Danny DeVito has a spoon hanging off his nose. He’s trying to impress the beautiful woman having dinner at the next table at Craig’s, the Hollywood clubhouse. And it’s working. She’s cracking up. But a mere utensil is not enough to hold Jennifer Lopez’s attention for long. Soon, J-Lo swings back around to return her focus to A-Rod. Their engagement is on deck, after all.

When I meet up with Mr. DeVito for an interview the next night at the Palm, he explains that he was not trying to come between J-Rod. “No, she had her eyes glued to him,” Mr. DeVito says, laughing. “But I think everybody did. It was kind of cool.” He says he’s friendly with J-Lo because his company, Jersey Films, produced her best movie, “Out of Sight,” also starring George Clooney.