Ben Affleck wants to make movie about DRCongoActor, director and Africa advocate Ben Affleck wants to make a movie about the troubled eastern Democratic Republic of Congo but has found no Hollywood taker for the project, he told AFP."I would love to make a movie about Congo, but unfortunately I've asked Hollywood folks and they always say, ah, nobody wants to see a movie about Africa," Affleck, who earlier this year founded the Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI) advocacy group, said in an interview with AFP. "I think that points to this general sense that people sort of tune out, that it doesn't matter," he said. Affleck was speaking Tuesday after launching a report by his advocacy group, which calls for the United States to lead an international effort to bring stability to the troubled eastern Congo or risk the Great Lakes region becoming "another failure of humanity." "In eastern Congo, conflict and insecurity continue while the guns have fallen silent in other parts," the report says. The Congo was riven by devastating back-to-back wars that began in the 1990s and ended early this century after claiming some 3.5 million lives. "The international community -- and the US in particular -- must do more to address the challenges in eastern Congo if another failure of humanity is to be averted in central Africa," the report says. Affleck is one of a growing number of Hollywood stars who use their celebrity to raise awareness of a crisis in the world. On Tuesday, Affleck posted a five-minute video on YouTube about eastern DRC, featuring the U2 song "Bad".
"I'm not particularly proud of it. But it's a bit of a '50s thing, I guess," Affleck, 38, tells Ellen DeGeneres of the couple's holiday-shopping arrangements in an interview airing Wednesday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. "Because my wife is so capable and because I'm less so, she does a lot of that work, and I kind of root her on. I'm encouraging." Affleck explains that Garner, 38, is just an efficient Christmas-shopping machine, while he sits around sputtering over the single gift for which he's most responsible. "It takes her as much energy and effort to buy like the 20 gifts we're going to buy other people as it does [for me] to buy her gift," he says. "I spend the whole time fretting about that and being nervous and hoping she likes that." And often, it doesn't end well. "I end up at like CVS on the 24th being like, 'Maybe she'd like a little Godzilla that goes around,' " he says. "You talking about your wife or your kids?" DeGeneres asks. "My wife," Affleck replies. "My kids actually would like that."
Christopher Nolan, the brains behind the rebooted Batman franchise, is bringing the Man of Steel back to the big screen in a new instalment following Bryan Singer's 2006 offering Superman Returns. Nolan, who will act as a producer on the film, recently hired Watchmen moviemaker Zack Snyder to direct it, and Affleck has now revealed he was "tempted" by the job, but decided to leave the superhero movie to a director better acquainted with big budget blockbusters. He tells Deadline.com, "The one benefit of having done all kinds of movies as an actor is, you learn the pros and cons of being tempted to do a really big movie because it costs a lot of money. With Superman, I think they're going to do a great version. Chris Nolan is brilliant and they've got a great director for it. "I've love to do something like Blade Runner, but a lesson I've learned is to not look at movies based on budget, how much they'll spend on effects, or where they will shoot. Story is what's important. Also, there are a lot of guys ahead of me on the list to do epic effects movies." Affleck previously donned the superhero's cape to play Superman actor George Reeves in 2006 film Hollywoodland.
On behalf of Feeding America, the two pals have shot separate spots designed to raise awareness that 49 million Americans struggle to get food each day. Matt successfully manages to infuse his PSA with a little lightheartedness while playing a man named Steve, who talks about having to go to a local food bank. Matt then turns from the camera to ask the real Steve, standing off to the side, to comment on his performance. Ben, meanwhile, opts for a more straightforward, but certainly no less effective, approach to the subject… (Ben Video)
The Oscar winner was mistakenly send two $250,000 payments for attending the star-studded grand opening of an $80 million casino at the famed Geenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs on July 2. And casino owner Jim Justice is heaping praise on the star for not pocketing the extra cash - because his accounting staff wouldn't have spotted the error. Justice tells the National Enquirer, "We mistakenly paid him twice. Fortunately, he called us or we never would have caught it. "Obviously, we've got a dew teething problems in our accounts department that we just need to clean up. We're just grateful that Ben Affleck caught the mistake and told us about it. He's a very honourable man."
No offer has been made, but Affleck has met Warner Bros. executives on the project, which was first set up in 1988. Yes, 1988. Screenwriters such as Peter Hyams and Richard LaGravenese have turned in adaptations of Ken Grimwood's novel over the years, while Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts have mulled starring roles. Now Jason Smilovic ("My Own Worst Enemy") has written a new script which has executives and talent excited again. The story centers on a 45-year-old man who has a fatal heart attack while trying to prevent the murder of a jogger in New York's Central Park. Instead of going to the great beyond, however, he is stuck in a "replay" of his life beginning at age 18 in Brooklyn. With his knowledge of the future, he changes his life and builds a financial empire, only to die again at age 45. The "replay" continues, however, as he and the murdered jogger fall in love and struggle to break the cycle of their repeating lives.
The BFFs seem to have an inside joke/love affair with the Fox series, with both slipping odd references into their acting wherever they see fit. Is it just a coincidence or are these two superfans? On last night's live episode of 30 Rock Damon appears as Tina Fey's pilot boyfriend, Carol, who is moments away from a possible plane crash. He calls Fey's Liz Lemon, not to wish her a happy 40th birthday, but to give her instructions in case he dies, as his plane bobbles and shakes. This is where Bones comes in. "Lizzie, if something were to happen, I want you to know that I...that I...I need you to go to Raleigh to my apartment and just clean out all the porn before my mom gets there," he shouts. "I also need you to TiVo Bones for me in case I survive." Hmm... Exhibit B: Affleck slipped a Bones reference into his crime thriller, The Town, in which he plays a big-time bank robber in Boston. At one point, as he's schooling costar Rebecca Hall on his knowledge of police and bank heists, he mentions where he's gleaned his info: "I watch a lot of CSI. Miami, New York. And Bones." Are these guys in cahoots with David Boreanaz? Do they harbor a secret crush on Emily Deschanel? Are they getting a cut of profits from producers? No one's talking yet, but Damon's new flick, Hereafter, is out next week. Your move, Matty.
The hot mother of two hit the Pink Party on Saturday at Drai's wearing a loose pink blouse that conveniently hid her stomach. She also skipped interviews with all of the media outlets, even though she was the host of the charity soiree. Could it be that she doesn't want to answer any questions about whether she's expecting a third child with hubby Ben Affleck? Dunno, but inside the party she wasn't spotted sipping any cocktails or bubbly either... "She was seated at a cabana where you couldn't really see inside," one partygoer tells me. "But when she was on stage and walking around, she wasn't drinking anything." Also partying for a good cause were Nikki Reed, Denise Richards and Julie Benz. The Pink Party raises money for the Cedars-Sinai Women's Cancer Research Institute. After getting glammed up Saturday night, Jen was back in her mom jeans on Sunday, when she was spotted toting daugther Seraphina to the park for a playdate. Blogs were buzzing back in June that Jen had a baby on board, but her camp denied the rumors at the time. Her rep didn't respond to our latest request for comment. (Or maybe we should just try asking Victor Garber?) So will her girls have a new sibling soon? Stay tuned!
If it hadn't beaten expectations and opened as the weekend's No. 1 movie, the Monday-morning quarterbacks probably would have dismissed the marketing move as a misguided effort that looked more like "Nuns on the Run" by way of screaming-man artist Edvard Munch. But in the wake of "Town's" $23.8 million bow, Warners scored a genuine hit, Affleck buffed up his bona fides as a director, and the debate has begun over whether the movie will develop the momentum that will take it into Oscar season. Prognosticators last week suggested that the movie would open with about $15 million, coming in at No. 2 behind fellow rookie "Easy A." But during the past two weeks, "Town" was busy building momentum, which isn't always easy to measure. Affleck accompanied the drama to the Venice International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere September 8; three days later, the director and his cast moved to Toronto where they chatted it up to the North American press; then it had its U.S. premiere September 14 at Boston's Fenway Park, where the movie's climactic heist is set. Affleck also found time to work the morning TV shows and their late-night counterparts. "In the past 10 days, you could feel everything coming together," said Sue Kroll, Warners president of worldwide marketing. "It's a movie that's both appreciated by the critics and that audiences like. And the campaign and the cast was everywhere. When the results come together like that, it's all very gratifying. Ben and the cast did everything we asked of them." Kroll had been a fan of Affleck's first directorial effort, "Gone Baby Gone," which Miramax released in 2007. Another Boston-set crime thriller, the movie earned good reviews -- and an Oscar nomination for Amy Ryan -- but it opened to just $5.5 million, ultimately grossing $20.3 million domestically. However, when Affleck first showed Kroll an early cut of "Town" on his editing bay in Santa Monica, she sensed that the new movie -- which Warners co-produced with Legendary for slightly less than $35 million -- could reach a wider audience. The trick was to concoct a dual-track campaign, wooing critics on one hand while staging an aggressive consumer campaign on the other. To attract the latter, Warners went out early with TV spots, with an emphasis on sports programing, hitting NBA games during the summer and then booking the first wave of NFL games closer to release. It also benefited by attaching the first trailer for "Town" to Christopher Nolan's "Inception." Said Kroll, "I got as many calls about that trailer as I did about 'Inception' itself." To reach the critics, the studio accepted invites to Venice and Toronto, and held plenty of critics screenings in recent weeks. "With 'Gone Baby Gone,' there was a sense among the critics that Ben was a terrific new director," Kroll said, "so we wanted to put his second effort out there, to show that he is an interesting director with an interesting point of view. And that the movie was also commercial." As for that poster, which borrows an image from the movie: Kroll's marketing team mocked up several versions -- some of which took a more conventional route, featuring the stars' head shots -- that she had displayed around her office. But it was the image of the bank-robbing nuns that caught the attention of passersby. Meanwhile, Warners distribution chief Dan Fellman targeted the movie's September 17 release date. Affleck's film bears a passing similarity to Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" -- same town, similar accents -- which Warners opened on October 6, 2006, and rode to four Oscar wins, including best picture, plus a $132 million domestic gross. Although there was no avoiding comparisons with "Departed," Fellman opted for a release date a few weeks earlier on the calendar, right on the heels of "Town's" festival bows. "We knew there would be a lot of upscale films in the fall, a lot of pictures coming out of Toronto, so we wanted to give the movie its own identity at the festivals and then let it open in a noncompetitive atmosphere and give it time to grow," Fellman said. "We also wanted to distance it a little bit from the 'Departed' date." "Town" isn't expected to achieve the same grosses as "Departed," which used its marquee names of Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg to bow to $26.9 million while hanging in at the box office for weeks on end. But now the question is whether "Town" can duplicate some of "Departed's" awards glory. The movie played to Academy members on Saturday night, and one audience member reported that though a few thought the movie was derivative of other crime tales, "it was well received, and Ben got nice applause." With 10 best picture slots up for grabs, "Town" could prove a contender. As one rival Oscar consultant said, "Actors are always loony about actors who write and direct a movie, so they could give it up for Ben" -- though when the Academy has honored such actors-turned-directors as Robert Redford, Kevin Costner or Mel Gibson, they were all somewhat older than Affleck, who is a relatively young 38. Still, "Town" is on the awards-circuit radar. In Toronto, talk focused particularly on Jeremy Renner, last year's best actor nominee for "The Hurt Locker," who could score a supporting nomination for playing an out-of-control member of Affleck's gang. The Warners team, while celebrating the weekend's win, aren't breaking out the Champagne about the movie's awards potential just yet, though. "At this stage," Fellman said, "what we have to do is enjoy the weekend, see how it holds in Week 2 and then decide how to go forward."
The Warner Bros. drama about bank robbers in an insular section of Boston earned rave reviews. This is the second movie directed by Ben Affleck, who stars star alongside Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall and Jon Hamm. It was a crowded field this weekend, with three other movies opening nationwide and several others in limited release. The high-school comedy "Easy A" from Columbia Pictures came in second place with $18.2 million, and the Universal Pictures thriller "Devil" came in third with $12.6 million.
The Town is set in the down-at-heel Boston neighbourhood of Charlestown, an area known best until fairly recently for its Irish mob inhabitants and skilled armed robbers. Ben Affleck stars as Doug, a career criminal with a family history of thieving and his own gang of sophisticated stick-up guys. Doug's best friend Jem (Jeremy Renner) and their gang of thieves have bank robbery down to an art. Still, mistakes can happen, and during one heist the boys have to take a hostage for a few hours just to be able to get away from police. The hostage, assistant bank manager Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall), proves to live only a few blocks away from the guys who snatched her, and Doug and Jem are somewhat concerned about how much she knows. The robbers wore hoods, but in an effort to see if Claire has any ideas about who might have robbed her bank, Doug follows her for a bit. He arranges a 'chance' meeting with her. He gets her to talk to him, trust him and have dinner with him. And then he falls in love with her. Doug's journey to change everything and start fresh with Claire puts him at odds with everyone he knows, cops and robbers both. His old gang, Jem especially, doesn't want to let him leave the life, and Jem's sister (Blake Lively), who still carries a torch for Doug, isn't happy to learn that he might leave town. If that weren't enough, the FBI (led by Jon Hamm) are breathing down Doug's neck. He has one more job to do for a local mobster (Pete Postlethwaite), and then Doug wants out. But it won't be that easy. Briskly paced and larded with menace and suspense, The Town puts the thrill in thriller with edge-of-your seat robbery and get-away sequences. The story is a study of loyalty and betrayal, and it's violent; your emotional investment has been so carefully cultivated that every character's fate becomes important. The Town was directed by Affleck, who -- as he demonstrated with his directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone -- really gets the best from his cast. Renner, in particular, is superb as a man living atop a barely contained volcano of violence, but everyone in the story is strong. The Town, based on Chuck Hogan's novel Prince of Thieves, is a great yarn, well-told for the big screen.
Ben Affleck is one of those people. The actor/director again explores his Boston hometown in a steadily tense action thriller/romance based on Chuck Hogan's novel. In 2007's Gone Baby Gone, Affleck told a troubling, mesmerizing story, starring his brother, Casey Affleck, and Amy Ryan. The Town is a more traditional tale of a criminal subculture, following a group of thuggish friends in the blue-collar Boston neighborhood of Charlestown, the armed robbery capital of the USA. The story also delves into what happens when one of them tries to rise above the muck he was born into. The film opens with a terrifying bank heist — augmented by the haunting combination of ghoulish masks and nuns' habits. The sequence grabs hold of the audience and keeps us in its thrall, but the film's grip slackens as it winds to its conclusion. Some of the best crime dramas in recent years have been set in Boston: Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (2003), Martin Scorsese's The Departed (2006) and Gone, Affleck's directorial debut. He couldn't be in better company. And based on just his two directorial efforts, Affleck may be en route to similar master-filmmaker status. Just think: Gigli came out in 2003. Since then, his resilience and commitment to overcoming missteps is impressive. Affleck plays Doug, the criminal son of a prison inmate (Chris Cooper). He has a nominal day job with a gravel company, but mostly he's involved in illicit activities with his best pal, Jem (Jeremy Renner), at the direction of the local crime boss (a menacing Pete Postlethwaite) with an ultra-benign cover as a florist. Their stunts mostly include bank jobs. During a big robbery, Doug takes a nervous bank manager, Claire (Rebecca Hall), hostage. From then on, their vastly different worlds are enmeshed. It's easy to see why Doug is drawn to Claire, who represents a shot at redemption. She works in a community garden and has a serene, sunny personality. She's the polar opposite of the tough chicks Doug knows from the hood, particularly Krista (Blake Lively), the single mom with an OxyContin addiction and an emotional addiction to Doug. Dogged FBI Agent Frawley (Jon Hamm) is on Doug and Jem's trail, perhaps just steps from nabbing them. And he's keeping his steely gaze on Claire, the robbery's key witness. Affleck has a keen eye for cinematic stories and wisely chooses ones set in a city he knows intimately. He has an evident knack for orchestrating intensely involving action scenes. He also has returned to form as a leading man. The Hurt Locker's Renner is excellent as a Cagney-flavored hothead. Hall exudes confident intelligence. Lively effectively plays against her glossy image. Though the narrative is a conventional one, the well-acted, suspenseful story deals in fascinatingly murky morality and mines intriguing material from a historic and complex city. The Town "I just know what it's like to be a serf that just does things," the actor, 38, says of life with wife Jennifer Garner and their two small children in an interview airing Thursday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. "When one of the vassals comes and points at something ... I take orders from people that cannot speak. And yet still they are higher up on the food chain than I am." With a wife and two girls – Violet, 4, and Seraphina, 20 months – Affleck's odds are simply stacked against him. "I have three women in the house. … I get to be wrong three times a day," he jokes. Not that he would change a thing. "I am madly in love," he says. "I have the best family." And in fact, things are pretty good across the board for the Oscar winner, whose sophomore directorial effort, The Town, opening Friday, is earning some good early buzz. "I could not be luckier," Affleck says. "I really have come right to the place where I was supposed to be. … You've got to knock wood. I've gone around and I've taken some rights and lefts and found myself at a place that is really wonderful, and that I'm really grateful for."
Affleck also has a way with his actors — unsurprising, having been one himself for so long and not always getting the credit he deserves — and he's once again attracted some tremendous talent: Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm and Chris Cooper, who leaves his mark in just one powerful scene. Even Blake Lively is surprisingly good, playing against type as a damaged single mom. But besides directing and co-writing the script with Peter Craig and Aaron Stockard, Affleck himself is at the center of the action in front of the camera, starring as the leader of a Boston bank-heist crew and giving the best leading performance of his career. (Yes, of course everyone enjoyed "Chasing Amy," but previously he'd stood out best as a supporting player in films like "Hollywoodland," "Extract," "Boiler Room" and "Shakespeare in Love.") And so here he is, in a location he knows well surrounded by actors at the top of their game, making a movie that, like "Gone Baby Gone," oozes authenticity. Locals will split hairs, since Affleck is from Cambridge and the movie takes place in Charlestown — and there's even a thrillingly staged police chase on the narrow streets of the North End, not exactly the easiest place to flee quickly — but it's that kind of insularity that's crucial to the film's themes of secrecy and loyalty. And yes, everyone gets the accent right, something that can often go so horribly wrong in a movie set in New England. Based on the novel "Prince of Thieves" by Chuck Hogan, "The Town" focuses on a group of lifelong friends living in Charlestown, just across the Zakim Bridge from Boston. Having grown up poor amid the impenetrable cycle of crime and drugs, they haven't got much going for them — except their meticulous ability to rob banks and armored cars and get away clean. Affleck is their leader, Doug MacRay, whose father (Cooper) was a pretty legendary criminal in the neighborhood himself before being sent to prison for life. Doug had a chance to leave Charlestown and forge a better future as a professional hockey player, but his temper cost him his big break. Now, along with his best friend Jem (Renner) and a couple of other guys, he pulls off these perfectly timed heists for the local crime boss, a surly Irish florist played by the always-welcome character actor Pete Postlethwaite. During their latest crime, the volatile Jem takes a hostage of bank manager Claire Keesey (Hall), but when they realize later that she lives just a few blocks away in Charlestown, they check up on her to determine whether she might have seen anything. Doug treats her with unexpected kindness, then ends up befriending her, then falls for her — and she falls for him, too, not knowing she's getting involved with the thief who just turned her world upside-down. Implausible? Too coincidental? Maybe. But if "The Town" is intended as modern-day pulp, full of shady characters and shoot-em-ups, the added drama of a romance makes sense. Plus it provides the film with some sweetness that's a nice counterbalance to the violence, and it allows an opportunity for Affleck's character to open up. The other relationship that reveals what Doug is made of is with Jem, and Renner is as riveting here as he was in "The Hurt Locker." Every time you see him, you know danger can't be far behind, but the unpredictability of what he might do is what makes his scenes exciting to watch. Hamm has just as strong of a presence in a calmer, cooler way as the FBI agent in charge of investigating this string of robberies. He's quick, verbal and commanding and has one great, crackling showdown with Affleck in an interrogation room. The film's other major showdown takes place at Fenway Park, site of the crew's biggest job yet, and Affleck got intimate access to the cramped, ancient ballyard to shoot his tense climax. Would a real fan try to steal millions from the Red Sox? Maybe not. But at least Affleck has the means and the talent to do it with style. "The Town," a Warner Bros. Pictures release, is rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and drug use. Running time: 128 minutes. Three stars out of four.
Affleck was a punch line, a tabloid-headline fixture a few years back. He scored a $200 million hit with "Pearl Harbor," yet quipsters made wisecracks about how Affleck apparently won World War II single-handedly in that one. Even as Affleck delivered hits such as "The Sum of All Fears" and "Paycheck," critics perpetually knocked his performances as stiff and leaden. The lowpoint was "Gigli," the 2003 bomb he made with Jennifer Lopez amid the maelstrom of gossip over their romance, before he settled down and had a family with Jennifer Garner. Then came "Hollywoodland," which earned Affleck a Golden Globe nomination. He followed with his acclaimed directing debut on "Gone Baby Gone." Now Affleck returns with "The Town," a genre-bending bank-heist thriller that is loaded with action but also heavy on gritty working-class drama and sweet romance. He directs and stars, delivering what Damon called the "best performance I've seen in a long time." "This one is really, I think, the one where people are just going to remember who he is and let all of the other stuff go," said Damon, who shared a screenplay Academy Award with Affleck for "Good Will Hunting." "He's just a monumentally talented guy. In a lot of ways, I always think of Clint, because Clint was doing orangutan movies, and people weren't taking him as seriously. And look at the second half of his career. He's an icon. And I really feel like that's the kind of career Ben's going to have." Damon has starred in two films directed by Eastwood, last year's "Invictus" and the upcoming "Hereafter." So he's in a good position to compare and contrast his pal Affleck and grand old master Eastwood. Hearing of Damon's high praise, Affleck smiled. "Who needs a publicist when you've got a friend like Matt?" Affleck said in an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, where "The Town" played in advance of its theatrical release on Friday. "I've got to pay this guy." In the tabloid years, Affleck could get prickly in interviews if reporters brought up his personal life, and he seemed more sensitive about criticism of his performances. Though he got many fine reviews for his work in such films as "Chasing Amy," "Dogma" and "Changing Lanes," he said he often felt critics judged him too harshly because of his gossip value. "Tabloids do a lot to get in the way of trying to do this work, because they cause audiences to think of you in a different context, and it makes it much harder for them to believe you playing your role. And then they blame you for it," Affleck said. "I could try to go back and re-litigate my case in various ways, but, you know, some of them I might win and some of them I might lose. So it really doesn't serve me to worry about a review I got back when Barack Obama was a state senator in Illinois. "What serves me is paying attention to the kind of work I want to do now, having a very strong, frank, candid metric for evaluating my own work. I am interested in criticism and feedback from thoughtful, fair people who care, and because good criticism can really, really be a great benefit. It can help you learn." Set around Affleck's home town of Boston, "The Town" is based on a novel by Chuck Hogan. Affleck, who co-wrote the screenplay, plays Doug MacRay, the leader of a daring band of bank robbers, who falls for a bank manager (Rebecca Hall) the gang takes hostage on their latest job. The film co-stars Jeremy Renner, an Oscar nominee for "The Hurt Locker," as Doug's rash accomplice, "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm as an ace FBI agent on their trail, and Oscar winner Chris Cooper as Doug's jailed father. Affleck decided against acting in his directing debut so he could concentrate on the filmmaking, casting his brother, Casey Affleck, to star in "Gone Baby Gone." With "The Town," Affleck said he felt confident taking on both jobs. Hall, the daughter of esteemed British theater director Peter Hall, said she wondered how one person could handle the big picture matters for which a director is responsible while dealing with the specifics of developing a character as an actor. Half an hour into her first meeting with Affleck, Hall said, she was convinced he could do it. "I couldn't get my head around the idea that someone could think about the whole story and that at the same time, because in a way, they're sort of mutually exclusive," Hall said. "But he's so incredibly smart. His sharpness and intelligence just pervade everything he does." Affleck quickly follows with "The Company Men," in which he stars as a sales executive in a financial tailspin after his company downsizes and he loses his job. Due in theaters Oct. 22, the film also stars Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner and "The Town" co-star Cooper. Damon and Affleck hope to collaborate again, and Affleck said he and his brother might be working together on a screenplay. Affleck aims to continue acting while developing more directing jobs and avoiding the gossip pit he fell into earlier in his career. Yet he realizes he'll still take his hits in an online world where everyone can be a critic and sound off on whatever they like. "There's just a sort of Internet vitriol. I was online the other day, I saw these two guys just tearing into each other over if the Droid was better than the iPhone. That aspect of our culture has kind of flourished for better or for worse, so you're part of that," Affleck said. "And I recognize part of the process is, some days, chicken, some days, feathers. But I'm really happy. I feel good, and I don't spend a lot of time carrying any grudges."
Once whirling at the center of a tabloid-media hurricane, reveling in a high life that Gatsby himself would have envied, Affleck rode fame's rocket from its heights (a screenwriting Oscar at age 25 for Good Will Hunting, an engagement to Jennifer Lopez) to its inevitable splash-down (flops like Gigli and a breakup with J. Lo). End of Act 1. "That's about when I realized I didn't want to be the guy in the tabs. So I changed my life," the stubble-faced star says, sitting down for a bit of breakfast at lunchtime in his restaurant of choice, a retro diner where the waitresses actually are waitresses, not models handing out head shots. Act 2 opened with Affleck marrying Jennifer Garner in 2005 and having two daughters. It continued with him getting critical kudos for acting in 2006's Hollywoodland and directing 2007's Gone Baby Gone. And it leads us to The Town, out Friday, which he directed, co-wrote and stars in opposite two of today's hottest male actors, Jon Hamm (Mad Men's hunk-in-chief) and Jeremy Renner (Oscar-nominated for The Hurt Locker). Though Act 3 has yet to be written, there's already buzz that Affleck, 38, may be on the road to a new career, trading monikers such as paparazzi-magnet and that-guy-who's-friends-with-Matt Damon (who shared the Oscar for the Good Will Hunting script) for a hard-won reputation as a director who can deliver taut dramas with commercial underpinnings. "Being away for a while has helped Affleck reinvent himself, and he's absolutely found a niche making these small but great movies," says Jeff Giles, executive editor of Entertainment Weekly. "Soon, I think, temptation will come, big studios asking him to do big projects, which may or may not be his thing. At least he understands from his own past the good and the bad of the big paycheck." Flirting with fear During Affleck's mid-decade heyday (think 2003's aptly named Paycheck), he was pulling in $15 million a movie. That's about $4 million less than the entire budget for Gone Baby Gone, which starred his brother Casey as well as Amy Ryan, who nabbed an Oscar nomination for her role as a Boston single mom whose child is abducted. That directorial debut planted a seed of terror in Affleck, and he's happy about it. "It's a double-edged sword being the director. You get the praise but also the blame," he says, sucking down a Diet Coke. "It's like a roller coaster, and The Town is my second time on it. This time, at least, I know that upside-down loop won't kill me. "But that fear is healthy. Because I know one thing. I just want each movie to work so I can do another one. I want to tell great stories." If Affleck has a secret movie-making sauce, it's one whose recipe is well known. "Simple," says Affleck, his face-splitting grin revealing a chipped front tooth. "Great writing. Great casting. And have the director get the hell out of the way." Affleck's candor is what ultimately led Renner to sign on. "I really wasn't too sure about it initially, because I've played a lot of heavies before I made The Hurt Locker," says Renner. "But when I met with him, well, I fell in love." Renner laughs. "Here's how it went down. I said, 'What makes you think you can direct and act at the same time?' And Ben says, 'I don't know.' That was it for me. He has zero ego and is all about the project." The Town certainly plays to one Affleck strength: It's set in the blue-collar Boston neighborhood of Charlestown, not far from where he grew up. The story, based on the novel by Chuck Hogan, follows the lost lives of a gang of bank stick-up men. Affleck and Renner play the leaders, who have vastly different views of their futures. Hamm plays the FBI agent hot on their trail. In greenlighting the project, Affleck says, Warner Bros. execs urged him to keep a commercial audience in mind. "The business is getting bifurcated. There are big tent-pole projects and then the small and often marginalized dramas, and I wanted to consciously do something in the middle," he says. And ... action! In The Town, that translates to a mix of solid character development and hair-raising action sequences that recall Point Break and The French Connection. "At one point, I think, Ben wanted to shoot a monologue of sorts and the studio basically said, 'Uh, no,' " Renner says with a laugh. "But hey, had we wanted three more days to shoot (the movie's climax) at Fenway Park, I'm sure they would have signed the check." Renner says Affleck's directorial style is "intelligent and collaborative," with conference sessions in front of the monitors often suggesting new approaches to a scene. Hamm, who says Gone Baby Gone woke him up to Affleck's helming talents, appreciated the "kindness and curiosity he exhibits on the set." In fact, Hamm had passed on the project when another director had been attached to it. But when he read Affleck's tighter version of the tale, he said yes. Nabbing Hamm and Renner, both of whom were first choices for the director, is a good sign that Affleck's Hollywood star is rising, says Tatiana Siegel, film reporter with Variety. "He's made some very savvy choices, between adapting the book that was Gone Baby Gone (written by Shutter Island and Mystic Riverauthor Dennis Lehane) to choosing Amy Ryan and directing her to a nomination," she says. "All that makes people want to work with you. Everyone wants to direct in this town, but not many get the chance to do it. Once, maybe. But twice is another matter." Sharing the credit Affleck is quick to deflect praise and points to actor/director heroes such as Clint Eastwood and Warren Beatty as sources of inspiration. "Those guys make it look easy," he says. "The toughest part of it all for me is the constant fear that something's not going to work. Ultimately, you're judged by your successes, so for me it's about finding those tiny moments each day that work and wind up in the movie. There's a lot of grunt work and frustration, though. It's like you're looking at a 500-foot-tall mosaic from 6 inches away." Affleck said his job was made easier by his cast, which also includes Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) as the movie's catalyst. Renner managed to create a local hood "who is kind and fun-loving but admittedly with a huge layer of scariness," while Hamm "is really my idea of a man's man, which made it easy to portray him as a hero." As for the director's turn in front of the cameras, it often felt as if no acting was employed, Renner says. "I really wanted to get the (Boston) accent right, but Ben was adamant that it not be too polished," he says. "So we just hung around the neighborhood a lot, went to bars, talked to a lot of people. Ben said, 'It should seem like we grew up together.' Almost all of my scenes are with him, and they couldn't have been easier." Easy hasn't been in Affleck's vocabulary for a few years now. Directing is an all-consuming job — from pre-production through hours huddled in dark editing rooms — and one that often doesn't mesh well with a family life (Garner has temporarily curtailed her acting to be with the couple's daughters, Violet, 4, and Seraphina, 1) or leave room for humanitarian efforts (Affleck leads the Eastern Congo Initiative, which helps refugees of that war-torn land). "Next I may take an acting job, because while that can involve work, it's not as crazy as when you're directing," he says. "But I'll keep hunting for that next project that I believe in deeply, because it's only those projects that are worth pouring your heart into, the ones you feel you can really do right. "Getting to direct The Town I considered a real victory, and I will feel similarly if and when I get to do one more movie." And would he maybe, just maybe, consider filming somewhere other than his beloved Beantown? Affleck laughs and leans back into the diner's vinyl seats. "Yeah, I'm afraid I'm running out of Boston neighborhoods to shoot in," he says about the starring burgs of both Good Will Hunting and Gone Baby Gone. "Maybe for the next one I'll move over to Rhode Island."
