What IS Salman Rushdie's secret? This time, the ladies' man is nuzzling Scarlett Johansson's neck

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The controversial author, who it's fair to say is not classically handsome, makes a cameo appearance in the 23-year-old actress-turned-singer's Falling Down, the first single from her upcoming album of Tom Waits covers.

The surprise cameo is left unexplained; as is Scarlett's unusually bookish choice of outfit, complete with oversized glasses.

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Smoking Salman: Perhaps he's giving away the ending of Midnight's Children?

Magical realism: Scarlett cracks up as the award-winning author nuzzles her neck

Perhaps the star of The Other Boleyn Girl is trying to impress Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, with her literary credentials. Judging by his expression in the video, however, he's just as happy appreciating her more obvious attributes.

The 60-year-old is single again after the breakdown of his fourth marriage, to stunning model and chef Padma Lakshmi.

The fourth Mrs Rushdie, 37, once told GQ that Rushdie won her over within moments of meeting her for the first time.

"Any woman who has heard him speak for five minutes would just melt," she says. "He's very charismatic. I think he's very handsome, very beautiful and very sexy."

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Bubblicious: Johansson in another scene from the wacky video

This charm has ensured Rushdie, who will be 61 in June, has had no trouble enthralling a series of younger women.

Earlier this week he escorted 24-year-old actress Olivia Wilde - herself no slouch in the beauty stakes - to the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

However, Rushdie has revealed that there will be no repeat of his all female stag night before his wedding to Lakshmi - attended by Nigella Lawson, Mariella Frostrup and Dannii Minogue, plus a "feminist stripper" - because he no longer believes in marriage.

"It's strange, given that I've been married four times, but I actually don't think marriage is necessary," Sir Salman told Elle magazine.

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Form horse: Salman Rushdie with his ex-wife Padma Lakshmi and at the White House Correspondents' dinner in Washington this week with House actress Olivia Wilde

"Girls like it, especially if they've never been married before – it's the dress. Girls want a wedding, they don't want a marriage. If only you could have weddings without marriages."

While Rushdie ponders his next choice of arm-candy - it's hard not to root for it being the leftover Cheeky Girl - Johansson will be hard at work promoting her album, Anywhere I Lay My Head.

The record, which received an impressive eight out of ten from NME, is set to be released in the UK on May 19.

The music magazine said: "This is a brilliant album that will no doubt top some 'best of 2008' lists, but it's hard to work out if it's a one-off or not."