Helped by Ryan Gosling: More trouble than getting hit by a taxi?

We get it, Ryan Gosling. You know how to help a stranger — and boy, did the many headlines Tuesday remind us of that fact after the actor kept a woman from getting pegged by an oncoming cab in New York.

The "Ides of March" actor seems on a bit of a roll lately in helping his fellow man. The taxi incident comes not long after he helped break up a street fight in that same fair city. Of course, word of both incidents came via social media — though this time around the aftermath is a little different. As in, there is an aftermath.

"I literally, LITERALLY just got saved from a car by Ryan Gosling. Literally. That actually just happened," British journalist Laurie Penny said Tuesday in the first of several tweets. "I was crossing 6th avenue in a new pink wig. Not looking the right way because I am from London. Ryan Gosling grabbed me away from a taxi.

"He did not say 'hey, girl.' He said 'hey, watch out!'

It was at this point that people — one on site and others in Twitter responses — started informing her that she was in fact lucky to have been almost hit by a cab. Or was it lucky that Gosling had intervened? Let's go with a mix of the two.

But because no good deed goes uncritiqued, later Tuesday via Gawker we heard more from Penny, who further described the incident in an article — headlined "Ryan Gosling Saved Me From a Speeding Car But There's War In the Middle East So Everyone Calm Down" — that carefully pointed out, in case we hadn't noticed, that there are more important heroes than "The Notebook" actor hanging around this country, not to mention more important news:

"The real heroes I've met in America are risking everything to make sure that the United States doesn't slide further into bigotry, inequality and violence whilst everyone is distracted by the everyday doings of celebrities."

Oh heavens. Need we point out that this distraction might be yet another way the Ryan Goslings of the world are saving us from peril in the course of daily life, and that Laurie Penny was rather dashing as well as she shared her that-never-happens-to-me moment in real time? Is it wrong to take a break from our relentless multitasking? The opportunity to fantasize certainly explains why last week's Mega Millions jackpot fixated the nation.

By the by — Penny's Twitter bio now reads, "Author, journalist, feminist, reprobate. Please do not talk to me about Ryan Gosling, thanks."

As of Thursday, she too was taking a break: "I'm leaving Twitter until all this bloody fuss dies down," she wrote. "Honestly, it would have been less trouble to get run over."

In need of your own break from reality? Check out "How to Look Like Ryan Gosling," below, brought to you by one Joey Thompson, who given the opportunity would also most certainly save you from an oncoming taxi.

 

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Photo:  Ryan Gosling. Credit: Mark Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Meet Scarlett Johansson's new beau: ad exec Nate Naylor

Scarlett Johansson has her very own Don Draper. The actress is said to be dating New York advertising executive Nate Naylor.

Following her divorce from Ryan Reynolds, the "Avengers" star has had a few brief, high-profile flings, but Naylor seems to have made an impression on the young lady. They've reportedly been seeing each another since late last summer.

"They've been dating for five months," People reports, citing a source close to ScarJo. So what do we need to know about Naylor, the tall, dark Madison Avenue dweller?

His stark and risque blog, Guts, is peppered with pictures that are both startling and erotic. Not uncommon, the Ministry thinks, for an ad man -- he must have an affinity for images that stick.

He's also hot. One colleague told People that Nate "is the most beautiful man I've ever seen in person." We'd count that as Scarlett's type.

And finally, he's no stranger to dating thespians. Naylor was reportedly cuddling with "3rd Rock From The Son" star Kirsten Johnston in 2008. And who knows what other Joan and Betty types are in his portfolio.

Best of luck, kids.

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Photo: Scarlett Johansson in 2010's "Iron Man 2." Credit: Francois Duhamel / Marvel Entertainment

'Mission Impossible 4' stars get spousal support for N.Y. premiere

In their roles as agents abandoned by their government in "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol," stars such as Tom Cruise and Paula Patton have only each other another to lean on.