1993 –Dazed and Confused 1995 –Mallrats 1997 –Good Will Hunting 1998 –Shakespeare In Love 2001 –Pearl Harbor 2003 –Gigli 2006 –Hollywoodland 2007 –Gone Baby Gone "My sex scenes with Ben, which were cut, I think, wisely … were raunchy," Hamm joked Friday at the Toronto International Film Festival, as the entire room roared with laughter. Even if they didn't ever share a bed, Hamm did work closely with Affleck, who directed and stars in the thriller. And how would the Mad Men star describe their collaboration? "It was an awful experience," he deadpanned. "[Ben's] a horrible human being. Talent-free, I guess we could probably say. It was pure misery … two-and-half months of absolute, abject terror." Or maybe not. "No, it was truly a wonderful experience," Hamm said. "To actually have to bring that intensity and the wonderful performance that he brought in front of the camera, it's an amazing achievement – and I'm very proud to be associated with it."
"I found myself back in the same scene," he conceded when pressed. Observers pointed out similarities between a scene in "Good Will Hunting" in which Affleck implores his best friend, played by real life buddy Matt Damon, to go off in search of a better life and a scene in "The Town" in which he begs a close friend not to leave. "That dynamic, that tension about who's going to be there, on the one hand, that was heartbreaking (in "Goodwill Hunting") because (Affleck's character) was saying (to Damon's character), 'Look, I want you to go away. "'I know that you shouldn't be here even though it hurts me. Go ahead and do it. I give you permission.'" In "The Town," Affleck as the leader of a posse of bank robbers has a scene with Jeremy Renner, who plays his surrogate brother., which Affleck said was " heartbreaking in a different way and probably a more common way." It was "one guy saying, 'I have to leave, I have to change, I have to do something different,' and the other saying, 'Stay with me, don't leave me, don't do that to me,' and how hard it makes it to make that choice when you have your best friend, your brother ... sitting there (saying): 'I need you, don't leave me.'" Both scenes "spoke to that dynamic," Affleck commented. "And in a larger sense they spoke to the importance of male friendships." Affleck and Damon won an Academy Award for best writing for "Good Will Hunting" (1997), which also won an Oscar for Robin Williams in the supporting role of Damon's psychiatrist. The film was directed by Gus Van Sant. "The Town," which just premiered in Venice and is being shown this week as a gala presentation at the Toronto film festival, comes three years after Affleck made his directorial debut with "Gone Baby Gone" in 2007.
Affleck, who made his directorial debut in 2007 with "Gone Baby Gone," also a Boston crime drama, plays the leader of a crew of ruthless bank robbers who dangerously falls for a woman the gang briefly takes hostage. Overall his character, Doug, is painted in a sympathetic light as the FBI is closing in on him and he is torn between a desire to change life and the loyalty to his partners in crime who want to go for one last heist. "The idea of whether or not I was glorifying a criminal character or minimizing the impact of violence was on my mind throughout and was really important," Affleck told reporters after a press screening. "The need to reconcile those moral considerations with the demands of truthful storytelling was the central issue for me. I tried to be both as accurate and as complicated as I could because while I didn't want to glorify anything, I didn't want to oversimplify anything." The film is based on Chuck Hogan's novel "Prince of Thieves" and set in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood, which has had more bank and armored car robberies than anywhere in the United States. Raised near Boston, Affleck said he felt comfortable he had tried to make the film as realistic as possible, visiting prisons and talking to former bank robbers and FBI agents. "I was a little bit hesitant actually to do this because I did not want to be pigeonholed as the Boston director guy but I liked the part, I wanted to play the part, I believed the story was good," he told reporters after a press screening. "I don't think you can like a movie like this or believe in a movie like this if you don't have a really strong sense of place, if you don't really believe that the characters are from there and that what you are seeing is really happening." WANTS TO KEEP DIRECTING He said both his two films as a director and "Good Will Hunting," for which he won an Oscar for best original screenplay with Matt Damon, focused on similar themes -- the influence growing up in a certain place has on people, and the fact that children often pay the price for their parents' sins. "I guess maybe it's time that I try something new," he said, adding that he hoped to carry on as a director. "I was a little bit nervous the first time out, I wasn't even sure I'd be able to finish the movie having never been through the process. The second time I knew it was possible to kind of get to the finish line at the very least, so that gave me more confidence." The film's cast includes Jeremy Renner, who also starred in this year's Oscar-winner "The Hurt Locker," Jon Hamm, a Golden Globe winner for his performance in the "Mad Men" TV series, and Rebecca Hall. Affleck came to the Venice festival just days after his younger brother Casey took the Lido by storm with "I'm Still Here," his documentary -- some say hoax -- on Joaquin Phoenix and his transition from acclaimed actor to shambolic hip-hop singer wannabe.
For his second stint in the director's chair, he's back in the city's working-class streets, again adapting a crime novel. As with the impressive but flawed "Gone Baby Gone," a blue-collar authenticity invigorates "The Town," the story of a young criminal who is ready to change his life -- after that one last job. Affleck gets the tribalism of Boston's traditionally Irish-American enclaves; it's a defining force in his characters' lives. But for all their well-played grit, those characters resolutely remain types, and for all the well-choreographed action, the outcome doesn't matter nearly as much as it should. When the Warner Bros. release bows September 17, following its out-of-competition premiere at the Venice Film Festival, its cast and the promise of a grown-up thriller will nonetheless draw many of the same filmgoers who put "The American" atop the box office. Based on Chuck Hogan's "Prince of Thieves," the drama revolves around the neighborhood of Charlestown, where, onscreen titles explain, robbery is a lifelong trade, passed down through the generations. Doug MacRay (Affleck) has been knocking over banks and armored trucks for as long as he can remember. His partner in crime is hothead James "Jem" Coughlin (Jeremy Renner), a childhood friend who increasingly uses their bond as emotional blackmail and whose hair-trigger violence escalates the danger of their work. In the first adrenaline-rush action set piece, Jem brutally beats a bank employee during a heist and impulsively takes a hostage, branch manager Claire (Rebecca Hall). But kidnapping is not the boys' game, and they quickly release her, only to discover that she's a local girl, albeit one living in the neighborhood's gentrified quarters. Even if she could identify the masked robbers, Claire's not eager to cooperate with FBI Special Agent Frawley (Jon Hamm), who is determined to crack the case. Jem is antsy to make sure she won't talk, but Doug insists he'll take care of it. What he does is fall for her, and she for him. However far-fetched the connection, Affleck and the versatile Hall make it work, at least for a while. As director, he orchestrates a few terrifically tense sequences built upon his character's secret: first, when Doug sizes up Claire in a Laundromat, then when he advises her on how to deal with the FBI -- "You're the one who's vulnerable" -- and especially during a scene at an outdoor cafe, where Jem interrupts a date and susses out the situation with more than a suggestion of menace. As our rooting interest, Affleck is sympathetic, if not compelling. Caught between old-school loyalty and the promise of something beyond Charlestown, Doug belongs to the lineage of honorable crooks, a movie staple. He represents the possibility of reform. His visit to an AA meeting is dealt with in a refreshingly succinct manner and provides more evidence of the filmmaker's eye for local faces. The script, credited to Peter Craig, Affleck and Aaron Stockard, taps into the right veins of provincialism and sarcasm but moves less surely between reckless action and intimate drama. Doug's moral distance from the accelerating brutality of his gang's jobs, and especially from Jem's volatility -- so evident in Renner's every move -- is meant to up the stakes, and a third-act heist at Fenway Park just looks crazy. Meting out pieces of Doug's backstory -- complete with a brief and bracing turn by Chris Cooper as his father -- isn't enough. You feel the storytelling wheels turning, not the intended visceral punch. It takes Hamm a while to dig into his stock-character lawman and shake off the specter of Don Draper. He has to fight his way through some unconvincing tough-cop dialogue, but as the story proceeds and his 5 o'clock shadow deepens, he makes a bit of wiseass talk sing, as does Affleck, during an interrogation scene. In the smaller role of a Boston detective, Titus Welliver is persuasive, and Blake Lively fully embraces the messiness of Doug's dissolute sometime girlfriend. As the Charlestown equivalent of a Mafia don, Pete Postlethwaite capitalizes on the chance to pare the leaves from long-stemmed roses while delivering deadly ultimatums. Whether zeroing in on a tete-a-tete or following a high-velocity chase through narrow streets built for another century, Robert Elswit's fluent widescreen camerawork and Dylan Tichenor's editing are strong components, as are all the design contributions. The treacly score by Harry Gregson-Williams and David Buckley, on the other hand, tends to distract rather than enhance. Affleck excels at capturing the insularity of the locale. BlackBerries and OxyContin show up, but otherwise this might be the '70s. He includes a nod to that decade's Boston-set "The Friends of Eddie Coyle," a melancholy crime drama that would have laughed this movie's sentimental ending right into the Charles River.
Speaking of The Town, Affleck's heist drama of that name is one of the festival's most hotly anticipated films, along with Mulligan's mesmerizing Never Let Me Go, about children raised to be spare parts for wealthier, luckier humans. Having seen both, we can already declare them more than worthy (and look for Mulligan's name on Best Actress ballots come Oscar time). Also generating heavy buzz is Franco in 127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle's film about Aron Ralston, the hiker forced to cut off his own arm after being trapped by a boulder, and Natalie Portman in Black Swan, a dark (some say creepy) film about the ballet world. Word is, we should expect to see Portman giving Mulligan some solid competition come awards season. Refusing to get lost in the shuffle is Blue Valentine, a drama starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling as a couple trying to put their marriage back together. Joaquin Phoenix 'Still Here' For those who favor reality, there are plenty of documentaries hitting Toronto, with two already sparking conversation. Early reports on Davis Guggenheim's Waiting for Superman, about the public education crisis in America, give it a lead on becoming festival darling. Coming from the director of An Inconvenient Truth, that's hardly a surprise. On the other end of the spectrum, Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck debut the polarizing I'm Still Here on these shores (the pair already unspooled the film a few days ago at the Venice film fest). I'm Still Here catalogs Phoenix's supposed descent into madness after quitting acting, but is it real or part of the elaborate hoax Phoenix was rumored to be perpetrating on the public? Tough to say, but we warn you: With drugs, sex and one particularly scatological scene, it's also tough to watch. By the way, if you are in town and overdose on cinema, the festival kicks off Thursday night and is also having a giant block party Sunday at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, Toronto's newest culture venue. The shindig features a lineup of local bands, a movie star lookalike contest, and a surprise musical performance by a Canadian "superstar." You thinking what we're thinking? If it's Celine Dion, we are so there.
The scoop: The actor, 38, who shares an original-screenplay Oscar with Matt Damon for1997's Good Will Hunting, previously directed the oddly titled short I Killed My Lesbian Wife, Hung Her on a Meat Hook, and Now I Have a Three-Picture Deal at Disney. But he had better luck with his feature directing debut, 2007's Gone Baby Gone, which earned Amy Ryan a supporting-actress Oscar nomination. The story: The leader of a gang of robbers (Affleck) falls for a bank manager (Rebecca Hall) after pulling off a heist. How he felt about the criticsloving his first film: "I guess I don't remember it that way. I don't get too much into that kind of response. I was disappointed that it did not do better at the box office. But I don't mind saying that I gave Amy, an actress who I already knew was brilliant, a nice way to be exposed." Why he decided to direct: "I just wanted to have more responsibility for my own work and have a sense of authorship. If it didn't work, I felt OK taking responsibility. In some situations, I chafed against stuff. I wanted to be the first one accountable for it. The other reason was I wanted to change the direction my career was going in." Why he decided to also star this time: "There was something appealing about just putting all my chips in it. I liked the part, so I sort of just laid myself out there." Was he worried aboutdoing another Boston-based crime drama? "Originally, I didn't want to do it for that reason. But ultimately, it is about a very specific place — Charlestown (known as America's bank robbery capital). I thought the story was really good and didn't worry about the perception."
Affleck also stars in the film, which is having its world premiere out of competition at the Venice Film Festival on the lagoon city's Lido. Boston was also the setting for Affleck's Oscar-winning "Good Will Hunting," which he co-wrote and starred in, and "Gone Baby Gone," also written and directed by Affleck and starring his younger brother Casey. "I didn't want to get pigeonholed as the Boston director guy," Affleck told reporters at a packed news conference. Still, the 38-year-old actor/director acknowledged that his deep understanding of the city helped him create the style he aspired to and which persuaded him to forge ahead with his latest project. The plot involves a gang of bank robbers from the Boston neighborhood of Charleston, notorious for producing more bank and armored car robbers than anywhere else in the United States. "The social realism aspect of it was really important to me," he said. "I don't think you can like a movie like this or believe a movie like this unless you have a strong sense of place and really believe that the characters are from there and what you see is really happening." Affleck cited Warner's Bros. classic gangster films as well as the more recent Italian film "Gomorrah," directed by Matteo Garrone about the Neapolitan Camorra crime gang, as inspiring his work on "The Town." Gomorrah "was a big influence on me in that sense you felt that it was real. I had never been there before but you felt like he really got it right," he said. Affleck said the use of security camera footage was another way to give audiences a real experience. "I wanted to show (the robberies) as we see them in real life," he said. "(We) are accustomed to seeing robberies and violence in 15 frames-per-second, black-and-white material we see on YouTube or the nightly news of someone breaking in, with no sound, and breaking some glass and even maybe shooting." The film opens with a terrifying heist by masked robbers that finishes with the kidnapping of the bank's director, Claire, played by Rebecca Hall. Before freeing her, the gang took her driver's license, leaving her with fears they might come back for her. Two of the robbers, loose cannon Jem (Jeremy Renner) and the steadier Doug MacRay (Affleck) are concerned she might have evidence to turn over to the FBI. In order to find out, Doug stages a casual encounter at a laundry where he engages Claire in conversation and invites her on a date. Eventually Claire confides that she recognized one of the robber's tattoos but hadn't told the FBI special agent (Jon Hamm) trailing the gang. At this point, Doug is in an increasingly volatile situation, up against his fellow robbers, particularly Jem and the mafia boss threats of Fergie, played by Oscar winner Pete Postlethwaite. So far, the film is a high point for the Venice film festival, which has had less star power this year than in previous events. Renner was on the Lido last year with director Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar winner "The Hurt Locker" but shrugged off comparisons between the full-throttle characters he played in each film. "Nothing from 'Hurt Locker' rolls into this," Renner told reporters. Hall's career bolted upward with her starring role in Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." The festival's top Golden Lion award will be handed out at its closing ceremony on Saturday.
Affleck, who made his directorial debut in 2007 with "Gone Baby Gone," also a Boston crime drama, plays the leader of a crew of ruthless bank robbers who dangerously falls for a woman the gang briefly takes hostage. Overall his character, Doug, is painted in a sympathetic light as the FBI is closing in on him and he is torn between a desire to change life and the loyalty to his partners in crime who want to go for one last heist. "The idea of whether or not I was glorifying a criminal character or minimizing the impact of violence was on my mind throughout and was really important," Affleck told reporters after a press screening. "The need to reconcile those moral considerations with the demands of truthful storytelling was the central issue for me. I tried to be both as accurate and as complicated as I could because while I didn't want to glorify anything, I didn't want to oversimplify anything." The film is based on Chuck Hogan's novel "Prince of Thieves" and set in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood, which has had more bank and armored car robberies than anywhere in the United States. Raised near Boston, Affleck said he felt comfortable he had tried to make the film as realistic as possible, visiting prisons and talking to former bank robbers and FBI agents. "I was a little bit hesitant actually to do this because I did not want to be pigeonholed as the Boston director guy but I liked the part, I wanted to play the part, I believed the story was good," he told reporters after a press screening. "I don't think you can like a movie like this or believe in a movie like this if you don't have a really strong sense of place, if you don't really believe that the characters are from there and that what you are seeing is really happening." WANTS TO KEEP DIRECTING He said both his two films as a director and "Good Will Hunting," for which he won an Oscar for best original screenplay with Matt Damon, focused on similar themes -- the influence growing up in a certain place has on people, and the fact that children often pay the price for their parents' sins. "I guess maybe it's time that I try something new," he said, adding that he hoped to carry on as a director. "I was a little bit nervous the first time out, I wasn't even sure I'd be able to finish the movie having never been through the process. The second time I knew it was possible to kind of get to the finish line at the very least, so that gave me more confidence." The film's cast includes Jeremy Renner, who also starred in this year's Oscar-winner "The Hurt Locker," Jon Hamm, a Golden Globe winner for his performance in the "Mad Men" TV series, and Rebecca Hall. Affleck came to the Venice festival just days after his younger brother Casey took the Lido by storm with "I'm Still Here," his documentary -- some say hoax -- on Joaquin Phoenix and his transition from acclaimed actor to shambolic hip-hop singer wannabe.
She has been filming Arthur in New York, and he is set to begin promotion of his new film, The Town due in theaters Sept. 17, but the couple are making sure to get in some quality family time together. Garner and Affleck, both 38, along with daughters Violet, 4, and Seraphina, 1, met up with Affleck’s brother Casey, his wife, Summer and kids Atticus and Indiana at The Huntington Gardens in Pasadena, Calif. on Thursday. The adults, along with Affleck’s visiting parents, reportedly beat the heat as they lounged in the shade and watched as the little ones splashed around in the children's garden. The brothers also had some fun laughing and playfully pushing each other. Ahhh, male bonding.
And the ambitious director would like Ben Affleck and Tom Cruise, who was originally slated to play Salt, to guest in the film. Noyce tells Eonline.com, "Hopefully within a couple of years, we'll have one (sequel). Angelina's so great in this part that when audiences see the movie they're going to feel like it's only just the beginning. "I think we should have (Cruise's Mission: Impossible character) Ethan Hunt and (Affleck's The Sum of All Fears character) Jack Ryan chasing down Salt."
In addition to directing, Affleck also plays the hardened bank robber who falls for one of his victims, Rebecca Hall (Frost/Nixon). Jon Hamm's the FBI agent hot on Ben's trail, Blake Lively's a trashy Boston stripper with a wicked-cool accent and The Hurt Locker's Jeremy Renner is Affleck's partner in crime. Will this cast get you to drag yourself to the Town theater when it opens? Check out the trailer and tell us what you think!
"He's kind of what you expect," Rebecca Hall, his costar in his upcoming film, The Town, tells W magazine in its August issue. "He’s incredibly smart; he’s good fun. It’s got to be odd being that famous, especially in Boston, where he can't walk a block without having to put his hood up." Although Affleck was born in Berkeley, Calif., he moved to Cambridge, Mass., when he was young. And this inspires Hall's nickname for Affleck: "Mr. Boston." Mad Men's Jon Hamm, who also costars with Affleck in The Town agrees: "The guy is a patron saint of that city," he says. "[When you're] walking around with him, everybody of every walk of life is like, 'Hey, Ben!'" And Hall and Hamm aren't just costarring with Affleck – he's the boss, both acting and directing in the cops-and-robbers style flick. Hamm says the job never turned Affleck into a "raving lunatic or an a- - hole" – although it might have made him a little mental, according to Hall. "[It's] a bit schizophrenic as well because you are having to wear two different hats and be quite clear about which one you’re wearing at any given time," she says. "It's very rare that actors can direct themselves."
Lopez began dating Affleck in 2002, sparking a media circus that turned crazy for the couple when the actor proposed - but the glare of the spotlight became too much for the stars and they called off plans to wed the following year. And Lopez admits the romance was doomed from the start. She says, "I love Ben. He's a great guy but it was a lot for both of us to be under that type of siege for two years straight. We were on the cover of every magazine every week, and it was just a weird thing that the media catches on to, and they just go crazy with it. Our relationship, I think, did suffer from it." And the actress credits her husband, Latin singer Marc Anthony, with teaching her how to live her life away from the glare of the paparazzi. She tells U.K. TV host Graham Norton, "I think he has a totally different approach to fame, to celebrity - our work, our business. (He believes) you can have your career, you can promote, you can do all that stuff - but you can also have a personal life, and it can be quiet. "I think, when you're in the throes of (fame), you don't realise that you have control over it. You kind of feel like, 'Oh, it's just happening, I can't stop it.' But he taught me that you can." Lopez married Anthony in 2004, while Affleck is now happily married to another Jennifer, actress Garner.
"Would I see a movie of Ben's? Sure! Why not?" the actress and pop star, 40, tells the U.K. edition of Marie Claire. "I haven't seen him or talked to him in a while – our lives went in two very different directions. But I always wish him the best and I always thought he was a great person." Lopez says she's also cordial with another high-profile ex –Diddy. "I've run into him once or twice, with Marc, and it's always very friendly," she says. "He asks about the twins because he has twins, too." But while Lopez is happy to chat about her ex-boyfriends, she is, of course, happily married to Marc Anthony. And in the wake of the Tiger Woods and Jesse James scandals, she wonders if people are taking the notion of marriage a bit lightly these days. "It's just the two of you against the world," she says. "When you allow other people into that sacred place it becomes a recipe for mistrust and the deterioration of the bond between you. I think people complicate their lives by doing [expletive]-up things." On a lighter note, Lopez – now starring in The Back-up Plan – offers some tips for staying healthy in her eating habits. "One good trick is to have a goal – for me it may be getting in shape for a video shoot," she says. "Another is portion control. I love to eat everything and you pretty much can – a little piece of something fattening is not going to kill you. It's when you eat the whole box that it's going to kill you."
"He doesn't deserve this award," Damon's pal Jimmy Kimmel teasingly told PEOPLE. "I don't know who they weren't able to get, but I'd go with Tom Selleck before I'd go with Matt Damon." Sarah Silverman, who joked that she gave Damon, 39, "his first really big break" with their crudely funny 2008 viral video hit, said she was going to have a hard time roasting him. "The worst thing I could say is, you know, Matt Damon is like, maybe he's a perfectionist," she told the audience, which included Don Cheadle, former President Bill Clinton and Damon's Invictus director Clint Eastwood. "And his breath is like, Jesus! And his hair plugs are really obvious. Besides that, there's like nothing. So sorry, roast not possible!" Damon also took some barbs from his best friend Ben Affleck – and Affleck's wife, Jennifer Garner. "Ben is half of one of the greatest love stories ever told. Not with me," Garner said. "The actual prototype for the great Hollywood Bromance . . . Here's proof that love is alive and well in Hollywood. At least for my darling husband and my husband's darling husband." Cracked Affleck: "Matt always said to me, 'Ben, there are two things that are more important to me than anything else in this world.' Folks: fame, money. You did it, Matty! You got there!" A good-natured Damon took it all in stride. "I can honestly say that there's a good chance that next year Ben will be here, presenting this award to someone else," he told the audience as he accepted his award. "There's a lot of buzz about Vanessa Hudgens."
Charlize Theron got into the blame game, faulting Damon for one of Will Smith's few failures… "In 2000 Matt and I starred in The Legend of Bagger Vance along with Will Smith, the only Will Smith movie that didn't make like a gagillion, million dollars," Theron said. "I reunited with Will in Hancock, which did great. So I guess it's you, Matt." And she didn't stop there. "That's not the only thing Matt and I have in common," Theron continued. "We're both Academy Awards winners. Of course, I won mine in a real category and Matt's was just for typing up [Ben] Affleck's thoughts." Affleck cracked that Damon recently called his father to tell him he finally snagged the role he's been waiting to do since he was a kid... Damon will play Liberace's boyfriend opposite Michael Douglas. Papa Damon's response, Affleck said, "Terrific Matt. I can't wait to see you up there blowing Michael Douglas under a piano while he's playing 'Stardust.'" Jennifer Garner thanked Damon for his wife Lucy, "for keeping us sane," while their husbands talk endlessly about their beloved Red Sox. Garner also described Damon and Affleck's relationship as "one of the greatest love stories ever told." Damon would later call his best friend, "my hetero-lifemate." (P.S., Garner was looking better than ever in a teeny black dress and killer heels!) Casey Affleck showed a photo from a vacation he and Damon took together. What did the pic show? Damon and Affleck sitting naked on a couch with a small black bar covering Damon's manhood but a much larger one over Affleck's. Of course, Damon was praised for his wide-range of work and the effort he puts into each of his characters. "Matt has the ability to transform himself into any character," Jimmy Kimmel said. "He lost 40 pounds in a hundred days to play an opium addict in Courage Under Fire. He gained 30 pounds for his role in the Informant and the metamorphosis he underwent to play Precious...I didn't even know she was him." The oddest moment of the night had to be a video message from George Clooney, which he delivered while undergoing a mock proctology exam. A perplexed Damon said, "That was particularly enjoyable—and strange!" President Bill Clinton also sent in a video to praise Damon for his humanitarian and philanthropic endeavors. Others at the gala, which took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, included Clint Eastwood, Robin Williams, Olivia Wilde, Don Cheadle, Greg Kinnear, director Paul Greengrass and Ocean's franchise producer Jerry Weintraub. No word if Kimmel and his statesque date ran into his ex, Sarah Silverman, who was seated a couple of tables away from them with her date. "I was surprised Jimmy came, to tell you the truth, given everything that's gone down," Damon told me. And then he smiled, "But I'm sure he just wanted to support Ben." The tribute will air next month on ABC.
The American actor and director spent five days in the country last week, where he met with former child sex slaves and prisoners convicted of rape in the hope of gaining a better understanding of Congo's troubles. The new foundation — the Eastern Congo Initiative — will support community-based, Congolese groups, said Affleck on the heels of his fifth trip to the country. "It was folks in these communities that were addressing the humanitarian crisis who were doing the most, in my view, to solve it, because they understood the community, because they understood the problem, they were the most dedicated and the most committed because it was their lives," Affleck told AP over the weekend at Nairobi's international airport. "Naturally they were best equipped to solve it. Their impediment was they didn't have the means, the funding," he said. The new initiative is funded in part by founding member Howard G. Buffett, son of investor Warren Buffet, to whom Affleck pitched his vision of a new aid group by describing eastern Congo's dire situation. "I want you to know that 3.5 million people have died over the last 12 years. I want you to know about the women who are being raped, about the child soldiers ... about the kids I just met who have HIV," Affleck said he told Buffet. "I kind of bored him for two hours and basically twisted his arm." Buffet said in a statement that he joined Affleck in the initiative because he believes in supporting locally initiated, sustainable efforts. The 37-year-old Affleck has been traveling to eastern Congo since 2007 and previously directed a short film called "Gimme Shelter" about the humanitarian crisis there. The country has suffered years of violence and its devastating 1998-2002 war split the vast nation into rival fiefdoms and involved half a dozen African armies. Affleck said he was insecure about getting involved at first, because of how little he initially knew and for fear of being seen as an arrogant actor. That's why he took five trips into the region before launching his project, he said. The Eastern Congo Initiative will also push the U.S. government to develop a comprehensive strategy and show more leadership in the region, he said. Faida Mitifu, the U.S. ambassador to Congo, said Affleck's initiative would bring "much-needed attention to a region that has suffered for too long." One person Affleck met with last week was a 19-year-old woman who was abducted at age 15 by a group of rebels from neighboring Rwanda and was forced to serve as a sex slave to six men for about two years. She eventually ran away with only the clothes on her back and was taken in by an aid group called Laissez L'Afrique Vivre — or Let Africa Live — that teaches former child soldiers skills like carpentry and sewing. "A former slave and bush wife to six guys, finds out she's pregnant and she wanted to die, didn't think life was worth living, and a nun from the organization came and found her and brought her in," Affleck said. "She's now going to law school to try to become a lawyer and she said she wants to do women's rights." It's exactly the kind of aid group that Affleck said his new initiative will support. "I thought these people were pretty great," he said.
Ben Affleck to Present Matt Damon with the 24th American Cinematheque Award Don Cheadle, President William Jefferson Clinton, George Clooney, Clint Eastwood, Jimmy Kimmel, Greg Kinnear, Ben Stiller, Charlize Theron and Robin Williams to Pay Tribute to Matt Damon at Gala Event on March 27 at the Beverly Hilton. Tribute to Air at a Later Date Exclusively on ABC Ben Affleck will present his longtime friend and co-star, Matt Damon, with the 24th American Cinematheque Award at the Cinematheque's annual benefit gala on Saturday, March 27, 2010 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel's International Ballroom in Beverly Hills. The award presentation concludes an evening of in-person tributes from Damon's colleagues, Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, Clint Eastwood, Jimmy Kimmel, Greg Kinnear, Charlize Theron and Robin Williams. In addition, George Clooney and Ben Stiller will pay tribute by partaking in individual pre-taped comedy sketches, while President William Jefferson Clinton appears in and narrates a piece surrounding Damon's humanitarian efforts that will be played during the show. Added guests will be announced as they are confirmed. ABC will premiere the Award Show broadcast of "Hollywood Salutes Matt Damon: An American Cinematheque Tribute" at a later date. This is the 1st year that ABC will broadcast the show. Damon was the unanimous choice of the Cinematheque Board of Directors selection committee which, since 1986, has annually honored an extraordinary artist (actor, director or writer) in the entertainment industry who is fully engaged in his or her work and is committed to making a significant contribution to the art of the motion picture. The American Cinematheque Award is presented annually to an extraordinary artist currently making a significant contribution to the art of the Moving Picture and is a mid-career achievement honor. Proceeds from the event go towards the year round operation of the American Cinematheque's public programming at the Egyptian and Aero Theatres in Los Angeles. Eddie Murphy received the first American Cinematheque Award in 1986. Previous honorees are Bette Midler (1987), Robin Williams (1988), Steven Spielberg (1989), Ron Howard (1990), Martin Scorsese (1991), Sean Connery (1992), Michael Douglas (1993), Rob Reiner (1994), Mel Gibson (1995), Tom Cruise (1996), John Travolta (1997), Arnold Schwarzenegger (1998), Jodie Foster (1999), Bruce Willis (2000), Nicolas Cage (2001), Denzel Washington (2002), Nicole Kidman (2003), Steve Martin (2004), Al Pacino (2005), George Clooney (2006), Julia Roberts (2007) and Samuel L. Jackson (2008).
The late-night host's "Handsome Men's Club" video featured cameos by Patrick Dempsey, Matthew McConaughey, Ethan Hawke and a shirtless Gilles Marini, among others. Kimmel: Leno's the sucker-puncher, not me. Kimmel — get this, the club's president — conducts the meeting. But the members stage a coup, as Kimmel's "cute" and loyal sidekick, John Krasinski, remains by his side. Even Kimmel's go-to guy, Ben Affleck, votes to have him ousted.
The revealing and intimate interviews include 2002 Academy Award-winner Halle Berry (Actress in a Leading Role, "Monster's Ball") and last year's Supporting Actress winner, Penelope Cruz ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona"), who this year is a Supporting Actress nominee for her role in "Nine." Academy Award-winning director James Cameron ("Titanic"), director of "Avatar," sits down with three of the stars from the film, Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and three-time Oscar-nominated Sigourney Weaver. "Avatar" is the recipient of nine Oscar nominations this year, including Best Picture. Ben Affleck, who won an Oscar in 1998 for original screenplay, along with Matt Damon, for "Good Will Hunting," chats with Jeremy Renner, who garnered a nomination for Actor in a Leading Role for "The Hurt Locker." The film is tied with "Avatar" for the most nominations this year, at nine. Two of the stars reunite from "Fatal Attraction," the 1987 classic film and recipient of six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture -- five-time Oscar-nominated actress Glenn Close and multiple Oscar recipient Michael Douglas. Close received an Actress in a Leading Role nomination for her part in the film. "Oprah's Oscar special will kick off a great week of television on ABC," said Stephen McPherson, president, ABC Entertainment Group. "The new Oscar rules put the spotlight on more great movies than ever before, and ABC will showcase them all in an Oscar telecast that delivers great entertainment for the fans watching at home. Having Oprah's Oscar special back this year adds to the excitement around Hollywood's biggest event." The hour-long primetime special will air in the week leading up to the 82nd Annual Academy Awards® on Sunday, March 7 (5:00 p.m., PT / 8:00 p.m., ET), televised live by the ABC Television Network.
