Ride Me

We're told Maria Shriver left her Escalade in the verboten spot for almost an hour while visiting the doctor's office in Santa Monica.

Maria should have known better -- her husband wrote the intro to the DMV's 2009 "California Driver Handbook," which includes the passage, "As Governor, I urge you to study this handbook and apply what you learn to help keep you and your loved ones safe."

Page 51 clearly states the rules of the red zone, "Red: No stopping, standing, or parking."

We're told Brad tried to maneuver his bike between a parked car and a car stopped at a red light, and his handlebars clipped the parked car.

We're told he lost control and fell over -- and everything is fine.

TMZ has learned Brad Pitt was involved in a minor motorcycle accident moments ago in Los Angeles.

A witness at the scene tells us Pitt was trying to weave in between cars while at a red light --- but he lost control and fell off the bike.

We're told he got up and moved the motorcycle to the side of the road then ran into an apartment building.

Our witness says he waited for someone to come pick him up and now he's no longer at the scene. Pitt left his motorcycle behind.

This time, he was able to leave without incident ... we're guessing his bar-top-dancing buddy is still sleeping it off.

UPDATE 5:15 PM PT: Joe Jackson tells us he spoke with Katherine and the kids are fine.

TMZ has learned Michael Jackson's kids were involved in a car accident moments ago in Sherman Oaks.

That loud explosion you just heard would be Kate Gosselin's head exploding.

Sources close to Fleiss tell us it all started when Heidi got into a fight with a castmate during a taping of "Celebrity Rehab" in Los Angeles. Heidi was so upset, she ditched the production and got a ride back to her home in Pahrump, NV. But during the trip home, the car swerved and hit a dirt patch, causing it to flip several times.

The Nye County Sheriff's Office -- located near Pahrump -- tells us Heidi wasn't driving when the SUV lost control ... but she was in the passenger seat and thankfully wearing a seat belt. We're told Heidi and her friend suffered some minor scrapes and bruises -- but essentially walked away with no serious injuries.

But here's the catch -- sources tell TMZ a camera crew showed up to the crash scene the very next day and shot the site for "Celebrity Rehab." In classic Hollywood form, we're told VH1 didn't want people on the show talking about the accident publicly .. hoping to keep the story arc on the down-low until it airs sometime in the near future.

Final destination -- a pumpkin patch in CT. It's the first time we've crossed state lines with a celebrity ...

The smooth talker tried to escape some paparazzi attention by jumping into an off-the-clock cab. The taxi driver wasn't havin' it at first -- but Gerard's promise of an extra twenty bones sure did the trick.

We've learned Megan Mullally was injured in a car wreck last week -- forcing her to cancel two performances of a play she's currently starring in.

Cops tell us the former "Will and Grace" star was involved in a two car accident at around noon last Wednesday in Beverly Hills.

We're told both parties complained of minor injuries -- cops say they have yet to determine who's at fault.

Mullally's injuries caused her to cancel Thursday and Friday's performances of her play "The Receptionist" at the Odyssey in Los Angeles -- but she was back on stage by Saturday ... accompanied by a brace on her wrist.

Lucky for Mullally, the play is currently on hiatus until October 3.

TMZ has learned LeAnn Rimes will NOT face criminal charges for an alleged hit-and-run incident last month in Brentwood.

As TMZ previously reported, the LAPD questioned Eddie Cibrian's plaything at her home on August 21 -- moments after she was accused of fleeing the scene of a minor fender bender.

We're told LeAnn claimed she didn't know she clipped another car -- but she was cooperative with police and handed over her insurance information when they came to her pad.

Wednesday, cops officially closed the case after deciding no crime was committed.

The good news: It was a rental.

We're told Sean wrecked the Bentley on Sunset Blvd., near Boa Steakhouse. It happened at around 3 PM PT. He was renting the expensive ride from Beverly Hills Rent-A-Car for $2,500 a day.

The rental place tells us they don't sell coverage on high end vehicles ... so it looks like Sean may be in the hole anyway.

UPDATE: A rep for Sean tells us he was a passengerin the car and a female was driving at the time. We're told she lost control and hit the curb.

TMZ obtained the footage of a movie crew shooting an action sequence in L.A. for the upcoming Seth Rogen flick, "The Green Hornet" -- and the footage could reveal a very expensive screw up.

In the first clip, The Hornet's car -- the Black Beauty -- speeds around the obstacles and escapes into the street.

The crew resets to shoot the scene again, except this time the Black Beauty appears to lose control -- hits the obstacles and crew members scramble to remove the driver from the wreckage.

You never know what's intentional on a movie set -- but so far, we're unable to reach a rep from Columbia Pictures to confirm that this crash wasn't planned.

United Royal Coach confirms they'll be picking up immediate family members at the Jackson Encino compound this afternoon -- and will deliver 'em to Forest Lawn in five stretch Phantoms. We're told Katherine and Joe will ride in the first vehicle.

Since the family members are regular customers, they even got 'em at a reduced rate, which no doubt helped lower the already "extraordinary" burial costs.