Celebrity Mound

Now that Bill Murray (above) is officially divorced, he’s free to hit on pretty young things. Murray was having a late dinner at Steak Frites in the Village Friday night around 11 with five of his six sons when he spied a hot Scarlett Johansson-look-alike sitting near the bar. Our spy said Murray, who was drinking hot tea all night, “walked over to the woman, tapped her on the shoulder and started chatting about the Michigan State vs. Kansas basketball game. When his kids got restless he counted his losses, shook her hand and left.”

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A BITTER divorce was the last thing on Bill Murray’s mind Thursday night as he whooped it up with sultry “Valkyrie” star Carice van Houten. Spies told us the odd couple was “dancing together and acting very cuddly” at the Anchor Bar on Greenwich Street. Kanye West was also in the house, singing “Happy Birthday” to a cousin. In May, Murray’s wife, Jennifer Butler – mother of four of his children – filed for divorce.

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The comic was in the middle of Times Square amid masses of people celebrating Barack Obama’s election. “Bill was standing in this line of people, and then this smaller guy walked through the line very abruptly and knocked into him,” a witness said. “Murray turned around, and the man who bumped him was not apologetic at all. He wanted to fight right there.” Fists flew until cops carried off the star’s opponent but no arrest was made. Murray’s business manager had no comment.

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Bill Murray landed in Chicago on Friday like he never had before – by jumping from an airplane 13,500 feet up. The 57-year-old actor took several deep breaths before stepping out the open doors of a C-31 Fokker and dropping at about 120 mph to the city’s lakefront with members of the Army Golden Knights Parachute Team.

An exuberant Murray, whose jump kicked off the 50th Chicago Air and Water Show, landed safely on a beach. The actor pretended for a moment to stagger as if dizzy, then smiled broadly, waved to the crowd and shook hands with some of the Golden Knights.

Friends asked Murray to participate in the show, which features demonstrations and performances in the air and on Lake Michigan, to support the Illinois United Service Organizations.

But he wasn’t so certain of his reason to jump moments before he boarded the plane on a perfect 73 degree day at an Indiana airport 25 miles from Chicago. Members of the Navy Blue Angels also prepared nearby for the show, which runs through Sunday.

“It seemed like a good idea at a time,” Murray said. “I’ve had second thoughts, believe me. I’ve been really nervous. All the jokes (from friends) involve death.”

Before the jump, Murray underwent brief training on the ground. Army Staff Sgt. Joe Jones, who has made more than 3,500 skydives in his career, detailed the mechanics of the parachute and proper tandem jumping form.

“You’re going to actually sit on my lap, is that OK?” Jones asked, showing laminated pictures of the dos and don’ts of jumping.

“Are you going to ask me what I want for Christmas?” Murray retorted.

Murray, who kept interrupting Jones with questions, then watched a training video starring actor Chuck Norris and members of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, who have also made the jump. Murray said he didn’t train, although he watched his weight to stay under a 240-pound requirement.

“Will my ears pop?” he asked. “Is there some frequent flier program?”

Murray’s acting career has spanned decades, including roles in “Ghostbusters,” “Caddyshack” and “Groundhog Day” and a 2003 Oscar nomination for “Lost in Translation.”

At more than 2 miles above Chicago, the air temperature in the unpressurized plane dropped to 30 degrees. The roar of the plane’s engines and winds coming through the open doors was deafening.

The crowds below waited at the city’s North Avenue Beach. “Brady Bunch” actress Florence Henderson prepared to sing the national anthem, and crews set up for actor Gary Sinise’s musical performance later in the evening with his group, the Lt. Dan Band.

Up in the plane, Murray, a native of Wilmette, Ill., looked out the window and took short calming breaths from a yellow oxygen tank.

A buzzer went off in the plane around 3 p.m. It was Murray’s time to jump.

He and Jones, connected by ropes and harnesses, ambled down the aisle. After a countdown they stepped off, instantly disappearing into the skies below.

Once he landed, Murray said a Golden Knight jumper had tried to ease his nerves by telling him he would want to repeat the jump.

“But right now,” Murray said, “I really feel like having a drink.”

Academy Award-nominated actor and comedian Bill Murray, who makes regular public appearances in the Lowcountry as a co-owner of the Charleston RiverDogs baseball team, is accused of drug addiction, abandonment, adultery and physically abusing his wife of more than 10 years, according to a recent court filing in Charleston County.

Jennifer Butler Murray cites the allegations as grounds for divorce, according to the complaint filed May 12 in family court. Records in the case were sealed Friday by a court order.

The Murrays married in 1997 and have four children, all minors.

Jennifer Murray is represented by Charleston attorney Robert Rosen, who declined to comment on the case Wednesday and said his client also would not comment on the filing.

Court records do not list an attorney for Bill Murray, who is listed in the complaint as “William Murray” and famously does not have a publicist or agent. A telephone message left for Murray at the RiverDogs office Wednesday was not returned.

Jennifer Murray also seeks a restraining order barring Bill Murray from her Sullivan’s Island home and asks the court to determine if the couple’s premarital agreement is valid and enforceable.

The Murrays signed the agreement before their marriage on July 4, 1997. It stipulates that if either spouse files for divorce, both parties retain all of their separate property, waive any right to alimony or support and maintain responsibilities for their children.

If the marriage is dissolved and the 23-page premarital agreement is made a part of the order, Bill Murray agrees to pay Jennifer Murray $7 million, according to a copy of the agreement accompanying the complaint.

According to the complaint, Jennifer Murray moved into a Sullivan’s Island home in 2006 with the couple’s four children due to her husband’s “adultery, addiction to marijuana and alcohol, abusive behavior, physical abuse, sexual addictions and frequent abandonment.”

Jennifer Murray purchased the Sullivan’s Island beach house in 2006 for $3.65 million, according to county property records.

It was at the Sullivan’s Island home, according to the complaint, that Murray allegedly abused his wife in November 2007. The six-page court filing says Murray “hit his wife in the face and then told her she was ‘lucky he didn’t kill her.’ ”

The complaint alleges that Murray physically abused his wife on more than one occasion during the marriage.

Bill Murray, a former “Saturday Night Live” cast member, has starred in films such as “Ghostbusters,” “Caddyshack,” “Meatballs,” “Stripes” and “Groundhog Day.” He was awarded a Golden Globe for Best Actor and was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in “Lost in Translation.”

Bill Murray’s title with the RiverDogs is Director of Fun. He can be seen at the team’s home field on any given night, according to the team Web site.

Murray also is a co-owner of Goldklang Group, a sports entertainment firm that represents the marketing and promotion rights for the RiverDogs and several other baseball teams.

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BILL Murray – who was ticketed last year in Sweden for drunken driving in a golf cart – had onlookers snickering when he was escorted outside for some “fresh air.” The comic and his “lady friend” were sipping wine at the Bond Street restaurant in the Thompson Beverly Hills hotel last week when, according to our source, “Bill had to have a hotel employee help them outside to the balcony.” We’re told he “got some fresh air” and ordered another glass of wine before heading back inside. A call to Murray’s lawyer was answered with “We don’t talk to the press.”

Bill Murray

Hugh Grant

Michael Douglas