The actors, longtime friends who won the original screenplay Oscar for "Good Will Hunting" in 1997, are within days of closing a first-look producing deal at the studio. Details are yet unknown on the new company's name or the length of the agreement. Damon is currently in theaters with Warner Bros.' "Invictus," for which he received an Oscar nomination. Affleck co-wrote, directed and stars in the crime thriller, "The Town," which WB is releasing in September. The two actors were previously partners in LivePlanet, which had a deal at Disney until 2007. LivePlanet was behind the duo's "Project Greenlight" features "Stolen Summer," "The Battle of Shaker Heights" and "Feast," as well as Affleck's writing-directing debut, "Gone Baby Gone."
Affleck stars in "The Company Men," a Sundance Film Festival premiere in which he plays a man who loses all the material wealth he has accumulated after his high-paying job as a sales executive is eliminated in a round of cutbacks at his firm. His character learns like many unemployed Americans that along with the stuff, he has lost a big part of his identity when his job goes away. "It's sort of an existential crisis, and that's almost as bad as sort of, `All right, well where's my money going to come from?'" Affleck said. "This sort of shame and difficulty in saying, `Well, what am I? Well, I'm not really this. I can't really say I'm X if I'm not making money at it.'" "The Company Men" is kind of the flipside of George Clooney and Jason Reitman's recession tale "Up in the Air," which includes segments of real unemployed workers reflecting on their situation. In that film, Clooney plays the hitman, the guy who goes around firing people at downsizing companies. "The Company Men" centers on the people losing their jobs. "I tell people who ask me about it that if you were interested in those people that Jason Reitman interviewed and put into the film who really lost their jobs, that this movie begins as they walk out of that room. This movie is really about what happened to those people," said John Wells, the man behind "ER" and "The West Wing," who makes his feature-film writing and directing debut on "The Company Men." The film draws its inspiration from Wells' own family. His sister's husband lost a comfortable executive job after the Internet bubble burst. They lost their home and wound up moving in with Wells' parents for a time. Wells began developing the story then, but once the economy recovered, the idea was shelved because it no longer seemed relevant. As the economy tanked in 2008, he resurrected the idea, and the film came together quickly. "When I got the script, I thought, wow, John really had his finger on the pulse of what's going on. He must have written it five minutes ago," said Rosemarie DeWitt, who plays Affleck's wife. "The Company Men" co-stars Tommy Lee Jones as a top corporate executive agonizing over how his company callously casts off workers to boost share prices. Kevin Costner plays Affleck's blue-collar brother-in-law, Chris Cooper is a veteran executive who is among the casualties and Maria Bello takes on the Clooney function, delivering the bad news to fired workers. The movie focuses on people who have it all — gorgeous homes, the latest appliances, memberships at swanky country clubs. When they lose that excess, they are forced to re-examine their values, discovering that the things they surrounded themselves with were inconsequential compared to the family and friends they had neglected amid the corporate steeplechase. "The film invites us to ask ourselves for a moment how big a deal it is to go from a job that pays $160,000 a year to a job that pays $60,000 a year. How big a deal is it to give up your Porsche?" Jones said. "I don't think there's a single citizen in Haiti that wouldn't be happy to go to a job that pays $60,000 a year, or $6,000 a year. On the scale of things, this movie I think invites us to consider our materialism and the emotional and spiritual stakes that we put into it, and considers to some degree that that might be mistaken."
The pair married in 2005, following Garner's split from ex-husband Scott Foley. In a new interview with Parade magazine, the actress reveals Affleck pursued her online. She says, "He's a very good writer." When asked if he wrote her love letters, she replies, "Don't make assumptions. I didn't say that! Okay... e-mail. He's a very persuasive writer." And she's still smitten, five years into their marriage: "Ben is sexy and kind, but he's also a riot. We can be very goofy together. He doesn't have trouble wiggling his way in anywhere. Ben is charm personified when he wants to be. He's not easily threatened or made uncomfortable - he's very secure in that way. "Maybe he just knows I'm nuts about him, and he doesn't have anything to worry about."
• Holmes will be in Park City, Utah, to promote two films: The Extra Man, with John C. Reilly and Kevin Kline, and The Romantics, with an all-star cast including Josh Duhamel, Anna Paquin and Elijah Wood among others. • On the hot list at the festival – is The Runaways, a biopic about Joan Jett's '70s band, starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. On Saturday night, the real life rocker played a show, and invited Stewart and Fanning up onstage. • Affleck is in town for a short trip to promote his film, The Company Men, which costars Tommy Lee Jones and Kevin Costner. • Already earning approval from audiences is Adrian Grenier's Teenage Paparazzo, which documents the true story of a relationship between a 14-year-old paparazzo and the Entourage star. The film offers an intimate look at the paparazzi and how celebrity culture influences this particular teen and his family. • Other notable names expected at the snowy festival are: Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine, Naomi Watts for Mother and Child, Orlando Bloom for Sympathy for Delicious, American Ferrera for The Dry Land, Adrien Brody in for two films: Splice and High School.
In a new interview, the actress admits she went to therapy after her divorce from actor Scott Foley because she realized she "had a lot of growing up to do." "I don't like to argue. But back then, I couldn't have a fight. I couldn't work things out because I wasn't able to say what I needed to say," she tells Parade magazine, out Sunday. "It was a huge heartbreak for me. … So I went to work on it. I started therapy." Now the wife of actor Ben Affleck, Garner says the superstar couple keep their romance alive by stealing, so to speak. "You steal the time. You steal a date, you steal a kiss, you steal a whisper," she says. "After the kids are asleep you … well, you know. Whatever it is. You slip away for a night." Garner, 37, experiences the same emotional struggles many working moms do in trying to balance raising her two daughters, 4-year-old Violet and 1-year-old Seraphina, with her job. "I hate to miss even one bedtime with my girls," she tells Parade. "I understand that being an actress as well as being at home isn't some heroic thing. That doesn't mean it isn't confusing or difficult – especially that question of how you find a balance."
While plans are changing second by second, we're hearing Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, Ellen DeGeneres, Jason Bateman, Ashley Tisdale and Tobey Maguire are some of latest celebs to sign on for Friday's Hope for Haiti telethon, which will be broadcast on E! and E! Online... Not only will Taylor Swift perform in L.A., but she's also going to answer calls for the phone bank. The Obamas may also pitch in with a pretaped message, according to sources. Avatar star Zoe Saldana will be a part of the telethon, but she tells us that she's also working with Avon—she's the beauty company's newest celeb face—in helping raise disaster relief funds, which already includes $500,000 to the American Red Cross and Doctor's Without Borders. Maggie Gyllenhaal told us at the recent BAFTA/LA Tea Party that she immediately called folks at Partners in Health, an organization that she became involved with a few a months ago, when she learned about the earthquake. "They sent me an email telling me about all the things they are doing on the ground," the Crazy Heart star said. "But they also said, 'What we need right now is financial support—please spread the word!'"
The couple has two daughters, Violet, four, and 12-month-old Seraphina, and Affleck is keen for a baby boy to complete the trio. But Garner is reluctant to abandon the pre-pregnancy figure she worked so hard to achieve. The actress tells Us Weekly, "Ben would like a boy, but I don't want another baby right now." And Garner's friends are on her side, one pal telling the star, "You don't want to do that all over again. You worked hard to get your body back."
The premier U.S. showcase for independent cinema, the festival opens Thursday, loaded with A-list actors from hit TV shows and big studio flicks branching out to low-budgeted films, whether on-screen, behind the camera or both. Far from corporate Hollywood, Sundance remains a place where unknowns and veterans can premiere films side by side. Among the nearly 200 feature and short films playing during the 11-day festival are directing debuts from Philip Seymour Hoffman with the romance "Jack Goes Boating," in which he co-stars with Amy Ryan; Mark Ruffalo with the faith-healing drama "Sympathy for Delicious," reuniting him with "You Can Count on Me" co-star Laura Linney; and "How I Met Your Mother" star Josh Radnor with the ensemble comedy "happythankyoumoreplease," co-starring Malin Akerman. Canadians with films at the festival include Sarah Polley (starring in the sci-fi horror flick "Splice"), Adriana Maggs (director of coming-of-age tale "Grown-Up Movie Star") and Ryan Reynolds (said to be the only person on screen throughout much of "Buried"). "I don't want to play the expert here, because I am a novice in this world of being a writer-director," Radnor said. "But I had some talks with people who represent me, who said there's still no better place for American independent film than Sundance. That it's still an amazing place to debut a film after all these years.",P>A timely story of corporate downsizing marks the big-screen directing debut of TV maestro John Wells ("ER," "The West Wing"), whose "The Company Men" is one of Sundance's high-profile premieres. "The Company Men" stars Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner and Maria Bello in the tale of a family man whose picture-perfect life crashes down after he loses his job as a sales executive. The story was inspired by a job loss in Wells' own family, but he talked with many others in the same boat as unemployment soared during the recession. Rather than spinning a dreary drama, though, Wells aimed to capture the resilience that hard times can foster. "It actually has, I think, a very uplifting message. It's about these things we think are going to kill us, and they're actually things that make you stronger somehow," Wells said. "We imagine that our jobs define us, and the loss of a job is a death. I think at least for many, many of the people I've spoken to, that's the fear, and the reality is something actually very different." Other TV veterans with films at Sundance include "The Sopranos" co-stars James Gandolfini and Edie Falco. Reuniting with writer-director Eric Mendelsohn, who directed her in the 1999 Sundance entry "Judy Berlin," Falco stars with Embeth Davidtz and Elias Koteas in "3 Backyards," a drama that unfolds among suburban residents on a single day. Falco said she hopes the Sundance exposure will help Mendelsohn land a theatrical deal for "3 Backyards," the sort of gentle, personal story that blockbuster-minded studios overlook. "In my fantasy, I would like it to have a larger theatrical release. In my fantasy, I want people to give him money to make more movies," Falco said. "He's been making movies on his retirement fund forever. It's ridiculous that money gets thrown into stuff that has absolutely no interest to me, and people like Eric, who has interesting things to say that move people, literally can't get a catering budget." Gandolfini, "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart and Melissa Leo are featured in "Welcome to the Rileys," director Jake Scott's drama about a grieving couple whose lives intersect with an underage prostitute. Stewart also stars as Joan Jett in the Sundance premiere "The Runaways," Floria Sigismondi's chronicle of the rocker's teen band. The film reunites Stewart with Dakota Fanning, who appeared in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." Among Sundance documentaries is Reed Cowan's "8: The Mormon Proposition," premiering in Utah's Mormon homefront and examining the church's support of California's ban on gay marriage. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who starred in last year's Sundance hit "(500) Days of Summer," returns to the festival with Spencer Susser's drama "Hesher," the story of a loner who crosses paths with a grieving teen. Gordon-Levitt also is enlisting artists and festival-goers to participate in his production effort hitRECord.org, a multimedia initiative to create videos, films, music and other works. Toward the end of the festival, Gordon-Levitt plans a screening to show off works that he and his Sundance collaborators mashed together. "The thing about Sundance, I've noticed there's so much creative energy there, but there's not a lot of ways to channel that creativity, because everyone's bringing their finished products. No one's making stuff there," Gordon-Levitt said. "If you're feeling creatively inspired and have an itch to contribute something, if you're a writer, photographer, musician, a graphic artist or whatever, you can come in and we'll put you to work, and you get some of those creative juices flowing."
Steven Richard Burky, the obsessed fan accused of harassing Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck and their two kids, pleaded not guilty Tuesday morning to charges of felony stalking and disobeying a court order. Burky was collared in December after milling about outside the Santa Monica nursery school attended by the famous couple's 4-year-old daughter, Violet—a big no-no considering he was under a restraining order prohibiting him from coming within 100 yards of Garner and her family. He remains behind bars on $300,000 bail. The California native once authored a blog called Satanic Panic, in which he claimed to have had a vision from God telling him to contact the 37-year-old Valentine's Day star. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 1 at which point the judge will decide whether Burky will stand trial.
Winter and spring: ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Johnny Depp is the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's take on the Lewis Carroll adventures of a girl who goes through the looking glass. THE BACK-UP PLAN: A woman (Jennifer Lopez) meets the right guy — just after she gets pregnant through artificial insemination. THE BOOK OF ELI: Denzel Washington whups some butt as a prophet protecting a critical text in post-apocalyptic America. THE BOUNTY HUNTER: Jennifer Aniston is a bail-jumping reporter pursued by her bounty-hunter ex-hubby (Gerard Butler). CLASH OF THE TITANS: Ancient Greek hero Perseus (Sam Worthington) takes on Hades, lord of the underworld. With Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes. COP OUT: A stolen baseball card sets two detectives (Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan) on the path of a memorabilia-obsessed mobster. CREATION: Charles Darwin (Paul Bettany) copes with grief over a lost daughter as he struggles with his theory of evolution. With Jennifer Connelly. DATE NIGHT: A weekly night out turns into a wild ride for a suburban couple (Steve Carell and Tina Fey) whose romance has become routine. DEAR JOHN: A soldier (Channing Tatum) and a woman (Amanda Seyfried) carry out a seven-year romance from a distance while he's on assignment. DEATH AT A FUNERAL: Crazy things happen at a family patriarch's funeral. With Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Danny Glover. DISTRICT B13: ULTIMATUM: Martial-arts heroes return to try to quell unrest in a walled crime ghetto in this follow up to the French thriller.,P>EDGE OF DARKNESS: Mel Gibson is a homicide cop whose daughter's murder takes him into a dark world of corporate and government conspiracy. EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES: A father (Brendan Fraser) teams with a maverick doctor (Harrison Ford) to find a cure for his kids' fatal illness. With Keri Russell. FROM PARIS WITH LOVE: A trigger-happy spy (John Travolta) and his inexperienced partner (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) try to crack a crime gang. FURRY VENGEANCE: Animals fight back against the housing developer (Brendan Fraser) whose project threatens their habitat. GREENBERG: A man (Ben Stiller) searching for meaning finds potential romance while house-sitting for his brother. GREEN ZONE: Matt Damon goes searching for weapons of mass destruction in a thriller set in Iraq as the war there heats up in 2003. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: The world of the Vikings gets a makeover in this animated story of a misfit teen and his dragon. I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS: A con man (Jim Carrey) finds his soul mate (Ewan McGregor) while doing prison time. KICK-ASS: A youth with no superpowers dons a costume to fight crime as a superhero. With Nicolas Cage. THE LAST SONG: Miley Cyrus is a teen whose estranged father (Greg Kinnear) tries to reconnect with her through music. LEGION: The archangel Michael (Paul Bettany) and a group of strangers are humanity's last hope for salvation. THE LOSERS: A Special Forces team seeks revenge after its members are betrayed and presumed dead on a mission. With Zoe Saldana, Jeffrey Dean Morgan. MACGRUBER: The "Saturday Night Live" bit about a hapless special-ops man (Will Forte) gets big-screen treatment. With Val Kilmer, Ryan Phillippe, Kristen Wiig. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET: Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley) is back to terrorize people in their dreams in an update of the 1980s slasher franchise. PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF: A teen demigod is caught up in a potential war among the gods of Olympus, alive and well in modern times. REMEMBER ME: "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson and "Lost" co-star Emilie de Ravin cope with romance amid adversity. With Pierce Brosnan. REPO MEN: In a future where mechanical organs are repossessed for lack of payment, a former repo man (Jude Law) becomes the prey of his old partner (Forest Whitaker). SAINT JOHN OF LAS VEGAS: A compulsive gambler (Steve Buscemi) fights temptation while trying to change his life. With Sarah Silverman. SEASON OF THE WITCH: A medieval knight (Nicolas Cage) is assigned to escort a peasant girl the church suspects of bringing on the Black Plague by witchcraft. SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE: An average guy (Jay Baruchel) scores big when a super-babe inexplicably falls for him. SHUTTER ISLAND: Leonardo DiCaprio reunites with director Martin Scorsese in a tale set at a hospital for the criminally insane. THE SPY NEXT DOOR: Jackie Chan balances his day job as a spy with baby-sitting his girlfriend's three kids. TOOTH FAIRY: A mean-spirited hockey star (Dwayne Johnson) is sentenced to do time as a tooth fairy, with magic wings and wand. With Ashley Judd, Julie Andrews. TYLER PERRY'S WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO?: Filmmaker Perry co-stars with Janet Jackson, Malik Yoba and other cast mates for this relationship sequel. VALENTINE'S DAY: A superstar cast copes with the trials of love. With Julia Roberts, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Ashton Kutcher. WALL STREET 2: Oliver Stone and Michael Douglas bring corporate raider Gordon Gekko out of mothballs in a tale of today's financial fiasco. With Shia LaBeouf. WHEN IN ROME: Passions are magically aroused when a tourist retrieves coins tossed in a fountain of love. With Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Danny DeVito. THE WOLFMAN: Benicio Del Toro is a man who finds the curse of the werewolf haunting his family when he returns to his ancestral home.___ Summer season: THE A-TEAM: The TV action series goes big-screen as former Special Forces troops set out to clear their names. With Liam Neeson, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper. CATS & DOGS: REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE: Cats and dogs unite to take on a nutty feline bent on global domination. With Christina Applegate. DESPICABLE ME: Steve Carell leads the voice cast in an animated tale of a villain whose plot to steal the moon is sidelined by three orphan girls. DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS: A young exec (Paul Rudd) finds the perfect buffoon (Steve Carell) for his boss' monthly "dinner for idiots." EAT PRAY LOVE: Julia Roberts plays a divorced woman on a worldwide journey to find meaning in her life. With James Franco, Javier Bardem. THE EXPENDABLES: Sylvester Stallone directs and stars in a thriller about mercenaries betrayed on a mission. With Jet Li, Jason Statham. GET HIM TO THE GREEK: A record company intern (Jonah Hill) has to escort an unruly rock legend to the first concert of his comeback tour. GROWN UPS: Childhood pals (Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James, Rob Schneider and David Spade) reunite as adults. With Salma Hayek, Maria Bello. INCEPTION: Leonardo DiCaprio stars in a science-fiction thriller from director Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight"). IRON MAN 2: Robert Downey Jr. slips back into his metal suit to face new foes. With Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke. JONAH HEX: A disfigured bounty hunter (Josh Brolin) battles a villain aiming to unleash hell on Earth. With Megan Fox, John Malkovich. THE KARATE KID: Jackie Chan imparts kung fu wisdom to a Detroit youth (Jaden Smith) uprooted by his family's move to China in an update of the 1980s hit. KILLERS: An ex-assassin (Ashton Kutcher) and his wife (Katherine Heigl) go on the run after he's targeted for a hit in this action comedy. KNIGHT AND DAY: Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are a fugitive couple on a jet-setting adventure around the globe. THE LAST AIRBENDER: M. Night Shyamalan adapts the animated TV show about a young savior with the power to end warfare among four nations with mystical powers. LETTERS TO JULIET: An old letter to the doomed heroine of "Romeo and Juliet" sparks romance for two women (Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave). THE LOTTERY TICKET: A ghetto dweller (Bow Wow) fends off greedy neighbors after he wins $370 million in the lottery. With Ice Cube. MARMADUKE: Owen Wilson provides the voice of the Great Dane in a family comedy based on the canine comic strip. MEET THE PARENTS 3: Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro find new ways to test their in-law relationship in the "Meet the Fockers" follow up. THE OTHER GUYS: A detective more interested in paperwork and a street-tough cop (Mark Wahlberg) are partnered up. With Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson. PREDATORS: Hardcore human killers become prey for alien hunters in a new take on the sci-fi franchise. With Adrien Brody, Topher Grace. PRIEST: A renegade priest (Paul Bettany) tracks a gang of vampires that have abducted his niece. PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME: The video-game adaptation stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a fugitive prince who finds a dagger of enormous power. RAMONA AND BEEZUS: The pesky young heroine of Beverly Cleary's best sellers comes to life in an adaptation of the children's books. ROBIN HOOD: Russell Crowe reunites with director Ridley Scott for a fresh take on the 13th-century soldier turned folk hero. With Cate Blanchett. SALT: Angelina Jolie is a CIA operative on the lam after she's accused of spying for Russia. With Liev Schreiber. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD: To win his dream woman, a slacker musician (Michael Cera) must vanquish her seven evil ex-boyfriends. SEX AND THE CITY 2: Sarah Jessica Parker and her Manhattan mates return for more fashionable urban romantic angst. SHREK FOREVER AFTER: Mike Myers' ogre is hurled into an alternate reality where he and his true love never met. With Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas. THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE: An ancient wizard (Nicolas Cage) recruits a protege (Jay Baruchel) to battle an evil foe (Alfred Molina). STEP UP 3-D: Street dancers and a college freshman square off in a competition against world-class hip-hop dancers. TAKERS: A detective (Matt Dillon) pursues a gang of bank robbers (Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Tip "T.I." Harris, Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen, Michael Ealy). TOY STORY 3: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and their plaything pals face abandonment after their kid grows up in this animated sequel. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE: Danger comes calling again for a teen (Kristen Stewart) and her vampire and werewolf suitors (Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner). ____ Fall and holiday season: ALPHA AND OMEGA: Two wolves relocated halfway across the country try to return home. The animated tale features the voices of Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere. THE AMERICAN: A hit man (George Clooney) finds romance and friendship in Italy while awaiting what he hopes will be his last assignment. BURLESQUE: Christina Aguilera aims for stardom with a musical revue at an aging theater. With Cher, Stanley Tucci. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER: C.S. Lewis' young heroes land aboard an incredible ship as the fantasy series resumes. DUE DATE: Robert Downey Jr. stars as a first-time dad who has to hitch a ride with an actor (Zach Galinianakis) to get home in time for his baby's birth. FLIPPED: Rob Reiner directs a story of first love following a smitten girl and unwilling boy from grade school to junior high. GOING THE DISTANCE: A couple (Drew Barrymore and Justin Long) struggle to make their bicoastal romance work. THE GREEN HORNET: A rich party boy (Seth Rogen) turns to crime-fighting as the masked Hornet. With Cameron Diaz. GUARDIANS OF GA'HOOLE: A young owl battles to save his kind from evil enemies in this animated family adventure. GULLIVER'S TRAVELS: Jack Black does a modern take on the world-traveling hero who encounters a race of tiny people on his sojourn. HEREAFTER: Paths cross for three people around the world who are touched by death. Clint Eastwood directs, Matt Damon stars. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS — PART 1: The young wizards (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint) aim to destroy the crux of evil Voldemort's power. LIFE AS WE KNOW IT: Mismatched godparents (Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel) must team up as guardians for their orphaned goddaughter. LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS: Romance develops between a free spirit (Anne Hathaway) and a dauntless Viagra salesman (Jake Gyllenhaal). MEGAMIND: A supervillain flirts with virtue after his superhero opponent turns to the dark side in an animated tale featuring the voices of Brad Pitt and Will Ferrell. MORNING GLORY: A TV morning-show producer (Rachel McAdams) copes with a clash between her tough newsman (Harrison Ford) and his new co-host (Diane Keaton). RAPUNZEL: Mandy Moore provides the voice of the long-haired fairy-tale princess locked away in a tower in this animated musical. RED DAWN: A group of youths forms a guerrilla army to fight back against military forces that have invaded America. SAW VII: The horror franchise returns for part seven in the diabolical games initiated by killer Jigsaw. SECRETARIAT: A housewife (Diane Lane) and trainer (John Malkovich) team to raise the 1973 Triple Crown-winning racehorse. THE TOWN: Ben Affleck directs and stars as a bank robber who falls into romance with his former hostage (Rebecca Hall). TRON: LEGACY: Jeff Bridges reprises his 1982 character, whose son (Garrett Hedlund) is pulled into the digital world where his dad has disappeared. UNSTOPPABLE: A railway engineer (Denzel Washington) and a conductor (Chris Pine) race to stop a runaway train carrying toxic cargo. YOGI BEAR: The smarter-than-average bear of the TV cartoons comes to the big screen in a live-action and animation combo. With Dan Aykroyd. YOU AGAIN: Rivalries are renewed after a woman (Kristen Bell) learns her brother's marrying her high school nemesis. With Sigourney Weaver and Jamie Lee Curtis. YOUR HIGHNESS: A black sheep knight (Danny McBride), his perfect brother (James Franco) and a fierce warrior (Natalie Portman) embark on rescue mission. ZOOKEEPER: A kindly zookeeper (Kevin James) gets romantic advice from the animals in his charge.
The California man accused of harassing the superstar couple and lurking outside their daughter's school has been ordered to stand trial on stalking charges. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark Windham ruled Monday that there was sufficient evidence against Steven Richard Burky to warrant a trial on two felony counts of stalking and two felony misdemeanor counts of disobeying a court order. Burky, 37, was arrested last month a block from the Santa Monica nursery school attended by 4-year-old Violet Affleck, the older of the couple's two daughters, in violation of a protective order. Police alleged in a criminal complaint that he "made a credible threat" that prompted Garner "to fear for her safety and the safety of her immediate family." The court had already deemed Burky a serious problem in 2002, prohibiting him from coming within 100 yards of the family after repeated trying to contact the couple. Burky currently remains behind bars on $300,000 bail. He is expected to return to the Airport Branch Courthouse for arraignment on Jan. 19.
The obsessed fan busted this week after allegedly trying to track down the 37-year-old actress and her world-saving hubby Ben Affleck at their daughter's nursery school is facing some serious charges. Steven Richard Burky, 37, has been rung up on a felony stalking count and two misdemeanor counts of violating a year-old restraining against him by the all-star family, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney spokeswoman Jane Robison. According to the criminal complaint, Burky did "willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follow, and did willfully and maliciously harass JENNIFER A.," as court papers refer to the actress. He also "made a credible threat with the intent that she be placed in reasonable fear for her safety and the safety of her immediate family." Burky, a Los Angeles native, has been jailed since his arrest Monday in Santa Monica a block from the school attended by 3-year-old Violet Affleck, one of the couple's two daughters. Given the court's previously ruling declaring him a danger, that was all LAPD needed to throw him in the clink. Burky, who once authored a blog called Satanic Panic, has claimed a vision from God first sparked his intrerest in Garner and her family back in 2002. He remains behind bars on $300,000 bail. No word yet on the next court date.
Robert Redford's independent-cinema showcase will show eight films in eight different cities on Jan. 28, the movies chosen from the lineup playing during the Utah festival that runs Jan. 21-31. The downsizing drama "The Company Men," featuring Affleck, Kevin Costner and Tommy Lee Jones will screen in Brookline, Mass. Stewart's Joan Jett music tale "The Runaways" will play in Madison, Wis. And Kline's gigolo story "The Extra Man" will run in Nashville, Tenn. Other films will play in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Brooklyn, N.Y., and Ann Arbor, Mich.
My first stop is the Beat the Odds awards for the Children's Defense Fund at the Beverly Hills hotel. Charity co-chair Reese Witherspoon usually attends this event, but we get word that she won't make it tonight. Could it be because of tabloid stories—refuted by her rep—that she and Jake Gyllenhaal are on the outs? Or the fact that she was photographed in London earlier today? Thankfully, Jennifer Garner is on hand for the benefit, looking glam in Jenni Kayne. And she's joined by no other than... ...her hubby Ben Affleck, who skips the carpet but is inside waiting for Jen at the table. Garner makes a presentation before charity president Marian Wright Edelman takes the podium. Then it's time to eat and I'm off. Just down the street, Ben's BFF Matt Damon is out for the Invictus premiere, along with costar Morgan Freeman and director Clint Eastwood. And a bit further east, Jennifer Aniston is hosting a fete at her favorite haunt: Sunset Tower hotel. Jen's throwing a party for her yoga instructor Mandy Ingber's DVD release. Aniston's not the only famous fan in the house: Jenny McCarthy, Rikki Lake and E!'s own Chelsea Handler are all on hand for the soiree. Guests nosh on appetizers and everyone scores gift bags stuffed with Mandy's DVD, beauty products and a two-night stay at a private island in Hawaii.
They are among the stars of big-name premieres announced Thursday for Robert Redford's independent-film showcase that runs Jan. 21-31 in Park City, Utah. Stewart and Fanning team up for director Floria Sigismondi's "The Runaways," a portrait of rocker Joan Jett as she forms her band in the 1970s. Stewart also stars in the Sundance entry "Welcome to the Rileys," one of 16 films announced Wednesday for the festival's U.S. dramatic competition. The festival's premieres section includes 13 films screening out of competition, among them "The Company Men," a corporate-downsizing tale starring Affleck, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello and Tommy Lee Jones. It was written and directed by Emmy-winning TV producer John Wells, whose credits include "The West Wing" and "ER." Holmes joins John C. Reilly and Kevin Kline for the gigolo story "The Extra Man," directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, whose "American Splendor" won the grand jury prize for U.S. dramas at Sundance in 2003. 50 Cent appears with Chace Crawford, Emma Roberts and Kiefer Sutherland in the crime drama "Twelve" from director Joel Schumacher ("Batman Forever," "The Phantom of the Opera"). The documentary lineup features a daring entry for the festival that takes place in the heartland of the Mormon church. Reed Cowan's "8: The Mormon Proposition" examines the church's support of California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage. Among actors directing films are "Entourage" star Adrian Grenier, whose documentary "Teenage Paparazzo" premieres at Sundance. The film is an exploration of celebrity culture, inspired by a 13-year-old boy who snapped a photo of Grenier. Philip Seymour Hoffman makes his directing debut with the Sundance premiere "Jack Goes Boating," in which he stars with Amy Ryan in a story of romance and betrayal involving two New York couples. Alongside such Hollywood regulars, Sundance is adding a section called Next, featuring eight films shot on ultra low budgets of less than $500,000, mostly made by unknown filmmakers and actors. "We're a discovery festival, but we're not just about the discovery of films. We're about the discovery of talent," said festival director John Cooper. "We wanted to make sure talent wasn't getting past us because they're working in a low-budget form." Among the Next titles are Linas Phillips' "Bass Ackwards," following a man on a road trip after a bad relationship with a married woman; Sultan Sharrief's "Bilal's Stand," about a Muslim teen in Detroit coping with family strife while angling for a college scholarship; and Katie Aselton's "The Freebie," in which she stars with Dax Shepard in the tale of a married couple who decide to grant each other a one-night stand with someone else.
Jokes about their level of closeness and who's banging Jimmy Kimmel aside, it turns out the longtime pals and Oscar-winning screenwriters really are more than friends and writing partners. In fact, they're related! According to the New England Genealogical Society, the actors are both descendants of bricklayer William Knowlton Jr., an Englishman who settled in Ipswich, Mass. around 1630. That would make Affleck and Damon approximately 10th cousins, once removed. Affleck was born in Berkeley, Calif., but spent his formative years in Boston, where he and Damon became friends. And this heartwarming connection is actually just the tip of the iceberg for Affleck, who also shares lineage with 16 U.S. presidents, including Barack Obama, and Princess Diana. Damon is related to a mere 11 former commanders in chief. "Ben is an 11th cousin to Obama,” genealogist Chris Child told the Boston Herald. "We just found that connection this week. They share a common ancestor in the Hinckley family of Cape Cod." "It might be kind of one of those neat things to say at cocktail parties," he added.
