Loves of his life

PARK CITY, Utah -- Reggie Bush loves free stuff.

This isn't meant as a joke in light of allegations that the Heisman trophy winner accepted cash and gifts during his time at USC; it's just that he really loves getting lavish gifts from people he doesn't know.

"Getting free stuff is the best," said Bush, who wasn't allowed to address the allegations against him at a party he hosted Sunday during the Sundance Film Festival. "Getting free stuff is the greatest. They have a lot of great stuff here like watches and jewelry. I can't believe you just walk in there and they're giving it away for free. It's crazy. I Iove it."

Bush and his girlfriend Kim Kardashian plowed through the snow covered sidewalks of Park City last weekend and hit up every gifting suite housed in the 64 Victorian buildings that line Main St.; collecting everything from watches to headphones and much more.

"My favorite is this watch," said Bush, showing off an oversized diamond-crusted timepiece on his wrist. "I'm a watch guy so this is my favorite gift so far."

"So far" being the operative phrase as two more duffle bags filled with expensive goodies were delivered to Bush during the sponsored viewing party he hosted at Main Street's Town Lift center for the NFL conference championship games with proceeds from the event going to his 619 Foundation.

Last year, Bush was playing in the NFC Championship, tallying more than 150 yards and a touchdown as the Saints lost to the Bears. This year, he was relegated to watching the Giants upset the Packers on a flat screen television in a roped-off section of "The Lift" while Kardashian sat on his lap and rubbed his neck. Well, it could be worse.

"Damn, I wish I was there," said Bush as he watched the game. "It's almost like a jealousy-type thing because I know we could easily be in that position. We could be playing right now if a few things went our way."

While Bush contemplated next season, Kardashian comforted her jealous boyfriend by taking the double cheeseburger he was holding away from him and putting it on a nearby table before sitting back on his lap and kissing him. Again, things could be worse.

"We've been friends for years," said Kardashian. "And the relationship just developed over time. Everything Reggie does is from the heart and that's a quality I've always loved about him."

The only drawback of the relationship for Bush has been his introduction to the paparazzi. After only being photographed on the football field, Bush has had to deal with a new reality of being followed by cameramen everywhere he goes when he's with Kardashian. He's still amazed when he sees pictures of himself with her at the gas station, the mall or the airport pop up on the Internet.

"I hate the paparazzi," said Bush, who plans to get into acting after he retires from football. "I honestly do. She knows I don't like it, but it comes with the territory. I deal with it. It doesn't make me view her any different, it's part of her life and so you just deal with it, but I hate it. I don't like it all. When I'm not with her, they don't care about me, when I'm with her they're all over us."

Kardashian, a veteran of being the object of the paparazzi's attention, has helped Bush by telling him to be relaxed and ignore them whenever they're around. After all, the only thing worse than being followed by the paparazzi, is having a run in with the paparazzi.

"I'm giving him a few tips here and there," she said. "We try not to take it too seriously. The paparazzi are really an invasion of privacy that you're never really used to and ready for but you learn to adapt to it and not really pay too much attention to it."

In return, Bush is giving Kardashian a few tips on football, which was difficult to do on Sunday as she busily text messaged her friends while they watched the games together.

"She's a football fan now," said Bush. "She wasn't before, but she is now."

"Well, I don't know if I'm a football fan," said Kardashian. "I'm a Saints fan. I'm a Reggie Bush fan, but I'm learning."

As Bush tells Kardashian what it's like to play in below zero weather, he gives her a kiss on the cheek when it becomes apparent that she'd rather check out another gifting suite than watch the rest of the game. Her football tutorial will have to wait for another day but that's fine by Bush, who admits he's never been happier.

"We have a great relationship," he said. "We're both in the limelight so it's actually good for me and her. We both understand what goes with that and it's going to make us stronger in the long run. A lot of the outside stuff you just have to ignore and live your life and you can't allow people to dictate how you live your life. We're happy and that's all that matters."