Jeremy Renner escapes Thailand bar brawl that saw friend stabbed

Jeremy Renner got while the getting was good in the wee hours of Wednesday, stepping away from a bar brawl in Thailand before, well, before a bunch of guys allegedly attempted to kill one of the people in his bar-hopping group.

It was a scenario that sounded more "Hangover 2" than "Mission: Impossible 4": A half-dozen Rachada Pub staffers were taken into custody and charged with attempted murder, the Phuket Gazette reported, for a stabbing attack that left Vorasit Issara, general manager of the nearby Sri Panwa Resort, hospitalized with serious wounds to his stomach and the tendons of his neck.

(The neck wounds reportedly came from an axe that was home-made from a motorcycle brake rotor. Other weapons involved included knives and clubs. Youch.)

The melee in Phuket City began after 31-year-old Vorasit dropped a glass, according to the local police chief, who provided no other details and reportedly silenced one of the suspects when he tried to explain what had happened.

A source told the Gazette that Renner was one of two men and two women in the party with Vorasit and his driver, Noppadon Preechawai. The group had been seen at a couple other clubs before the after-hours incident at Rachada Pub. Vorasit allegedly had been drinking and got into a fight with bar staff before the 4:30 a.m. violence broke out, the source said.

Renner's rep confirmed the incident to several outlets, but said the actor was not involved or injured, as had been previously reported. 

"The Hurt Locker" and "M.I.: Ghost Protocol" star has been in the Philippines filming "The Bourne Legacy."

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— Christie D'Zurilla
twitter.com/dzurillaville

Photo: Jeremy Renner at the U.S. premiere of "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" in New York on Dec. 19. Credit: Evan Agostini / Associated Press

Golden Globes: Serious glamour from Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Renner at InStyle bash

Golden Globes parties can look like fun, but when it came to fashion at Sunday night's InStyle and Warner Bros. party, no one was playing around.

Anne Hathaway made a stunning show in her amber Armani number, leaning back in a private booth so casually you'd think she was in jeans. The upcoming Academy Awards host lounged amid the likes of "Inception" director Christopher Nolan, Malin Akerman, "Desperate Housewives" diva Vanessa Williams and Molly Sims.

Pregnant ladies Natalie Portman and Jane Krakowski crossed paths, both chatting with InStyle magazine editor Ariel Foxman before heading to their respective studio parties. "Black Swan" beauty Mila Kunis floated in and immediately hit the bar -- for java.

The brunet sipped from a coffee cup for the better part of an hour, deep in conversation with "The Town" star Jeremy Renner.

We spotted Lea Michele of "Glee" with her costar Amber Riley -- and can only hope the multi-talented Michele said hello to "True Grit" star Hailee Steinfeld, as they have something of a history.

Steinfeld looked adequately starstruck but took age-appropriate texting breaks at the event, which boasted a serious Godiva chocolate bar. It also boasted Tilda Swinton, very fashion forward in Jil Sander, chatting up W magazine editor Lynn Hirschberg.

Christina Aguilera had a coming out of sorts -- she's been quietly dating "Burlesque" production assistant Matt Rutler, but the pair made their official debut last night, holding hands and kissing for photographers.

Click the pics for more party photos from the Golden Globe Awards

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-- Matt Donnelly
Twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Upper photo: Anne Hathaway and Zac Braff at the InStyle and Warner Bros. party after the Golden Globe Awards. Credit: Alexandra Wyman / Getty Images

Lower photo: Golden Globe winner Natalie Portman arrives at the InStyle party. Credit: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

 

Julia Roberts and Danny Moder: Date night at CAA Golden Globes party

Julia Roberts isn't Globe-nominated for her turn in "Eat Pray Love," but she and husband Danny Moder made a date night out of weekend festivities surrounding Sunday's Golden Globe Awards.