And imagine that! She does. Especially to her children, although Violet is beginning to suspect mermaids aren't real... But Garner's husband, Ben Affleck, does not abide by little white lies. Sure, they might speed up his wife's getting-ready process, but if that means Jen looking fat in her jeans, he will intervene. What a nice husband.
Miramax will in turn wring all the box office it can from "Extract," which opens September 4. There undoubtedly is an audience eager to laugh at dumb people behaving badly. Even so, it's hard to see how "Extract" will do more than modest business, with perhaps a larger audience awaiting its debut in home entertainment. Fiction certainly has its share of characters suffering from neurotic anxieties and mental meltdowns, but usually you understand the circumstances. In "Catch-22" or "M*A*S*H," the daily likelihood of death in the theater of war explains all the craziness. In a Cheech and Chong comedy, no one has to ask what those dudes have been smoking. But in "Extract," nothing explains the major stupidity in and about the workplace of a medium-sized business in an unnamed community that looks like bits of Los Angeles pieced together. Perhaps something in the water system? The actual source of the chain of daft events is the sexual allure of Mila Kunis' Cindy, who no one seems to realize is a scheming sociopath. Joel Reynolds (Jason Bateman), the owner of a flavor-extract plant, certainly is smitten with his new temp employee. His best friend, Dean (Ben Affleck), a substance-abusing bartender, convinces him that to not feel guilty about committing adultery, he should first hire a "gigolo" (Dustin Milligan) to sleep with his wife (Kristen Wiig). Meanwhile, Cindy has sweet-talked fellow employee Step (Clifton Collins Jr.), who has suffered a bizarre industrial accident, into filing a huge lawsuit against the company that will bankrupt it. (Why the company's insurance agents and their lawyers aren't called in never is explained.) Even when Cindy steals workers' purses, the women assume it can't possibly be that pretty young woman, so it must be the new Latino employee. About the only thing Cindy can't be blamed for is the fact that the company hires only losers and misfits. You do wonder how the firm still is such a success that General Mills is eyeing it as a possible acquisition. Not for a single moment does anyone in this film make a good decision. Consequently, you quickly catch on and easily anticipate the bad decisions before they happen. Judge encourages his actors to overplay their hands. The worst offender is Affleck, hiding behind a beard and hair that render him almost unrecognizable. At least that's good thinking. On the other hand, Bateman and Wiig stay enough in control -- they seem almost normal -- that you can't quite understand their characters' self-destructive behavior. Then Kiss' Gene Simmons shows up as a bus-bench-advertising personal-injury lawyer who, like all the others, is grounded in no discernible realty. Behind-the-scenes work is professional but unremarkable.
The project from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures is an adaptation of the Chuck Hogan novel "Prince of Thieves," whose story follows the relationship between a bank manager, the career criminal (Affleck) who stole her heart, and the dedicated FBI agent trying to bust the crook and his gang. Hamm will play the FBI agent. Hall is cast as the bank manager, who is the reason the criminal wants to clean up his act but also the agent's golden ticket to catching the man. Affleck, Hogan and Peter Craig worked on the script. Hamm and Hall will shoot "Town" in September in Boston after Hamm wraps shooting on "Mad Men." The AMC show's third season debuts August 16. Hamm is twice nominated for this year's Emmys -- for "Mad Men" and for a guest starring role on "30 Rock." Hall ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona") is onstage in "The Bridge Project" and will appear onscreen in Nicole Holofcener's comedy-drama "Please Give."
The actor began dating the singer in 2002 after starring in Gigli with her, and the pair later became engaged before splitting up shortly before their scheduled wedding in 2004. Affleck is adamant he should never have got involved in the first place - because the publicity surrounding their romance tainted his career. He says, "I was no longer in control of my life. I thought I wanted certain things, but I didn't. I got lost. I felt suffocated, miserable and gross. I should never have gone down that route or got sucked in to all the publicity. "I was typecast as myself. Too many people weren't getting past what they read about me. That was damaging. I can tell from experience it's bad for you, and bad for your career. So I took a break, went away for a while and let things calm down." And he admits he is much happier with his wife Jennifer Garner and their two daughters, three-year-old Violet and six-month-old Seraphina to look after. He adds, "Work has taken a back seat. My job is not as important as it was. Saying that having a family changed my life is a cliche. But it's true - it re-arranged my life and made me see clearly."
Choice Celebrity Baby "Ben will do the school run," Garner, 35, tells InStyle in its May issue, on sale Friday, of her family's hectic morning routine. "He dresses her and does her hair. It's pretty funny. You can always tell when he has been at it, just two random barrettes hanging in there. It's so sweet." Adds Garner: "Ben can be pretty clueless when it comes to my clothes or makeup. But when he does notice and says something, he's so sweet that I forgive him." As for her own role in the family, Garner aims to shield her daughters – Seraphina Rose, 3 months, and Violet – from unwanted attention. "I try not to look, but when I see these [paparazzi] pictures of Violet and me, I'm always smiling like a monkey, trying not to let her feel my anxiety," Garner says. "That was some really good advice I got about dealing with it." "But now that she's older, she's more able to articulate that she doesn't like it," she says, continuing. "She'll say to them, 'Please stop flashing your camera in my face,' but they won't stop. Then she'll say, 'I don't understand, Mommy. I said please!' It's just twisted." More successfully, Garner says she is achieving a balance between work and family. "I always quiz Reese Witherspoon about how she does it," Garner says of the juggling act. "I feel like she does a really good job." "I growl at anyone who wants me to do something while I'm with my kids," she says. "I say, 'No, I'm at home, back off!' Then when I'm working and out of the house, I am in work mode. That's when Ben is there, the other half. We've tried really hard to switch off. So far it's working. I've chosen jobs that weren't as demanding as some can be."
The actress and hubby Ben Affleck have snatched über-producer Brian Grazer's Pacific Palisades mansion off the market for the reported bargain price of...less than $20 million, E! News has learned. The nine-bedroom, 14-bathroom house sitting on an acre of land in the tony Southern California community was originally listed for $27 million, and at some point the asking price was lowered to $24 million. According to a source, the hard-bargain-driving Affleck family inquired about buying the existing furniture as well as the walls around it, but the insider couldn't confirm that the additional transaction had taken place. Regardless, Affleck and Garner's princessian daughters, 3-year-old Violet and 4-month-old Seraphina Rose, should have plenty of space to roam. Their new playground boasts a gym and a pool, plus a billiards room, crafts room, screening room, and two-bedroom guest suite. The girls' A-list parents recently unloaded their Brentwood home, which they purchased from Cindy Crawford, for just over $6 million. Grazer and Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment has been responsible for a slew of big-deal projects over the years, including films like Oscar winner A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13 and The Da Vinci Code and TV shows such as 24 and Friday Night Lights. Grazer is currently in the process of divorcing third wife Gigi Levangie Grazer, author The Starter Wife, which later turned into the hit miniseries and short-lived TV series starring Debra Messing.
This remake of the 2003 British mini-series is incisive about the problems facing newspapers, highlighting the sensationalizing of lurid or less weighty news over coverage of serious news. It also offers a window into a broadening newsgathering divide. The tension between attention-getting blogs and traditional print reporting is captured effectively. These two sometimes-clashing forces are represented by Cal McCaffrey (Russell Crowe), an old-school investigative reporter at a high-profile newspaper in Washington, D.C., and Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), who writes a blog for the newspaper. Cal is brash and grubby, but he knows how to delve beyond the facts. Della is eager and a quick study, but she's more tentative. Eventually they come to grudgingly respect each other, forming a partnership symbolic of the marriage of investigative journalism and emerging styles of reportage. Cal's college buddy is now a rising political star. U.S. Rep. Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is the charismatic chairman of a committee investigating defense spending. Collins' political career is derailed by the apparent suicide of his research assistant. Her death implicates various echcelons of the military-industrial complex. The intricately layered and taut structure works, though Affleck is not convincing as a politico; he comes across as blank in contrast with Crowe's edgy complexity. Their striking differences make it difficult to believe that Crowe, 45, and Affleck, 36, have been close pals since college, which undermines the sense of veracity. Cal's relationship with Stephen and his wife, Anne (Robin Wright Penn), complicates matters, and in the real world of journalism, he probably would have not been allowed to report on this story given his ties to the players. But the link between Cal and Stephen illustrates the challenges to getting at the truth posed by vested interests. Several high-caliber performances give the film its vibrancy, under the capable direction of Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland). Crowe is excellent, and Helen Mirren is superb as the newspaper's imperious editor. Her persuasive delivery especially makes the dialogue crackle. Jason Bateman adds life in a scene-stealing turn as a shady publicist. Motives are murky all around, heightening the momentum and sense of suspense in this intelligent and engrossing saga. It's unusual for a thriller, but there's almost a wistful quality amid the suspense, culminating in final sequences that seem almost to pay tribute to the evolving world of newspapers. State of Play - * * * out of four stars Stars: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn But it also turns out to be a fond homage to old-school journalism, and it plays like a eulogy for a sadly dying industry. That's especially true of the footage that rolls during the closing credits: the printing, packaging and shipping out of a big-city newspaper. The images may seem mundane, but they also evoke nostalgia for a more optimistic, prosperous time — especially for those of us who work in this business. And, naturally, we all love movies about ourselves. Crowe's Cal McAffrey represents the last vestige of this way of life. A veteran reporter for the Washington Globe (standing in for the Post), he drives a beat-up 1990 Saab, crams junk food in this face on the way to a crime scene and even keeps a bottle of whiskey in the drawer of his irreparably messy desk. But he also happens to be old friends with the politician in question, Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), who's chairman of the committee overseeing defense spending. Cal's various conflicts of interest — and the congressman's — are revealed as the police and the paper compete to investigate the killing. Director Kevin Macdonald, who already showed a sure hand in navigating complex plots and intense intrigue with "The Last King of Scotland," moves the story along smoothly through its various twists and turns. (There's probably one too many at the end, but if you've seen the 2003 BBC miniseries that inspired "State of Play," writers Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tony Gilroy and Billy Ray have stayed true to the source material.) He also gets journalism right, which doesn't always happen. Despite the quaint depiction of a packed newsroom bustling with activity, the debates about quick online hits vs. hard-hitting investigations, between selling papers with fluff vs. offering actual substance, feel relevant and real. Believably disheveled, Crowe loses himself in yet another role — as always, he's a character actor in a leading man's body — and he has some fiery exchanges with the always sharp Helen Mirren as the paper's editor. Crowe also has a comfortable chemistry with Rachel McAdams as the young blogger he reluctantly accepts as his partner, and a couple of great scenes with Jason Bateman as a sleazy PR exec who connects several key players. (Functioning as a bad guy is a welcome change from him.) But he and Affleck never feel like a good fit for each other, and not just in acting ability. The age difference is too distracting and makes it difficult to believe they were college roommates, which is crucial to the plot. Crowe is 45 and looks it; and while Affleck makes sense as a Washington up-and-comer with his generically smooth, vapid appearance, he's 36 and looks it, too. Robin Wright Penn is also an odd pairing for Affleck as his victimized but dignified wife. She, too, is supposed to have gone to college with Stephen and Cal. At 43, she feels natural with Crowe (and their characters enjoyed a fling in the past, which isn't implausible) but it's hard to accept her as Affleck's wife. These aren't the things we should be occupying our mind with when there's much meatier stuff to sink our teeth into on screen. "State of Play," a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for some violence, language including sexual references, and brief drug content. Running time: 118 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
Watch as the happy couple travel down memory lane, reminiscing about when they made their special music video and first fell in love. Affleck endearingly describes how everyone from 70-year old women to the local delivery men still hound him about his late-night lover. Find out what the "secret word" they share is and what the "Damon Clause" is in their relationship.
The actor and director, 36, took his 3-year-old to lunch at a "reasonably full" Mexican restaurant, Affleck tells Jay Leno, where he unfortunately spilled their entire meal. And, as the mess – including Diet Coke and water – came rushing at him, he caught himself shouting "sh--." Like a stuntman righting a car, he stopped himself from swearing and instead yelled the German term "scheisse." "Why I came up with that word, i don't know I have not even been to Germany, but guess that's a German swear word in my subconscious," he says. Violet, of course, wanted to know what it meant. "It's just a bad word, and we don't say that," Affleck explained. Wrong answer, dad! That just made her want to say it, repeat it and shout it over and over. Check out Affleck's chair-jumping impersonation of her in the clip!
"It's cool," Affleck, 36, told PEOPLE of his and Damon's enduring bond, which includes mixing and mingling with their wives and kids. Affleck has two daughters with wife Jennifer Garner, while Damon, also 36, has two daughters with wife Luciana Barroso. "We went on vacation last summer," says Affleck, who plays a congressman opposite Russell Crowe in the new thriller State of Play. "It's nice. It always has been. He's got his family ballooning, and we're doing okay – it's nice." With the two having never veered from their shared Boston upbringing, Affleck observes, "I think it would be the same for anybody. You're friends when you are young, you have a certain life. Then in your 20s you have a different life. In your 30s you get married and have families." Satisfying Friendships Given such a perspective, Affleck adds, "It's a different kind of satisfaction being around your friends, the friends you grew up with. They have kids, have barbecues and that kind of deal. That is really satisfying, too. It's one of the nice things about having friends for a long time." Equally nice is that, with recent arrival Seraphina Rose joining daughter Violet, 3, at home, Affleck says, "I am very lucky. I feel blessed to look around and see that I've got a healthy family and a job. Especially nowadays, you really feel very good." When it comes to being a dad, he's mastered many of the duties – including how to mash bananas properly – that his wife was once worried would require supervision. "I'm in a pretty good zone right now," says PEOPLE's 2002 Sexiest Man Alive. "I say that, and I'll go home to find everything exploded, [but] so far, so good." All in all, he says, "I really am happy with what I'm doing now. In fact, I've never been at a place where I've felt better about going to work every day. I'm more engaged and very, very happy … I've really gotten comfortable with the things that are important to me." Time to Re-Team In terms of professional projects, though they've costarred and shared cameos in various films and collaborated as producers on different projects, Affleck and Damon haven't been paired together on screen for five years. Affleck says the timing now feels right to re-team once again. "Supposedly we're doing this thing next year" once their busy schedules dovetail, Affleck said. For his part, Damon has to complete three films – including a fourth turn as Jason Bourne – while Affleck, who received warm reviews for his 2007 directorial effort Gone Baby Gone, will be directing and starring in The Town, which Variety reports is an adaptation of the Chuck Hogan novel The Prince of Thieves. "Matt is always pretty busy but claiming that he's going to try and slow it down a little bit," says his buddy. "He doesn't mind taking a year to wait. I would love to, it's great, and we're both busy. Matt lives in Miami, so it's hard to get a chance to see him. If we work together it's an excuse to hang out."
For the Children Mending Hearts Gala, Affleck, 36, received a surprise visit from his wife, Jennifer Garner. Delivering an impassioned speech about the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Affleck politely stepped aside when the event's Humanitarian of the Year winner, CNN stud Anderson Cooper, took to the podium – allowing Affleck to return to his table, where Garner awaited him with open arms. Garner, also 36, dressed in a dark cocktail dress, had slipped in to the gathering without fanfare and then peppered kisses upon Affleck's cheek. With two young girls waiting at home, the couple's date didn't last long, however. After 20 minutes Garner slipped out as quietly as she had arrived. Affleck remained to take in a brief but rousing set by Sheryl Crow. Others in attendance included Benji and Joel Madden, Kate Walsh, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Hank Azaria, Marisa Tomei, Alyssa Milano, Elizabeth Berkeley, Tate Donovan and Malin Akerman.
The actor, 36, continues his ardent activism with an essay for the current issue of Time about his personal experiences and the ongoing war and displacement in eastern Congo. Affleck has been traveling to the African country since 2007 to learn firsthand about the devastation and has also made a documentary about the war-torn country's urgent crisis. In the essay, "A Glimmer of Hope in Africa," Affleck, citing the decades of instability and violence caused by rebel fighters, extremists, and outlaw militia, writes: "In the past 10 years alone, millions have died here, and more die each day as a result of the conflict. "Most die not from war wounds but from starvation or disease … one in five children in Congo will die before reaching the age of 5." What he hopes to prevent, Affleck writes, is a feeling of hopelessness or being overwhelmed by the country's problems. "The nation most in need of investment gets the least by the cruel logic that it is the most broken," he writes. "It is a self-fulfilling prophecy that ultimately fosters indifference in the guise of wisdom." Starry Event This Wednesday, Affleck is slated to attend an event to the International Medical Corps, a group that works to help those in the eastern regions of Congo, the Los Angeles Times reports. The event, which will be held at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, is expected to draw other celebrities as well, including Diane Keaton, Joel Madden, Felicity Huffman, Nicole Richie, Forest Whitaker, Kevin Spacey and Kate Walsh.
Joining his He's Just Not That Into You costars Kevin Connolly, Justin Long, and Bradley Cooper for a chat with Extra, Affleck at first didn't raise his hand when asked who in the group was romantic. After some ribbing, the actor, 36, finally 'fessed up. "I'm definitely romantic," he said. "I didn't raise my hand because I didn't want to be the guy who started talking about how romantic he was on TV." Affleck was distinctly less shy about discussing the text messages he exchanges with wife Jennifer Garner, 36, mom to their daughters Violet, 3, and Seraphina Rose, who was born Jan. 6. "I correspond with my wife that way," he said, laughing. "She's like, 'Get over here. Pick this s--- up! It's time for you to go get our daughter!' "
Before jetting off to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration, the Oscar winner turned up at the Sundance Film Festival Saturday to talk about the premiere of Reporter, the in-competition feature-length documentary he produced. A compelling examination of the state of American journalism today, the film chronicles New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo to investigate the country's ongoing civil strife. Affleck says he hopes his doc can shed light on a humanitarian crisis that rivals Darfur and Rwanda in scope, but so far has received little attention. He also wants to show that while celebrities have their pet causes, it's still the grand tradition of journalists to tell the stories that spark movements of social change.
Ashton Kutcher, due to promote Spread (costarring Anne Heche and about Hollywood's lure of sex and money), is expected to help lead the star parade – and bring along wife Demi Moore. The weekend will also see Jim Carrey with significant other Jenny McCarthy, as he and costars Ewan McGregor and Rodrigo Santoro promote I Love You Philip Morris. Another film, La Mission, described as a dark tale of healing and transformation, will be accompanied by its real-life husband and wife actors, Bejamin Bratt and Talisa Soto Bratt. As for the films generating buzz this year, they include: • Adventureland: Superbad director Greg Mottola directs Twilight's Kristen Stewart, Knocked Up's Kristen Wiig and Jesse Eisneberg in a tale of a recent college grad's dream trip to Europe – which ultimately turns into the title of film. • The Greatest: Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan pair as parents coping with a child's death. • In the Loop: James Gandolfini, a grown-up Anna Chlumsky and Steve Coogan star in an office comedy about British and American mid-level employees who bungle their way with the top brass of their governments as they plan a "secret" war. • Brief Interviews With Hideous Men: The Office's John Krasinski wrote, directed and stars in this dark comedy about men and their complex relationships with women. • Lymelife: Described as a funny, loving and heartbreaking tribute to the American family (showing the dark side of 1970s suburbia), this stars brothers Rory Culkin and Kieran Culkin, Alec Baldwin, Emma Roberts and Cynthia Nixon. Films from Ben Affleck, Chris Rock • Reporter: A feature documentary executive produced by Ben Affleck about Nicholas Kristof, the two-time Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for The New York Times. Kristof put the crisis in Darfur on the international radar, and now wants to do the same for Congo. • The Informers: With an all-star cast of Billy Bob Thornton, Kim Basinger, Mickey Rourke, Winona Ryder, Jon Foster and Amber Heard, this multi-strand narrative balances a vast array of characters who represented both the top of the heap and the bottom of the barrel. • Mary and Max: Toni Collette plays a lonely 8-year-old living in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays a severely obese, 44-year-old Jewish man with Asperger's Syndrome in New York City in this story of pen pals. • Good Hair: A look at the complex world of African Americans and their hair from comedian (and the film's writer), Chris Rock – who traveled to beauty salons and barbershops from Harlem to Dallas to Beverly Hills.
It is Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck. The baby was born Jan. 6 in Los Angeles. Garner and Affleck, both 36, are also parents to daughter Violet, 3. While no explanation was offered for the name, or if she was named for anyone, one Web site specializing in the origin of names refers to Seraphina as "derived from the Biblical word 'seraphim,' which was Hebrew in origin and meant 'fiery ones.' "
Ben Affleck Marital status: Wed wife Jennifer Garner, 36, in a secret ceremony in Turks and Caicos on June 29, 2005 Children: The Affleck family now numbers four: Daughter Violet was born Dec. 1, 2005; their second daughter was born Tuesday in Los Angeles. No other details have been released yet. Hunk status: People's Sexiest Man Alive in 2002. Previous high-profile relationships: Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez. Cause celebre: Since late 2007, he has made four trips to the war-torn Congo to bring attention to the plight of that country, where many have been displaced by violence. Damon on Affleck: "Ben's career has taken this exciting turn because he has directed a (2007) movie called Gone Baby Gone, which is fantastic. it opens up all these doors for us: We can do movies that he directs and I act in, or we could co-write and co-direct." Matt Damon Marital status: Wed wife Luciana Bozan, 32, in a secret ceremony in New York on Dec. 9, 2005. Children: The Damons have two girls: Isabella was born June 11, 2006; Gia was born Aug. 20; Alexia, her daughter from a previous relationship, is now 10. Hunk status: People's Sexiest Man Alive in 2007. Previous high-profile relationships: Winona Ryder and Minnie Driver. Cause celebre: He is involved in various charities, including the OneXOne non-profit which raises money to help underprivileged kids worldwide. Affleck on Damon: "The truth is, and it's going to sound really boring, but he's just a really good guy. Matt's a deeply kind and considerate guy."
The actress's rep says: "Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck gave birth to a healthy baby girl." The baby was born Tuesday in Los Angeles. No other details were immediately available. Garner and Affleck, both 36, are also parents to daughter Violet, 3. In the weeks leading up to the birth, Garner, stayed close to home, picking up Violet from preschool and even treating herself to a mani-pedi. Just days before giving birth, Garner was spotted with Violet at the Farmer's Market in Pacific Palisades and grabbing a decaf coffee at Caffe Luxxe in Santa Monica with a girlfriend. Former Alias costar and close friend Victor Garber says the actress needs no help in the mommy department. "It's her second child," Garber told PEOPLE. "She knows what to do. She's probably the best mother I've ever witnessed." Garner confirmed her second pregnancy in August.
The ready-to-pop actress, accompanied by doting hubby Ben Affleck, arrived at Cedars Sinai Medical Center this morning for reasons unknown. (But judging by the size of her stomach and duration of her pregnancy, it's enough to set off the storkwatch.) As always, Team Affleck kept mum on the morning visit, prefering to maintain some semblance of privacy about the impending birth of their second child. While Garner has at least appeared to be on the verge of popping for several weeks now, her pregnancy was only confirmed, barely, back in August. Whenever the delivery, it will mark the second child for the couple, who are already proud parents of 3-year-old daughter Violet.
Oscar winner and actor Affleck, who has traveled to central Africa four times since 2007, directed the film which was shot in North Kivu in Congo last month to help raise $23 million for the work of the U.N. refugee agency in Congo. The film is set to the 1969 Rolling Stones song "Gimme Shelter," written by Jagger and Keith Richards. Released at the time of the Vietnam War, the song features the refrain "War, children, it's just a shot away, it's just a shot away." Around 5.4 million people have died from violence and conflict-related hunger and disease in the past decade in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC, where ethnic violence extended from neighboring Rwanda's 1994 genocide in which Hutu extremists attacked Tutsis. "Too much of the world is indifferent or looking the other way," Affleck said in a statement launching the film. "I'm urging people not to look the other way, not to turn off their TV when news of the violence in the DRC comes on." Although Congo held successful elections in 2006 aimed at ending the conflict, violence has continued to simmer. Rebels led by renegade General Laurent Nkunda have routed the army and captured swathes of territory in the province of North Kivu since August, sending around a quarter of a million people fleeing for their lives. The film focuses on the plight of families forced to flee the fighting, among an estimated 1.3 million displaced people in Congo, according to the U.N. refugee agency. The film will be distributed online at www.unhcr.org as well as on television and in cinemas. "I hope this video will help highlight the plight of the hundreds of thousands of displaced people and also the thousands of innocent people who are needlessly losing their lives there," Jagger said in a statement. Jagger and the Rolling Stones donated the song for the campaign to raise money for emergency humanitarian assistance kits that contain jerry cans, kitchen sets, thermal blankets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets and plastic sheeting needed for construction of shelters.
"I'm not an expert in international affairs or diplomacy, but it doesn't take that to see the tremendous suffering here," the actor and filmmaker, who has made a documentary about the struggles there, told the Associated Press on Thursday in the regional capital of Goma. "It's not something that we as human beings can, in good conscience, ignore. … My hope in being here is primarily to bring attention to the fact that there's a real lack of [assistance agencies] here, a real lack of money going to these folks." Years of intermittent fighting in eastern Congo intensified in August, when violence erupted between the army and those loyal to rebel leader Laurent Nkunda. Affleck's Awareness Affleck, 36, first focused his attentions on Congo when he learned of the country's 1998-2002 war that claimed the lives of an estimated 5 million people. "This is a place where I can have a really big impact," he said, noting how other big names had concentrated on equally daunting problems in Darfur. "I think that, for better or worse, people with some profile in the arts have some currency to spend as celebrities," he said. "And for a time, I didn't spend that in any particularly productive way. And I got to a point where I thought, this is wasteful." There are fears that the current crisis in Congo could again sill into neighboring countries. The 1998-2002 war divided the vast nation into rival fiefdoms and drew in half a dozen African armies.
Smith admits to E! News this week that he wrote his latest, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, with new man-crush Seth Rogen in mind—and couldn't find any room for Affleck. "I toyed with the notion of having [Ben] play a fluffer, but I was resolute about not wanting to do any fluffer jokes in the movie," Smith says. "I think it's just too obvious. So no, sadly, there was nothing for Ben." Rogen, however, is "my Ben Affleck of the moment," Smith admits. Sorry, Ben. At least Jimmy Kimmel still loves ya, right? Zack and Miri Make a Porno opens Oct. 31.
Producer Wells is writing the screenplay about a man who is laid off and must cope with the financial consequences and the fallout at home. The project would mark the feature directorial debut for Wells; the prolific writer-producer has directed episodes of television series like NBC's "ER." As the U.S. endures financial turmoil, projects about economic hard times could gain traction at studios, picking up on a subgenre that has emerged over the past few years with titles like Paul Weitz's corporate-layoff dramedy "In Good Company."
The Warner Bros. project involves a high-tension love triangle between a female bank manager, a longtime thief who stole more than her heart and an equally smitten FBI agent trying to bust the crook and his gang before they can pull another big job. It is based on Chuck Hogan's novel "Prince of Thieves." Affleck directed his similarly toned first film, "Gone Baby Gone," last year. He co-wrote that drama, adapted from a Dennis Lehane novel, with Aaron Stockard. He won an Oscar in 1998 for writing "Good Will Hunting" with Matt Damon. As an actor, Affleck has the comedy "He's Just Not That Into You" coming out in February via New Line and the political thriller "State of Play" due in April from Universal. He is filming Mike Judge's new comedy "Extract."
"It's like a football game," Affleck, 36, told PEOPLE about the convention. "You go and you can hardly see the person, so you wished you would have watched it on TV." As for where the time went in the Rocky Mountains, the actor – who's sprouting facial hair these days for his role in the movie Extract, with Mike Judge – was packing 25-lb. boxes of food for America's Second Harvest, as part of a celebrity team that also included National Treasure's Justin Bartha. In a five-minute competition to see who could pack and wrap the most, Affleck's side whipped the Congressional squad that included Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin and Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern, 17 boxes to 15. Affleck says he was drawn to Second Harvest two years ago after scouting film locations in a tough Boston neighborhood and discovering people forced to choose between food and housing or medical care. "This is something people don't talk much about," says Affleck, "the 35 million people here in the U.S., including 9 million children, who are hungry." Affleck also devoted time to poker – picking up a first-pace plaque in an event with the Poker Players Alliance to raise funds for Paralyzed Vets of America. Not that his time was solely focused on packing food and poker. Both he and Garner hosted a table at the Impact Film Festival Party at 5 Degrees on Wednesday night, along with Forrest Whitaker, Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Cooper. Later they moved on to an after-party at EXDO Event Center, where Kanye West played.
Steven Spielberg, who directed a short film on veterans that shown Wednesday at the convention, was spotted entering the Pepsi Center. Jennifer Lopez spoke at a reception honoring children's rights activist Marian Wright Edelman. Ben Affleck read excerpts from a Howard Zinn book and made an appearance at the city's food bank for America's Second Harvest. Affleck was joined by his wife, Jennifer Garner, at the book reading at the Starz Green Room across the street from the Pepsi Center. Also participating: Rosario Dawson, Kerry Washington, Taye Diggs, Hill Harper and Josh Brolin.
He's working his thumbs to the bone to keep his old buddy Ben Affleck up to date on all of the details. "I've kind of been texting him back and forth, and he's doing great and [wife] Lucy is doing great," Affleck, 36, told PEOPLE on Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention. Affleck is in Denver supporting a variety of political and charitable causes, including playing poker on Tuesday with the likes of Sarah Silverman – on behalf of paralyzed veterans. Still, Affleck's mind was not far from his old Cambridge pal, who is fast becoming odd man out in his Miami home, what with the addition of little Gia to his strictly female brood of wife Luciana and their daughters Isabella, 2, and Alexia, 10. Not that Damon – PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive – has any problem with that. "Anybody who has a child is excited, I think, no matter what the gender is. They are thrilled," says Affleck. "The thing that people really want, when you get down to it, is a healthy child."
The Oscar winner, 36, will be in Denver this week for the Democratic National Convention, where he'll be celebrating at more than one political party. Among his official duties: performing at a roundtable event for SeaChange Ideas Forum, packing food for the needy and playing poker to benefit paralyzed veterans. Colorado first lady Jeannie Ritter, who joins Affleck and Barack Obama's wife Michelle on Wednesday to box produce for the charity America's Second Harvest, tells PEOPLE that Affleck's celebrity, "right or wrong, gives us our traction." But, while she and her teenage children look forward to meeting the onetime Sexiest Man Alive, Ritter says it "pales in comparison" to being with Michelle Obama. Affleck won't be second choice on Tuesday night when he sits down with pros Andy Bloch and Barry Greenstein to play Poker at the Ballpark, with the proceeds going toward the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Other celebs such as Paul Rudd, Sarah Silverman and Seth Meyers are also expected to ante-up at the VIP tournament sponsored by the Poker Players Alliance. Then Affleck takes center stage at an ideas forum billed as the "History of Progressive America" on Wednesday afternoon. Along with Josh Brolin, Rosario Dawson, Kerry Washington and musician Lupe Fiasco, Affleck will do live performances of scenes from producer Chris Moore's film, The People Speak. Other celebrities expected to attend the week's festivities: Charlize Theron, Anne Hathaway, Annette Bening, Jessica Alba and Oprah Winfrey.
