Britney and Justin together again? Not exactly. The buzz around the Teen Choice Awards, taped Sunday for broadcast Aug. 19 on Fox (8 p.m. ET/PT), was whether Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake would cross paths. They didn't, at least not on camera.

They were seated in different sections of the Universal Amphitheatre and never took the stage together. The closest the former couple probably came to reconnecting was in a remark by Kobe Bryant.

"I look around and you've got people like Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears and all these people who are like 19-, 20-year-olds," the L.A. Lakers star told the media after winning the male athlete award. "I'm the old head." He turns 24 this month.

Oh, well. So much for that intrigue. On stage, Spears shared moments with little sis Jamie Lynn, and with Verne Troyer, aka Mini-Me of Austin Powers fame.

Tobey Maguire called the evening "the funnest and coolest award show I've been to." The show honors the hottest teen icons in film, television, music and sports. Maguire won for movie action adventure actor and lip lock (with Kirsten Dunst), while his movie Spider-Man won the action adventure award.

Some of the other multiple winners: Sarah Michelle Gellar (comedy movie actress for Scooby-Doo and TV actress for Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Mandy Moore (breakout actress performance for A Walk to Remember and chemistry with Shane West in Walk), Spears (female hottie and female artist).

Female athlete award winner Michelle Kwan wore a bikini and sarong. When her car pulled onto the lot she noticed, "No one is wearing beach wear so I said, 'I'm not getting out of the car.' " She decided to be brave.

Also on hand: Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, Reese Witherspoon and Tim Allen.

Kelly Osbourne, named female breakout TV star, likes the fact voting is done by fans, in this case Seventeen readers.

"That means more than anything because it's not a bunch of rich people who are biased," Kelly said. "It's the people who really care."

Kelly was with brother Jack. Some celebs made it a parent-child event. Master P and his rapper son Lil' Romeo were a team, as were Susan Sarandon and daughter Eva Amurri. They play mother and daughter in The Banger Sisters, in theaters Sept. 20.

Nelly got the crowd going by opening the show with his hit Hot in Herre, which won song of the summer. Jennifer Love Hewitt made her nationally televised singing debut, performing her single BareNaked from her forthcoming album of the same name.

"I couldn't look at any celebrities because I didn't know whether to pee or sing when I saw them," she said. "I just pretended they were not here and sang to the kids who wouldn't throw things at me."

One celeb Hewitt did look at was Smallville hunk Tom Welling (male breakout TV star). As they crossed paths backstage, she professed her admiration for the guy who plays the young Superman.

Maybe the six remaining American Idol finalists, all on hand, picked up some singing tips from Hewitt. One thing they didn't do was try to bribe judge Paula Abdul.

"Oh my gosh, no. They're afraid of us," Abdul said, referring to fellow judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson. She had a second thought. "They're not afraid of me."