• It's getting ugly between Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony: Star reports that the couple have gotten "physical" and there's been lots of "pushing and shoving," and Lopez has even gone running back to Diddy for help. [Star]
• Heiress Casey Johnson's new short hairdo? It's because she got into a vicious brawl with ex-girlfriend Courtenay Semel, who set Casey's hair on fire and beat her up so badly that she had to be hospitalized. [P6]
• Better not ask Beyonce to dog sit. Staffers at her label, Columbia Records, say she dropped off her shih tzu six months ago but has yet to come pick little Munchie up. [The Sun]

• Start your engines, ladies: Sean Avery and Kelly Klein have split up. [P6]
• Mariah Carey may have collected as much as $1 million to perform three or four songs on St. Barts on New Year's Eve. [R&M]
• Lots of unresolved questions remain concerning the death of John Travolta's 16-year-old son, Jett, last week. [TMZ, NYP, Mirror]
• Get ready to see more of Lourdes Leon: Madonna's 14-year-old daughter has reportedly enrolled in Manhattan's Professional Children's School with hopes of starting an acting career. [Daily Mail]
• The new year isn't shaping up to be much fun for Gwyneth Paltrow. Her new diet bans dairy, gluten, meat, shellfish, nuts, potatoes, condiments, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine. [Telegraph]

· "So funny story—I'm getting paid millions to pump Gucci, the same stinky toilet-water I used to swipe at Macy's and sell to my classmates. Did I mention the gun-running and home-ec hooker ring?"

In a pivotal Milk sequence, James Franco strips naked and dives into a rich gay man's pool, his creamy buttocks thereby setting in motion the ripples that would lead to a sweeping social revolution.

Ethan Hawke walking with wife Ryan Shawhughes and his three kids ... Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey getting out of their Maybach ... a cheery-looking James Franco holding a notebook and cup of coffee ... Diane Kruger hailing a cab ... Steven Tyler dressed in leopard pants outside the Trump International Hotel ... Bill Murray leaving a store with a woman ... Katie Holmes shopping with Suri and her parents ... Rihanna and Chris Brown catching a flight at LaGuardia ... Ashley Tisdale holding hands with her boyfriend at JFK ... and Amy Poehler, Cameron Diaz, and Casey Affleck heading into the SNL afterparty.

Oh happy day, awards season has really started! The Golden Globe awards nominations have been announced, sending some hopes soaring and others to dash themselves on the rocks and die a quick death.

The Washington Post grumbles today about male actors kissing each other in movies. Not that they think that it's wrong, just that in every fucking press interview ever the only question anyone really wants the unfortunate straight actor to answer is "so was it gross and weird to make out with another dude?" It's a tiring line of questioning that can start to feel really offensive and gross—in that way that it indicates some sort of insidious bedrock masculine patriarchy in our society, and other bullshit college phrases—though some actors, like Milk star James Franco, handle the questioning maturely enough. Really what the whole Issue tells us is something pretty simple. We need more openly gay actors.

What does an Ivy League education get the average young Hollywood star these days? If Variety's recent collection of peer-on-peer salutations — featuring Natalie Portman and James Franco among many others — is any indication, it pretty much depends on the school.

The year-end demolition derby that is Oscar season is ramping up, and among the next big films to face the gauntlet is Gus Van Sant's Harvey Milk biopic, Milk. Already the recipient of oodles of pre-release buzz (so there, says Focus Features), its release Wednesday will cap a period of real-world gay activism that has unmistakable parallels to the events in the film. Senior editor S.T. VanAirsdale and associate editor Kyle Buchanan have already seen the movie and are ready to share their thoughts; so which editor wanted to see more James Franco, and which wanted to see more of James Franco's stunt phallus? Read on to find out!KB: So, Stu, you and I have both seen one of the year's most anticipated movies, Milk. I'm curious about our reactions, because we both came to from a different place. I saw it before the election, and you saw it after. Also, I'm a gay man, and you're not (aside from that one time at summer camp). STV: True, true. KB: So what did you think of it? STV: I liked it! Well-made prestige Oscar bait. KB: On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate its Van Santyness? Or perhaps, on a scale of Finding Forrester to Gerry? STV: 1 being Finding Forrester, Milk is right around a 3. KB: It's pretty straightforward, except for the occasional fun pop touch. I liked the film too, although I felt it ends better than it begins. The beginning is verrry biopic-y, every introduction is portentous and expositional. STV: It's a problem throughout, though. KB: People say things like, "Let me tell you something, CLEVE JONES..." I am pretty sure I never use people's last names when talking to them. Though maybe I would if I knew they'd be famous one day! STV: Try it with me some time, let's see what happens. KB: Do you think we'll see a single review of this film that won't mention Milk's parallel to Obama, or Prop 8? STV: This one won't be it, I guess. I hope so, though. KB: The Prop 8 stuff is pretty hard to ignore, considering Milk is trying to overturn the anti-gay Prop 6 in the movie. He even makes some remarks, like that the anti-Prop 6 ad campaign was "closeted," that I heard about the "No on 8" campaign. STV: So we need 100 critics saying it's relevant?