Judge ("Office Space") will begin shooting his "Extract" script next week, producing with Ternion Prods. partners John Altschuler and Mike Rotenberg. The comedy focuses on a flower extract factory owner (Jason Bateman) who experiences a tremendous string of bad luck involving both his business and his family. According to Variety, Affleck will play an ambulance-chasing lawyer, while fellow new cast addition Clifton Collins Jr. will play an employee at the factory looking to sue after a freak accident. Previously cast in the comedy are Mila Kunis and Kristen Wiig. Affleck's last major screen role was in 2006's "Hollywoodland," though he has completed work on "He's Just Not That Into You" and "State of Play" for 2009 release. Last year also saw the release of Affleck's feature directing debut "Gone Baby Gone," another Miramax production. Collins' credits include "Capote," as well as the upcoming "Crank 2" and "Star Trek."
"We're so excited, obviously," Garner told Access Hollywood at Walt Disney's 10th Anniversary party for the Baby Einstein line of merchandise. Garner joked about the endless speculation – even crediting her obvious pregnancy to "carbs for breakfast." "It always makes me laugh when people say 'Is she?' 'Isn't she?' It's like eventually you will know, so just chill out for a minute," she told Access Hollywood. And thanks to her toddler Violet at home, Garner isn't sweating having another baby in the house. "Yeah, been through it," Garner said. "It's all good, it's great. I'm really excited."
Garner, sporting a small baby bump, looked radiant in a chic short black cocktail dress and sexy high-heeled sandals. Luciana, very pregnant, was decked out in a long black skirt with a strapless tank top. The couples attended a private $1,000-per-person VIP reception at club SET to support the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate. After spending orientation time in The Trophy Room, the four friends headed for SET's Hip Hop Room to socialize with guests before giving speeches from the stage. "Jennifer Garner gave the first speech supporting Obama, and she was very witty, clever and funny," says a source at SET. "She was followed by her husband Ben, then Matt Damon. The men gave serious political speeches on how the country needs change." The stars drank bottled water and took pictures with the guests. "They were all in great moods and very friendly to everyone," says another source, accompanied by a host who plunked down $5,000 for his group to meet the stars and support Obama. Damon, who has a house in Miami Beach, told reporters outside of SET why he is supporting Obama: "For a lot of reasons. But mostly because I don't like the path this country's on and if McCain is elected we'll be continuing down that same path." Also, Affleck told PEOPLE outside of SET that he doesn't know if he is going to the Democratic Convention, but "I'd like to." The Afflecks and Damons departed in a limo after about 90 minutes and headed for a private party at Anthony Kennedy Shriver's Miami Beach home. Shriver is the founder and head of Best Buddies charity and first cousin of Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, who is a member of the Obama Vice Presidential Nominating Committee.
As speculation continues to rise at a dizzying rate about whether or not Jennifer Garner is indeed with child, brand-spanking-new pictures have just emerged of the actress leaving the doctor's office with what could possibly be new evidence... Jen was spotted carrying a piece of paper, which had written on it—wait for it—a date! Yes, an actual date! March 2 to be exact! And it was circled?! Circled!!! Ah, but alas, as we all here slowly stopped hyperventilating and got our heart rates back down to a relatively normal level, it began to sink in that it could mean everything...or absolutely nothing. Yes, little Violet could very well become a big sister on that day. Or Jen could simply be reminding herself when she needs to get her tires rotated. And so we wait, albeit impatiently.
The loose-lipped director spilled the beans to People in a typical flurry of self-promotion: "I saw him last week. Ben came over to watch my movie (Zack and Miri Make a Porno) at the house, and he told me, 'We're having another baby.'" Very smooth, Kev. We're guessing you won't be invited to the next barbecue.
"I guess they are looking for a bigger place now," pal Kevin Smith told PEOPLE at a the Maxim magazine party on Saturday in San Diego where he attended Comic-Con. The director-actor, who is a longtime friend of Affleck and starred with Garner in 2006's Catch and Release, also revealed how he learned the news that the couple – who are parents to daughter Violet, 2 – are expecting again. "I saw him last week. Ben came over to watch my movie (Zack and Miri Make a Porno) at the house, and he told me, 'We're having another baby,'" recalls Smith. He added that parenthood comes naturally to both stars. "[Jen] is such a Martha Stewart type. She is a perfect mom," he says. "And [Ben] is a great dad, which I found not that surprising, but it's a side of him that I never thought about before he became a dad. He's a great father. He loves that kid of his."
Here’s your chance to get some of his clothes, anyway. A leather jacket the Aussie hunk wore as Wolverine in the X-Men franchise is being auctioned off starting July 31by California-based Profiles in History. The item could go for as much as $20,000, according to a rep for the auction house. The outerwear is just one of dozens of items you can bid on... In fact, another piece of Jackman's movie career—a costume from Van Helsing—is also in the catalog. Ben Affleck's body-hugging suit from his 2003 stinker Daredevil is up for grabs, as are outfits worn in the Spider-Man series by Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. The priciest offering on the auction block is every sci-fi geek’s wet dream: a miniature model of an original TIE fighter from Star Wars: A New Hope, which is expected to fetch a whopping $200,000. May the Force—and your wallet—be with you.
Victor Garber, who played Jennifer Garner's father on "Alias," confirmed the speculation that the actress is indeed pregnant with her second child with husband Ben Affleck, reports Usmagazine.com. Garner, 36, has been wearing loose-fitting tops of late, fueling rumors that she's expecting. A source claims that the pregnancy is five months along. The couple already has a daughter, 2-year-old Violet. Garner last starred in "The Kingdom" and appeared in the teen pregnancy comedy "Juno." Affleck, 35, last wrote and directed "Gone Baby Gone" and will co-star in the relationship film "He's Just Not That Into You" next year.
Rumors that Garner is expecting the couple's second child were kick-started earlier this month when a tabloid report claimed Garner and Affleck had already told friends their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Violet is getting a sibling. Speculation really ramped up when Garner starting wearing loose-fitting tops capable of hiding a growing belly. Now comes another possible clue... The two were spotted together Wednesday at an L.A. obstetrician's office to meet with a doctor. Garner sat in the reception area reading a magazine, but when Affleck arrived, they were almost immediately called in to see the doc. Reps for Garner and Affleck are not commenting one way or the other. So we'll just have to wait and see. In other words, let the baby-bump watch continue!
"I'm looking forward to whipping a lot of celebrity rear end," talk show host Montel Williams said before beginning play in a charity Texas Hold 'em tournament at the World Series of Poker. "I tweaked my game, and my game is really solid." Williams and 87 others, including such Hollywood heavy hitters as Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Alexander, George Lopez, Adam Sandler and Ray Romano, played in the no-limit tournament to raise money and have a good time. Charles Barkley also played after a recent pledge to take a hiatus from gambling. The 45-year-old former NBA star, who was sued in May by the Wynn casino for failing to pay back gambling loans, said he would donate his winnings to charity and didn't plan to spend a lot of extra time in town. The TNT commentator paid back his markers shortly after the casino filed a civil complaint. Barkley said he wasn't going to gamble for "the next year or two" on the air during the NBA playoffs. "I can't gamble, so I gotta drink," Barkley joked with Phil Hellmuth after the 11-time bracelet winner invited Barkley for a cocktail after the tournament. "Can you imagine how bad life would be if you couldn't gamble or drink?" Players donated prize money from the second annual "Ante Up for Africa" event to charities working in the Darfur region of Sudan. Cheadle and poker pro Annie Duke began the event last year to raise money and awareness for the region, where more than 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been displaced since ethnic warfare began in 2003, according to the U.S. presidential envoy to Sudan. The tournament benefited two charities — ENOUGH, a project co-founded in 2007 by the International Crisis Group and the Center for American Progress and Not On Our Watch, a group co-founded by Cheadle, Damon, George Clooney and Brad Pitt. "It's just great to see everybody," Cheadle said as the event began. "Don't expect to win, because it's mine." Cheadle was eliminated by Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell when his pair of jacks couldn't top Cantrell's queens. Players in the poker tournament paid $5,000 to enter, and were asked to donate at least half their winnings evenly to the two charities. Nevada law prohibits poker tournaments from designating a certain amount of prize money for charity so players signed voluntary contracts at the tables, pledging at least half their winnings. "Charity doesn't have to be boring, it doesn't have to be a burden," Duke said. "We want people to have a really good time." As play began, the prize pool totaled $418,000. Last year the event raised more than $500,000 for the charities and finished with the top two players pooling their $350,000 in winnings and donating it to the cause. Alexander won the first hand at his table with Damon, eight-time World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner Erik Seidel and others when he raised before the flop and everyone else folded. "All the tournaments I've ever won have been for charity," Alexander said. "When there's no actual money for me, I'm very good."
Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle were among the Hollywood types who gathered Wednesday at the Rio Pavilion in Las Vegas for a no-limit Texas Hold'em tournament benefiting victims of the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan. Also forking over the $5,000 entrance fee were Adam Sandler, George Lopez, Ray Romano and Jason Alexander, who optimistically said, "When there's no actual money for me, I'm very good." This was the second annual Ante Up for Africa event, an idea cooked up last year by Cheadle and professional card player Annie Duke in conjunction with the World Series of Poker. More than $850,000 was raised in 2007. Tournament proceeds are going to Not on Our Watch—the advocacy and aid group started last year by Cheadle, Damon, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and producer Jerry Weintraub—and ENOUGH, a joint initiative of the International Crisis Group and the Center for American Progress that's working to end civil conflicts in Darfur, Uganda and Congo. "It's just great to see everybody," Cheadle said as the first hand (which Alexander won, of course) was dealt. "Don't expect to win, because it's mine."
"Ben and Matt were entertaining the girls with stories, and they were all laughing a lot," says an observer of the couples. When dessert came, the celebratory group toasted – after all, Garner and Affleck's third wedding anniversary was the following day. "Jen and Ben were in a great mood, and they left Nobu hand in hand," says the observer. Also spotted at Nobu Saturday night: Kate Hudson, back in L.A. following last week's Santa Barbara getaway with Lance Armstrong.
Affleck has gone to the Democratic Republic of Congo three times this past year, and in an essay posted on ABC's Web site, he said he wanted to draw attention to the violence, starvation and disease in the region that kills 1,200 people a day. "It makes sense to be skeptical about celebrity activism," wrote Affleck, 35, star of movies such as "Hollywoodland" and Oscar winner for the screenplay of "Good Will Hunting." "There is always the suspicion that involvement with a cause may be doing more good for the spokesman than he or she is doing for the cause," Affleck said. But Affleck said he hoped viewers could separate any reservations about his involvement from "what is unimpeachably important about this segment: the plight of eastern Congo." Emily Lenzner, a spokeswoman for ABC News, said Affleck was not a correspondent for "Nightline," and that the program shows only one trip he took to Congo from last month. "We basically went with a camera and a producer and just basically followed him around," Lenzner said. "It was his observations, his journey that we pretty much documented." Accompanying Affleck were producer Max Culhane and cameraman Doug Vogt, who along with ABC journalist Bob Woodruff was injured in a 2006 roadside bomb attack in Iraq. Affleck approached "Nightline" about doing the program. In his essay, he talked about young boys being widely used as child soldiers and girls being forced into marriage. He said he met with warlords, peacemakers, survivors and aid workers, and he described bands of roaming militias brandishing AK-47s. On Wednesday, the head of Congo's U.N. peacekeeping mission said that a million people are prevented from returning to their homes because of frequent suspension of peace talks. Conflict in eastern Congo has lasted for many years with ethnic violence growing out of neighboring Rwanda's 1994 genocide in which Hutu extremists attacked Tutsis. Since 1998, about 5.4 million people are estimated to have died in the Congolese violence and the ensuing humanitarian crisis, most from hunger and disease. Affleck is not the first Hollywood actor to draw attention to Africa. George Clooney and Don Cheadle have long advocated for relief in the Darfur region of Sudan. Brad Pitt visited the continent in 2005 with ABC's Diane Sawyer for "Primetime Live" to talk about fighting poverty and the spread of AIDS. "Nightline" airs on Thursday at 11:35 p.m. EDT on ABC.
Since 1998, a decade of fighting, combined with disease and starvation, has taken about 45,000 lives every month in Congo. As Affleck found in his travels, one in five children dies before reaching the age of five, and those who survive are often forced into serving as child soldiers for militia groups who continue to terrorize the population. In explaining the mission of his travels and subsequent video essay for "Nightline," Affleck says: "Congo is in terrible shape. What's going on here in this country is humanitarian disaster. I think just helping people understand, that could have a real ripple effect down the road, and this piece will be one small incremental step in that.... People should see actors on television doing charitable work and be suspicious of that, and at the end of watching this, I hope they find themselves less suspicious of that and more interested in this and perhaps involved in it." Ben Affleck's essay from the Congo airs on ABC News' "Nightline" THURSDAY, JUNE 26 at 11:35 p.m., ET/PT. "Nightline" is anchored by Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran and Martin Bashir. John Donvan and Vicki Mabrey are correspondents. James Goldston is the executive producer. "Nightline" airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m., ET/PT on the ABC Television Network.
Not, as one might expect, to shoot a new blockbuster flick. The Academy Award winner said he's been spending time there because he wants to help people. The movie star's social conscious is also what lured him to Calgary last night. Affleck hit the red carpet at the Commonwealth Hall and Conference Centre to host the inaugural Calgary benefit gala for the OneXOne Foundation. "I've spent a lot of time working in Africa," Affleck said, "and actually met up with OneXOne a couple of months ago in Rwanda. They said 'Hey, we're doing this event in Calgary, would you come do this?'" The actor said he's been to Cowtown before, but it was winter and "everybody was bundled up." The movie-maker and father said it was the children of Africa that inspired him to throw his support behind Canada's OneXOne -- an organization that aims to help youth in Canada and around the world. Affleck has a toddler-aged girl (Violet Anne) with wife Jennifer Garner. He said being a doting dad impacts his drive to get involved with children's charities. "Whether it's being a father, or just feeling connected to people, or having a sense of maturity, I've been spending a lot of time trying to learn about Africa and the developing world," he said. The actor declined to comment on whether he would spend today, Father's Day, with his tot. Affleck attended the gala with several other notable people, including Edmonton Oilers defenceman Sheldon Souray; former Canadian Idol winner Eva Avila; Phil Fontaine, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations and Mayor Dave Bronconnier. The gala was held to raise funds for various children's charities and recognize the OneXOne 2008 Difference Award recipients: Canadian hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser; Lillian Parenteau, CEO of Children and Youth Services Region 10 (Metis Settlements); the Calgary Flames, and five-year-old Jack Yeilding, who raised $14,000 for ailing children. The recipients were honoured for their various contributions to children's organizations. Affleck said he's throwing his support behind OneXOne because he's been impressed with its track record. The group has raised more than $7 million for its ongoing programs. Last year at their benefit function in Toronto, the group raised $3.2 million. The group's founder, Joelle Adler, said she didn't expect to drum up that much this weekend, as it's the first time the event has been held here.
University of Charleston President Ed Welch says Garner and Affleck will serve as honorary hosts at a Sept. 19 fundraiser. Garner says the University of Charleston was "incredibly positive when I was a kid" growing up in Charleston. She says she's excited to hear the university is growing. Welch says the university hopes to raise more than $500,000 at the fundraiser. The complex will house the school's basketball and volleyball programs and is projected to cost at least $20 million.
They will host an event for the Democratic presidential candidate Sunday at Rumor, a Boston nightclub. The $250 "pre-party" tickets, which buys some one-on-one time with the couple, are sold out. A $50 ticket buys entry into the club, where Garner and Affleck will mingle. Obama will not be attending. Affleck recently agreed to help judge a contest sponsored by MoveOn.org to find the best ad supporting Obama's campaign. The 35-year-old actor grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and filmed his directorial debut, the acclaimed movie "Gone, Baby, Gone," in Boston. He won an Academy Award in 1998 for writing the screenplay for "Good Will Hunting" with pal Matt Damon. Garner, 35, has been filming scenes from a new movie in Boston. She is best known for her role as a secret agent in the TV series "Alias" and recently starred in "Juno." The couple co-starred in the 2003 movie "Daredevil" and began dating the next year. They married in June 2005 and their daughter, Violet, was born later that year.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the company has acquired Marcus Sakey's novel "The Blade Itself" to be produced by Ben Affleck and Sean Bailey. The novel brought to the screen by screenwriter Aaron Stockard, who co-adapted Dennis Lehane's "Gone Baby Gone" with Affleck, who directed. It's unclear if Affleck intends to direct or appear in "The Blade Itself," or merely produce. Set in Chicago, "The Blade Itself" focuses on two friends who went different directions after a childhood spent committing petty crimes. As adults, they're reunited, which produces awkwardness. Most recently seen in "Smokin' Aces" and "Hollywoodland," Affleck has upcoming roles in "He's Just Not That Into You" and "State of Play."
Affleck tells EW.com: "I remember seeing Matt's [video] and thinking to myself, 'Oh, it would be funny to do one with me and Jimmy.' They called and immediately I was like, 'Yes, it should be this idea ...,' and they had the same idea more or less already. I have a lot of respect for the group over there – they're really good comedians – so I just committed to it." The actor says the singing was more difficult than wearing a pair of short shorts, but he acknowledges, "You couldn't really do it half-speed. You had to be painting toes and blow-drying hair. At one point we were going to take a bath together, but the bubbles couldn't get high enough, so that ended up getting scrapped."
The talk show host – who memorably declared "I'm F---king Ben Affleck" in a music video Sunday night – cannot stop singing the actor's praises. "Ben could not have been more sporting," he told PEOPLE of his video costar. (The song was designed as a retaliation against Kimmel's girlfriend Sarah Silverman for her clip, "I'm F---king Matt Damon.) "He told us, 'Listen, if we’re going to do this, we’ve got to do it right. I don’t want you guys to worry about my image.' " In the video (available online), Affleck and Kimmel declare their love while backed by an A-list gospel choir including Cameron Diaz, Robin Williams, Ashlee Simpson and Don Cheadle. There are also non-singing cameos by Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford, who blows the new couple a kiss before driving off in his convertible – revealing a "Honk if you're f---ing Ben Affleck" bumper sticker. "That was his real car," Kimmel says of the legendary Indiana Jones star. "He's still got that [sticker] on there!" So what did Silverman think of the new song? "I suspected Jimmy was on the down low for a long time now," she deadpanned to the New York Daily News. "I wish I could say I was surprised by this." If she's plotting another salvo, Kimmel isn't quaking in his cut-off denim shorts. "I suppose it's possible that Sarah and Matt Damon are huddled in a cave somewhere planning their revenge," he said. "But one thing I know is, if they are, they won't tell me about it!"
Her song: "I'm F---ing Matt Damon." Kimmel's song of revenge, unveiled on his ABC show Jimmy Kimmel Live Sunday night immediately after the Oscars: "I'm F---ing Ben Affleck." (Watch the video here.) "Matt, Sarah, this is for you," said Kimmel, noting that Silverman and Damon's music video has been seen by about 8 million people on ABC.com and YouTube. And the hilarious new clip – in which the two are seen giving each other pedicures before Affleck tweaks Kimmel's bare chest – isn't just a duet: It's an all-star performance on par with "We Are the World." When it comes to backup singers, Kimmel somehow managed to round up a who's-who of the entertainment industry, including Don Cheadle, Ashlee Simpson, Robin Williams, Cameron Diaz, Huey Lewis, Christina Applegate, Joan Jett, Macy Gray, Benji and Joel Madden, Lance Bass, Josh Groban and Harrison Ford – who blows the new couple a kiss. Costarring Brad Pitt Even Brad Pitt makes a cameo, albeit in a non-singing role. He plays a FedEx deliveryman who brings a cake of congratulations to Kimmel and Affleck. Kimmel and Affleck also stand nose to nose in the video, and all but kiss. As Robin Williams rhapsodizes, "This is not a man crush." "The reason I did it like this, I didn't want my parents finding out from the tabloids," Kimmel said after showing the video. Affleck said his wife, Jennifer Garner, didn't take the news very well. "Thank God my daughter is too young [to understand]," added the actor, referring to 2-year-old Violet. Retorted a straight-faced Kimmel, "Well, she's our daughter now."
The first two — Matt Damon and Affleck's brother Ben — won. "It's a wonderful thing. It's a humbling thing," Speca told The Associated Press. "I remember when these kids were talking about that stuff and it was a dream." All three say Speca played a large part in making those dreams a reality. Casey Affleck says he guided him to a career in acting, starting at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Damon cites him as an example of truly great teachers. And Ben Affleck even thanked him in the credits of his directorial debut, "Gone Baby Gone" — after giving Speca a cameo in the critically acclaimed film. "I wouldn't be an actor if it wasn't for Gerry," said Casey, nominated for best supporting actor in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." "He both kind of turned me on to acting, why it can be fun, how it can be rewarding, and he also taught me the foundation of everything I learned." Added Ben: "This is a guy who's been a central figure in my artistic life — my entire artistic life." And they're not alone. Several other former students — including Aaron Stockard, who co-wrote the "Gone Baby Gone" screenplay with Ben, and Broadway and television actor Max Casella — work in show business. Speca, a native of western Pennsylvania who moved to Boston in the early 1970s to attend graduate school at Harvard, helped run the four-year drama program at the public high school for 12 years, pushing a rigorous schedule of class work and rehearsals. Students often spent 15 to 18 hours a week preparing for a play. More than learning how to memorize lines or to project their voices, Speca, who himself acted in plays growing up, tried to teach his students to solve problems on and off the stage. So when he had more students than available parts — and far more girls than boys — he taught the teenagers to write their own plays and their own roles. "What I wanted a kid to come out with was a way of having confidence in him or herself, a way of achieving what they wanted to achieve," he said. After Speca's classes, Ben Affleck said it was natural for him and Damon to write their own roles and try to get their own movie made, as they did with 1997's "Good Will Hunting," which won them Oscars for best original screenplay. "That background was our norm," he said. "We didn't need to be afraid of writing." Speca's lessons still come quickly to the Afflecks, such as "do the work" — Speca's mandate that students stop worrying about whether their acting was good or bad and focus instead on what was needed to finish the job correctly. "In its simplicity, it's very profound," Casey Affleck said. "As long as you work as hard as you can, you could get it done." Speca, 60, said he enjoyed having all three of his most famous pupils as students, but he particularly liked watching Casey figure out whether acting was for him. While Damon wanted to be an actor at 13 and Ben already had paying jobs, Casey had other interests. "And yet he stayed with it, he loved it, I think," Speca said. "There was that sense of this exploration." Casey said he joined Speca's class as a freshman because he was "sort of" interested in theater, then became involved in his summer plays and ended up staying in Speca's classes until he graduated. Part of his attraction, Casey said, was that Speca, who is married but has no children of his own, never treated his students like teenagers. He wasn't afraid to set high expectations, give them responsibility or bring his own life into class, such as discussing his grief when his parents died. "Being challenged in that way, having those kinds of expectations, it does give you a sense of confidence," Casey said. "He always made you feel good about yourself in a real way." Speca left the high school in 1995, taking a break to pursue other interests, including writing. He returned to the classroom in 2000 and now teaches English, screenwriting and public speaking at Bentley College in suburban Waltham. He sees his most famous pupils every once in a while, such as at a premiere of "Gone Baby Gone." He appears briefly at the end of the movie, standing on a Dorchester street. Of course, he'll be cheering for Casey to win Sunday. "I would love it if he did, because I know he's worked hard," Speca said. "Maybe what I wish for him is that because of this kind of recognition, he gets to get the work that he wants to do." Not that he's willing to take credit for any past or future success. "I'm really no different from any other teacher. You kind of go in and do what you think is right and you hope it comes out well."
On the bright side, Universal was able to replace Oscar nominee Pitt with Oscar winner Russell Crowe and now comes word that Oscar nominee Norton will be replaced by Oscar winner Ben Affleck. According to Variety, Pitt's exit caused production on "State of Play" to be pushed from mid-November to January, which caused problems for Norton, who had already committed to produce and play two roles in the indie comedy "Leaves of Grass." Fortunately, Affleck -- winner of a number of critical honors for "Gone Baby Gone," his directing debut -- had some space in his schedule and he'll hop right in. Based on the acclaimed British miniseries, "State of Play" will be directed by Kevin Macdonald and will feature Russell Crowe as a Beltway operative-turned-journalist whose investigation into a murder leads him to the fast-rising politician (Affleck) whose campaigns he used to run. The production delay hasn't impacted the participation of co-stars Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn and Jason Bateman. Helen Mirren is trying to work out scheduling to allow her to appear in both "State of Play" and "Love Ranch," directed by her husband Taylor Hackford. Affleck's last acting roles were a Golden Globe nominated turn in "Hollywoodland" and a less acclaimed turn in "Smokin' Aces." The "Gigli" star has completed work on the ensemble comedy "He's Just Not That Into You."
The campaign, which will air on networks later this month, features the likes of Affleck, Reese Witherspoon, Eva Mendes, Garth Brooks, Morgan Freeman and Joaquin Phoenix. Affleck, father to daughter Violet with wife Jennifer Garner, is featured working on a dollhouse in one of the 30-second ads. The spots, filmed in September with the actors volunteering their efforts, calls for viewers to go to DividedWeFail.org – a nonpartisan campaign launched by the AARP seeking affordable, quality health care in America. The spots were shot in partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation and the Motion Picture and Television Fund.
"Violet is the most verbal child," Victor Garber, a close friend of the tyke's parents Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, told PEOPLE at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York on Monday. Garber, who was on hand to present an award to Garner, his former Alias costar, continued, "She's not even two and her vocabulary is daunting. She can talk about animals. She mentions where she's been. Today she sang, 'When You Wish Upon A Star.' " And all this during a single lunchdate. "That child is so inquisitive and beautiful and so full of life," Garber gushed. "I'm obviously prejudiced. But she's an extraordinary kid." With pretty extraordinary parents, of course. Affleck, 35, recently released his directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone. And Garner, also 35, – who just opened in in Broadway's Cyrano de Bergerac – was one of 14 women selected as this year's Glamour honorees. "[Violet] is a very fortunate little girl to be in that family," said Garber, who was the only other person present at Garner and Affleck's 2005 wedding. "When Jennifer works the hours she does, Ben understands. And when he's shooting a movie in Boston, she knows what that entails. They're magical together, they really are."
"I'm ready for a glass of wine!" she said while making her way into the Cyrano de Bergerac opening night party. "I'm just happy that I stayed on my feet and said everything that I was suppose to say." She sure did. The Big Ben of Broadway – New York Times critic Ben Brantley – called the production "surprisingly potent," star Kevin Kline "artfully low-key" and Garner "captivating" in her demanding role as the love interest Roxane. "Ms. Garner, I am pleased to report, makes Roxane a girl worth pining over," he writes in his review Friday morning. Despite the critical love letter, Garner, 35, vowed she would not be reading the play's notices. "I'm not going to look at [them]," she told PEOPLE. "No. I can't stand it." Then there was the review from the other Ben – Garner's husband, Ben Affleck. "She did fine!" he declared. "It was terrific, and I had a lot of fun." Of Garner's performance (which consists of rhyming couplets), Affleck, also 35, said, "I'm really impressed by her courage and her talent." Having now seen her in the role a few times, Affleck also says Garner "keeps impressing me, and I keep on loving it." And although the Great White Way could not be farther from Garner's first job in the theater – "making the costumes and scrubbing the toilets" at an Illinois playhouse – the former Alias sounds perfectly grounded. "You know, I'm a mom," Garner, referring to 1-year-old daughter Violet, said at the party. "So I'll be here for about 15 more minutes, and then I'm going home."
The actor hasn't always made the best choices in roles, but he makes an auspicious debut as a filmmaker with this moody drama set in his native Boston and starring his talented brother, Casey. Based on a novel by Mystic River writer Dennis Lehane, the film poses a fascinating moral dilemma within the context of the abduction of a 4-year-old child. Ben Affleck, who co-wrote the script with Aaron Stockard, does a fine job treading in the gray areas of moral ambiguity as well as fashioning a highly authentic portrait of a tough, working-class neighborhood — Dorchester — within a larger city. He made wise casting choices — using local non-actors to great effect in small roles and employing the best and the brightest in the bigger parts, including some actors we lamentably haven't seen in a while, such as Amy Madigan. One of the film's best assets is the complexity and dimensionality of its characters. And the dialogue they are given to speak is believable and well-crafted. Casey Affleck plays an investigator from Dorchester who knows the streets and the local players as well as or perhaps better than the local cops. When a young daughter disappears, the child's mother (an excellent Amy Ryan), a drug addict who is both brave and shockingly selfish, is drawn into a media frenzy. Affleck and his business and romantic partner (Michelle Monaghan) are called upon by the child's stalwart aunt (Madigan) to privately investigate, much to the annoyance of at least one cop assigned to the case (a superb Ed Harris). Morgan Freeman plays a police captain in charge of the abduction division. Over the course of the film we learn he has a vested emotional interest in this position. Not only is this a story of tragedies that befall children, but it also looks at the way in which our society collectively approaches kidnapping and abuse. The film is intellectually engaging, and the tense style in which it unfolds also packs a powerful emotional punch. The story may take one too many twists, but that doesn't stop us from falling under its spell. Affleck takes pains to create a visceral sense of tension in this noir whodunit leavened by an appropriately melancholy mood. But the film's most fascinating aspect is its least tangible. There is a compelling ethical question raised skillfully that will haunt viewers. The poignant conclusion probably will incite debate. Bravo to Ben Affleck for a smart choice and impressive work. He has parlayed his Hollywood status into something worthwhile, moving beyond and perhaps learning from such debacles as Gigli.