But that wasn't the case Tuesday in New York City, where both stars had their real-life support systems -- Katie Holmes and Robin Thicke -- on hand to help them premiere the new flick.

Katie walked the carpet with her man Tom in a holiday-appropriate blue number and slicked-back hair, and talk naturally turned to their little gal Suri.

PHOTOS: 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol' premiere

"We went to 'The Nutcracker,' " Cruise told Entertainment Tonight of the brood's holiday activities. "We went [to] Rockefeller Center and did a little skate around, saw the Rockettes. Suri loves that kind of stuff."

Patton had sexy mate Robin Thicke in tow as the couple strutted into the Ziegfield Theater hand-in-hand.

An after-party followed the screening at the Museum of Modern Art, where Queen Latifah came to wish Patton well. Other notables in attendance included "MI4" stars Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner, director Brad Bird, J.J. Abrams and  "Once Upon A Time" actress Jennifer Morrison.  

"Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" opens Wednesday.

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Top photo: Paula Patton and Robin Thicke on the red carpet at the New York City premiere of "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol." Credit: Evan Agostini / Associated Press

Right photo: Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise. Credit: Evan Agostini / Associated Press

Inside Courtney Love's problematic, pretty NYC townhouse [Photos]

Courtney Love has a New York City townhouse, and if you dared us to close our eyes and imagine it, here's what we wouldn't picture: a muted, powder-blue monument to art, prayer, reflection and chic housewares.

But that's precisely what's found in the early 19th century pile of bricks that Love rents, at least for now --  a four-story Manhattan joint she occupies in addition to properties in Britain and Los Angeles. 

Jane Pratt, editor of xoJane.com, got an exclusive look at a place that has a little more than rock royalty buzzing around it: Love is facing eviction, embroiled in allegations of unpaid rent and (first-world problem alert) violations of the design specifications of her rental agreement.

PHOTOS: Inside Courtney Love's rental Manhattan townhouse

It all started with a summertime fire in one of the fourth-floor bedrooms, reportedly started by a candle that sat too close to some curtains. That red-flagged the building's owner and her legal team, and upon inspection of the burn damage they reportedly found unauthorized alterations to the property.

"Courtney has wallpapered and painted a large portion of the property without my consent ...," owner Donna Lyon told the New York Post. "The walls that had been hand-painted and glazed were ruined, covered in damask wallpaper and ice-blue paint."

(The $8-million place had been decorated by previous owner, designer Steven Gambrel, and Lyon estimates it'll cost up to a hundred grand to put things as they were. Here's a picture of the sitting room's previous incarnation.)

And then there's a matter of $54,000 in back rent.

While Love sorts out some of that abstract messiness, the current design of the townhouse remains rather stunning and eclectic.

Art from the likes of Damien Hirst is installed over antique fireplaces. Photographs of Love and Kurt Cobain's daughter, France Bean Cobain, are ubiquitous (one series by the late Herb Ritts). And the furniture!

"Majorelle, Ruhlman, Chippendale, Willow china, Tiffany china," her real estate agent Jared Seligman said, listing off the treasures. 

Don't let our surprised tone suggest we question Love's taste -- she's underrated as a red carpet presence and knowledgeable when it comes to lifestyle. Perhaps we're more struck by the casual elegance of her pad, given her oft-bold personality.

Consider her desk: crystal vase, a schmaltzy tile frame with a picture of Kurt and Frances Bean, prim notes on index cards and an assortment perfume bottles.

What's not to Love? 

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Top photo: Courtney Love's gracious sitting room on West 10th Street. Credit: Peter Murdock / xoJane.com

Bottom photo: Love at the Dec. 7 launch of the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum in New York City. Credit: Charles Sykes / Associated Press

Jennifer Aniston steps out with Justin Theroux, stays mum on Pitt

This post has been updated, as indicated below.

Plenty of things to pack into Jennifer Aniston's file on Tuesday: The actress has reached new creative heights, landed herself a new love and ain't touching recent comments made by ex-husband Brad Pitt.

