FROM THE KEYBOARDS OF STARS

By Rebecca Winters

Satisfying both the fan's appetite for arcana and the entertainer's need for self-promotion, the blog--or Web log, to the uninitiated--may just be the ideal medium for celebrity communication. A handy guide to some high-profile online typists:

ZACH BRAFF

THE BLOG: gardenstate.typepad.com

THE VIBE: Scrubs' cutie pie ruminates on everyday tasks like washing his car and outfitting his dog. His "Inexcusable Shameless Plug" warnings win our forgiveness for the icky p.r. bits. RATING **

MARGARET CHO

THE BLOG: margaretcho.net/blog/

THE VIBE: With the bile of her stand-up but not the laughs, the site has earnest musings ("I am a painfully shy person") and screeds instead of jokes. Just for Cho diehards. RATING *

MOBY

THE BLOG: www.moby.com

THE VIBE: The bald technorocker wins style points for a spare design and chatty postings. On seeing his yearbook picture, Moby gets nostalgic for "my spikey little hair." RATING ***

QUENTIN TARANTINO

THE BLOG: qtdiary.blogspot.com/

THE VIBE: Funny and frank (John Travolta is too "old and overweight" for a Pulp Fiction prequel), this director's diary is a hoax. But it's so clever even his publicist approves. RATING ****