The loyal Red Sox rooter and John Kerry campaigner. Half of the Oscar-winning Matt-and-Ben "Good Will Hunting" duo. Another half of the tabloid-fodder "Bennifer" couple. A sometimes-solid actor ("Hollywoodland," "Boiler Room") prone to weak movie choices ("Bounce," "Daredevil," "Gigli"). "Gone Baby Gone" will leave you with a new picture: filmmaker. In his directing debut, Affleck has found his calling, an avenue for using his obvious intelligence while getting out of the way of his own celebrity. Co-writing the script with longtime friend Aaron Stockard, Affleck presents a place oozing with atmosphere and rich, complicated characters. He has enough confidence in himself (and in us) never to go for the safe, easy answer. The film is based on the child-abduction novel by Dennis Lehane, author of "Mystic River," which earned several Oscars under Clint Eastwood's direction. Like "Mystic River," "Gone Baby Gone" is set on the rough streets south of Boston. Much has been written about Affleck's decision to populate the background of this gritty crime drama with authentic locals; he even gave several of them speaking parts during crucial scenes in run-down bars. It was a bold move that paid off big-time. You feel as if you've been immersed in an insular neighborhood, where your block is your entire world and secrecy is a critical trait. As one of Boston's highest-profile native sons, Affleck clearly knows this area well. You won't find any regional cliches here — no obvious cutaways to foliage or Fenway Park. (Though he does thank Sox stars David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez in the closing credits. Maybe they helped out as grips on the set one day.) Working with two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer John Toll and composer Harry Gregson-Williams, Affleck never sugarcoats or overdramatizes the surroundings, instead establishing a mood that's fraught with danger, suspicion and dark discoveries around every corner. It's depressing and bleak, but also excitingly alive and real. Private investigators Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck, Ben's younger brother) and Angie Genarro (Michelle Monaghan), partners in work and love, are hired by the family of the abducted 4-year-old girl Amanda McCready. The relatives figure that no one in the neighborhood wants to tell police if they saw or heard something, but they'll talk to a local guy they know and trust. Patrick and Angie persuade the chief of the Crimes Against Children department (Morgan Freeman, among the superb supporting cast) to let them tag along with the detectives assigned to the case. Remy Bressant (a powerful, unpredictable Ed Harris) and his partner, Nick Poole (John Ashton), grudgingly agree to meet and talk with them, but Patrick suspects from the start that they're not being entirely forthcoming. This is a hunch that will hold true for nearly every single character in "Gone Baby Gone," including Amanda's mother, Helene, a difficult role masterfully portrayed by Amy Ryan. Helene is an alcoholic, junkie, sometime-prostitute and drug mule. She probably loves her daughter but is so screwed up and selfish, she's also unapologetically neglectful. This is someone it would be easy to hate; Ryan makes her such a complete human being, you walk away feeling angry, yet with a glimmer of unexpected sympathy. Just when you think Patrick and Angie have solved the case, another wrinkle emerges — then another and another. Affleck keeps you hanging on, wondering where he's going next, but never overhypes the proceedings. And the younger Affleck serves as an engaging figure to help us navigate the story's many turns. He comes off as a regular guy who can be both forceful and frightened, and his character ultimately faces decisions that would trouble anyone. That pervasive sense of moral ambiguity is one of the strongest elements of "Gone Baby Gone," and it will you keep you thinking and talking about the film long after it's over. This much is indisputable, though: Ben Affleck is a director who surely has more great things in store. "Gone Baby Gone," a Miramax Films release, is rated R for violence, drug content and pervasive language. Running time: 114 minutes. Four stars out of four.
"In fact, the central preoccupation of my life right now is trying to find another movie to direct," he told The New York Times for a story in Sunday's editions. Affleck co-wrote the script and directed "Gone Baby Gone," a crime thriller set and filmed in Boston about the search for an abducted 4-year-old girl. He told the newspaper he included as many locals as he could in the film, people plucked off the street or discovered in bars, even for speaking roles. One woman was cast as a beer-drinking smart-mouth after approaching him and saying, "I should be in your movie." "I wanted something raw and authentic and even a little scuffed up," said Affleck, who grew up in the area. "People go to the movies to see something they can't get otherwise, and I thought this was a chance to take you somewhere that you couldn't otherwise get to the Boston you never see in the movies."
Of course, they do have some time: Violet isn't quite 2. Still, her proud papa, 35, considers his little girl "the best thing that ever happened to me," he tells Parade magazine for its Oct. 14 issue. "She is happy as hell and talks like crazy!" says Affleck. "She has the ability to make me smile and feel so good and be so charmed that, when I'm not with her for a while, all I want to do is go home, just to be around her again." It wasn't always that Affleck found contentment in his personal life, he also tells Parade in comments that appear on the magazine's Web site. "I grew up in a home environment where I wasn't getting esteem for anything I did," he admits. "I played sports, but I wasn't great at them. ... There was alcoholism at home because of my father. I changed schools [at 8 years old], and I didn't really know the kids at the new school. I felt alone." An Early Loner: The isolation only grew worse when he went to the University of Vermont, which he says he chose because he had a girlfriend (who wasn't interested in him to begin with) going to a school nearby. "Two weeks after I got there, I called her room, and some guy answered the phone!" he recalls. "Then, when I was playing an intramural basketball game, I fractured my hip. I was miserable," he says. "I was now on crutches in the coldest university in America, living in the dorm farthest from the main campus, and I didn't know a soul, nobody!" After eating by himself in the cafeteria and skipping Spanish class for five weeks, Affleck got hold of his childhood buddy, Matt Damon, who was at Harvard. "I called Matt," remembers Affleck, who told his pal, "You've got to pick me up! I can't walk that well. Come and get me now!" Sure enough, says Affleck, "Matt was there in six hours. That was the last I ever saw of the University of Vermont. I never went back. I don't think I have any credits. It was not money well spent."
"We would just kibosh it," Garner, 35, said of how she and husband Ben Affleck would handle Violet if she showed any acting ambition. But, so far the 2-year-old is "unaware of what we do for a living," she told reporters at the London premiere for her new film, The Kingdom. Regardless, Violet was a hit on the Kingdom set when Garner was shooting last year. "It brought so much joy to the job," the Golden Globe-winning actress said. "I would [go] back and forth, from playing with her and taking care of her to running back to work." It was Affleck that pulled diaper duty Thursday night while Garner was accompanied by costar Jamie Foxx and director Peter Berg. "He's babysitting," laughed Garner, "I can't wait to have him as my date again, but right now we're just kind of passing in shifts." Garner's Premiere Dreams Best known for her starring role on the TV show Alias, Garner said that the show ending gave her more time to attend premieres she had only "dreamt of" in the past. "This was the most exciting thing," she said as she signed autographs for fans on the red carpet. "The reception's been so warm, so I'm really happy". The only thing Garner wasn't happy about was the U.K. withdrawal of Affleck's directorial debut Gone Baby Gone, a crime drama about the abduction of a little girl. The film is due out in the U.S. on Oct. 26, but its release in England has been suspended due to similarities with the Madeline McCann case. "It's such a beautiful film. It's such a crush that because of everything that's going on here right now it's not the right time, but hopefully you'll get to see it someday," she said.
"It made me want to continue to direct," he says. "I really loved it. It's wonderful. I will (throw my focus) into directing, but it doesn't mean I won't act when the opportunity presents itself." His directorial debut, Miramax's October 19 release "Gone Baby Gone," is a complex thriller based on Dennis Lehane's best-selling novel about the case of a missing 4-year-old girl that is set in a Boston neighborhood. Affleck and Aaron Stockard co-wrote the script. On selecting the material, Affleck says: "I found the underlying moral issues appealing. There was social criticism and complexity to it. But it didn't judge any of the characters. "Functionally, I thought it was a story that I could execute because it was really performance-based. And it was set in an environment that I understood." Affleck's brother Casey, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman star in "Gone Baby Gone." Affleck relates that he enjoyed everything from working with the actors to the photography to postproduction. Of the latter, he says: "That was really thrilling for me. In many ways, it was my favorite part. "Editorial was really exciting. You can study and scrutinize in a wonderfully artistic way every image that you gathered. "After that, I fell in love with the color correction and digital intermediate, where you can change the feel of the imagery," Affleck adds. In making career decisions, how much influence does media attention play? He responds: "I think there was a time where I allowed that to affect those decisions and more. I found the less I allow that to affect the decisions I make, the better. Every time (perceptions) get in my head, I make a bad decision. The more I make decisions based on what I think is just good or works for me, the better." Affleck has already been examining material and looking for his next directorial project. "I'm looking mostly for dramas that are complicated and surprise you," he says. "My favorite movies are the ones that keep surprising you and are going to challenge you to examine the characters. You might ask yourself how you might be like that, or are they like people you know, that might cause you to reexamine your own life."
"There's something really great about directing," Affleck, 35, tells Details magazine. "If you don't like this movie, I'm the guy to see. I'm the guy to criticize." But he's betting that critics – and audiences – will like the movie and that it will help him get out of a rut that included some high-profile flops and an equally high-profile romance with Jennifer Lopez. "It was probably bad for my career," he said of his dating the singer from 2002 to 2004. "What happens in this sort of bleed-over from the tabloids across your movie work," he said. "I ended up in an unfortunate crosshair position where I was in a relationship and [the media] mostly lied and inflated a bunch of salacious stuff for the sake of selling magazines. And I paid a certain price for that. Then, in concert with some movies that didn't work ..." But now Affleck is in a new phase of his career and personal life. "I feel like [Gone Baby Gone] is a linchpin for my life. My career," says the husband of actress Jennifer Garner and father of Violet, 2. "I have a lot riding on it. I want it to work. Badly. I mean, a s----- movie comes out on 2,800 screens? I've been there and it's embarrassing." As for his future, Affleck is clearly committed to his family life – and staying out of the media spotlight. "I'd be surprised if I am still living [in Los Angeles] in a couple years," he claims. "Professionally it would be difficult. But that's not as important as the other thing."
"I don't know what makes [the relationship] work. But it does," she tells Marie Claire magazine in its current issue. "One thing that makes it not not work is that we're both pretty nice." When it comes to getting over the inevitable marital spats, she says they both keep a level head. "[Ben] is not someone who's ever going to blow up on anyone," says Garner. "What I mean is, if he's ever angry with me, he doesn't act out on it in a weird way or yell at me. And I am the same. So we can handle conflict in a very loving and adult way." Another reason the couple gel so well is their love of family – and they both wish they could be closer to their relatives, who live on the other side of the country from Hollywood. "I can't live in West Virginia and do what I do – I'm not going to get lots of jobs there," Garner, 35, tells the magazine. "It bums us out. We haven't figured it out yet." Not that their own family life is lacking. Garner and Affleck, both 35, who have Violet, 22 months, "definitely wonder what it would be like to have another" baby, though they haven't decided when. "Hopefully, knock on wood, someday," is all Garner will say. Until then, the couple are enjoying being a trio. "She's pretty awesome," Garner says of Violet. "We're in that sweet spot before the terrible twos. She sleeps until 7 a.m. Yeah, we lucked out." On the career front – Garner currently stars in The Kingdom with Jamie Foxx and Jason Bateman – she's grateful she can balance her job with motherhood. "My job is great to have as a mom. I get to take long breaks and then work hard in a really concentrated way," she says. "During that concentrated time, it sucks, but whatever."
The U.K. premiere of Gone Baby Gone, Affleck's feature directing debut, has been delayed due to similarities between the story and the real-life disappearance of Madeline McCann, who vanished on a family vacation to Portugal in May. Gone Baby Gone centers on the search for a kidnapped four-year-old girl in Boston. Not only does Madeline O'Brien, the actress who portrays the girl, share a first name with Madeline McCann, she's also said to bear a strong resemblance to the missing child. The film, which stars Affleck's younger brother, Casey Affleck, was scheduled to debut at the London Film Festival next month and to open wide in November, but the release has now been postponed indefinitely. "We have been closely following the case and have decided to delay the release of the film in the U.K.," said a spokeswoman for Buena Vista International U.K. Earlier this week at the Deauville Film Festival, Affleck said the film would not be released if the situation was judged to be inappropriate. "All the people involved in the film have much greater concern for Madeleine McCann than we do for the release of our project," he said. "The movie will not be released if it is going to touch a nerve or inflame anybody's sensitivities." "The movie is just a commercial matter, whereas this is a matter of life and death," he added. The film's North American release is scheduled for Oct. 19. Madeline McCann was reported missing May 3, after she disappeared from her Praia da Luz hotel bedroom where she had been left unattended while her parents dined at a nearby restaurant. The McCann parents have recently been named as prime suspects in the case by Portuguese police, and could reportedly be charged with their daughter's "accidental killing" at any time, though no body has been found.
But since then, Affleck has been better known for his offscreen romances than for his screen performances, which have been pretty universally derided. So a lot of people will be surprised by his directorial debut, "Gone Baby Gone," though if you caught the glint of intelligence he showed in such movies as "Going All the Way" and "Boiler Room," his achievement here might seem less startling. Affleck, who also wrote the screenplay with Aaron Stockard, was smart to begin with a novel by Dennis Lehane ("Mystic River"). Like that story, which was made into an award-winning movie by Clint Eastwood, this one takes place in a working-class neighborhood of Boston and centers on the disappearance of a child. Because this film is as uncompromising as "Mystic River," and since the cast is not quite as star-studded, it faces an uphill battle at the box office. But it's going to be remembered as one of the best crime movies of this decade. Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) is a private investigator who works with his girlfriend (Michelle Monaghan) in a tight-knit Boston neighborhood. They are asked by distraught relatives to help the police locate a missing 4-year-old girl. The search leads to druggies, crime bosses, pedophiles and compromised cops. The plot is complicated and loaded with twists, but the writers do a fine job of keeping the action lucid. The script boasts a good deal of mordant humor, along with an underlying mood of melancholy. Perhaps what is most impressive is the complex moral vision that permeates the script. When Patrick gives vent to anger and disgust and shoots a pedophile, the cops applaud him, but he is tormented by the killing. That's a sign that the film isn't going to rely on pat moral judgments. "Gone" also contains a rich gallery of vivid characters, brought to life by an excellent cast. This is one case where nepotism pays off because Affleck's brother Casey gives the strongest performance of his career. He creates a memorable character -- a baby-faced detective who is constantly being mocked for his youthful appearance (a cop tells him to go back to his "Harry Potter" book) but proves to be tougher and smarter than he looks. Actually, it's neither brains nor brawn that makes Patrick a good detective; his chief strength is perseverance, a bullheaded refusal to give up the chase. Monaghan demonstrates an easy rapport with Casey Affleck. Ed Harris is superb as a cynical cop, and Harris' wife Amy Madigan has a choice cameo as the kidnapped girl's aunt. Morgan Freeman has a small but crucial role as the chief of police and lends an air of gravitas to his few scenes. All of the lowlife supporting characters are sharply etched, and there's an outstanding turn by Amy Ryan as the kidnapped girl's fun-loving, irresponsible mother. As director Affleck gets strong support from the moody, dark-tinged cinematography of two-time Oscar winner John Toll, William Goldenberg's astute editing and Harry Gregson-Williams' evocative score. Sharon Seymour's production design also plays a role in building the sense of a community, which ultimately has a great deal to do with the film's denouement. Viewers will argue about Patrick's decision in the final reel and debate whether he acted in the best interests of the kidnapped child. He is motivated by loyalty to the community where he grew up, and the film neither endorses nor criticizes his judgment. The understated, open-ended final scene allows us to sort out the moral implications for ourselves. It's a tribute to this thoughtful, deeply poignant, splendidly executed film that we replay the conclusion in our minds long after the lights come on. Cast: Director: Ben Affleck; Screenwriters: Ben Affleck, Aaron Stockard; Based on the book by: Dennis Lehane; Producers: Alan Ladd Jr., Dan Rissner, Sean Bailey; Executive producer: David Crockett; Director of photography: John Toll; Production designer: Sharon Seymour; Music: Harry Gregson-Williams; Co-producer: Chay Carter; Costume designer: Alix Friedberg; Editor: William Goldenberg.
Already on board are Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Connelly, Bradley Cooper, Kevin Connolly, Justin Long, Ginnifer Goodwin and Drew Barrymore, who is also producing. The film's interconnecting story arcs deal with the challenges of reading or misreading human behavior. Affleck will play Aniston's boyfriend, a man whose unwillingness to commit to marriage puts great strain on their relationship. Kristofferson will play Aniston's father. Ken Kwapis ("License to Wed") is directing the New Line project. Affleck most recently appeared in the ensemble action movie "Smokin' Aces." His feature directing debut "Gone Baby Gone," which he also co-wrote, opens in the fall. Singer/songwriter Kristofferson most recently appeared in "Fast Food Nation."
But "Gone, Baby, Gone," Ben Affleck's debut behind the camera, will indeed be introduced to the world at this year's Deauville Festival of American Film on September 5. The artist formerly known as the prefix of "Bennifer" is back with a promising thriller based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, author of "Mystic River." The crime drama follows two private investigators searching for a 4-year-old girl kidnapped in a rough neighborhood in Boston. Affleck produced, directed and co-wrote the film, but he stayed behind the camera, choosing instead to bestow the leading role upon his brother, Casey. The younger Affleck is on the brink of a breakthrough year, with a starring role opposite Brad Pitt in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," also in Deauville's lineup. Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris and Amy Ryan round out the high-powered cast of "Gone." After reading "Gone, Baby, Gone," the fourth book in Lehane's popular series about a co-ed team of South Boston detectives, the elder Affleck sought out the book rights from producer Alan Ladd Jr., and then wrote a script with high school buddy Aaron Stockard. Affleck and Matt Damon won an Oscar in 1998 for writing "Good Will Hunting." "Gone, Baby, Gone" was shot last summer in the "Southy" section of Boston. Affleck made it a point to incorporate real Boston locations and employ nonprofessional actors to create a realistic panorama of life on the streets in a part of town known for being blue-collar and familial yet often violent -- a place he and his brother know well. Both famous freres are confirmed to attend the world premiere in Deauville. The film is set for an October 19 North American release. So why the trip from the brutal streets of Beantown to quiet Normandy for such a star-studded, high-profile project? "Deauville always has a great combo of smart independent films and more commercial fare, so we thought that this movie would be a great fit for the festival," said Miramax president of production Keri Putnam. "We felt that France is such a director-driven market and really embraces filmmakers. The country just seems to love cinema."
The leading man - along with wife Jennifer Garner, best pal Matt Damon as well as Jason Biggs, Sarah Silverman and Joshua Jackson - is starring in a series of YouTube videos, dubbed Clean My Ride, Flex My Fuel. The five-minute films follow the adventures of a shaggy, bearded alternative fuel activist named Phin, who enlists the celebrity crew in his campaign to make "flex fuel" hip. The global warming awareness clips, produced by the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Center for American Progress Action Fund, can be found on the Clean My Ride Web site and on YouTube. In his starring role in the video, Affleck, (who first appears four minutes into the video), sports a pointy, yellow foam corn hat with leafy green ears and offers to take down "Big Oil." "Congress bows to fear," Affleck hisses at the hero, who seeks to sweeten lawmakers on corn-based ethanol. "I bring the fear. Does big oil sleep around? Got bad credit? I'll find the dirt. And I will make big oil regret the day it ever uttered the words 'price gouging!' " A new video, starring Damon, Garner and Silverman, is set to debut Tuesday, followed by new installments Wednesday and Thursday. Damon will appear as a flex fuel pump, says Brian Komar, director of strategic outreach for the center, who terms it "hysterical" and says none of the stars took issue with their odd costumes. In fact, he says, Affleck was happy to get in the corn suit. "It didn't take much," Komar tells PEOPLE. "Everyone was just really good-humored. Basically, it's an issue they care about."
The Oscar-owning pals turned up in Las Vegas Thursday for a charity poker tournament to raise awareness and money to aid the victims of the ongoing genocide in Darfur. The event, dubbed Ante Up for Africa, was held at the Rio Hotel and benefited the Enough Project and the International Rescue Committee, which are providing relief for the 2 million refugees displaced in the conflict-ridden region of Sudan. An estimated 500,000 lives have been lost to the bloodshed. Aside from Damon and Affleck, those celebs showing off their poker pusses were Adam Sandler, Ray Romano, Martin Sheen, Kevin James, Hank Azaria, Shannon Elizabeth and Damon's Ocean's Thirteen costar Don Cheadle, who organized Ante Up with professional poker player Annie Duke and has played a large role in bringing attention to African issues ever since starring in Hotel Rwanda. According to Casino City Times, Damon went head to head with a pro in the first five minutes of the 170-player contest and was in the lead before losing on the river—the final card. But Damon, who helped popularize the poker craze in Rounders, didn't lament his quick exit. "I'm here to try and raise money and awareness for the tragedies taking place," the 36-year-old thesp was quoted as saying. "I really hope it becomes an annual event. I hope it does and I hope it doesn't. I hope we can solve this issue and refocus the efforts on something else in Africa." Cheadle seconded the sentiment. "Hopefully we won't be here in five years for Darfur," he told reporters at a press conference. "This isn't going to be solved one nation at a time. We need to bring this to the world. We're actually doing a great job in this country." Affleck, a former poker tournament champ, lasted little longer than his fellow celebs, getting knocked out about halfway through the game. The Smokin' Aces actor told People his game has become a little rusty as his priorities these days, like caring for his two-year-old daughter, Violet, with wife Jennifer Garner. "I've got a kid and I'm directing movies. I have hardly any time now," Affleck said. "Poker takes a lot of time if you want to stay good. I don't want to suck. I was good. I'm still good. Family is better though." Before the Boston buddies headed to Sin City, the New York Daily News reported that Affleck and Damon took time out over the Fourth of July for a joint family vacation in Hawaii with their respective wives and children. Aside from surfing, the star duo began collaborating on their first script since taking home a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award in 1998 for Good Will Hunting. No word yet what the story's about, but Damon's publicist confirmed the pair are back behind the keyboard. "That's their plan," she told the Daily News. "Whether or not they are doing it right now, I don't know."
Quincy Jones, Russell Simmons and Tommy Hilfiger are organizing the Dream Concert, which will be held Sept. 18 at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Other scheduled performers include Robin Thicke, Bebe Winans, Cece Winans and Jessye Norman. "Today" show weatherman Al Roker will appear as a presenter, and Ben Affleck, Shaquille O'Neal and LaDainian Tomlinson have agreed to join the concert's host committee. The group working to build the King Memorial has raised $79.5 million of the $100 million needed to complete and maintain the memorial. It is slated for a space on the Tidal Basin between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. The memorial will include a sculpture of King and 14 quotations from the slain civil-rights leader. The memorial is scheduled to be completed in 2008.
Students at Falls Church High School and family members gave a standing ovation to Affleck following his commencement speech, in which he praised 19-year-old Joe Kindregan, a disabled student he met in 1998 on a film shoot. The two built a close friendship. "Everything I learned about life that really matters ... I learned from Joe," Affleck told the audience. Kindregan suffers from ataxia-telengiectasia, a rare, degenerative genetic disease. Over the past decade, Affleck has helped Kindregan raise money to develop a cure for the disease. The close nature of the pair's friendship was evident at Friday's ceremony; Affleck planted a kiss on Kindregan's forehead after being introduced and later playfully swatted him with a rolled-up program. The two met in 1998 when the Kindregans came to Dulles International Airport to watch a crew shoot the film "Forces of Nature," which starred Affleck. The actor noticed Kindregan, then 10 years old, in his wheelchair and struck up a conversation. Affleck jokingly explained to the 284 graduating seniors — who most likely never saw the film — that "it was very similar to another movie called "Citizen Kane.'" Affleck said Kindregan has since been on the set of all of his films — "He liked being on the set of `Daredevil' a lot more than being on the set of (box-office bomb) `Gigli.' But he was too polite to mention it," Affleck said. Kindregan introduced Affleck to the audience by saying "He is married to the cutest girl (Jennifer Garner) ... but most important he is the best friend you could ever have." Kindregan declined to be interviewed. Affleck, dressed in a traditional graduation gown, sat on the dais next to Kindregan and other school officials and shook hands with students who came up on stage to receive their diplomas. A few were bold enough to ask for a hug, and Affleck obliged. "He's a good hugger," said graduate Melinda Wodatch. She said Affleck's presence added to a memorable event. "I think all the kids were actually listening to his speech," she said. Garner attended the graduation but did not participate in the ceremonies.
"I'm assuming we'll have at least one more, but not for a while," the former Alias star – and mother of 1-year-old daughter Violet – tells the British edition of Marie Claire in its April issue. Regarding the problems of raising a child in Hollywood, where parental indulgence often outweighs discipline, Garner tells the magazine, "If anyone has any ideas, let me know!" Garner, 34, is keenly aware of what it is like not to have everything growing up. Speaking of her humble beginnings – Garner's grandmother made the family's clothes out of flour sacks – she says she is conscious of not spoiling her daughter. "It's tough, I do love to buy little girls' clothes," she says. Her husband is not so firm, however. "Ben would buy her anything. So we're going to have to pull back when she realizes what we're doing." For his part, says his wife, Affleck, also 34, "has an incredible work ethic, not taking anything for granted. We want that so badly for her." Since her birth, Violet has also taught her mom a thing or two. "Since having my daughter," Garner says, "I feel both happiness and anxiety more deeply." One example she cites: "Last night I read this script about cancer and had to get out of bed, get a drink of water and watch Grey's Anatomy, it was so terrifying to me."
In her new autobiography, Secrets of a Hollywood Super Madam, due in stores on Thursday, Jody "Babydol" Gibson alleges that both Affleck and Willis were patrons of her call-girl service before she was arrested eight years ago. On a promotional Website for the book, Gibson claims to reveal the details of Affleck's "steamy night with a hot blonde" as well as a "wild time" involving Willis. "This book is about my life servicing the rich and famous…and their sex, sex, sex!" Gibson writes in the introduction to her memoir, available on supermadamsecrets.com. Other household names Gibson alleges were on her list of clients include Jim Belushi, Gary Busey, former Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda, the late movie producer Don Simpson and Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones. While lawyers for Willis, Lasorda and Simpson have denied their clients ever had anything to do with Gibson, Jones has conceded he may have used her service. "It's possible," he told the Los Angeles Times. "I crossed paths with her back then. She was a madam, but if I remember right, she wanted to be a singer in a band." Gibson, who used the name "Sasha" in her role as a madam, started her California Dreamin' escort service in 1986 while trying to launch her career as a pop star. By the time she was arrested in 1999, she had expanded her business to 16 states and Europe, and was charging customers between $500 and $3,000 for personal encounters with the more than 300 women she employed, among them porn stars and models. She was convicted in April 2000 of running an international prostitution ring and served 22 months in Chowchilla, one of California's toughest prisons, where she suffered a fractured skull after being beaten by fellow inmates. Though prosecutors presented Gibson's seized phone books and payment logs as evidence during her trial, the names of her more than 1,000 clients were initially blacked out in publicly available court records, much to the frustration of the press. At the time, sources close to the investigation speculated that the client list was being suppressed by the prosecution as a means of protecting several prominent political supporters of Gil Garcetti, then the Los Angeles district attorney. The court records were later unsealed after Gibson's final appeal was rejected. According to the Los Angeles Times, two of the men listed in Gibson's records—Maurice Marciano, founder of Guess? Inc. and Steven Roth, producer of Last Action Hero—made generous contributions to Garcetti's failed campaign for reelection in 2000. Marciano told the Times he "couldn't imagine how [his] name got mixed up in this," while Roth hung up when reached for comment. Meanwhile, Garcetti, now head of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission, told the Times he had "absolutely zero recall of this case." Since her 2002 release from prison, Gibson has continued her efforts to break into the entertainment industry, launching a clothing line and shopping the film rights to her life story. She was also profiled in a 2003 episode of E! Entertainment's The High Price of Fame.
TVGuide.com: Hollywoodland is based on the life and death of TV's original Superman. Were you a fan of the show? TVGuide.com: What was it like putting on the Superman outfit? TVGuide.com: What was it like playing a real person? TVGuide.com: Did you try to get his voice down? TVGuide.com: You also gained some weight to look more like Reeves. TVGuide.com: How do you think George Reeves died? TVGuide.com: Did you have any depression from not winning the Golden Globe? TVGuide.com: What else do you like on TV? TVGuide.com: No reality shows? TVGuide.com: Any plans to work with your friend Kevin Smith again? TVGuide.com: Ah, your wife (Jennifer Garner) stars in that.... TVGuide.com: Enough promoting Kevin Smith, let's talk about your latest production. How is it being a dad? The actor, 34, tells PEOPLE about early-morning baby duty, working with brother Casey and getting back into the Hollywood swing of things. Are you enjoying awards show season? You may not have won, but congrats on the Golden Globe nomination. You play a chain-smoking bail bondsman in Smokin' Aces. You're a smoker, right? How was directing your brother Casey, 31, in Gone, Baby, Gone? For more on this story, pick up PEOPLE on newsstands now.
"Having a baby fills your life in such a way that no matter what you're doing, there's something bigger," the mom of 1-year-old Violet said Saturday while promoting her new movie Catch and Release. "I've just been in heaven being with her the past year." In the new issue of PEOPLE, Garner, 34, shares more about bringing up baby with husband Ben Affleck, also 34: How motherhood changed her: I call my mom now and say, "You know all the dinners you made that I said 'No' to and went off and ate peanut butter? I'm sorry. I get it. I slaved over roasting this, and (Violet) goes, 'No, no, no!' " Lessons learned: I was rocking her, and she was fascinated by the light hitting the ceiling. I thought, "God, for the past five years, I haven't stopped to look at light on the ceiling for (one) second." To slow down and go at her pace has been such a gift. Losing the baby weight: It took me a long, long time. I just wasn't that motivated. I wanted to play with her. Then I got on the treadmill, stopped stuffing my face and lost the weight. I cut out croissants, bagels and muffins – all the good stuff. And went back to having a salad once a day and protein. Ben Affleck on daddy-duty: He does a good job. I mean, okay, maybe I wrote out what he was supposed to make for her (to eat) today while I was gone. But that's just me being paranoid. He's great – he can do it. On the Mommy-Daddy bond: There's nothing more emotional than seeing your partner – the man you love – with your baby at any time: the first time, the second, yesterday, today. There's nothing more beautiful.
