Monday gossip roundup: Are Katy Perry and Tim Tebow an item?

Brad Pitt wants to make it clear that he fired the first shot in his ongoing practical joke war with pal George Clooney, claiming an elaborate joke during filming of “Ocean’s 12” marked the beginning of hostilities. “I sent a memo to the entire Italian crew, in Italian, that said, ‘Dear Crew: We wish you a wonderful shoot. George Clooney asks that, this is a very difficult role for him. He needs to concentrate deeply,” Pitt explains during an “Inside the Actor’s Studio” interview. “Mr. Clooney asks that you try not to interrupt him, look him in the eye. If you do need to address Mr. Clooney, please refer to him only as ‘Daniel’ or ‘Mr. Ocean.’ It went on for two weeks. He handled it gracefully, but he was becoming unnerved, I think.” And what about Clooney’s recent promises for a new, even bigger prank he plans to pull on Pitt? The “Moneyball” star says he’s got his retaliation move ready to go. “Whatever he’s got, this is uglier. It’s so bad, I don’t even know if I can do it,” Pitt says.

Katy Perry made her first U.S. concert appearance since husband Russell Brand filed for divorce, playing a pre-Super Bowl party in Indianapolis, according to People magazine. And while she made no mention of Brand, she did apparently have another guy on her mind: “This one goes out to Tim Tebow,” she said before playing her song “Peacock.” It was previously reported that Perry’s religious parents were eager to set their newly single daughter up with the football player because “above all, he’s a good Christian.”

Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux’s romance appears to be going strong, as the pair were spotted over the weekend sharing a “snugly” dinner at the Sunset Tower in Beverly Hills. “They looked really happy,” a source tells People magazine. “They were so cute, and when they were walking out he put his arm around her.” Aniston’s reps haven’t commented on earlier reports that she’s pregnant with Theroux’s child.

“American Idol” runner-up Adam Lambert has confirmed he is joining the band Queen, taking over for the late Freddie Mercury, who died of AIDS-related illness more than 20 years ago, according to the Daily Star. “The intention is to pay tribute to Freddie and the band by singing some f—ing great songs,” Lambert says. “It’s to keep the music alive for the fans and give it an energy that Freddie would have been proud of. There’s no intention in my mind of replacing Freddie. That’s impossible.”

Woody Harrelson got off on the wrong foot with some online fans when he participated in an “Ask Me Anything” chat session with Web forum Reddit — but then tried to keep the conversation about his new movie, “Rampart,” and citing his time being “valuable” as the reason for the focus. “This isn’t The Tonight Show and I’m not buying your bulls—,” one chat participant snapped abck. “It was too bad you couldn’t just open up to your fans with honest answers instead of peddling your latest movie. Oh well, I’ll just assume some clueless PR person convinced you to do this (assuming this is even you).”

Reports of Eddie Murphy’s death are greatly exaggerated, his brother Charlie would like to make clear. “My brother is fine. People who start these type of rumors are sick people,” comedian Charlie Murphy posted to Twitter after a story on the Global Associated News Web site reported that the “Beverly Hills Cop” star had perished in a car crash in Australia. “It’s really astounding how low people will go for attention. Eddie Murphy is fine!” To the site’s credit, the initial report did contain the following fine print: “This story is 100% fake! This is an entertainment website, and this is a totally fake article based on zero truth and is a complete work of fiction for entertainment purposes.”