Tattle: Bradley Cooper hooked with Jen, 'Star' says

NOW THAT Philadelphia native

Bradley Cooper

has gone from popular supporting actor to movie star, thanks to "The Hangover," it was only a matter of time before he was linked to a movie-star girlfriend.

He might as well start at the top.

According to Star magazine, Bradley is "On! On! On!" with Jennifer Aniston.

Yes, they could just be friends from "He's Not That Into You," but that's no fun. Not when they could be "On! On! On!"

The "It Couple" du jour reportedly dined together at Manhattan's Il Cantinori on June 18 and the sparks, of course, flew. Soon after, Jen started "bubbling to pals," writes Star, that she's just so into Cooper.

So much so, Tattle projects, she already wants to remake next month's "I Love You, Beth Cooper," as "I Love You, Brad Cooper."

"Jen is really excited," the requisite anonymous insider says in Star's cover story. "She feels a connection to Bradley."

That was abundantly clear during their three-hour dinner (service must be slow at Il Cantinori) when the two did everything but slurp their spaghetti together like "Lady and the Tramp."

Star says they shared food and wine (a good thing at an Italian restaurant), laughed at one another's jokes (hey, they're both funny) and acted like two kids falling in love (Brad's 34, Jen's 40).

"I went over to say hi to them, and I noticed they were holding hands under the table because they let go to shake my hand," an eyewitness, who probably still hasn't washed his hand, tells Star.

But will our man Brad be able to stand up to the withering scrutiny of being an Aniston beau in a relationship sure to follow the gossip-tabloid-romance trajectory - "This Time It's Love!" "Engagement!" "Cooper Steps Out With Mystery Blonde," "Jen Cries on Other Brad's Shoulder!" "The Wedding's Off!" "Reunited!" and the inevitable "Jen's Heartache!"

"Bradley knows that Jen comes with a lot of baggage," says one of those Star secret sources. "But he's not denying he has feelings for her."

Cry for me, Argentina

Philandering South Carolina governor Mark Sanford has said little about the most beautiful sound he ever heard, "Maria," his horizontal tango partner from Argentina, so TMZ.com did a little lurking around Buenos Aires night spots.

Carlos Soto, owner of Guido's Bar, says Sanford and Maria Belen Chapur have stopped in several times over the last few months - most recently last week, while Sanford was - wink, wink - hiking the Appalachian Trail to decompress after a tough legislative session.

Soto says the lovers were "all over each other" last week, "kissing, holding hands and drinking wine."

Is he sure they weren't Jennifer Aniston and Bradley Cooper?

As for Maria, Soto said she has green eyes, dirty-blond hair and "un cuerpazo," which TMZ translated to mean "a banging body."

Falco nurses reform

Now that she portrays a nurse on TV (Showtime's "Nurse Jackie"), who better to talk about health-care reform than Edie Falco.

"I'm here because I've traveled through the health-care system and there are some holes," Falco, a breast-cancer survivor, told a Capitol Hill rally for health-care overhaul. "I'm here because I care about the people in this country, and I know that we can do better, that we must do better."

Falco said she went without health care coverage for years.

"I work in a business where they take great care of you if you are working," she said.

"It's bad enough the emotional impact of not having a job, but to get sick on top of that, and worry every day that your symptoms are not getting better, figuring out what you're gonna have to do without so you can afford a doctor's visit - I am far more familiar with that than I am with my situation these last number of years."

Tattbits

* Seems as if the Sarah Palin

feud was good for David Letterman.

Nielsen Media Research says Dave's "Late Show" beat the new guy's "Tonight Show" last week for the first time in more than three years.

Letterman scored a weeklong average of 3.46 million viewers, edging out the 3.32 million viewers who watched NBC's "Tonight Show," hosted by Conan O'Brien.

Conan took over "Tonight" from Jay Leno earlier this month.

* Dane Cook's sister-in-law, Erika McCauley, has been charged with aiding her husband, Dar-ryl, in the theft of millions of dollars from the rarely funny - especially in movies - comedian's company, Great Dane Enterprises.

Darryl pleaded not guilty in March to larceny and forgery. His lawyer has said he denies taking money without Dane's consent.

* Billboard.com reports that Phi-

ladelphia's own Eve will guest this fall on Fox's "Glee," playing the coach of a rival glee club.

* Dolly Parton created a charity

13 years ago to provide books to children and encourage literacy.

Now her first children's book, "I Am a Rainbow," will be featured in the philanthropy.

The book she wrote describes how colors can be used to explain the emotions of children.

* And people complain about

the news coverage here.

TV Week reports that in its coverage of the recent Air France crash in the Atlantic Ocean, a Bolivian news program mistakenly showed plane-crash footage from . . . "Lost." *

Daily News wire services contributed to this report.

Send e-mail to gensleh@phillynews.com.