In essence, she's staying classy, evidenced by the subtle show she made in New York City on Monday night for the premiere of "Five," a series of film shorts about breast cancer's effect. Aniston directed one of the vignettes -- her debut behind the camera, in fact.

"Jennifer holds her own, baby!" said Patricia Clarkson, a veteran of directors including Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen who was one of Aniston's actors in the Lifetime TV project.

While Jen was holding her own, beau Justin Theroux was waiting to hold the door. At Skylight Soho, the couple arrived and departed together, hand-in-hand, according to People.

Though the duo posed for some fan photos, Aniston had no intention of broaching comments recently made by her ex-husband. (Pitt, who intimated to Parade that the two had shared an uninteresting marriage, later retracted the comments as being taken completely out of context.)

"Oh, Lord, it's not even worth discussing on a night like this," she reportedly said on the red carpet. 

Alicia Keys and Demi Moore are also counted as directors on "Five," to air Oct. 10 on Lifetime.

[Updated, 4:20 p.m. Sept. 28: Holy cows, there was a naked paparazzo of some sort in the picture that originally accompanied this post. The Ministry is embarrassed that we didn't notice -- you know how we are about the naughty bits -- and currently procuring an appropriate replacement photo. Thanks to Twitterverse for pointing it out!]

[Updated, 4:45 p.m. Sept. 28: Phew. That's the same photo up above now, only with less, um, background action.]

[Updated 5:08 p.m. Sept. 28: But wait, there's more! Turns out some folks on the red carpet at the event -- which was the premiere of a short-film collection about breast cancer -- were aware they'd been flashed on the red carpet by a woman Page Six identified as topless paparazzo Holly Van Voast. "I think it's actually pretty great ...," actress Clarkson said. "You know, I'm kind of sad I put on a dress."]

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Photo: Oh, Jennifer Aniston -- if you only knew what was lurking behind you in the crowd as you arrived at the premiere of Lifetime's "Five" at Skylight Soho on Sept. 26. Credit: Larry Busacca / Getty Images

 

Cyndi Lauper gallantly streams past national anthem flub [Video]

Add the name Cyndi Lauper to the list of singers bested by the national anthem. Singing on Saturday at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Lauper declared our flag to be still streaming, or something like that.

Unlike Christina Aguilera at the Super Bowl in February, the "She Bop" singer didn't trip up while attempting crazy vocal runs mid-song -- rather, she said, she was trying to mentally multi-task, given the Sept. 11 significance of the moment, which included a moment of silence for the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Afterward, in a pair of messages on Twitter, Lauper said:

Whew, I just did the anthem for the US open. It was an awesome experience.I got choked up in the middle remembering 9/11.

The moon shone done on us and I tried to say a prayer at the same time.. I hope I didn't mess up too bad. I wanted it to be comforting. Xcyn

Lauper blew only one line, mumbling through it and getting back on track, whereas a belting Aguilera had to pretty much rewrite the middle of the tune on the fly after getting lost along the way. Both women, incidentally, previously performed the song as written. (See Lauper's slip-up around the 48-second mark in the video below.)

Aguilera said at the time that she "got so caught up in the moment of the song that I lost my place. I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still came through."

Two artists, two flubs, two solutions. And two very different dresses, we might add: Lauper's Statue of Liberty chic vs. Aguilera's basic black.

Forgive and forget?   

 

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Photo: Cyndi Lauper at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York on Saturday. Credit: Michael Heiman / Getty Images

Ryan Gosling embarrassed over street-fight intervention [Video]

Looks as if Ryan Gosling might be sticking to scripted heroics in the future: The "Ides of March" actor was left red-faced recently after interrupting a street fight in New York.

A viral video of the scuffle, captured by a spectator, showed Gosling breaking up two men who were getting physical over a painting. To hear Ryan tell it, it was none of his business to interject.

"I'm embarrassed," Gosling said in an MTV interview, below. "I think that guy really was stealing that other guy's painting, so I should have just kept my nose out of it."

