Chef serves up new matrimony

London — Celebrity chef and cookbook author Nigella Lawson has married art collector Charles Saatchi in a small private wedding, a spokesman for the bride said Thursday.

Lawson, 43, and Saatchi, 60, were married at their home in London on Wednesday morning, with only their children from previous marriages in attendance.

Downplaying kiss conundrum

New York — Cuba Gooding Jr. understands why his “The Fighting Temptations” co-star Beyonce Knowles was uneasy about their kissing scenes in the comedy.

“She was probably a little nervous, because for her, it was more about, ‘Oh, no, I’m performing for the peanut gallery,”‘ Gooding tells People magazine in its Sept. 15 issue.

In the film, Gooding plays an ad executive who learns he must create a successful gospel choir to collect his inheritance. The movie is set for release on Sept. 19.

Gooding, who won a best-supporting actor Oscar in 1997 for “Jerry Maguire,” previously went to great lengths to loosen up before shooting intimate scenes.

Says the 35-year-old actor: “‘Butt Naked’ was my nickname for a long time on movie sets because when I had a love scene, I’d run butt naked through the set just to show them, ‘Who cares?”‘

Next best thing to matrimony

Venice, Italy — George Clooney said “I do” — sort of — when a journalist asked him to marry her during a press conference at the Venice Film Festival.

Clooney was answering questions Wednesday about his new film, “Intolerable Cruelty,” when an Italian TV journalist wearing a white veil proposed marriage.

“All right, come here,” Clooney replied.

The woman approached the dais, bringing along a cameraman doubling as a priest, who produced two rings.

“Finally, finally married!” Clooney said, although he added: “My fear is that he really is a priest.”

Clooney kissed the journalist, laughed and had a sip of celebratory wine before moving on: “Next question?”

Billy Bob removes Angelina tattoo

Alexandria, Va. — Billy Bob Thornton has erased Angelina Jolie from his body, but not from his soul.

Inside his tour bus Tuesday night, Thornton rolled up the sleeve of his leopard-print bathrobe to reveal that he has covered up the left forearm tattoo of his ex-wife’s name.

“See the ‘A’ right there?” Thornton said. “That’s where it said ‘Angelina.’ And those are the four blood drops that represent the two of us and my boys. I had it covered up with an angel and it says ‘Peace’ right here. It’s like, basically, my way of saying, ‘No hard feelings.'”

Jolie had a tattoo on her arm saying “Billy Bob” above a dragon. She has erased his name, but left the dragon.