staffer said in reference to Hewitt's appearance.

Hewitt, 23, also has a burgeoning movie career to match her singing career.

The I Know What You Did Last Summer star is gearing up for the October release of The Tuxedo, in which she co-stars with Jackie Chan.

Later this year, she'll get her male fans' hearts racing when she takes a turn as the devil in a remake of The Devil and Daniel Webster.