For a while we were worried that James Franco's epic prosthetic schlong story might be the most insidery background we'd hear about his more intimate moments shooting Milk, but David Letterman finally coaxed the definitive "kissing Sean Penn" tale during the actor's Late Show appearance last Friday. It's packed with all the sheepish eye-rolling and chuckling embarrassment that has been Franco's public stock in trade since he was cast as Harvey Milk's lover Scott Smith, but don't let the modesty fool you: Franco is ready to kiss any man, any time, anywhere — even David Letterman. And to his credit, the host is game. It's not quite the post-Prop 8 statement of solidarity we might have hoped for, but it's a breakthrough of some kind, we think. [The Late Show]

Gucci celebrated the launch of its Tattoo Heart Collection on Wednesday, a line of products that benefits UNICEF. Rihanna, who is the new face of the campaign, was joined Gucci creative director Frida Giannini at a snowflake lighting ceremony at the Grand Army Plaza, which was followed by an event at Gucci's flagship and dinner at the Plaza's Oak Room. Guests included Madonna, Penn Badgley, Blake Lively, Adrian Grenier, Monet Mazur, Timbaland, Mary J. Blige, Erin Wasson, Becki Newton and Chris Diamantopoulos, Kelly Rutherford, Patricia Field, Charlotte Ronson, Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss, Jessica Joffe, Julia Restoin Roitfeld, Mamie Gummer, Eleanor Ylvisaker, Bethenny Frankel, Anja Rubik, Hal Rubenstein, Magnus Berger, Joe Zee, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch, and Maggie Betts. [Style.com, NYO, PMc, Wireimage]

Philip Seymour Hoffman walking with a friend in Chelsea ... Carla Bruni blowing a kiss to photgraphers outside the Letterman show ... Rihanna arriving at JFK ... Naomi Watts walking in SoHo ... Keanu Reeves carrying a Barneys bag in Central Park ... James Franco leaving the New York Times building and later arriving at Letterman's studios ... actor Emile Hirsch walking with friends ... Katie Holmes leaving the Schoenfeld Theatre after a performance ... and a spandex-clad Robin Williams riding his bike at night.

Hollywood PrivacyWatch: No on 8 Edition! 11/8 — I was at the "No on 8" rally/march/protest on Saturday night in Silver Lake when a friend pointed out GUS VAN SANT to me. I was skeptical at first, but the hoodie with something Portland related on it confirmed suspicions. He was with a younger (20s) blonde guy. Later at the same event, I saw one of the stars of Van Sant's Milk, JAMES FRANCO. He looked happy to be among his people. [Hollywood PrivacyWatch is written by and for Defamer readers; send your sightings to tips@defamer.com.]

Evidence! Though we were certain that was James Franco at the Drew Barrymore vehicle known as the Silver Lake Prop 8 protest, here's photographic proof, thanks to Deeply Shallow. In a clever career move, Franco is seen appealing to both of his 2008 audiences: the gays who will flock to see his turn in Milk, and the Pineapple Express-worshiping stoners who know a deeply toked face when they see one. (Sorry, Nights in Rodanthe fans — Franco's unbilled cameo warranted nary a bit of synergy.) Click through for full-size. [Deeply Shallow via Towleroad]

♦ You weren't the only one who stayed up to watch election results. Brad Pitt and Oprah watched the festivities from Grant Park in Chicago. Harvey Weinstein had a party at Public House attended by James Franco, Josh Lucas and Jessica Alba. Robin Williams and Billy Crystal watched Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert live. And in LA, Courteney Cox and David Arquette hosted an Obama victory party attended by Jennifer Aniston, John Mayer and Sacha Baron Cohen, among others. [R&M, E!]
♦ Star is standing by its Jennifer Aniston pregnancy story. The mag claims she's undergoing fertility treatments so she can get pregnant by her 40th birthday in February. [Star]
♦ Are Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes planning to have another baby? [OK!]

