Heavy cigarette smoker Liz Hurley has followed doctor's orders and quit now that she's pregnant. And what's more she's done it cold turkey. The stunning actress has smoked since she was in her teens. Ex-beau Hugh Grant always begged her to give it up but she never could despite even going to a hypnotist. But now for the health of her baby-to-be, Liz has kicked the habit. Speaking of Hugh and Liz, while he isn't the daddy-mega-wealthy producer Steve Bing is-Hugh is going to be godfather to the tyke. Liz called Hugh almost immediately after she found out she was preggers. Friends of Grant's say he was shocked, but relieved he heard it from her first and not the media. These two whose love affair spanned many years can't help but always be good friends.

  Ally McBeal's Portia de Rossi has credited her healthy look to not only love, but a strict combination of pilates and cardio exercise. She found when she worked out every single day most of last year that it was too much. She says, "My body looked tired and strained. I didn't like that."

  And another actor who's gone healthy is Ted Danson. He's cut out coffee and all booze apart from the occasional glass of red wine which he still enjoys with a meal. On the urging of his beautiful wife, actress Mary Steenburgen, he's also quit smoking cigars, which has been a passion of his for years.

  Rupert Everett was getting strange looks from customers at a New York deli recently. They thought the actor had flipped and was talking to himself as he was dining alone and muttering away at his table. But here's the scoop...Rupert was coming up with ideas for his upcoming NBC sitcom about a British ambassador stationed in Washington D.C. and was talking into a tiny tape recorder. He's taking it everywhere with him and whenever he thinks of something for the show he immediately records it.

  Jennifer Aniston managed to talk her way out of a traffic ticket recently. She was pulled over after she made an illegal turn. But she really turned on the charm to the cop and invited his kids to a taping of Friends, gave the guy her autograph, and even took his address and promised she'd have hubby Brad Pitt send his teenage daughter a signed pic.

  Aniston's star power didn't fare her as well though on another outing. And, while she's a very rich lady, she's also proving to be quite frugal. She's been doing some early Christmas shopping which has provided her with some nifty savings. My spies tell me the Friends star bought t-shirts reduced to $10 from the Gap in Beverly Hills as presents for pals. Upon completing her purchase, she tried to talk the shop's clerks into wrapping them for her for free! Sorry, Jen, no frills included!

  Robert Downey Jr. was so upset when he couldn't get a parking space at his favorite store he paid a local homeowner cash to borrow his driveway to park his car! Downey was so keen to rummage through a trendy Melrose boutique that he and his shopping mate, Calista Flockhart, shelled out $50 to park there. The resident was a big fan of the popular star and tried to refuse, but Downey insisted he take the dough.

  By the way, Downey has become a huge fan of Dito Monteil. If Dito ever decides to abandon his career as a rock musician (he's the leader of Gutterboy, a hot garage band), he can always get work as a stand-up comic, judging from the audience reaction to his "act" recently at the Midnight Special Book Store in Santa Monica. Author of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Dito regaled an SRO crowd, including Robert Downey, Jr., with 30 minutes of non-stop, off-the-cuff, irreverent tales, many from his just-published autobiography about growing up on New York City's mean streets. The former Calvin Klein underwear model and Details magazine coverhunk has got good buzz going among filmmakers, including the aforementioned Downey. According to Downey, funding should be the least of the problems in getting the project up and rolling. "Just to watch the reaction to Dito of industry types is amazing," he says. "The guy is just a natural, completely irresistible."

  Jennifer Lopez may have underwhelmed in her last movie, Angel Eyes, but word on the streets is she's super-hot in her upcoming Drama Enough, where she plays a waitress who fights back against her abusive husband. The film's release has been moved to the highly competitive Memorial Day weekend, May 24, as a result of what Columbia Pictures folks claim are "over-the-top" reactions.

  From Oscar to a Grammy? Maybe so for the multi-talented Kevin Spacey. Spacey has turned his attentions to the music world. He told me two years ago that he was taking voice lessons to prepare to sing his own vocals to play Bobby Darin in a bio of the late singer. Kevin was quite adamant, telling me he wouldn't take on the role if he couldn't belt out the tunes himself. Now, comes word that record producer Phil Ramone was so impressed with Spacey's performance at the John Lennon tribute concert, he wants to produce an album for him. Bring it on!

  Wondering why Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York had its U.S. release date put back? I've heard it's partly because the film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, criticizes the New York Fire Department. The movie was written long before the September 11th tragedies, and the setting of the film is in the 1850s, not present day; even so, Miramax honchos are extremely sensitive to current events since the NYC firefighters are rightfully the toast of Gotham and the world.

  I'm told Kelsey Grammer has signed up billionaire computer mogul Bill Gates for a cameo in the 200th episode of Frasier. Gates will play a caller who rings up the shrink's radio show asking for advice.

  Other showbiz spies let us in on a juicy secret: Following her pregnancy, Catherine Zeta-Jones bought Shoulderback, a nifty black nylon and elastic sort of micro-vest that realigns the spine of the back to blue ribbon perfection. While the device is intended for horseback riding, a fashion maven in New York, who requests anonymity, raves about its other benefits. "It's perfect for wearing under a sweater," she told me. Julia Roberts is rumored to have worn one in Erin Brockovich. The pretty woman reportedly told a pal, "It corrected my posture and made my boobs stick out really far!" Who knew? Now WE do!

  We continue to ride a wave of patriotism in all things, especially fashion these days. The sales of Americana apparel has skyrocketed. Americans' new-found interest in displaying the U.S. flag shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Tony Bergdorf Goodman has commissioned an exclusive flag bracelet woven from glass bead on a silk thread with silver chips. All proceeds from the Freedom Bracelet, priced at $119 to reflect the date of the attacks, are being donated to various charities which support the relief initiative. Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, and Drew Barrymore are all said to have purchased one and a sales girl there says Madonna bought five!

...that's Hollywood Gossip!