Taking Names

Over and out

San Francisco Chronicle

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has split with his wife, Skylar, on the heels of reports that he’s dating actress Connie Nielsen.

Mr. Ulrich was spotted kissing the “Gladiator” beauty in New York recently, sparking fears he was cheating on his wife, but he split with his spouse back in March.

“Lars and Skylar are very private people,” Mr. Ulrich’s spokesman told the New York Post’s Page Six column. “They have been separated since March. They didn’t think it was anyone’s business, but since you’ve got the story, they’re going public with it on Metallica’s Web site.”

The couple will share custody of their two children, the spokesman said.

The soon-to-be-ex-Mrs. Ulrich, a former flame of Matt Damon’s, has famously been credited with being the inspiration for Minnie Driver’s character in the movie “Good Will Hunting.”

Sexy vegan

Boston Globe

The secret to Grammy-winning hip-hop? Maybe it’s the veggies.

Andre 3000 of OutKast has been voted the “world’s sexiest vegetarian” in People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ annual online poll. He shares the honor with actress Alicia Silverstone.

More than 12,000 votes were cast in the annual PETA contest. Results were released last week.

Previous winners include Tobey Maguire, Lauren Bush and Shania Twain.

Nelly’s got game

San Francisco Chronicle

Hip-hop star Nelly is a proud part-owner of the new NBA team the Charlotte Bobcats.

The hit maker joins Black Entertainment Television founder Robert L. Johnson, ex-Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl Jr., former basketball player ML Carr and NASCAR racing boss Felix Sabates on the board.

“This is a great opportunity for both the Bobcats and Nelly,” said Mr. Johnson, the North Carolina team’s majority owner.

Rosario’s new beau?

Internet Movie Database

Actress Rosario Dawson has turned her amorous attentions to TV hunk Jason Lewis despite the model-turned-actor’s limited dance skills.

Miss Dawson — who reportedly enjoyed a brief romance with Colin Farrell on the set of their upcoming movie “Alexander” — was spotted passionately kissing the “Sex and the City” co-star at Vin Diesel’s birthday bash in Miami over the weekend.

However, Miss Dawson’s attraction to Mr. Lewis — who played Samantha Jones’ (Kim Cattrall) much younger boyfriend, Smith Jerrod, on HBO’s now-defunct comedy hit — was reduced temporarily when he failed to ignite the dance floor at Prive nightclub, the New York Post reported.

In front of an audience that included Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, director Spike Lee and rapper-turned-actor Busta Rhymes, Mr. Lewis sparked hilarity with a series of spectacularly uncoordinated dance moves.

Halle’s purr-fect love

Associated Press

There’s a new love in Halle Berry’s life, and, yes, it’s one of those Hollywood romances between co-stars. The two met on the set of her latest movie, “Catwoman.”

The Oscar-winner describes her new guy as plump and pliable, with a bushy mane of orange hair. She calls the tabby Play-doh.

Funny thing is, Miss Berry never cared much for Play-doh’s species before she met him.

“I used to be a dog person. I had dogs my whole life. And in making this movie, I learned to really respect and love cats from the research and work I did with them,” Miss Berry said while promoting “Catwoman,” adapted from a DC Comics character that originated in the “Batman” series. The film opens nationwide tomorrow.

That research involved taking home one of the roughly 60 cats the producers rescued from shelters to use in the movie, a long-haired feline seated to Miss Berry’s left in a “Catwoman” scene with co-star Frances Conroy (“Six Feet Under”).

“I studied him very much, thinking, ’I’m going to study him and give him back,’ but I fell so in love in like, one week, that I’m now a cat person,” Miss Berry said. “I couldn’t imagine my life without him.”

Compiled by Robyn-Denise Yourse from Web and wire reports.