WOW! JAIME FOXX IS DATING STACEY DASH!

New couple alert - or desperate publicity stunt?

Jamie Foxx appeared on Oscar's red carpet Sunday night with the beautiful (but much forgotten) Stacey Dash, causing waves of whispers and a flurry of camera flashes.

Why?

First, Stacey just decided to split from her third husband, Emmanuel Xuereb, and spoke about it on - wait for it - Foxx's radio show, "The Foxxhole," on Sirius XM on Friday.

The "Clueless" actress, whose rep had no comment on the matter, married Xuereb in 2007, but Stacey says the two have "grown apart" over the past three years.

So how'd she score the hot date?

Ms. Dash happens to be well connected in the music biz - she's the first cousin of Damon Dash, the former CEO and co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records. The male Dash and Foxx have both a personal and professional relationship since they worked together on "Gold Digger," Foxx's smash-hit collaboration with Kanye West from 2005.

"People are saying Jamie and Stacey hooking up is a win-win situation," says an insider. "It's good for Jamie's music career to be on good terms with Damon, and Stacey wouldn't have snagged an invite to the Oscars without Jamie."

Our insider adds that the photo ops are a bonus for Stacey, who, rumor has it, is attempting to restart her career.

She was certainly in the right place for it on Sunday night - after the awards show, she and Foxx were spotted at the exclusive Vanity Fair after-party, where they chatted with Heidi Klum, along with pregnant "Precious" star Paula Patton and her crooning hubby, Robin Thicke.

"They looked very much like an item, and Jamie was introducing her to everyone," says one L.A. partygoer. "They seemed to be thorougly enjoying each other's company."

But at least one naysayer questions the relationship. Says one industry source: "Before Sunday night, no one had ever seen them together or heard that they even knew each other."