Or computer program or whatever. Not like we need anyone to tell us, really, but actor James Franco has the most perfect face in the world. So says science, at least. A new computer program uses mathematical formulas to take one photo (left) and turn it into a more traditionally aesthetically pleasing face (right). And, um, Franco's face pretty much stayed exactly the same when the New York Times conducted the experiment. So good for him. Getting his MFA, has movie star riches, and is, as proven by science, perfect looking. Now if he could just get rid of those pesky rumors... (Oh, and if you put this dude's picture in the machine, it explodes). [via Cityfile, image via NYT]

Science has confirmed what we've long suspected: James Franco is the prettiest person in the world. After his picture was put through a "beautification engine" that uses a mathematical formula to alter the face into a more attractive form, he looks exactly the same. [NYT]

Is James Franco gay or what? You'll remember there was that ominous rumor that he once raped his gay lover that was sort of intense and icky. We're told that the original tip that prompted the Page Six blind item, about an actor who broke into his ex-boyfriend's house an sexually assaulted him, mentioned Franco specifically. We received several other anonymous (and admittedly questionable) emails saying the same thing, one providing explicit details. So who the heck knows, but for whatever reason the rumor had traction. Which makes us queasy. But now the actor is on the cover of Out magazine this month, acting calm, collected, and confident in his heterosexuality, so we're all confused again. In the interview, he discusses his new film Milk, a biopic about 1970's gay rights activist Harvey Milk (played by Sean Penn). Franco plays Milk's longtime partner Scott Smith, and, if his interview with Out is any indication, he's just a straight guy who is surprisingly relaxed about his sexuality. There's none of the caginess of a closeted man, and none of the "it was fine. It was just work" rigidness of a straight actor desperately trying to feel comfortable about kissing a dude. Instead, he's just frank (heh) and honest, expressing an interest in (or at least a knowledge of) "queer cinema." He'll also be playing gay poet Allen Ginsberg in the upcoming movie Howl. All of which makes us like him! I mean, other than this queasy-making gay rapist rumor, Franco otherwise comes across as refreshingly "enlightened"—a dashing, talented young man with an active interest in furthering his education and a sober, respectably artistic approach to supposedly difficult issues of a hetero playing a homo. From the Out interview, with Milk screenwriter Lance Black:

Matt Damon unpacking luggage with his wife and daughter in front of his apartment building on Lafayette Street ... Britney Spears arriving at JFK ... Cameron Diaz walking in the Village with boyfriend Paul Sculfor ... David and Victoria Beckham making an appearance at Macy's in Herald Square for the launch of their new fragrance ... Taylor Momsen on the set of Gossip Girl in Queens ... Katie Holmes carrying Suri and then later heading to dinner with Tom at Il Valentino on East 56th Street ... Anne Hathaway leaving the premiere of The Class at Avery Fisher Hall ... Jennifer Hudson at the airport ... James Franco looking at his Blackberry ... Brooke Shields leaving NBC after an appearance on Conan O'Brien's show ... and Michelle Williams leaving the premiere of her new movie, Wendy and Lucy, at the Ziegfeld Theater.

As we eagerly await this weekend's Nights in Rodanthe to see if Richard Gere and Diane Lane can continue to make old-people sex as hot as it was in Unfaithful, we got to thinking — Nicholas Sparks is a total baller. Sparks, who writes the standard romance novel fare that stocks airport bookstores, wrote Rodanthe and has successfully pandered his schlock to production companies who have turned a number of his books into best-selling films. The Notebook, arguably the biggest success of the adaptations, quickly became that movie girlfriends forced their boyfriends to watch in the hopes of emulating real-life lovebirds Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. But now comes the recent news that Sparks is no longer satisfied with hipster newcomers and wants to hit the big time, so he's selling out and writing both a novel and a screenplay adaptation for a new film which are specifically designated for queen Miley Cyrus herself. Sparks is a smart cookie and he knows women love his shit. So is he the next Nora Ephron?Here are a few reasons why we think his films are so popular: 1.) They're completely unrealistic, and we love it. Clearly, the main reason women love romance movies is that they are ridiculously far-fetched. Sure, our boyfriends would jump on to a moving ferris wheel a la Ryan Gosling to ask us out on a first date! And pale, feeble, Cross-bearers like Mandy Moore could certainly tame popular cool cats like Shane West in A Walk to Remember in real life. We know it's all bullshit, but a girl can dream. 2.) He gets the right people to play the parts. Okay, when you were in high school, you totally thought pre-ER bad-boy Shane West was a fine piece. And clearly whoever is casting these things still has the knack for it: Channing Tatum is set to star in the upcoming adaptation of Dear John, and obviously Miley is in demand. Plus, James Franco cameo as Richard Gere's son this weekend? Do us. 3.) True love can survive anything. Gosling goes off to war. And then McAdams-turned-Gena Rowlands goes totally insane at the end of The Notebook and wanders all over the hospital post-midnight. It looks like the house in Rodanthe is about to rot into a piece of driftwood. Are these obstacles too grand to stop a Sparks plotline? Never! True love prevails over all. 4.) Speaking of houses - the ones in the movies are fucking sweet. Gosling builds McAdams a house. Like, are you serious? It has a ridic balcony so she can paint fields and rainbows and swans on the lake and shit. And though we haven't seen Rodanthe yet, it has blue shutters and is so close to the water the sand stains the windows. We want to live there. 5.) And finally, even old people can get it on in a Sparks flick. We weren't totally repulsed when Rowlands and James Garner made out at the end of The Notebook, and that's saying something.