The couple turned up for CAA's pre-Golden Globes bash Friday at Soho House in West Hollywood -- where the power agency and Grey Goose hosted clients and friends to drum up excitement for Sunday's trophy show.

Roberts and Moder mingled with the likes of Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, out a second night in a row after Thursday's Bulgari event, as well as Colin Firth and his Italian movie producer wife, Livia Giuggioli.

Jeremy Renner, last year's "it" boy for "The Hurt Locker," turned up seeming still celebratory from his recent 40th birthday, mingling with the likes of Eva Mendes, Harvey Weinstein and Julianne Moore.

The evening also celebrated the agency's volunteer component, the CAA Foundation, which urges artists and execs to give their time in service.

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-- Matt Donnelly
Twitter.com/MattDonnelly

Photo: Julia Roberts and Danny Moder cuddle up at the CAA-Grey Goose pre-Golden Globe Awards bash at Soho House in West Hollywood on Friday. Credit: Alex J. Berliner / AB Images 

Ben Affleck brings 'The Town' premiere home to Fenway

Now here's something you don't see every day: a shiny new Hollywood movie premiering in a classic American ballpark. Fenway Park, to be specific, because the movie is "The Town," and director-co-writer-star Ben Affleck shot that puppy in Boston, his not-quite-hometown.

Also taking the field for "The Town" team: Blake Lively, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Renner, Chris Cooper and Jon Hamm, with Jennifer Westfeldt of course. Still, this is not a baseball movie -- it's about four bank robbers from the city's Charlestown neighborhood who have crime-fighters hot on their heels.

The film was shown on a giant screen placed on the third-base dugout, the Boston Globe said, with 1,770 fans in the stands cheering some of the movie's familiar landmarks, and 500 or so invited to a VIP after-party on site. Childhood pal Matt Damon brought his dad Kent -- both of them in Red Sox caps -- and Penn Badgley, whose "Easy A" premiered in L.A. on Monday, showed up for girlfriend Lively's big night. (Click the picture of Damon at right to launch a photo gallery of red carpet arrivals.)

Renner chatted with WBZ News about the "terrifying" local accent. Said the guy whose ...

Maxim Hot 100 brings out the Hollywood boys club

Single or not, what Hollywood guy can resist the annual Maxim Hot 100 bash? The lad magazine toasted its top 100 females with a sports-themed bash at Los Angeles' Paramount Pictures on Wednesday night, welcoming a herd of celeb male admirers.

Leonardo DiCaprio rolled through with his pal Kevin Connolly, while Jeremy Renner chatted up his "Hurt Locker" costar Brian Geraghty. Hot 100 cover girl Selita Ebanks got an audience with mogul Russell Simmons, Jeremy Piven roamed the artificial turf-covered lot ogling beauties, and "Glee" star Mark Salling shot hoops on the Harley Davidson basketball court.

Jamie Foxx, Dane Cook, Chris Pine and "Dancing With the Stars's" Maksim Chmerkovksiy were also spotted -- and let us not forget about the ladies.

Nicole Sherzinger, Olivia Munn, Kanye West's sometimes gal pal Amber Rose and "Glee" chick Naya Rivera were counted, sipping Absolut cocktails and enjoying picnic fare. 

-- Matt Donnelly

Photo: Selita Ebanks blows a kiss to Jeremy Renner and Brian Geraghty, right. Credit: Reuters / Getty Images for Maxim.

Our beefcake and cheesecake ain't gratuitous for nothin' -- get more hot Hollywood boys and girls here. Fog up our Twitter and Facebook pages too.

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John Mayer sings for Ferrari, admits he's a 'Tough Love' fan

John Mayer news has been scarce since the onset of his self-imposed cleverness hiatus, but the singer surfaced last  Thursday in Los Angeles for a Haiti benefit with luxury automaker Ferrari.