The Hollywood Reporter recently moderated a roundtable discussion with four of Hollywood's leading actors -- Ben Affleck ("Hollywoodland"), Nicole Kidman ("Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus"), Edward Norton ("The Painted Veil," "The Illusionist") and Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland") -- asking them what informs their script choices and what, at this stage of their careers, drives them creatively. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: WHY DO YOU ACT? Nicole Kidman: I don't think it's a choice. It's all I've ever really known, the desire to do that. If you have a choice, maybe you wouldn't do it because it's a struggle. It's not necessarily always filled with joy. You have to delve into places in your psyche that are not comfortable. But at the same time, I love the intimacy of working with the director and the other actors. That's probably the thing that draws me; that's where I get my high -- and when people give you feedback in terms of being emotionally affected by something that you did. As an actor, you are a conduit -- it's not really about you, in a strange way. Ben Affleck: I got into it fairly young, and it seemed like it was the only thing I really liked doing. I felt it was something I was getting better at, where I could keep learning, and that felt good and was really interesting. And it was a real challenge. It was a challenge to get a job. It was a challenge to get a chance. It was a challenge to do something interesting, to get people to believe in me, to find an honesty in myself. THR: WAS THERE A SPECIFIC MOMENT WHEN YOU FELT THIS PROFESSION COULD BE FOR YOU? Affleck: I had an audition when I was 16 for (1990's) "Men Don't Leave" with Jessica Lange. It went kind of well, then I went to the second audition for the director, and I only vaguely understood who that was. And I did this audition -- this kid talking about the death of his father -- and I had a complicated relationship with my father, and I was able to experience those feelings in playing that scene, which was a big deal for me. I became authentically emotional, and that was when I felt great about it. I felt, "This is something that is wonderful for me to do." Then I came back for the screen test, and it was horrible! I did not get the job. Forest Whitaker: It is a struggle to maintain being open, to look inside yourself, go inside the dark rooms inside of yourself or the light rooms and uncover the truth. When you reach toward the truth, there is always some sort of trouble. There are obstacles that obscure it when you move toward something that is honest and true. That is a struggle for me, at times. It is a struggle for me to feel like I am being completely honest. There was a period of time where I felt, every time I looked at myself onscreen, "This was false." Inherently, it was false because it was me playing somebody else. At a certain point, not so long ago, I started to figure out how to vibrate a little differently so that I could at least trick my own mind into believing I was this other person. Now, I am trying to work on something different as I continue. THR: A DIFFERENT PROCESS? Whitaker: Yes. Because I have been through times where it was painful for me -- you have no point inside of yourself where you are enjoying what is actually occurring. And I started to work on that. Edward Norton: It's a relationship that has changed a lot for me over the years. The way I feel about it or am interacting with it ebbs and flows; I go through very different phases. ... At times, it wells up in you like this compulsion, and at other times, (there's) that feeling acutely conscious of all the artifice in it. And in those moments, you need that lens change -- you need to do something to shake it up and get back into working from a more organic or less self-conscious place. People think that when actors get better-known, self-consciousness ceases to be a factor, and I don't think that's true at all. But to keep doing it, you have got to get a sense that you are doing it to connect with other people and have other people feel connected. THR: DO YOU HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT THE BASIC WORTHINESS OF WHAT YOU ARE DOING? Affleck: Oh, definitely. I have a doubt about my own worth, and a lot of times, I experience conflict about what is the social merit of doing this. But for me, acting has been really torturous. It feels like a lot of failure and very little success, and it is hard to divorce it from what is really honest and true. It has only been good when I have been able to put away my own vanity, my own self-consciousness, my own sense of how each piece of behavior that I am engaging in is going to be interpreted by somebody. Kidman: I have had the same struggle as Forest. That's how I come up with (the idea that) you are a conduit, and it's probably why I choose filmmakers that tend to be more philosophical or idea people. THR: YOU'VE SAID IN THE PAST THAT YOU LIKE YOUR DIRECTORS TO BE PHILOSOPHER-DIRECTORS. Kidman: I make choices so spontaneously -- there is no rhyme or reason for it -- I just respond. I never make a plan for the future; I try to just exist. But I have seen a pattern with that. THR: WHAT MAKES A GOOD DIRECTOR? Kidman: I am not a control freak; I'll be put in the hands of a director and go, "Mold me, change me." I love to morph and to change and to discover, and that's why you have to really carefully pick the people. THR: ISN'T THAT SCARY? Kidman: Yes. But then ultimately, as much as we talk about acting, if you are in a film, it is about the director's vision. As much as you hope that what you are doing and saying will be heard and remembered, there's the editing room, and the editor and director go and shape the performances. How many times have we seen a film and gone, "What happened?" I've been in the hands of some people I didn't respect, and that's torture. If I can respect somebody, I'll walk to the ends of the earth. I'm devoted. But if they do something where I'm like, "I actually don't think you're very smart or very good," then it is, "Oh, no." And if you discover that after you've signed on to do it, that's a disaster. THR: EDWARD, IS THAT WHY YOU HAVE AT TIMES BEEN INVOLVED WITH WRITING AND EDITING, AS YOU WERE WITH (1998'S) "AMERICAN HISTORY X?" Norton: These things get talked up into more than they really were. I agree fundamentally with what Nicole said. You've got to respect directors' visions of things, or you shouldn't work with them. I would never try and have never fundamentally tried to steamroll somebody because it's pointless. But I think there is a spectrum of experiences. There are times when, as an actor, you come in to service somebody's vision and play that role. The thing about being an actor that's most difficult for me is that there is this fundamental lack of autonomy. There is almost no other place in the arts in which you can't do your work alone in your room. Only actors have to wait for someone else to say, "OK, come and do it." And there's something in that that really messes with your psychology. What's important is to learn to identify the way that you work -- learn to identify your own needs, learn to see in others those kinds of collaborators you trust. Affleck: Part of being an actor, really, is about how discerning you are, the choices you make. The small choices you make in a scene are up to you, but there is also a macro taste choice -- "How does this screenplay work? Is this director very good?" -- choices that I have made, a lot of them poorly! THR: WHY? Affleck: For a combination of reasons -- wanting to be successful, wanting people to like me, wanting to make money -- some of them good. You do depend on a lot of things that are unknown. THR: NICOLE, DO YOU HAVE PEOPLE YOU TURN TO FOR ADVICE WHEN YOU CHOOSE YOUR PROJECTS? Kidman: I'll pool my resources. But ultimately, you're the one who goes through it, so you don't want to be blaming anybody. And I'll make choices because I want to work at a particular time, because I'm running from my life! There are many different ways in which you make an artistic choice, and sometimes they play out, sometimes they don't. What's interesting to me is that when actors years ago (worked) in that studio system, the idea of making a lot of movies and delving into things where some of them worked and some of them didn't (was wonderful). And now, there's so much judgment placed on something not working that it tends to make you recoil from taking chances. Norton: When you were working with Sean Penn on (2005's) "The Interpreter," I ran into Sean and said, "How's that going?" And he went, "It's fantastic. She's making me realize something about myself: I am so precious about the where and why I do something, and she is just a professional. She is so committed to working." When this was even more of an industry, in some sense, people just went to work. THR: BUT WAS THE WORK BETTER? Affleck: I've heard this argument made that when the studios ran Hollywood, they made better movies, and when the actors ran Hollywood and they picked the movies, the movies weren't as good. I don't know that that's true. They made more movies. THR: WHY ARE SO MANY STARS NOT TAKING RISKS NOW THAT THEY DO GET THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE? Kidman: To take risks, you have to be willing to fail. It is so hard to make a good film -- that is just a given -- so you are already starting off (with things against you). And you say, "Well, the script may not be there, but maybe this director will find it. Am I willing to gamble on that? Yes." But after it doesn't work a few times, you get rapped on the knuckles for it. And then you've got to have a film come out that makes a lot of money so that you can buy yourself four or five things, and then if you get lucky, maybe one of those risky choices suddenly is extraordinary. THR: GOING BACK TO WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT KNOWING YOUR NEEDS, EDWARD, WHAT DID YOU MEAN? Norton: I guess I meant fostering good collaboration with people, in terms of the environment of the work. THR: WHAT ARE YOUR NEEDS, FOREST? Whitaker: I am trying to grow. I am trying to become a better artist and a better person. So, I am looking to work on something that is going to push me to understand more about myself and others. If I go into a project, I do hope I can find an environment of trust, an environment where I don't have to wonder, when I ask someone if that was OK, if they are telling me the truth or whether they are really saying, "We need to move on." I do have certain needs in that. You have a director who is leading the environment, and hopefully you trust him enough to maybe even make it a Eucharistic experience, where he gives you something that you take in, and (something better) comes out. THR: YOU SAID YOU WANT TO BE A BETTER ARTIST AND A BETTER HUMAN BEING. ARE THEY CONNECTED? Whitaker: I think so. A lot of our time is spent doing our work, and if our work doesn't allow us to grow as people, then we are lost. Norton: The best part of the whole gig is this continual learning process. The most amazing privilege of the gig is that it is like a skeleton key into these rooms of experience. It is a license to investigate. THR: ARE GREAT ARTISTS NECESSARILY GREAT HUMAN BEINGS? Affleck: I really want to believe that is true, maybe because it will make me believe this is a meritocracy. Norton: Keep on believing! (Laughter) Affleck: But I haven't found that it is true. Everybody hated (William Butler) Yeats, right? And yet, he is a brilliant poet. (In the film industry), there is a lot of ego and a lot of competition and a finite amount of space, and that makes people a little bit more cutthroat. And there are attributes of the artist that sometimes don't make them particularly pleasant people. Kidman: There's a lot of fear. When the stakes are so high, there's fear. But I have worked with what are probably considered some of the most "difficult" (people), between Lars von Trier and (Stanley) Kubrick. I didn't find them difficult. THR: NOT EVEN VON TRIER? Kidman: No, I didn't find him difficult. I found him honest and raw. THR: BUT YOU DIDN'T DO THE SEQUEL TO (2004'S) "DOGVILLE?" Kidman: I didn't do the sequel because I didn't want to go to a place that he was asking me to go to. But I would work with Lars again, and I have just been e-mailing him about something else recently. But artists are complicated. They are beautiful, and they are difficult, and they can be awful. At the same time, if someone is obsessed in the right way, then I can forgive them a lot. "Difficult" is someone that doesn't care, who is actually only there for the money or isn't obsessed with what they are trying to achieve and therefore is a fraud. If they are actually trying to achieve something and reach high, then I think, good on you. Whatever the complications that go into getting there, I'll walk the walk with you. Affleck: "Difficult" is oftentimes the mark that somebody is working hard and cares. That is not being a "bad" person. Manipulative, dishonest, venal, ugly, hateful, petty, abusive -- those are also characteristics sometimes that overlap with great art. It is an easy equation when you have somebody who is killing themselves and wants to push the hell out of you. I wish I found that more. Norton: Talent and character aren't the same thing. I don't think by any estimation those things are automatically equated. I remember reading where Woody Allen said that he appreciated talent, but he admired courage. I agree with that. There's plenty of people (with whom) I have had intimations that they are not a person of stellar character, but they are hugely talented. THR: WHAT MAKES A GREAT ACTOR -- NOT A GOOD ONE, A GREAT ONE? Whitaker: Someone who tries to commit, tries to connect and is willing to give and live in that space and reach for the truth. Norton: Stella Adler said (that) an actor's talent is in their choices -- not just within the material, but of the material. When I look at actors whose body of work is really meaningful to me, it is people who have succeeded on both those counts: The work they do is stellar -- it is truthful, it is inspired -- and the choices they make within the material are great. Sometimes, it is about people who have somehow taken the measure of the times they are living in, who have connected to the energy of their generation and, like Nicole said, been a conduit for things that were going on. THR: SO, NATURALISM AND BELIEVABILITY AREN'T ENOUGH? Norton: Naturalism sometimes is overrated. Naturalism can be banal. Stanley Kowalski is not a naturalistic character but a heightened character; Faye Dunaway in (1976's) "Network" is not naturalistic. Sometimes, what a good actor is doing is reaching up and taking things and coalescing them into something that is like a heightened state. Kidman: Kubrick used to always say that. He would say, "That's great. Now, I am not interested in 'Let's go to the Actors Studio and watch you do a scene, and I'll believe it.' I am not interested in that. I want to elevate it." He would never say what he wanted, though. Affleck: Sydney Pollack told me a story about that movie (1999's "Eyes Wide Shut"), where he said that he had a really hard time, and Kubrick told him, "Real is good; interesting is better." THR: HOW IMPORTANT IS INTELLECT IN ACTING? Norton: I see people romanticizing the idea of the "intuitive actor," as though an actor showing up and doing nothing but working from the guts and splattering it all over everywhere is the primo way to work. It is a bad projection of a certain Jimmy Dean romanticization. The truth is, I have never worked with anyone I would call a really good actor who I don't think begins with an intellectual process of assessing (the work). ... You have got to look at the piece that you are going to service and understand its terms. An actor today can be called on to do such a wide range of work -- how can you ever just apply your intuition? You have to examine the style. You have to examine theme. You have to bring an intellectual component to the work. There is a huge amount of clinical work. Kidman: It is like you are trying to map out the psychology of, one, a person and two, an overall story, and you've got to fight for moments and ideas that you think will shape it. And ultimately, a director loves that. You want to be surprised -- as a director, as an actor. So much of it is, "Come in, surprise me." Things are discussed, and you go away, and they sit with you. But at the same time, what's very disturbing is if you work with someone who can sit at the table and talk the character -- "I am going to do this and this" -- there can be a lot of talk. I much prefer to go, "Let's try it. Why not?" You can get bogged down in all the ideas and talk. Affleck: That can exist without talent -- the ability to discuss something intelligently. But the ability to execute does not exist without the capacity for analyzing it. Whitaker: You are mapping out a character; you are figuring out how he thinks, how he feels, what he looks like, what way he behaves toward this person or that person. There has to be a process of analyzing the script and then hopefully making it organic. And sometimes, that means talking with the director about something that may be missing in the script. Kidman: I remember with (2001's) "The Others," I read the script and thought, "Great." Then I went and did (2001's) "Moulin Rouge" and went back and read the script, and there had been a rewrite on it, and I thought, "This isn't the film I wanted to make." So then, I arrived in Spain and in this script, I am hitting a child -- and I saw this film as being about a mother's love for her children, not her desire to kill the children. And there was conflict for about two weeks between us (Kidman and director Alejandro Amenabar), and we ended up with a great experience together. (Later) he said, "I am so glad you fought for that." But I had to learn that. That's where my ex-husband actually so helped me. He'd be like, "Nic, go in and voice your concerns. Trust me, it will be appreciated." That's a hard thing for me, sometimes. THR: TO WHAT EXTENT ARE YOU MORALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT A PROJECT SAYS? Whitaker: I think you are. Norton: You make a choice to do something like put an 18-inch swastika on your chest -- I don't do that without a very careful consideration of what (the film) has to say. I am not going to do that casually, and nobody should. And I am not doing that film to have it say the opposite of what I think it was meant to say. Affleck: That's a pretty extreme example, though. What's thorny is where it becomes more muddled and a little bit more nuanced. Kidman: I agree, in general. But I had an experience on "Dogville" where I was chosen because of my belief for the character. I have a strong spiritual-religious part, I suppose, and Lars von Trier knew that and chose me for the role so that I would argue my point through the role, which was, "Forgive others." The way in which he manipulated me or used that to make his overall statement was interesting to me, even though I don't necessarily agree with his overall statement about humanity. If it was something I was absolutely opposed to and found worked against my own grain completely -- which the film didn't -- (that would be different). THR: IS THERE ARE A CONFLICT BETWEEN ART AND MORALITY? Whitaker: I don't choose to excuse anything that's said in art as being OK (just because it is art). As much as they have the right to do it, I have the right to judge it. There have been many times in history when people have been beat down and oppressed and abused -- and art reflected that (positively). And I am not going to say that is OK.
Violet's cousin Alex was also baptized. Garner, a Charleston native, won a Golden Globe Award for her starring role as agent Sydney Bristow in the TV series "Alias," which ended its five-year run in May. Movie credits for the 34-year-old actress include "Elektra" and "13 Going on 30." Affleck, also 34, is nominated for a Golden Globe Award for playing George Reeves, star of the 1950s TV show "Adventures of Superman," in "Hollywoodland." He won a screenwriting Oscar with Matt Damon in 1998 for "Good Will Hunting." The couple were married in June 2005. Garner's younger sister, Susannah, and her husband are also members of the church.
BEN AFFLECK- HOLLYWOODLAND "I've never been very judicious about my own behavior or choices until they had an impact on people other than me," Affleck, 34, tells USA Today. "Obviously, my wife. And my daughter, who's going to have my last name – I don't want her to mutter it over a drink. I want her to be proud of her old man." Affleck and his wife, Jennifer Garner, never released photos of 1-year-old Violet. "We just didn't sell them – that was the thing," says Affleck, whose directorial debut, Gone, Baby, Gone, is due in 2007. "I'm extraordinarily lucky and privileged," he says, "and I've tried not to be bitter, but I have developed a reactionary defensiveness." He adds, "But for my child, she didn't make the bargain I did. She didn't make that choice. And I don't want her to have to pay for the parents' sins. I try to protect her privacy. I'll end up in the magazines, and that's life, and I can live with it, but I try to shield my daughter." And Affleck is a hands-on – and happy – dad. "Yes, I've changed diapers," he told PEOPLE Wednesday at a New York City screening of his movie Hollywoodland. "Parenthood, the whole thing is wonderful. All the clichés that all the people bore you with are, in fact, true."
Suggesting, however, that "some people" would want "five or six" kids and would "love to have a large family," DeGeneres is told by Affleck: "I think I should probably talk to my wife before I talk to you." As for his hiatus from film work, Affleck tells the TV host: "I took about a couple of years off, definitely for a full year I didn't do anything and I did this (the period drama Hollywoodland), and then the rest of the time I spent directing a movie" – the Boston detective drama Gone, Baby, Gone, to be released next year. Affleck says he purposefully took time off because, "I was a little bit exhausted of myself and my life, so I wanted to try to control it or manage it." He says he wanted to figure out for himself who he is and what he wants to do instead if "looking through the reflection through a magazine or being defined by somebody else." And what did he discover about stepping back to take a look? "It was good for me and good things happened for me. It was nice."
Other honorees include Ben Affleck for "Best Comeback," Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert as "Attack Dog," MSNBC's Keith Olbermann as a "Renegade," Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is tarred with "Loudmouth," and young Ryan Gosling as the "Phenom" of 2006. Christopher Bailey of Burberry makes the grade as "Designer of the Year." There is always a GQ woman among the men, and the editor's hot "Obsession" is - no surprise - Lindsay Lohan, our era's Lana, Liz and Ann-Margret.
Mirren was named best actress for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears' "The Queen." Affleck won best actor for his role in Allen Coulter's "Hollywoodland," which dramatizes an investigation into the death of George Reeves, star of the 1950s TV show "Adventures of Superman." "The Queen" also took the prize for best script. Chinese director Jia Zhang-ke's "Still Life" or "Sanxia Haoren" was a surprise entry late in the festival, and trumped candidates like Emilio Estevez' "Bobby," about the assassination of Robert Kennedy, and "The Queen," about the week that followed Princess Diana's death. "Still Life" was shot in the old village of Fengjie, which has been destroyed by the building of the Three Gorges Dam, and tells of people who go back there. More than 1.13 million Chinese have been relocated to make way for the dam, many of them complaining of bleak prospects in their new homes above the waterline or in other parts of China. "We were told there would be a surprise film at the end of this festival, and we didn't have a lot of discussion," French actress Catherine Deneuve, who headed the jury that awarded the top prize, told reporters after the ceremony. "The beauty of the cinematography and the quality of the story, without getting political, the characters, we were very touched and we were very moved," Deneuve added. "We know it's a very special film." The Silver Lion for directing went to Alain Resnais for his film "Private Fears in Public Places." Resnais returned to the Venice Film Festival 45 years after his film "Last year at Marienbad" won the Golden Lion. Resnais' new film is an adaptation of British playwright Alan Ayckbourn's play of the same name, and tells the overlapping stories of six people's search for identity, spun around alcohol, sex and religion. The movie "Nuovomondo" ("Golden Door") won the Silver Lion for revelation, an award that the jury does not have to hand out. The movie follows the voyage of a Sicilian family in the early 1990s from their homeland to America.
After two years out of the spotlight, the actor whose reputation was scorched by overheated media coverage of his love life and a handful of lackluster films is back on screen. The first role after his self-imposed exile: George Reeves, the tragic Superman actor of the 1950s whose mysterious death is explored in Hollywoodland, opening Friday. Affleck, 34, is receiving some of the strongest reviews since his 1997 breakthrough in Chasing Amy and goodwill Hunting, which earned him a screenplay Oscar with Matt Damon. Affleck's new movie also is drawing comparisons with his life. Both Affleck and Reeves faced career crises amid withering press and a public that projected the actors' screen images onto their real lives. Unlike Reeves, who is believed to have committed suicide, Affleck used the career grief to fuel his performance, says Hollywoodland screenwriter and executive producer Paul Bernbaum. "It's about who you really are, as opposed to who people think you are," Bernbaum says. "Whatever role (Affleck) played in the press, that wasn't him. When you're followed 24 hours a day, you can't be yourself. And George had the same problem. He wasn't Superman, but that's all anyone wanted to see. Ben could really relate to that." Affleck has been low-key lately, not doing interviews to promote the film. Last year, he quietly married Jennifer Garner, and they had a child. Kristy Ashmore, who runs Ben-Fan.com, says she's glad he took a break. "It gave people a chance to recover from the Bennifer thing," referring to his engagement to Jennifer Lopez. Ashmore says the actor's mistake was sublimating his regular-guy charm in favor of "bling and glam." Affleck is going back to his roots by writing and directing the kidnapping thriller Gone, Baby, Gone, set in his hometown of Boston. It's due next year. "It's a gritty drama, very powerful, very emotional," says Daniel Battsek, president of Miramax films, which is releasing Gone and is a partner on Hollywoodland. "He may not have been on screen for a little while, but he's a young guy and has plenty of career left in him, both as an actor and a director."
Instead, "Hollywoodland" sidles up to you, glamorously looking the part but falling far short of delivering the goods. An exploration of the 1959 death of TV's Superman, George Reeves (Ben Affleck), the film oozes period authenticity and features several strong performances, notably from Diane Lane who's vibrant and vicious as Reeves' older, married mistress. Even some of the supporting actors are powerful in the briefest of roles, including Joe Spano as MGM's ruthless publicist and Lois Smith as Reeves' grieving mother. But there's something sadly inert about the feature debut from longtime television director Allen Coulter ("Sex and the City," "The Sopranos"), written by Paul Bernbaum. There's a lethargy to the pacing that makes it feel as if it will never end after only an hour. And there's a "who cares?" factor about a number of subplots, which should never happen in a film that purports itself to be a taut thriller. Typically wiry and intense Adrien Brody stars as Louis Simo, a private detective who, in true noir fashion, is on the brink of being washed up when news hits that Reeves was found dead in his Hollywood Hills home. Los Angeles police close the case — looks like the guy shot himself in his bedroom, let's move on — but Reeves' mother, Helen Bessolo, hires Simo to dig deeper. Coulter and Bernbaum flash backward and forward between the young actor achieving unexpected fame starring in "Adventures of Superman" and Simo meandering between meetings with various Hollywood fixtures. (The film does an amusing job of depicting the Ed Wood-style technology of the TV production, with Reeves in a grayish-brown leotard trying to soar through the air but instead falling flat on his face when the cables collapse.) Having previously played a bit part in "Gone With the Wind," Reeves finds his professional and personal lives improve significantly when he becomes romantically involved with the gorgeous, flirtatious Toni Mannix (Lane). She's the wife of MGM chief Eddie Mannix (a perfectly crass Bob Hoskins), who's having an affair of his own and doesn't care about her dalliances. (A scene in which the four go out together for an expensive dinner is deliciously awkward.) Lane is just dazzling as a woman who's smart enough to know that she's past her prime, but too insecure to keep herself from falling for this younger man who might just be taking advantage of her extraordinary generosity. She looks ravishing (as always) and wears the clothes beautifully, but she also shows moving flashes of vulnerability as her character ages toward the end. Toni and/or Eddie might have been responsible for putting a bullet in Reeves, Simo figures. Or maybe it was his ambitious fiancee, Leonore (Robin Tunney), who pulled the trigger after a boozy night of arguing. None of these scenarios is nearly startling enough as an alternative to the hazy but long-held belief that Reeves shot himself after being typecast as the Man of Steel and seeing his career stall. ("Hollywoodland" suggests that he should have been edited out of "From Here to Eternity" after the audience hooted him at the premiere, but it also cleverly inserts Affleck into the classic film's footage.) Coulter also wastes time exploring Simo's faltering home life, with an ex-wife (Molly Parker) who can't stand him and has moved onto someone new, and a son (Zach Mills) who doesn't trust him. None of this is terribly effective as a means of fleshing him out and explaining his motivation; neither is the nebulous relationship with his gal Friday, played by the likable Caroline Dhavernas. But in watching "Hollywoodland," it's hard not to imagine how much Affleck must have related to Reeves while playing the part. Both rose faster than they ever could have imagined; both got stuck and sought opportunities to redeem their careers. Affleck's efforts have had better results: This is the best work we've seen from him in a long time, and it reminds us that, given the right material (and perhaps the fact that he's wisely shied away from the limelight for a while) he can offer a certain charisma and even depth, and not just serve as a punch line. He's managed to take advantage of an opportunity with "Hollywoodland" that the filmmakers themselves, for whatever reason, did not. That's the real mystery here. "Hollywoodland," a Focus Features release, is rated R for language, some violence and sexual content. Running time: 126 minutes. Two stars out of four.
George Reeves, whose work as TV's Man of Steel would set the Superman screen standard for decades, died in his Benedict Canyon home from a gunshot to the head. The coroner ruled it suicide. The new film "Hollywoodland," which opens Friday, suggests Reeves might have been murdered. Ben Affleck portrays Reeves, Diane Lane is his rich mistress, Bob Hoskins is her studio-boss husband and Adrien Brody is a third-rate private eye trying to prove it was murder. Considering the drama that surrounded Reeves' life and death, it's surprising that Hollywood hasn't explored his saga until now. Reeves was born George Basselo on April 6, 1914, in Woodstock, Iowa. At the age of 15 he moved to Southern California, where the tall, solidly built teenager became a championship wrestler on the Pasadena City College team. His first film role was auspicious: he was cast as one of the Tarleton twins in the opening scenes of the 1939 film classic, "Gone With the Wind." His new name was listed at the bottom of the credits: George Reeves. Reeves' film career was gaining momentum when he was drafted into the Army. After World War II ended, he struggled through minor roles in "A" pictures and leads in "B" films. When he could find no film work at all, he supported himself by digging septic tanks. During a dull stretch in his career, Reeves agreed to star in a "Superman" TV series. It was filmed on the cheap, with the actors sometimes working on five different episodes in a day. The syndicated "The Adventures of Superman" proved a surprise hit, however, attracting both adult and child audiences. "I even got a letter from the Emperor of Japan telling me how much he enjoyed the series," Reeves once said. The actor made 100 episodes as the character who was "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive." He was earning $2,500 a show, good money for a non-network series. But there was a downside. He learned that studios were loath to hire TV stars. He managed to land a small role in 1953's "From Here to Eternity," but that was all. Reeves, who had married and divorced in the early 1940s, was having an affair with Toni Mannix, a former "Ziegfeld Follies" beauty who was married to Eddie Mannix, a former bouncer who became a powerful executive at MGM. Mannix was aware of his wife's affair but didn't intervene; he had his own mistress. Toni Mannix lavished gifts on her lover, including his house, furnishings, car and elegant wardrobe. The largesse failed to improve his spirits, which grew increasingly worse as acting jobs eluded him. In a blow to Mrs. Mannix, Reeves announced his engagement to Lenore Lemmon, a twice-married New Yorker. Late on the night of June 16, 1959, Reeves and Lemmon were drinking with two friends in the living room of his house. "I'm tired; I'm going to bed," Reeves said, and he disappeared upstairs. A few moments later came the crack of a 30-calibre Luger. Reeves, 45, was dead. There was talk in Hollywood that someone else may have shot Reeves, who had bequeathed his house, car and wardrobe to Toni Mannix. But the Los Angeles County Coroner's report said, "the position of Reeves' body on the bed, the angle of the bullet's path and the autopsy findings all point to suicide." Except for devoted "Superman" fans, the matter of Reeves' death dropped off the radar until 1995, when the NBC series "Unsolved Mysteries" presented a segment, "Who Killed Superman?" Alternatives to suicide were suggested but not pursued. In 2000, ABC's "20/20" offered its own take on the Reeves matter, suggesting that the jilted Toni Mannix might have sought revenge. And now we have "Hollywoodland," which advances the notion that Eddie Mannix, angered by Reeves' rejection of his wife, might have hired a hit man as revenge. "Mannix was a tough guy," observes the film's director, Allen Coulter. "With that toughness came a reputation for ruthlessness." Coulter, who has directed episodes of "The Sopranos" and "Sex in the City" but never a feature film, considered "all kinds of names" for the role of George Reeves before choosing Affleck, whose own career was in a downswing. "Ben was the right age," the director explained, "and he had a kind of Hollywood glamour about him. I thought for 30 seconds before deciding on him." "Hollywoodland" has the look of the film capital in the 1950s, vintage cars and all. But Coulter admitted, "We shot six weeks in Toronto and two weeks in Los Angeles." In a joint interview with co-star Diane Lane, Adrien Brody observed, "Hollywood was more glamorous in the 1950s than it is today." "Back then, there was some preservation of dignity. Royalty was really royalty," added Lane, Oscar nominee as best actress in the 2002 film "Unfaithful." Unlike Affleck, Lane had to audition for the role of Reeves' lover and financial supporter. "Once I realized all the things that went wrong in his life, I was very grateful to be part of his story," she said. "I think she loved him." Brody, who won the Oscar for best actor in 2002's "The Pianist," commented that in the 1950s there was a new style of acting, exemplified by method actors Montgomery Clift, James Dean, Marlon Brando and others from the Actors Studio. "There was a new system, and George Reeves was caught in the middle," he said. "He didn't fit in anymore." Brody's character is mostly fictional, though in real life Reeves' mother did hire a private eye to look into his death. "I got to play this middle-class guy who wants to be big stuff," Brody remarked. "He was similar in aspirations to George (Reeves). They both wanted respect, to be more successful. The big catalyst is his realization that he hasn't really cared about much, other than himself. That opened him up to being more self-aware."
"I think more and more people pay attention to actors' private lives (and that) makes it difficult to suspend disbelief when you are going to watch their movie because really what you are thinking about is whatever you have read about them in a magazine rather than the performance they are giving, and it makes the actor's job harder," Affleck said at a news conference. "The movies become incidental pit-stops and commercial breaks in the soap opera of their life." Affleck's comments sparked a renewed interest in Venice about paparazzi, who were booed when they appeared on the screen early during the world premiere of "The Queen" on Saturday -- three days after the anniversary of Princess Diana's 1997 death. The docudrama is about the friction between British Premier Tony Blair and the Queen in the wake of the car crash that ended the princess' life. Both "Hollywoodland" and "The Queen" are among the 21 films in competition at this year's festival. For their part, festival organizers said that despite Affleck's comments, there appeared to be no increase in paparazzi-related complaints at this year's festival. "The photographers are doing their job like everyone else at the festival," one official said. "We haven't received any complaints about inappropriate behavior" by photographers. And photographers covering the festival defended their role. "The photographers in Venice are doing the same exact thing they do at all festivals," said Geoff Pugh, a three-year Venice veteran with London's Daily Telegraph. "But I guess people have to complain about something." But it was actor-director Ethan Hawke -- whose directorial sophomore effort, "The Hottest State," premiered out of competition on Saturday -- who tried to put the issue in perspective when he was questioned about attention from photographers at the press conference for his film. "If the paparazzi are bothering you," Hawke said, "it probably means you are having a pretty wonderful life."
The much-anticipated "Hollywoodland" stars Ben Affleck as George Reeves, portrayed as an ultimately dispirited actor who aspires to greatness but is typecast as a television superhero, and Adrian Brody as a private detective trying to make a case that his apparent suicide was actually murder. The movie, set in 1950s Los Angeles, has all the elements of a film noir, but Coulter said he sees "Hollywoodland" more as "a story of two men who seek meaning in their lives through celebrity." The theme of fame-at-all-costs was close to home for the actors and director alike. "I think the reason that we were all drawn to the story is that Hollywood is a repository for that kind of thinking," said Coulter, director of the HBO hit "The Sopranos" making his feature film directorial debut. Affleck's Reeves is disappointed that he did not achieve the right kind of fame, while Brody's headline-seeking detective pursues fame of his own by trying to debunk the LAPD's suicide ruling. Affleck, who won a best screenplay Oscar for "Good Will Hunting," said he tried to give a respectful portrayal of Reeves as a tonic to the exploitation his character experienced in life. "I didn't want to exhume his image and likeness to flog our own careers," Affleck said, mindful of Reeves' struggle to break free of his image as The Man of Steel. "Audiences could only see him as such. I think it was very painful for him," the actor said. While the film unfolds in the very controlled environment of studio-dominated Hollywood, it was not much of a leap for Affleck and his co-stars living in a media-fueled era to identify with Reeves' troubled relationship with his own fame. "People pay attention to actors' private lives and personal lives, and even the most mundane details of life, almost on a parallel track, where the movies become incidental pit stops, commercial breaks, in actors' lives," said Affleck, whose personal relationships have provided much media fodder. "It's a dance you have to dance. ... If there are any secrets, I haven't found them out," he said. Academy Award-winner Brody said he understood why audiences feel overly familiar with actors, but said it made actors' lives more difficult. "Our object as an actor is to create a level of truth and believability with the characters we portray. If we succeed, then there is a connection between the character and the audience," Brody said. "You share very intimate moments — moments I wouldn't share with you in real life. The line blurs." Both "Hollywoodland" and De Palma's "The Black Dahlia" — among 21 contenders for the coveted Golden Lion awarded at the Sept. 9 end of the festival — center on untimely deaths in postwar Hollywood and explore the phenomenon of interrupted celebrity. "I think they both speak to a continued fascination with death in Hollywood," said "Hollywoodland" producer Glenn Williamson.
