When you're Hollywood hunk George Clooney -- aka celebrity chick magnet extraordinaire -- smooth moves are usually the norm. Not this weekend, however.
Burning up rubber on a New Jersey highway, Clooney took a dive off his motorcycle when a car sideswiped him on September 21. The scenario played like a bad movie. Actor down. Glam girlfriend Sarah Larson is there by his side.
Despite the bumpy ride, Clooney's "slick with chicks" factor rages on.
No, not road rash nor a fracture to his 46-year-old ribs (the injuries Clooney suffered) can dim this player's allure -- especially in the eyes of new flame Larson, 27. So what if their joyride could have been their last? For Larson -- a 2004 "Fear Factor" contestant who bit the head off a scorpion -- what's a little death-defying jaunt on a highway? Surely the danger pay's got to be good when you're dating Clooney?
In life's bigger picture, however, does this new dalliance with a cocktail waitress turned "model" hurl Clooney into that realm every aging actor dreads -- the old clich�.
Classy or clich�?
Clooney's a ladies man. He's never denied it. In fact, in 2006 the actor quipped, "I couldn't run for office. I've slept with far too many women. I have a very keen interest in political issues, but if I decided to run for office there would be a few juicy stories dragged back from the depths."
Certainly his juicy liaison with Larson didn't hurt Clooney during his recent visit to the Toronto International Film Festival. When one journalist asked about the hot romance, Clooney swatted his "no comment" reply into the air like he was taking out a pesky fruit fly.
But the real buzz, as always, was about Clooney himself. "He's shorter than I expected." "He looks older in real life." "Is he really dating that Sarah Larson? Lucky broad!" The comments from gawking journalists and fans were as long and winding as the lineups Clooney inspired.
Clooney confidential
Clooney's dating track record is impressive. It's filled with beauties unrivalled by any found in Rudolph Valentino's little black book.
Since his only marriage in 1989 to Talia Balsam, which ended in 1992, it's been party time in Clooney's play pen. From Celine Balitran (who met Clooney in 1996 in a Paris nightclub) to British model Lisa Snowdon, Michelle Pfeiffer's younger sister Dedee and Renee Zellweger (who dated the actor in 2001), Clooney's list of loves goes on and on.
In 2006 Clooney was barking over Ellen Barkin. Then 52, the newly divorced actress hooked up with Clooney while he was shooting "Oceans Thirteen." One source told Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper that it was "a match made in heaven." But heaven's gate clamped down on that chemical attraction. The "Sea of Love" beauty crooned 'See ya' and Clooney moved on to greener pastures.
"Here's the great thing about dating. You get to start over and go, 'I'm a really nice guy.' And by virtue of saying it, you can be," Clooney told Vanity Fair magazine in 2003. He also lamented, "The minute you start dating, it's pictures and stories and 'Who is she?' and it put the pressure on immediately."
But as Clooney's love life illustrates, when the going gets tough the tough get going.
The Clooney factor
So what it is about this Kentucky-born cool cat that still has him picking from the cream of the dating crop? Sure, his aunt was Rosemary Clooney and his dad a TV newscaster. Sure he's made women swoon ever since "ER" turned him into North America's doctor of love. But what gives?
Was it Clooney's acting chops that made us take notice of him in "Return to Horror High" (1987) or "Return of the Killer Tomatoes!" (1988)? Was it Clooney's newfound gravitas in "Syriana" (2005) or his burgeoning political activism that transformed him into a hotter catch than ever?
The Clooney magic, as gal-pal Larson would surely gush, is charm. This boy's got it just like the night is long during an Alaskan winter.
Will that mythical Clooney charm keep reeling them in as he, and his patched up motorcycle, speed into middle age? Will waitress-turned-model Larson make this free ride in tabloid heaven a permanent one? Will George Clooney shock the world and woo, win and marry someone his own age?
Like any good Hollywood story, the ending to this clincher is a twister. But when it drops (not to mention who drops who should Clooney and Larson split), fans will flick on eTalk faster than a flotilla of missiles to see what gives.
The Clooney collection
Unlike Sarah Larson, who is nearly 20 years George Clooney's junior, the other women in this actor's love life represent a veritable numbers game of ages and dating period durations.
Dedee Pfeiffer
Romantically linked to Clooney in 1985. Pfeiffer was 19. Clooney was 24.
Kelly Preston
Romantically linked to Clooney from 1987-1989.
Preston was 25 when they reportedly hooked up. Clooney was 26.
Talia Balsam
Married Clooney in 1989. Divorced gorgeous George in 1992.
Balsam was 30 when the pair married. Clooney was 28.
Kimberly Russell
Romantically linked to Clooney in 1995. Russell was 31. Clooney was 34.
Celine Balitran
Romantically linked to Clooney from 1996 - 1999. Balitran was 22 when the pair reportedly hooked up. Clooney was 35.
Lisa Snowdon
Romantically linked to Clooney from 2000 - 2005. Snowdon was 29 when the pair began dating. Clooney was 39.
Renee Zellweger
Romantically linked to Clooney in 2001. Zellweger was 32. Clooney was 40.
Krista Allen
Romantically linked to Clooney from 2002 - 2004. Allen was 31 when they began dating. Clooney was 41.
Ellen Barkin
Romantically linked to Clooney in 2006. Barkin was 52. Clooney was 45.
Sarah Larson
Currently turning George Clooney's crank. Larson is 27. Clooney is 46.
What do you think? Is Clooney a man's man, or just a man-whore? Is there a double standard at play here?