AMERICAN BEAUTY - BIRCH MISSES HER SECRET EMAIL PAL JOAQUIN AGAIN AT XMAS PARTY

AMERICAN BEAUTY star THORA BIRCH and JOAQUIN PHOENIX are secret email-pals

who have never met.

The actress has revealed she attended Los Angeles style magazine

FLAUNT's pre-Christmas (04) party intent on meeting the guest of honour,

Phoenix, but the reluctant SIGNS star arrived early and left before

Birch turned up. A disappointed Birch says, "We have been emailing for

almost two years now and he calls me on the phone all the time, but I

have never gotten to actually shake his hand."