At the $125-million Fleur de Lys mansion in Holmby Hills, Mayer performed an acoustic set including his hit "Your Body Is a Wonderland" for the likes of "The Hurt Locker" star Jeremy Renner, director Michael Bay, Patrick Dempsey, Aaron Eckhart, Joel McHale, Malin Akerman, Molly Sims and "Melrose Place" actress Katie Cassidy.   

Between tunes, Mayer revealed -- perhaps to nobody's surprise -- that he's a fan of "Tough Love," a VH1 reality series devoted to relationship and dating advice.

Let's give Mayer some credit, however. He didn't spill this little nugget as an over-sharing bon mot between weepy love songs -- rather, spotting "Tough Love" host Steve Ward in the audience moved him to comment. 

Ward, a Philadelphia-based matchmaker, tweeted his surprise at the mention. Ward says Mayer recognized him in the crowd and said, "the 'Tough Love guy' is [here]. Best show on television. Hat's off to you."

The evening's auction ...

Jodie Foster -- too boring for indie film? Let her tell the story

Jodie Foster's made a bunch of independent movies, she said, and she ran an independent film company -- so why doesn't she act in more of them?

"I don't think I'm well suited for them," she said on the red carpet Friday night at the Independent Spirit Awards, where she was to present an award with "Hurt Locker" star Jeremy Renner. Her very linear way of storytelling is "kind of boring" for indie movies, which are "more circular, defying genres instead of sticking to them," she says.

"I like doing films that are about solitary characters. I like a singular journey, as an actress -- I like a linear portrait, and those things aren't hugely 'indie movies.'"

She's in post production on "The Beaver," which she directed. It stars Mel Gibson and should come out this fall. Gibson, she says, "can do anything." (Good thing, because the film is about a guy who walks around with a beaver puppet on his hand.)

'Jersey Shore' crew does a little 'Hurt Locker' for George Lopez

OK, we admit -- there's not much newsy-news-news here. But the one-liners in this clip from George Lopez's "The Jersey Shore Presents: Hurt Locker" made us laugh.

And we really didn't want to laugh. Because we have no sense of humor.

"The Hurt Locker" spoof is Monday's target, and the clip above is a preview of what "Lopez Tonight" will feature all week: guido and guidette versions of scenes from best picture nominees including that movie and "Avatar," "Up in the Air," "Inglorious Basterds" and "Precious."

Can't imagine Snooki Polizzi in "Precious"? We couldn't either. Until ...

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Related dispatches from the Ministry of Gossip:

SAG Awards red carpet: Champagne, a few 'Mad Men,' some 'Glee,' a little 'Hurt' and of course a 'Hangover'

PREACH IT: Coming soon, 'Jersey Shore,' the brand (TM)

George Lopez leads USC's Spirit of Troy

Want the headlines? Follow the Ministry of Gossip on Facebook and Twitter (we're @LATcelebs).

Photo: How does Jeremy Renner's "The Hurt Locker" performance rate against the explosive skills of the "Jersey Shore" gang? You decide. Credit: Summit Entertainment

SAG Awards red carpet: Champagne, a few 'Mad Men,' some 'Glee,' a little 'Hurt' and of course a 'Hangover'

What a difference a week makes. And a tent, just in case.

The red carpet at Saturday's SAG Awards was a brilliant change from the Golden Globes downpour last weekend; across the street from USC, limos and Town Cars crept by in the chilly sunlight as celebs posed for pics and then streamed -- some of them directly (Mariah Carey, Penelope Cruz, Woody Harrelson) --- into the Shrine Auditorium.

What was happening over on the red carpet, as students and other looky-loos pressed up against temporary barriers in the chilly sun, many perching up on tip-toe for a glimpse of the stars?

The festivities began with a Taittinger champagne toast on the red carpet -- but Edie Falco wasn't planning to join the tippling crowd. "That is so not me. I'm so not that person."

"Maybe once upon a time, but those days are long gone." Edie was among the actors kicking off the broadcast -- so now you know she was stone cold sober when she announced she was the leader of the free world. "Oh wait, that's not me."