Leonardo DiCaprio is the center of attention at the NRDC-sponsored Body Of Lies premiere, which takes place at Frederick P. Rose Theater in NYC.

The heartthrob leans down to chat with me about what he’d do if he weren’t in showbiz (environmental scientist!), and entertains my question about whether he’ll settle down or remain an eternal bachelor. “We’ll see,” he winks. Nice! I like him.

The thriller, which is in theaters now, places Leo in the role of a CIA operative. While Blood Diamond raised the profile of diamonds worldwide, what does he hope this flick will do?

“I think it’s important to look at what the war in Iraq and the war on terror is doing to our relationships worldwide,” Leo says. “In terms of what we’ve accomplished, we give a realistic, stark view of what the United States’ relationships are worldwide.”

Russell Crowe first worked with Leo in 1995’s Quick And The Dead. How has he changed now that they are back in action on this film?

“There’s a wonderful process of maturation that’s happened with Leo,” Russell tells me. “He knew what he liked. It’s cool to see that he’s growing up and he’s had an incredible career, but who he is as a person hasn’t been altered. I’ve seen his intellect mature over time in the way that he can explain his feelings and elucidate how he sees the world. A lot has changed in that regard, but then nothing has changed at the same time.”

Did Leo try to convert him to his environmental ways? “He doesn’t have to convert me at all,” Russell says.

What was life like while filming in Morocco? “There’s lines on the road, but they’re purely optional,” he says. Whoa!  

Director Ridley Scott calls Russell “one of the best dads I’ve witnessed,” and shares his thoughts on his Assassination of Jesse James star Brad Pitt as a father of six. “Good luck to him,” he tells me.

Hey! It’s Aubrey O’Day, who greets me with a hug and a kiss. I see her nearly every night! “It’s been a minute,” she tells me. Aubrey admits she’s seen Leo around but she’s never met him, and that she “definitely” had a crush on him when she was younger.  “He’s undeniably gorgeous,” she gushes.

Oh look, it’s American Idol season one runner-up Justin Guarini standing a few spots away from me on the red carpet.  He’s reporting for The TV Guide Channel. “That’s one of the many hats that I wear,” he tells me. “I’ve really been fortunate over the past six years to consistently work in entertainment.”

Body of Lies is in theaters now.

Pick up the OK! on newsstands now for more on Leonardo DiCaprio. Jamie Lynn Spears/“Casey Breaks His Silence … ‘I’m No Cheater’” is the cover line.

The Starter Wife, starring Debra Messing, is officially kicking off as a series tonight!

My L.A. counterpart, OK!'s Carole Glines got the scoop on newcomer David Basche, who's taken on the role of Debra's annoying ex.

When The Starter Wife was a miniseries on USA last season, Peter Jacobson played the role of Kenny, the annoying mogul ex-husband of Messing’s character Molly.  

Jacobson had already made a commitment to the TV show House when Starter Wife was picked up as a series this season, and the role was recast with Basche, who previously played Dakota Fanning’s stepfather in War of the Worlds and Todd Beamer in United 93.

David is soon to be a starter father. His trailer has been rocking on the set because his pregnant actress wife, Alysia Renier, is also on the show, playing another starter wife.

“We met when we were kids who had nothing,” she recalls. “I thought David was really cool because he was a waiter in New York and had done a walk-on on a soap opera.”  He laughed, “I was a catch!”

Now they’re an established acting couple and Alysia says, “he’s been the most extraordinary husband in whatever I need or want…be it food or sex.”    

David and Alysia are expecting their first child in December. Alysia swears that her pregnancy has helped their love life. 

 

“My sex drive is through the roof and he’s been so phenomenally accommodating.”

An embarrassed David smiles. “I’m blushing.  It’s been nice to work on the same set together.”   

Sure sounds like it is!

The Starter Wife premieres Friday, Oct. 10 at 9 p.m. on USA.

    

I can’t cook, but I love to eat.

So I had no qualms chowing down at The New York City Wine & Food Festival’s kick-off event, Chelsea Market After Dark.

