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George Clooney, girlfriend shrug off Harley crash

Motorcycle riding a contract no-no, the Hollywood hunk tells EXTRA

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Clooney and friend back on feet (sort of)
Sept. 25: NBC’s Jill Rappaport spoke to George and his girlfriend about their scrape, injuries and Pitt’s phone call.

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By Mike Celizic
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 8:21 a.m. ET Sept. 25, 2007

George Clooney broke more than just a rib when he and girlfriend Sarah Larson got into an accident while riding his motorcycle in New Jersey on Sept. 21.

The actor confessed to EXTRA’s entertainment correspondent Jill Rappaport that he also broke his contract with the producers of the movie he’s currently working on.

“I’m not supposed to be on a motorcycle. I think I’m in trouble now,” the actor admitted with his trademark mischievous grin at the New York premiere of his newest film, “Michael Clayton.”

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Looking dashing as always and covering his pain with Neosporin and jokes, Clooney walked the red carpet at the event with Larson. She sparkled in a little black dress accessorized with the crutches she needed to get around after breaking a toe on her left foot.

Clooney has been working in the New York area filming “Burn After Reading,” a dark comedy co-starring his good friend Brad Pitt, John Malkovich and Frances McDormand. He’s also composing the score for another film.

There had been speculation that Clooney wouldn’t make the premiere of “Michael Clayton,” but Clooney said that duty called.

“Yeah, it hurts, but I still gotta go to work; still got a job to do. I’ve got a movie I’m shooting and another one I’m scoring,” he said.

The injury will not interfere with the “Burn After Reading” shooting schedule, he said.

On Friday, he and Larson were riding his Harley along the Hudson River in Weehawken, N.J., when he started to pass a car on the right.

Clooney told police that the car had signaled a left turn but then abruptly turned right, hitting his motorcycle. The driver of the car, Albert Sciancalepore, 27, said he signaled for the right turn.

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Both Clooney and Larson were wearing helmets and were released after treatment at Palisades Medical Center in nearby North Bergen.

“It’s a he-said, she-said right now,” Weehawken Police Sgt. Sean Kelly told reporters, “but you can’t pass on the right in Weehawken or anywhere in New Jersey.”

Road rash
Clooney also suffered “road rash” from the accident. Rappaport jokingly told TODAY co-hosts Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer that she asked if she could see the scrapes, but Clooney declined to disrobe.

Larson, whose left foot was shod in bandages, told Rappaport that the accident wasn’t a big deal. The former “Fear Factor” winner said, “It’s nothing.”

“It’s airborne, it’s easy, it’s fun,” Clooney interjected.

He said that Pitt called him when he heard about the accident.

“He rides a lot, too,” Clooney said. “He wrote me, he said: ‘How bad?’ I just said, ‘Not so bad.’”

“We’re just so happy to see you two standing and that nothing happened,” Rappaport concluded.

“Exactly,” Clooney said. But, he added with a laugh, “You should see the back of my head.”

© 2008 MSNBC Interactive