American Pie bakes a seventh sequel; Vancouvers Melanie Papalia co-stars

TORONTO - It's been 10 years since Jason Biggs got cosy with pastry and Alyson Hannigan nattered on about "this one time at band camp" in the sexually charged teen comedy "American Pie."
Vancouver actress Melanie Papalia - who co-stars in the franchise's seventh instalment, "American Pie Presents: The Book of Love," out on DVD Tuesday - was just 15 when the original came out in 1999.
She used a fake ID to get into the R-rated screening, she admitted in a recent interview.
"The fake ID wasn't very good - it was like, whited-out over where the date is - and so the guy turned me away and me and all my friends were so bummed out," recalled Papalia, now 25, who eventually got in on a second attempt.
"It was amazing because it was the first of its kind to do that sort of teen sexual comedy - something so outrageous - and there was definitely a lot of (gasping) when I saw it. So to be a part of it now, 10 years later, when it's really I think the first 'American Pie' to sort of go back to the original, it's really cool."
In the latest straight-to-DVD "American Pie" instalment, we get a plot similar to the original in which teen boys are determined to lose their virginity.
Returning characters include Stifler, the irreverent skirt-chaser (this time John Patrick Jordan has stepped in for the role), and Jim's dad, played once again by Canadian Eugene Levy.
Levy's character mentors a randy group of cellphone- and- YouTube-obsessed high school students about the "Book of Love," a so-called "bible" to scoring with the ladies.
"Everyone's got a story, it's not just about pushing the boundaries," said Papalia, who plays a formerly promiscuous high school student who is now preaching abstinence (but not for long).
The dancer-turned-actress had to take her top off in one scene, something she'd never done for any of her other acting gigs, which have included the TV series "Angels in America" and "Smallville."
She said director John Putch made it "such a pleasant experience and everyone on set was just so lovely and supportive."
Her co-star Kevin Horton, who played her boyfriend, wasn't as comfortable at the start of filming because of a prank she pulled.
"I put a love note in his trailer from the director, making him think that the director had some 'man love' for him, and he believed it," said Papalia, whose upcoming projects include the film "Frankie & Alice" with Halle Berry.
The next day, Horton got her back by showing up on set with a giant, fake cold sore on his lip that she thought was real.
"John Putch, the director, said, 'Oh don't worry, Melanie, we'll block it out now, just kiss it now, and we'll cover it later,"' she said. "It was oozing, like dripping down his neck."
"American Pie: Book of Love," filmed in and around Vancouver, includes several cameos.
Rosanna Arquette plays the mom of lead character Rob (Bug Hall); Sherman Hemsley ("The Jeffersons") plays a preacher; and Kevin Federline, Britney Spears's ex-husband, has a cameo as an officer at a woefully unsecured border crossing into Canada.
Oh, and remember that violated pie from the first film? It's been replaced by another food item.
Papalia has a few title suggestions for the brand if it lasts another 10 years.
"'American Oldies,' 'American Old Moldy Pie,' 'Stale Pie,"' she said with a laugh.