John Mayer took a break from wining and dining Jennifer Aniston Tuesday night, and things got a little rough.

Mayer dined with a male friend at Wolfgang’s Steakhouse in Beverly Hills, where, although the private exit was ready for him, Mayer decided to leave out the front door—into the teeth of the paparazzi scrum.

As Mayer ducked into his awaiting BMW, his bodyguard shoved an unidentified shutterbug to the ground and then briefly grabbed the photographer by the throat.

The guard then hopped into the driver seat and whisked Mayer away as customers and employees spilled out of the steakhouse to see what the commotion was all about.

Although the encounter lasted just a few seconds, and the paparazzo immediately stood up and started screaming at the Mayer crew, E! News has learned the photographer subsequently headed to a Tarzana hospital to make sure he had no serious injuries. No word on whether a police report will be filed and no comment yet from the Mayer camp.

Bravo / Virginia Sherwood

As The Real Housewives of Atlanta ended its first season, the ladies came together in the spirit of love, friendship and reconciliation.

Oh, come on: They came together for the drama and the feuding.

Whether sharing a catty luncheon or feeling the stress of trying to achieve their dreams, the women kept themselves busy through the episode. Kim and Shereé bonded while NeNe glowered and DeShawn and Lisa kept things calm by venturing into the kitchen to cook some chicken.

Were you satisfied with the finale—or just waiting for that reunion show next week? Take the poll!

Twentieth Century Fox

Josh Schwartz is well-versed in teen drama and genetically gifted frenemies, but how will he handle mutant superheroes and rabid fandom?

Schwartz, creator of Gossip Girl and The O.C., has been tapped by 20th Century Fox to pen X-Men: First Class, a reboot of the Marvel franchise featuring a new group of genetically enhanced youngsters undergoing instruction at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning.  First Class will be the small-screen achiever's first foray into a major theatrical production.

The 32-year-old writer-producer is expected to inject the new addition to the X-Men canon—which soon will include X-Men Origins: Wolverine and another prequel focusing on the villainous Magneto—with his finely honed flair for showcasing teenage angst and modern coming-of-age sensibilities.

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ABC/KELSEY McNEAL

The seventh season of Dancing With the Stars has flown by, leaving in its wake three contestants with a shot at the championship on next week's finale.

Though this season has largely been missing the "wow" factor (the serious, positive "wow" factor, anyway) and last night's results were mixed for Brooke Burke, Cody Linley, Lance Bass and Warren Sapp, viewership has been consistent and voter support has been strong—so there's plenty of people out there lovin' this group, right?

See whether your favorite three made it through, or whether, once again, you have to admit that you just don't understand the way America thinks...

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Jon Furniss/Getty Images, Jeff Steinberg/INFphoto.com

George Clooney and Brad Pitt: They make movies together, promote good causes together and now they grow complimentary lip coverings.

That's weird, right?

Sure, Brad has been known to do this kind of thing before—remember that hairdo he and Gwyneth Paltrow shared back in the '90s?—but we expect Clooney to remain a lone wolf: no kids, no strings, no friendsy facial coverings.

But maybe we're just too close to this whole thing. We'll let you make the call.

Joaquin Phoenix announced he's retiring from acting, but the Walk the Line star isn't ending his relationship with the camera just yet.

A source tells E! News that Phoenix and his crew showed up around midnight at Hollywood hot spot Bardot Monday night toting a video camera. "We were told he was filming a documentary of his transition from acting to music," said our source.

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Franziska Krug/Action Press/ZUMApress.com

A freelancer's decision to hang with Heath Ledger, rather than report on him, has earned her the right to sue with him in mind.

A Los Angeles judge on Monday greenlighted a revised lawsuit brought by an unidentified woman who claims that she was caught on tape by two paparazzi as they secretly shot Ledger.

"She was acting like a star-struck fan rather than as a celebrity reporter," L.A. Superior Court Judge John Shepard Wiley said in his ruling. "This is real Hollywood socializing."

Getting to meet Ledger was, for the plaintiff, a "smitten fan's dream come true. She's going to hang out with a movie star like any other fan of this star might think was a good thing to do."

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Michael Buckner/Getty Images

Is Miley Cyrus looking for a career change?

While promoting her movie Bolt Sunday, the Hannah Montana star told E! News that she'd like to try reality television.

"I would want to be on a reality show like The Real World because I think that's crazy," said Cyrus.  "Anyone who would do that has some serious guts."

With the hectic lifestyle that she lives, the pop princess said it would be nice to just chill out. "I just want to be in a really nice house with cameras following me around," said Cyrus.  "I can just sit there, eat Cheetos, read my book, hang out all day."

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