Clooney Hurt in Motorcycle Accident

George Clooney and lady friend Sarah Larson suffered minor injuries Friday when a vehicle struck his motorcycle on a New Jersey roadway.

"He was treated for a hairline fracture of a rib and road rash," said Stan Rosenfield, Clooney's publicist. "He's doing fine. He has a broken rib, it's very painful and it'll take a long time to heal."

Larson suffered a broken foot in the accident. The two were treated at Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen.

Rosenfield reported the driver of the vehicle signaled for a left turn but instead turned right, striking the motorcycle and throwing the couple off.

But Weehawken police Sgt. Sean Kelly said Clooney and Larson sped up to pass on the right of a 1999 Mazda Millenia that was preparing to make a right turn. It is unknown whether the driver used a turn signal. The accident is still under investigation.

"It's a he-said, she-said right now, but you can't pass on the right in Weehawken or anywhere in Jersey," Kelly said.

Both Clooney and his passenger were wearing helmets at the time of the crash.

Rosenfield said the accident should not affect the production of Clooney's latest project, "Burn After Reading", which also stars Brad Pitt, John Malkovich and Frances McDormand.

Smits Scores with Latino Drama

Jimmy Smits, veteran of popular TV dramas such as "L.A. Law" and "NYPD Blue", returns to television this fall in the CBS series "Cane".

The series, which premieres Sept. 25, is described by the network as "an epic drama about the external rivalries and internal power struggles of a large Cuban-American family that owns a rum and sugar empire in South Florida." Smits stars as Alex Vega, son-in-law of the family's patriarch Pancho Duque (Hector Elizondo).

CBS is banking on Smits to lead the series to primetime success, despite the dismal track record for Latino-based drama on network television. Execs seem confident enough with this one, though, that they're pitting it against heavy-hitters "Boston Legal" on ABC and "Law and Order: SVU" on NBC.

The series also stars Nestor Carbonell, Rita Moreno, Polly Walker, Paola Turbay, Eddie Matos, Michael Trevino, Lina Esco, Alona Tal, Samuel Carman, Ken Howard, Oscar Torres and Jason Beghe.

Hanks Wins Bid for Spy Thriller

Tom Hanks continues to feed his passion for history with his latest acquisition, the film rights to the novel "Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal".

The deal, in partnership with New Line Cinema, reportedly reached 7 figures in a bidding war between New Line and Warner Bros. Hanks will produce the film, which chronicles the true story of British/Nazi double agent Eddie Chapman based on the book by Ben Macintyre.

Hanks is no stranger to historical drama and seems to have a keen interest in the World War II era following his role in "Saving Private Ryan". He was also instrumental in the effort to construct a WWII Memorial in Washington D.C., which was completed in 2004.

Brad Wants More

Brad Pitt told reporters at the Toronto International Film Festival last week that he doesn't want to stop with the four children he already shares with Angelina Jolie.

"We're not done," he said. "They say, 'Any plans for a fifth?' And I say, 'And a sixth, and a seventh, and an eighth, and a ninth.' That's my answer."

This comes on the heels of tabloid speculation that doctors have told Angelina she's much too thin to safely conceive a child. Rumors abound that she has been trying to put on weight in order to try again.

Even if true, that news obviously wouldn't stop the couple from adding onto their family tree. Three of their four current children were adopted.

Pitt said they had a bed custom-built to accommodate their current family but has no qualms about a possible expansion.

"We also made a 9-foot-wide bed," he said. "Just big enough. One more and we'll have to go to 11 feet."

The couple has been making the rounds at various film festivals promoting Pitt's latest movie, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford", which opens in limited release Sept. 21.

McConaughey Steps In for Wilson

Matthew McConaughey will appear in an uncredited cameo for the upcoming film "Tropic Thunder". This is really only newsworthy because he replaces ailing star Owen Wilson in the role.

The film, according to E! News, "centers on a group of actors who congregate on a remote island to begin shooting a big-budget war movie, only to be forced into becoming the soldiers they're meant to play." It stars Ben Stiller (who also directs), along with Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Bill Hader, Steve Coogan and Nick Nolte.

McConaughey will spend less than a week filming his scenes in Hawaii this month, according to reports. "Tropic Thunder" is set for release in July 2008.

The decision to replace Wilson came after his reported suicide attempt last month, which has been confirmed by police logs but still not by his public relations team. He asked through his publicist shortly after the incident that the media respect his privacy and allow him time to "heal", but Wilson has made no further public statement since that time.

"Chuck" Screened for Charity

A screening of "Good Luck Chuck", the comedy starring Jessica Alba and Dane Cook, raised $260,000 for a Tennessee charity Tuesday. The stars both attended the screening.

The money raised will benefit Variety of Eastern Tennessee, an organization which helps children with disabilities. Bill Haslam, mayor of Knoxville, also proclaimed the day "Jessica Alba and Dane Cook Day".

"I've never had a proclamation except, 'You're fired,'" quipped Cook at the event.

The film opens nationwide Sept. 21.

Grammer Returns to Television

Kelsey Grammer returned to television tonight in the series premiere of "Back to You", a FOX sitcom set in a television news station in Pittsburgh. Grammer plays Chuck Darling, who shares the station's anchor desk with the formidable Kelly Carr (Patricia Heaton).

Grammer spent the majority of his professional career portraying Dr. Frasier Crane on two different long-running series ("Cheers" and its spin-off "Frasier"). Heaton, of course, is best known as Debra Barone in "Everybody Loves Raymond".

The combination of the two could prove to be a double-edged sword. While an established fan base for each star will undoubtedly bring viewers, it remains to be seen whether those viewers are prepared to embrace their favorites in unfamiliar roles. At least the creative team behind the new series (Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd) have already proven their hit-making abilities as the force behind "Frasier" and other notable shows.

"Back to You" also features Fred Willard, Ty Burrell, Josh Gad, Ayda Field and Laura Marano.

Hanks to Debunk JFK Myths

Tom Hanks has signed on to produce a 10-part miniseries for HBO based on the book "Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy".

The book, written by Vincent Bugliosi, debunks various conspiracy theories about Kennedy assassination and supports the Warren Commission's finding that Oswald acted alone.

Hanks will executive produce the miniseries through his production company, Playtone Prods., along with "Apollo 13" co-star Bill Paxton and Playtone exec Gary Goetzman. Hanks and Paxton most recently collaborated on "Big Love" for HBO.

"Based on the facts and evidence that Vincent Bugliosi so masterfully presents, it's a story that has haunted me and my generation our whole lives," Paxton told the Hollywood Reporter. "Now, with the 50th anniversaries of President Kennedy's inaugural address and assassination looming in the next few years, we felt it was the right time to pursue this project."

Bugliosi, who rose to fame as the prosecutor in the Manson Family murder trials and the author of "Helter Skelter" based on the case, expressed his hope that Hanks and HBO can "finally bring the truth to the American public" about the Kennedy assassination.

Unfortunately, Bugliosi may be setting his sights a bit high. Lets face it: conspiracy theories are interesting, and this particular one has fed the public fascination for years. Terms like "lone gunman" and "grassy knoll" have even made their way into American pop culture and are immediately associated with this case. It will take much more than a 10-part miniseries to dispell that.