Held at the mammoth underground space that houses more than 20 shops and restaurants, the market was turned out with goodies, including a lamb tartar bite from Morimoto that was unreal.

People were clawing for a taste of Food Network star Bobby Flay’s Crunch burger. Between big, juicy bites, I cornered Bobby, who hosted the night’s festivities, to find out what makes this burger such a crowd pleaser.

“It’s basically certified angus beef, lots of American cheese, potato chips and chipotle ketchup,” he revealed.

Get your own at Bobby’s Burger Palace, the chef’s new fast dining restaurants opening in the suburbs of New York. Ummm, can we declare Manhattan a suburb?

Pat and Gina Neely were also on hand, sharing their secrets to a fabulous holiday meal.

“It’s preparation. Start early, so you don’t have to stress yourself out that day, and always have a great cocktail,” said Gina.

“I’ve got to have a grill going, baby. We always smoke a turkey for the holidays. I don’t care if it’s December 24 or January 1, we’re going to smoke something,” added Pat.

The Memphis, Tenn. natives love coming to the Big Apple.

“We always love to visit Christian Louboutin,” Gina declared. Who doesn’t? Well, maybe Pat.

“I don’t know about we,” he interjected. “We always end up visiting there.”

Catch their show, Down Home with the Neelys, Saturday at 11 a.m. on the Food Network.

I then spotted cookbook author Giada De Laurentiis. Even though she wasn’t much in a talking mood, she did mention that her six-month-old daughter, Jade Marie, was terrific.

Needlessly to say, today, I’m stuffed. Until next week, fellow Fanatics!

Bill Murray playfully punches me in the stomach right before this photo is snapped during the City of Ember junket held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in NYC. Yikes!

“Where are you from?” he asks me, and fingers my Press Association pal Shereen Low’s jade necklace (she has the furry microphone in the pic). “Can I have that?” he asks. He’s simply riffing on his shady character and how I asked him about his dark side moments before.

In the family adventure flick, Bill is the corrupt mayor and Tim Robbins plays a father dealing with a crumbling city set in the future. So, Bill, about your dark side…

“I don’t consider it theft when sometimes you encounter an object or a thing that isn’t really being used correctly or properly,” he deadpans. “Occasionally there are things that are just laying there doing nothing. And they’re not being used and they’re not being appreciated.”

He continues, “If there was something that was laying around, then – it was in your garage and it had been there for nine years and it was just covered with dust and it was like ‘are you kidding? This thing’s great. Sometimes I feel the need not to steal it from you, but to liberate that object from its bondage.”

So apparently he thinks Shereen’s jade necklace isn’t being used properly, and offers to pass it along to someone who can better wear it. “Am I going to see you two again?” he asks us.

Back to the flick …

Aside from corruption, the residents of Ember are witnessing their city falling apart. What kind of experience has Tim had with natural disasters? Susan Sarandon’s beau has been through the NYC blackouts and California earthquakes. Scary!

“People started barbecues on the street during the blackouts,” Tim laughs. “It was really fun. I got my camera out and stayed up all night and took pictures. I was in a hotel during an earthquake and it moved. I was way up high and it moved. It moved like that [makes motion]. That was really scary. And then I looked out the window and I saw those flashes of light that happen when there are interruptions of power. That was apocalyptic and crazy.”

Bill moved into NYC's famed Plaza Hotel during a power failure.

“I was with an entire group of kids and a dog, and they gave us the Presidential Suite, which is kind of funny. The same architect built my house as built the Presidential Suite in the Plaza Hotel.  It felt like home. To have sirens and alarms going off nonstop, it drives you nuts.”

Tim chuckles. “I have this view of Northern Manhattan, and during the last blackout there was one light on in the entire city. You know what it was? It was the letters G-E on top of the GE building.”

On the way out, I pick up two City of Ember hoodies. My brother Jeff will love it … he can't get enough freebies from Sis. ; )

City of Ember is in theaters now.