One of the gentlemen was an artist, Gosling said, who had been visited daily by an admirer who eventually nabbed one of the artist's canvases.

"He wanted the painting so bad he had to steal it because he couldn't afford it," Gosling said. "So he finally steals the painting, and then he's getting his [rear] kicked by his hero."

"And then the guy from 'The Notebook' shows up and makes it weirder."

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Photo: Ryan Gosling in July. Credit: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times

Justin Timberlake's free NYC concert draws Kim Kardashian

Justin Timberlake isn't kidding about his Southern Hospitality — the actor opened up his restaurant by that same gentile name Wednesday in New York for a free concert.

To promote Free Sol, the band signed to his Tennman Records, Timberlake tweeted out news that he'd be jumping on the microphone this week despite his torch for acting.

"Wanna check out some live music tonight?? Meet me and @freesol at 45th & 9th at 11pm," JT wrote, adding the hashtags "#bbq" and "#youdontwanttomissthis."

That was enough to sell newlyweds Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries, who came to the show with her sister Kourtney in tow, according to People. Also spotted was Timberlake's "In Time" costar Amanda Seyfried.

The band and their benefactor Justin performed several new tracks, closing down the show with a "soulful" a capella version of his hit "What Goes Around ... Comes Around." 

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Photo: Justin Timberlake walks the red carpet at the New York premiere of "Bad Teacher" on June 20. Credit: Shannon Stapleton / Reuters.

'The Debt': Helen Mirren plus Jessica Chastain equals one Nazi hunter

Ever wonder what actress Helen Mirren looked like when she was young? Stop before searching for those photos online, because the folks behind "The Debt" would have you believe she looked just like actress Jessica Chastain.

Mirren and Chastain play two incarnations of the same Mossad agent in a spy thriller premised on the idea that in 1997, three retired Nazi-hunting Mossad agents discover their widely praised 1966 Nazi-hunting mission might not have been as successful as they'd believed.

Photos: "The Debt" premiere

With Mirren and Chastain playing Rachel, the double-cast Mossad trio is rounded out by Marton Csokas as a younger incarnation of Tom Wilkinson's Stephan and Sam Worthington as Ciarán Hinds' David with fewer candles on the cake.

Mirren and Chastain were among those making the red carpet scene Tuesday at the film's New York premiere. Also spotted: author Toni Morrison,  designer Zac Posen, Justin Bartha of "The Hangover" films,  Alan Cumming of "The Good Wife," Darren Criss from "Glee," Gina Gershon, Arianna Huffington and Billie Jean King.

"The Debt" opens Aug. 31.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Jessica Chastain, left, and Helen Mirren at the premiere of "The Debt" in New York on Aug. 22. Credit: Peter Kramer / Associated Press

Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess give quiet glam at 'One Day' premiere

Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess stepped out Monday for a hushed but glamorous premiere of their British romance flick "One Day" in New York City.

At the Lowes theaters at Lincoln Center, Hathaway turned heads in a black and gold Alexander McQueen cocktail dress — though any martinis would have been sipped alone. Boyfriend Adam Shulman was nowhere to be found, but Sturgess (in a baggy gray suit) made a nice escort on the carpet.

Photos: "One Day" premiere in New York City

Designer Rachel Roy turned up in a pinstripe pajama set, reading glasses and heels, while Howard Stern's wife, Beth Ostrosky-Stern, went for an evening look in a floor-length pink gown.

Paul Haggis, Patricia Clarkson, "Fright Night" blond Imogen Poots and Kevin Jonas with wife Danielle Deleasa followed the stars from the screening to an after-party at the Russian Tea Room, for which Hathaway switched into another frock, this one all gold.

"One Day" follows two undergrads who agree to meet one day each year — get it? — as they weave in and out of love with each other over two decades. It opens Aug. 19.

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Photo: Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess at the "One Day" premiere in New York. Credit: Peter Kramer / Associated Press.