Celebrity Mound

Holy hornet’s nest, Batman! The New Mexico governor’s mansion?

Fresh from the inauguration, actor Val Kilmer is pondering running for governor in 2010, when Democrat Bill Richardson’s second term ends.

“I’m just looking for ways to be contributive,” Kilmer told The Associated Press on Thursday. “And if that ends up being where I can make a substantial contribution, then I’ll run.”

But there’s no decision yet.

“It’s really day to day,” he said over tea at a local restaurant.

Kilmer, 49, grew up in Los Angeles but has called New Mexico home for more than two decades. He’s currently registered as a Democrat and said he cast a ballot for Barack Obama from Bulgaria, where he was filming.

A Kilmer candidacy could throw a monkey wrench into the well-oiled Democratic machine of Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, who’s already running for the job.

Kilmer’s screen credits include Batman in “Batman Forever” in 1995, brash fighter pilot Lt. Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky in the 1986 hit “Top Gun,” and rock icon Jim Morrison in the 1991 Oliver Stone film, “The Doors.”

Kilmer said if he ran it wouldn’t have to be a conventional campaign. While the actor decides, he’s getting out and about and has been listening to people – something he says he’s pretty good at.

“What I do for a living is listen,” he said, making a bold prediction: “If I run, I’m going to be the next governor.”

He is voice of the car Kitt in the new Knight Rider series, but could Val Kilmer’s next role be the voice of New Mexico?

Former presidential candidate and current New Mexico governor Bill Richardson has been fueling speculation that the Batman Forever star may replace him as governor of the 47th state in 2010.

“I like the idea,” Richardson told reporters on Thursday. “Val Kilmer is a New Mexican, he was Batman. You know there have been successful actors going into politics.”

Earlier this year, Kilmer got the rumor mill turning when he hinted that he’d consider a run for office.

Adds Richardson, who stopped short of endorsing Kilmer, “I haven’t talked to him about it, I don’t know how serious he is, but you know if he jumps in a race he’s got name ID, so it can’t be discounted.”

A native of Los Angeles, Kilmer has for many years lived on a sprawling ranch outside of Pecos, where he raises bison. He is actively involved in The Wildlife Center of New Mexico.

While George Clooney is known for his political causes, if Kilmer were elected, he would be the first Batman to achieve elected office – at least in the real world.

On TV’s animated Family Guy series, Adam West, who played the Caped Crusader on the popular TV show, has been the animated mayor of the fictional Rhode Island hamlet of Quahog.

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Angus T. Jones

Dakota Fanning

Val Kilmer

A source told Page Six the “mystery” gal recently snapped running hand-in- hand from paparazzi with Kilmer bears a striking resemblance to Kim Painter – Lowe’s girlfriend of a year. But we don’t think they’ll flee too far together just yet. A rep for Lowe said he and Painter are “madly in love,” and, “Val and Kim are old friends and were working in Los Angeles together.”

VAL Kilmer freaked out at a crowded party Tuesday, saying he was “claustrophobic” and had to get out. Our spy reports the action hunk was sitting with a gal pal on a couch at Lydia Hearst’s Puma Bag bash at the Thompson Hotel when it suddenly became very crowded. “He was saying he couldn’t take it. It looked like he was going crazy. When his girlfriend went to the bathroom he just up and left,” said the spy. Kilmer’s lady friend walked around the party for 15 minutes looking for him. Kilmer’s rep said he doesn’t have any issue with crowds, he just “leaves when he wants to leave.”

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Val Kilmer (he brought his laptop????)

Cate Blanchett

Gina Gershon

Helena Christensen

Martha Stewart

Zac Posen and Michael Kors

Celebrity Babylon got a gander at Val Kilmer, and whoa, we were amazed at how he’s gone from Batman to Fatman!

(Photo credit: Celebrity Babylon.com)

Val Kilmer always used to dread his end-of-year birthday as it was so close to Christmas Day – so his parents decided to swap his December birth date for a mid-year celebration.

The Batman Forever star was born on 31 December, and would receive joint presents from enterprising well-wishers. But Kilmer’s parents felt sorry for their son and rearranged his birthday for 4 July so the youngster could enjoy both events scattered throughout the year.

He says, “My birthday is on New Year’s Eve, so my parents pitied me, because when you are born so close to Christmas you just get one Christmas/Merry Birthday present. So they would also celebrate my birthday on the Fourth Of July. To this day, I get very, very emotional whenever I see fireworks.”

Val Kilmer loved working on historical epic Alexander because director Oliver Stone told him to pile on the pounds. Kilmer often has to get in shape before starring in blockbuster movies, so he was thrilled at the chance to let himself go when he played Philip Of Macedonia in the 2004 Alexander The Great biopic starring Colin Farrell.

He says, “I liked being well-built when I played Philip a couple of years ago. I had fun getting out of shape. I told Oliver I thought I should look like a big bear. He said, ‘Great,’ so I sat around the pool with Angelina (Jolie) eating ice cream.”

But the star’s new found weight had its drawbacks. He explains, “I felt as if I was pregnant. I made noises just getting out of bed and thought I’d never have sex again.”