Scarlett Johansson informed a photo-seeking bouncer at Lower East Side bar National Underground that she is "not the Statue of Liberty." [P6]

Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford brought a girl back to his apartment and she reported that the bathroom is covered in "crusty toothpaste and self-tanner." [Full Disclosure] 

Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and DJ AM, both of whom were badly injured in a plane crash on Friday, are expected to make a full recovery. [US Weekly]  read more »

This morning, we learned that Brad Pitt donated $100,000 to fight a ballot initiave to overturn California's legalization of same sex marriage. In a statement to reporters, Pitt explained why he was supporting the cause:

Because no one has the right to deny another their life, even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn't harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8.

Moving words, Brad, but we celebrity aficionados know there's much more to this move than the open-minded actor's compassion or humanity or whatever.  read more »

Monday evening, the most celeb-packed event in town may not have been the photographer-infested Marc Jacobs show, but an all-but-unpublicized affair across town that took place concurrently—we can only assume this was intentional, in hopes that the fashion machine would be otherwise occupied—on far West 31st Street, where David Arquette and Ben Harper were launching their organic clothing line, Propr, at a bash that doubled as Mr. Arquette's birthday party.

There was no red carpet, no flashbulbs. We stepped into the freight elevator, and as it was about to close, in popped Meg Ryan, in jeans and black corduroy blazer. She stood there awkwardly while everyone tried to pretend that Meg Ryan hadn't just stepped into the elevator. (Note: Her face looked much less scary in person than it has in her last few movies).  read more »

Apparently, an increasingly coherent and aware Britney Spears is upset about her mother Lynne's forthcoming tell-all, Through the Storm. The book reveals, among other things, that the pop star lost her virginity at 14 and began drinking in middle school, along with embarrassing details about Britney's many, many crack-ups. No longer content to act as a passive, panty-less A.T.M. for everyone in her circle, Spears is "furious" with her mother, especially since she thinks Lynne "caused so many of her problems and issues" to begin with. We're inclined to believe her--history tells us that just about everything can be blamed on overbearing, childhood-denying, money-hungry stage parents.  read more »

Guys, remember when Jennifer Aniston was actually a TV actress and not just a Hollywood beefcake's weepy ex or current arm candy? Well, she's about to remind us on an upcoming episode of 30 Rock. John Mayer will be eating his shorts!

She'll definitely appear on the show, which airs on NBC, the channel that gave her a household name (and haircut) on Friends, a publicist confirmed, but he has no further details, according to the AP.

The new ads for Gossip Girl that use criticisms of the show as complimentary slogans--"Mind-blowingly inappropriate"--make the show's creator, Josh Schwartz, feel bad. [Daily Intelligencer]

A Los Angeles cop, who was said to be fearful for his safety, pulled a gun on P. Diddy and his entourage during a routine traffic stop. [NY Daily News]

Casey Johnson, the billionaire heiress previous linked to Courtenay Semel, showed up at Kathy Lee Gifford's 55th birthday party with a new girlfriend named "Lisa," who was wearing a leather trench coat. [P6]  read more »

Sources say actress Michelle Williams is taking extra steps to avoid the paparazzi in her Brooklyn neighborhood, reportedly "having a bodygaurd go around her block and make sure there are no photographers" each time she leaves the house. [P6]

West Villagers--including Amy Sedaris--are opposing the renewal of Beatrice Inn's liquor license, citing issues with noise, smoking, drugs, and taxis the club brings to the neighborhood. [Eater]

Joy Behar, Lorraine Bracco, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Alfie Fanjul, Pete Peterson, Sandy Hill Pittman, Marjorie Gubelmann, Debbie and Leon Black, and Tory Burch and Lyor Cohen all attended a special screening of Woody Allen's new film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" in Southampton.  read more »

In the years since Cristóbal Balenciaga launched his eponymous fashion label on Avenue George V in Paris during the summer of 1937, his maison de mode has outfitted more than a few recognizable dames. And, as an in-depth New Yorker profile from last year pointed out, Balenciaga, the company, has long depended on the celebrity of its more powerful, repeat patrons, which have included: the de Rothchilds, Paul Mellon, the Duke of Windsor, Prince Rainier, Countess Mona Bismark and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

So it was probably with no small effort that the label chose its newest public “face”—the Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Connelly.  read more »

Yawn. What? Right. Here's the gossip round-up for Nov. 23, 2008, Thanksgiving Friday and possibly the slowest news day ever.

An eight-months-pregnant Nicole Richie and her friend, the society disc jockeyess Samantha Ronson, volunteered at a Hollywood soup kitchen yesterday.  read more »

It didn’t take Aaron Eckhart, a guest at last night’s The Moth event in Union Square, long to place his most memorable New York moment.

Ten years ago, when Mr. Eckhart, now 39, was a “struggling New York actor,” he was out for an evening stroll in the midst of the winter holiday season. “Snow on the street, lights in the trees of Gramercy Park—beautiful, the night, gorgeous, holding hands with my then-girlfriend,” he said, pausing to look at his now-girlfriend, a tall dirty-blonde with chiseled features. “You’ll have to excuse me,” he told her sheepishly, wearing a leather jacket over a blue sweater and denim shirt. Looking back at the Daily Transom, he went on, “A car comes around a corner, honks his horn at another car, I said, ‘Shut up!’ and he said, ‘Fuck you!’ and then drove off into the night. And that’s when I realized that I was in New York City!”

As for his view of Halloween here, a more city-wise Mr. Eckhart simply views it as “a normal day in New York City,” he offered with a chuckle. “I like when people dress up as boxes of things, like Milk Duds. I always think that’s a clever disguise, because I just like being boxes of things. I’ve never done it myself, but I admire those who have the guts to do it. It takes courage.”

He just finished shooting Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, the newest installment in the Batman franchise, in which he plays Gotham’s district attorney Harvey Dent alongside fellow actors Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Gary Oldman. Next up: Traveling—a romantic comedy co-starring Jennifer Aniston.