"Hollywoodland" premiered in Venice on Thursday, the second "film noir" detective story to hit the annual film festival in as many days after "The Black Dahlia" kicked of the 11-day movie marathon on Wednesday. Affleck, who has famously enjoyed as many lows in his movie career as highs, acknowledged he had plenty in common with Reeves, but stopped short of calling his latest performance a "comeback" after two critical flops in recent years. "I never use the 'c'-word -- it's impolite," the 34-year-old told reporters after a press screening of the film. "Nowadays ... people pay attention more and more to actors' private lives or personal lives or even the most mundane aspects of their every day lives in a kind of parallel track alongside their movies," said popular tabloid target Affleck. "Even the movies sometimes become incidental pit stops or commercial breaks in the soap opera of their life. I think that is bad for the actors, definitely, because it makes it difficult to suspend disbelief when you go and see their movie." He called fame "just the dance you have to dance." Early reaction to "Hollywoodland" suggests the critics will be kinder to Affleck this time around, after he was savaged for his role in the 2003 film "Gigli" in which he starred alongside former partner Jennifer Lopez. But his performance could be overshadowed by Diane Lane, who plays Reeves' older lover in the film, and Oscar best actor winner Adrien Brody as a small-time private detective sucked into investigating the mysterious death. SUICIDE VERSION CHALLENGED The film puts forward several theories as to how Reeves, who became a household name for his role as Superman in a hugely successful television series, died in June, 1959 from a single gunshot wound. His death was initially treated as suicide, explained by his depression at failing to make it as a big movie star. But doubts surfaced when two more bullet holes were discovered at the scene of his death and no fingerprints were found on the gun. Debut movie director Allen Coulter, best known for his work on TV series "Sex and the City" and "The Sopranos," said there were lessons today from what happened nearly 50 years ago. "This is a movie about the world we live in now, largely populated by the cult of celebrity, the need for everybody these days, regardless of what their job is, to somehow get their picture in the paper ... to have their 15 seconds of fame. "Hollywood ... promotes the notion that only the glamorous, only the famous are really to be valued and that's what I think ultimately makes the film a tragedy." So important does fame become, Affleck argued, that some even contemplate suicide in order to achieve it. But he added: "I think generally speaking it's not the greatest career move. Personally I would rather not be famous than dead."
The all-day fundraiser on WEEI-AM radio and New England Sports Network cable television station passed its goal of $2.6 million by 12:30 a.m. Saturday and was continuing to accept online donations through the weekend. Trump, a telethon guest who also threw out the first pitch at the second game of a Red Sox-Yankees doubleheader, donated $60,000 that moved the total ahead of last year's $2.3 million. Red Sox owner John Henry donated $30,000 and Yankees owner George Steinbrenner kicked in $10,000. Others participating in the telethon were "Fever Pitch" filmmakers Peter and Bobby Farrelly, and Massachusetts Sens. Edward Kennedy and John Kerry. Gov. Mitt Romney also sent in a donation. The Jimmy Fund, established in 1948 to support cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has been the primary charity for the Red Sox since 1953.
First-time feature director Allen Coulter, whose extensive TV credits include multiple episodes of "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City," effectively soaks up the tainted atmosphere provided by newcomer Paul Bernbaum's script, but there is a stifling lethargy hanging over the production that prevents it from taking on a life of its own. With its release a week after its August 31 premiere at the Venice Film Festival, the Focus Features film will get an early head start out of the awards-season gate, and a savvy marketing push, combined with the enticing subject matter, could yield some lofty business. Known at one point as "Truth, Justice and the American Way," the picture finds a way into Reeves' life and disturbing demise through the investigation conducted by Louis Simo (Adrien Brody), a scrappy, low-rent private detective hired by Reeves' mother (Lois Smith), who refuses to accept that his death was a suicide. As Simo plunges himself into the case, Reeves' life and times unravel in a series of alternating flashbacks, with a heavier Ben Affleck doing the honors. Despite landing a role in no less than "Gone With the Wind" immediately after landing his first studio contract, Reeves is just another struggling actor at the outset of the 1950s, when television and a certain caped superhero first beckon. Before the series begins to air, his private life also is looking pretty rosy as he embarks on a live-in affair with the older Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), whose husband, Eddie (Bob Hoskins), happens to be general manager of MGM, not to mention an ex-mobster from New Jersey who hasn't exactly left his past behind. For a while George is content being a kept boy, but by the time "The Adventures of Superman" runs its illustrious course, he has dumped Toni for the much younger Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney), a New York socialite and budding starlet. A year later, at age 45, he was found dead in his bedroom, succumbing to a single gunshot wound. As Simo proceeds to connect the dots, "Rashomon"-style, he whittles down the motives to three possible scenarios: Reeves' death was a suicide, he was shot by Lemmon, or he was "taken care of" by Eddie Mannix in retaliation for hurting his wife. Of course, nobody will ever know for sure, but all the guesswork makes for a compelling scenario. It's in the execution that "Hollywoodland" stumbles. All that back-and-forth between Brody's investigation and the Affleck flashbacks doesn't always make for smooth transitioning, and though a hard-working Affleck gained 20 pounds for the role, he still doesn't have that convincing Reeves heft. There are standout moments, though, that hint at a greater potential, including a personal appearance Reeves made before a group of kiddie fans. One is brandishing what looks disturbingly like a real gun and is keen on finding out if bullets will actually bounce off of him. But other aspects of "Hollywoodland" don't work, including the decision to digitally put Affleck's Reeves in a scene opposite Burt Lancaster during a screening of "From Here to Eternity," which comes across as a cute but distracting "Forrest Gump" novelty. There certainly is no shortage of keeper performances, from Brody's hustling gumshoe to Lane doing her best Norma Desmond to Hoskins' casually menacing studio exec. And the fading luster of production designer of Leslie McDonald's declining Hollywood is evocatively matched by Jonathan Freeman's cinematography and costume designer Julie Weiss' period-perfect wardrobe. Cast: Director: Allen Coulter; Screenwriter: Paul Bernbaum; Producer: Glenn Williamson; Executive producers: Jake Myers, J. Miles Dale, Joe Pichirallo; Director of photography: Jonathan Freeman; Production designer: Leslie McDonald; Editor: Michael Berenbaum; Costume designer: Julie Weiss; Music: Marcelo Zarvos.
"I love being a father," the actor, who turns 34 on Tuesday, said. "It's wonderful. It's changed my life. It all sounds like platitudes and clichés, and that's because they're the truth." He's even proving his babysitting skills with Violet, his 8-month-old daughter with wife Jennifer Garner, 33. Just a few days ago, he said, Garner left him in charge of the baby – but first explained how to feed her. "(Jennifer said,) 'You take the peaches in the thing and you stir that up and you put that in with a little oatmeal and then put that in with a little bit of the crushed pears.' Then she looked at me and said, 'In all seriousness, is this too complicated?' That's my wife." Affleck is currently working on a his directorial debut, Gone, Baby, Gone, a mystery based on a Dennis Lehane novel that filmed in Affleck's Boston hometown and stars his brother, Casey. In Hollywoodland, in theaters Sept. 8, Affleck plays actor George Reeves, who played the Man of Steel on TV's Adventures of Superman and died under mysterious circumstances in 1959.
"This is a great place to shoot movies," Affleck, who is making his directorial debut, told reporters on Saturday. "We've had an enormous amount of cooperation." The Cambridge native, who won an Oscar for co-writing "Good Will Hunting" with hometown friend Matt Damon, shot his new film in Boston, Chelsea, and Quincy. "There were a lot of people who had to find new parking spaces, who had to go around a lot of detours," he said. Affleck, actress wife Jennifer Garner and baby Violet have been living near Harvard Square for the summer. He said it's been a nice break from Hollywood. The film, expected in theaters next year, stars younger brother Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, and Morgan Freeman. It's based on a novel by Dennis Lehane, who also wrote novel-turned-film "Mystic River." Boston is no longer an expensive and indifferent city in which to shoot, Affleck said. The state's new tax breaks decrease the cost. "Companies thinking about coming here definitely should," he said. "They'll be met with enthusiasm, and they'll get to shoot in a place that is really unique and distinct... And I want to thank Boston for making that possible."
The couple were married last weekend, Affleck's publicist, Rebecca Feferman, told The Associated Press on Monday. No further information was provided. Both are younger siblings of Hollywood notables: Affleck, 30, is the brother of Ben Affleck; Phoenix, 28, is the sister of Joaquin Phoenix and the late River Phoenix. The pair became engaged in 2003. They have a two-year-old son, Indiana August. Affleck is now filming the movie, Gone, Baby, Gone, directed by his brother Ben. His other screen credits include the Ocean's 11 movies and 1997's Good Will Hunting. Phoenix has appeared on the NBC series ER and in the 2002 HBO movie The Laramie Project.
The "Syriana" actor and former "ER" doctor topped a nationwide poll of Lifetime viewers as the woman's dream celebrity date with 39 percent of the votes. Younger celebs didn't even come close. Soon to be divorcee Nick Lachey grabbed 14 percent of the votes, followed by Colin Farrell (10 percent), Orlando Bloom (9 percent), Derek Jeter (8) and Jake Gyllenhaal (6). Like Clooney, TV doctors are still popular with the ladies, with Dr. McDreamy ("Grey's Anatomy" star Patrick Dempsey) leading the way for doctors in love, followed by "ER's" Noah Wylie, "Nip/Tuck's" Julian McMahon and "Lost's" resident cutter Matthew Fox. Apparently, the public isn't ashamed of its voyeuristic attitude, admitting to thinking about their favorite celebrities' sex lives. According to the poll, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith most likely get the sheets blazing (41 percent), followed by Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher (20 percent), "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria and Tony Parker (11) and Ben "Sorry honey, I have a headache" Affleck and Jennifer Garner (7). And just in time for "The Break Up," viewers also weighed in on the couples they would most like to see work things out. Singer Sheryl Crowe and cyclist Lance Armstrong came in first, with Hilary Swank (who recently filed for divorce) and Chad Lowe not far behind. The poll is the latest in the Lifetime Television Pulse Poll series.
The writer-director and his wife, "Alias" star Jennifer Garner had a scare this holiday weekend when his migraine got out of control, forcing the Oscar winner to seek professional help at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Mass., reports People. "Ben Affleck was treated for a migraine at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge today," says a statement from publicist Ken Sunshine. "He was released (yesterday) afternoon." Luckily his wife, used to a life of action from her days on "Alias," was able to pack the "Gigli" star in the back seat of their Jeep and drive him to the hospital. After a couple of hours, Affleck emerged wearing a police cap and an emergency room bracelet and returned home to recuperate. The superstar couple has been living in Cambridge temporarily while Affleck makes his big-budget directorial debut "Gone, Baby, Gone," based on the Dennis Lehane thriller. The film stars Affleck's brother Casey and "Mission: Impossible III" star Michelle Monaghan as Boston-area private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro as they search for a 4-year-old kidnapped child. Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman will play two cops who also become involved in the drama.
The Miramax Films project revolves around two private eyes who investigate a missing-child case in a working-class neighborhood. Michelle Monaghan, Casey Affleck and Ed Harris already have boarded the film, which is shooting on location in Boston. Freeman will play a police captain. Affleck also adapted the screenplay, which is based on the fourth novel in Dennis Lehane's Kenzie and Gennaro detective series. Freeman recently signed on to star in Lakeshore Entertainment's "The Feast of Love," which is based on a Charles Baxter novel. He was recently in theaters with "Lucky Number Slevin," and is reprising his role as God in the "Bruce Almighty" sequel "Evan Almighty," starring Steve Carell.
Celeb pals Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck and Laurence Fishburne have donated sleek, custom-made motorcycles to an online charity auction to benefit a planned memorial in Washington for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. "People are always quoting" King, Freeman said in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. "He's remembered as our prince of peace, of civil rights. We owe him something major that will keep him and his memory alive." The four bikes — two from Affleck and one each from Pitt and Fishburne — are up for bid on the Charity Folks Web site through Friday, Freeman said. Freeman, who won an Oscar for his role in "Million Dollar Baby," said he hopes "people will overbid" for a good cause. Other celebrity items are being offered in the auction, including wedge-heeled shoes designed and signed by Jennifer Lopez and a DVD of "Catch Me if You Can" signed by Tom Hanks. The memorial will be built on the National Mall, according to the Web site for Build the Dream, which is promoting the project. The centerpiece of the memorial, the "Stone of Hope," will feature a 30-foot likeness of King. Its location will create a visual "line of leadership" from the Lincoln Memorial, where King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, to the Jefferson Memorial, the Web site says. Groundbreaking is scheduled this year, with the goal of dedicating the site in 2008. On the Net: http://www.charityfolks.com/ and http://www.mlkmemorial.org/
"Gone," which will be released by Miramax, is based on the Dennis Lehane novel of the same name and was adapted by Affleck. The story revolves around two Boston private eyes who investigate the case of a missing child in a neighborhood of broken families, bitter cops and crazy ex-cons. Monaghan and Casey Affleck, who is Ben's brother, will play the private detectives. "In keeping with Miramax tradition, I was instructed to find the 'hottest young stars around' to cast in the movie," Ben Affleck said. "I got a list of two names: Michelle Monaghan and Casey Affleck. I was lucky enough to get them both." On making his directorial debut at Miramax, the studio that launched his career with "Good Will Hunting" when it was run by the Weinstein brothers, he said: "I am a first-time director given an opportunity to pursue an artistic ambition I would not likely have the chance to elsewhere. The budget is excruciatingly tight, I am regularly abused, and I expect to be fired sometime before we shoot. It's nice to see that, at Miramax, continuity has been maintained." A summer shoot in Boston is planned for the film. Monaghan appeared in "North Country" and was one of the stars of Shane Black's "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang." She next appears in "Mission: Impossible 3." Casey Affleck recently wrapped "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford."
According to Variety, Touchstone has picked up an untitled legal drama scripted by Chris Murphey with an eye toward pairing up the "Good Will Hunting" stars. The trade paper reports that Damon and Affleck's LivePlanet partner Sean Bailey will produce along with Amanda Stern and Fred Bodney. The project is based on a true story and would feature Damon ("Gerry") and Affleck ("Gigli") as a pair of lawyers who spend 15 years attempting to overturn a murder conviction. More specifically, Damon would play J. Gordon Cooney and Affleck would appear as Michael Banks, two Philadelphia attorneys who battled for death-row inmate John Thompson. Affleck is still planning to make his directing debut on Miramax's "Gone Baby Gone," set to begin production this summer in Boston. His next acting gig is as "Superman" star George Reeves in the recently retitled "Hollywoodland." Damon has completed work on Martin Scorsese's "The Departed," with Robert DeNiro's "The Good Shepherd" also on the way. He'll start shooting "The Bourne Ultimatum" this fall.
In addition to wedding planning secrets from newly-engaged Marcia Cross ("Desperate Housewives") and follow-up interviews with various newlyweds such as singers LeAnn Rimes and Rob Thomas, highlights of the special include: Sandra Bullock and Jesse James - Designer Angel Sanchez found the perfect marriage of style and attitude for America's sweetheart, Sandra Bullock. After trying on more than 25 dresses from Angel's collection, Sandra fell in love with an elegant evening gown that featured a fitted bodice and A-line skirt. The private wedding was held at a California ranch, and when the bride made her entrance, she included an unusual but perhaps an appropriate accessory - cowboy boots fashioned in white satin. Heidi Klum and Seal - Hollywood's favorite wedding planner Mindy Weiss shares style details from supermodel Heidi Klum's wedding to Seal. Mindy set the ambience of the couple's relaxed, yet very romantic wedding, at Seal's villa, located in Costa Careyes, Mexico by using an inviting array of orange decorative accents to echo the warm orange tones of the villa. The bride - who, at the time, was five months pregnant with the couple's son, Henry, was clad in an ivory Vera Wang gown. Awaiting her arrival for the ultra-private ceremony were just three people: the groom, a nondenominational officiant and Klum's one-year-old daughter, Leni, wearing a miniature version of her mother's wedding dress. Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck - The preeminent wedding gown designer in America, Vera Wang, shares details from the most secret ceremony of the year-the hide-away celebration of Jen and Ben on the Caribbean Island of Parrot Key. Vera shares Jennifer's vision for her big day and describes how her dress was inspired by the spirited, elegant heroines of a Jane Austen novel. The Cake Divas - These bakers-to-the-stars test viewers' knowledge of the year in love and matrimony. They'll describe their delectable four-tiered creation, and viewers must guess which A-list celebrity twosome ultimately cut their cake. Jason Priestly and Naomi Lowde - Jason Priestly of "Beverly Hills 90210" traveled to the Bahamas to walk down a tropical, gardenia-lined aisle and wed Naomi Lowde. Jason's former castmates, Tori Spelling, Jennie Garth, Tiffani Theissen and Ian Ziering were among the guests who flew in for the four-day wedding celebration. Naomi, dressed in a "poofy" princess dress by St. Pucchi, made her entrance to the sound of four trumpet heralders from the Royal Bahamian Police Force marching band. After a luxurious wedding dinner, Jason surprised his bride with a 10-minute fireworks display. Bobby Flay and Stephanie March - When Food Channel chef and Mesa Grill owner Bobby Flay proposed to Stephanie March, best known for her role on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," he did it with New York City in mind. He escorted her to the center of the ice at Rockefeller Center and surprised her with a princess cut diamond. The couple wed in the 1838 gothic-revival, St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Manhattan, where Stephanie was a graceful vision in a bias-cut Vera Wang silk satin gown, adorned with pleats and reminiscent of Hollywood in the 1930s. World-famous chef (and friend of Flay) Daniel Boulud prepared the sumptuous wedding dinner at his four-star restaurant, Daniel. He featured a ladies' menu offering ginger-crusted langoustines, Dover sole rissolee, and rib-eye and slowbraised ribs; and a gentlemen's menu with smoked lobster with lentils and herbs, pancetta-wrapped tuna and Vermont squab stuffed with foie gras. Tiffani Thiessen and Brady Smith - Former "Beverly Hills 90210" star Tiffani Thiessen and Houston-born actor Brady Smith chose an elegant Provencal theme for their nuptials, which took place at a Montecito, California estate and included 135 guests. The bride wore a strapless ivory A-line gown from Vera Wang. Guests sipped champagne and walked through an arbor towards a swan-filled pond, where an accordionist and violinist entertained with French music. When it came time to dine, friends and family moved on to the top lawn where nine long tables were topped with platters of French food prepared by caterer Maili Halme-Brocke. The couple's wedding planner, Heidi Asimus of Special Occasions, wanted the setting to look like a beautiful family style dinner that one might stumble upon in a chateau in France. Sarah Wynter and Dan Peres - Sarah Wynter, best known for her role on "24," and magazine editor Dan Peres wanted a wedding celebration that was elegant and intimate, but not stuffy. This was achieved when they held a small ceremony at sunset in the garden of a private hillside home in Sydney, Australia, Sarah's native country. With a view of the famed Opera House, their 75 guests moved through different rooms of the mansion throughout the evening and enjoyed eight Australian cuisine courses, including shrimp from the barbie, newspaper-wrapped fish and chips, and an array of Aussie desserts. Australian designer and close friend Lisa Ho created a 1950s-inspired off-white gown with a full skirt of silk tulle. Sarah's long tresses were kept in place by a 15-carat vintage Edwardian tiara with dangling diamonds from jeweler Neil Lane.
The stunning actress, 33, married her Daredevil co-star Ben Affleck in June and gave birth to Violet earlier this month. In a recent donation made by Garner to Democrat hopeful Deval Patrick's local government campaign, the film star signed her name as Jennifer Affleck.
Garner gave birth to the girl at a Los Angeles hospital, Us Weekly reported Thursday. It was unclear if the baby--named Violet, E! News has learned--made her debut on Wednesday or Thursday. Us said labor was induced Wednesday night. "Ben was with her the entire time," a source told the magazine. The child is the first for both. Affleck, 33, and Garner, 34, wed June 29, almost two months after their expectant news was leaked. In completing her labor day, Garner beats her prime-time alter ego to the nursery. Sydney Bristow, the Alias secret agent that made Garner a star, also is with child. Producers of the ABC spy series wrote in the pregnancy after Garner's was confirmed. Alias was canceled last week by ABC. It'll finish its fifth and final season in May, after a previously scheduled eight-week-long maternity leave of sorts starting in January. TV show or no, Garner's plate is full. In addition to the baby, she has a new movie, Catch and Release, due out next year. It's her first shot at headlining a real-people drama (from Erin Brockovich writer Susannah Grant) as opposed to a fantasy comedy (13 Going on 30) or a superhero adventure (Elektra). Meanwhile, no bad reviews are good reviews for Father Affleck, who will not appear on the big screen in 2005--the first time that's happened since 1994. While it might seem as if romance, marriage and pregnancy has kept the actor otherwise occupied, he might have as many as three films out next year, including Truth, Justice and the American Way, about the 1959 death of TV Superman George Reeves. Before marrying Garner, Affleck endured the worst box office and worst publicity of his career. When he wasn't making headlines for his overexposed, and eventually scuttled, engagement to Jennifer Lopez, he was launching dud (Gigli) after dud (Paycheck) after dud (Jersey Girl) after dud (Surviving Christmas). Affleck and Garner met on the set of 2003's Daredevil--he was the titular hero; she was Elektra. The two began dating in 2004, after Affleck had moved on from Lopez, and after Garner had moved on from Alias costar Michael Vartan and first-husband Scott Foley.
"I think one of the dangers of great tragedies like this is, once they fall away from the 24-hour news cycle, there's a tendency to think, `Well that's dealt with,'" Affleck told The Associated Press by phone Thursday."It's not something that can be ameliorated with the one telethon we did the month afterward. It's a continuing process." Affleck said he got involved with the auction, which began Wednesday and ends Oct. 27, after he received a call from former President Clinton's office. Proceeds will benefit the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund and the National Guard Family Program. "One of the ways that I could contribute was to shill some memorabilia, and the other was to talk to you and try to get people to pay attention to this auction," Affleck said. The auction also includes items from Jessica Simpson, Al Pacino, The Rolling Stones, Sting, Maroon 5, Derek Jeter and others. The 33-year-old Affleck has shown political interest in the past, including an appearance at last year's Democratic National Convention. Does the Katrina aftermath inspire him further to run for office? "I'm interested in politics and like to be involved with them, and this is all I'm doing right now," he said. "But if you want to be my campaign manager, you come over here and we'll talk about it." Affleck was to begin filming "Smokin' Aces" in Lake Tahoe, Nev., on Friday. The movie, about a mob informant, also stars Jeremy Piven, Andy Garcia and Ray Liotta. Damon and Affleck won a screenwriting Oscar for 1997's "Good Will Hunting."
"You can just start to feel really pregnant. Like you are the hugest person on the face of the planet. ... And then I felt just bigger and bigger like she ..." Oops. Garner put both hands over her mouth. "We have one or the other for sure," replied Garner, who is married to her "Daredevil" co-star Ben Affleck. The 33-year-old actress stars as Sydney Bristow on ABC's "Alias," which returns Thursday for its fifth season. Garner's pregnancy was written into the show, even though her character is a globe-trotting spy. "My stand-in has a little bump. My stunt double has a bump, and the other day I walked in, and my stunt double just looked a little different to me and I said, `Did they graduate your bump?' ... And she said, `Yeah, we went to a bigger bump.'" Garner and Affleck were married in June. Their baby is due around Christmas.
Affleck will write and executive produce a pilot called "Resistance," about a near-future United States that has splintered into separate nations following devastating terrorist attacks. The show will focus on a group of people trying to restore the Constitution and democracy, the showbiz trade papers report. Sean Bailey, one of Affleck's partners (along with Matt Damon and Chris Moore) in the production company Live Planet, will exec produce the project with the "Good Will Hunting" Oscar winner. Bailey has a production deal at ABC's sister studio, Touchstone. The "Resistance" script will be Affleck's first try at writing a TV project solo; he was a writer and producer on ABC's short-lived, interactive mystery "Push, Nevada" in 2002. The deal would also bring him to the same network as his new wife, "Alias" star Jennifer Garner.
Many months after the choices were made, Damon has softened somewhat on his losses. "Even though, by their own admission, the people who voted for that script didn't think it was the best script, it probably was the smartest movie to choose because it does, in an odd way, give the project the greatest chance of surviving, because the movie might actually make money," says Damon, on the promotional circuit for his upcoming Terry Gilliam romp "The Brothers Grimm." Despite the long delay between the show's completion and the pending "Feast" release (previous "Greenlight" movies were rushed into theaters almost immediately after the shows ended), Damon has already heard what constitutes enthusiasm from Dimension Films bigwig Bob Weinstein. "Bob's gonna bring it out at Christmas and he was like [transitions into a spot-on Bob Weinstein impression], 'I released this movie 'The Darkness' last year at Christmas. It's the worst movie I've ever seen in my life, this f***ing 'Darkness,' but it's a great slot. 'The Darkness' made 22 million. So I'm putting 'Feast' in the 'Darkness' slot,'" Damon is clearly getting into it now, as he continues to mimic the Weinstein brother. "'F***ing 'Feast' is 'Citizen Kane' compared to 'The Darkness.'" Several points of clarification: The most recently announced release date for "Feast" is Jan. 20, 2006, though it may yet get the Yuletime spirit. Weinstein did, indeed, release "Darkness," which starred Anna Paquin, last Christmas, over a year-and-a-half after it came out in the rest of the world. The negative pick-up, which was budgeted at just over $10 million, did manage to make $22 million domestically. As for Weinstein's critical appraisal of the film, it has a robust 95 percent "Rotten" rating over at RottenTomatoes.com. It would be very difficult for "Feast" not to surpass "Stolen Summer" (roughly $119,841 domestic) and "The Battle of Shaker Heights" ($279,282 domestic) as the most successful film in "Project Greenlight" history. However, the transition from HBO to Bravo wasn't a smooth one for "Greenlight." Bravo never figured out how to promote the show and had difficulties keeping it in a stable time period and the resulting ratings were painfully low. "The show was really good this year and yet we had horrible horrible ratings," Damon acknowledges. "When we were in conversation with Bravo, they were like, 'Look, the show is good,' we got the best reviews of any show on television, and they said, 'But there's a certain number,' and they showed us the number and I'm not a TV guy, but they said, 'Look, this number, no matter what, we can't bring the show back... This is just terrible, we can't justify keeping it on air.'" A recent Emmy nomination in reality television category may give the show a minor boost and if "Feast," a creature feature starring Navi Rawat and Krista Allen, can turn a profit, Damon thinks "Project Greenlight" might somehow be salvaged. "It's up in the air right now," he says. "I suspect if the movie does well enough, maybe Bob would help with it, maybe there's some way to get them all to do it one more time, but it's on a respirator."
The one-time future Mr. Gwyneth Paltrow and almost-Mr. Jennifer Lopez has finally gotten hitched — to actress Jennifer Garner. "Bennifer II" married on Wednesday in the exclusive Parrot Cay resort in the Caribbean nation of Turks and Caicos, publicists for both stars confirmed yesterday. The beautiful, once-married actress not only co-starred with Affleck in "Daredevil," but joined him in a more important production — the couple's first child, conceived earlier this year, reports The Post's Gersh Kuntzman. The publicists did not give any other details. But Us Weekly reported that Affleck, 32, celebrated his last days as a single man with a bachelor party last week, while Garner, 33, finished shooting her upcoming movie, "Catch and Release," in Vancouver. The magazine also reported that Garner's "Alias" co-star, Victor Garber, attended the far-flung wedding. As Affleck relationships go, his yearlong love affair with Garner was positively normal. The couple did its canoodling in private, quite unlike Affleck's relationship with Lopez, who put him in one of her videos in which he rubbed sun tan lotion onto her well-publicized posterior. The couple never discussed engagement rumors that came out in April. And they never confirmed the May report that Garner was pregnant. Affleck and Garner met on the 2003 film "Daredevil," and claim nothing happened on the set. Affleck and Lopez called off their September 2003 wedding and broke off their engagement in January 2004. Garner divorced actor Scott Foley in March 2004 after three years of marriage. Last year, when rumors flew of their romance, Affleck's publicist told PAGE SIX they were "just friends." "I don't think she thinks that she's drop-dead gorgeous as she is, and I think that is what gives her this incredibly appealing quality," Affleck once said of Garner. She returned the favor in a radio interview after "Daredevil" was released. "He's really a gentleman," she said. "And he's not afraid to laugh at himself or you."
Representatives for both actors confirmed the marriage to The Associated Press Thursday. The publicists, Ken Sunshine and Nicole King, also confirmed that Garner is pregnant with her first child. Sunshine and King would not give any other details. The confirmation came after Us Weekly reported that Affleck, 32, and Garner, 33, were wed Wednesday at the Parrot Cay resort in the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos. The National Enquirer also released photos it claimed showed Garner arriving on the islands. In stark contrast to Affleck's much publicized relationship with Jennifer Lopez, he and Garner have been tightlipped about their romance from the start. Aside from appearing at a Boston Red Sox game last fall, they have stayed out of the public eye. Reports in April about an engagement were never confirmed. In May, E! News reported that Garner was pregnant and the baby was due in November, but neither star confirmed that report. This is first marriage for Affleck and the second for Garner. The Alias star divorced actor Scott Foley in March 2004 after 3 1/2 years of marriage. Affleck and Lopez called off their September 2003 wedding and broke off their engagement in January 2004. Lopez married singer Marc Anthony later that year. Garner and Affleck met while they were shooting the action flick Daredevil, but they didn't begin dating until last year.
A spokesperson for Affleck denied reports that the celebrity couple tied the knot on Saturday, June 18. "Not true," publicist Ken Sunshine tells Access Hollywood about the purported nuptials. The wild rumor stems from a New York Daily News report about a West Virginia florist, Brandon Tucker, who claims Garner purchased a bridal bouquet and six bridesmaid's bouquets at his Briarwood Flower Shoppe in Wheeling on Saturday. "I was just dumbfounded," says Tucker. "In Wheeling, not too many celebrities come in. I should have worn something different." He says the bouquets -- composed of ivory Virginia roses, Casablanca lilies and gardenias -- were prepared for a late-night wedding ceremony at the Greenbrier Resort in the Allegheny Mountains, close to Garner's hometown of Charleston. Garner was previously married to her "Felicity" co-star Scott Foley. They divorced in March 2004. Affleck was briefly engaged to another Jennifer -- Jennifer Lopez -- in 2002. Garner, 33, and Affleck, 32, met on the set of 2003's "Daredevil." Affleck's next stars in the upcoming comedy "Man About Town" and "Truth, Justice and the American Way," about small screen Superman actor George Reeves. He also plans to make his directorial debut with the big-screen adaptation of Dennis Lehane's "Gone, Baby, Gone." Garner recently climbed into the director's chair herself for a May episode of her spy drama "Alias." On the big screen, she starred in "13 Going on 30" and the "Daredevil" spin-off "Elektra." Her upcoming films include "Catch and Release" and "Charlotte's Web."
Chris Moore, who masterminded the Bravo reality show with pals Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, said Friday that the movie-making documentary series has likely aired its final episode. The first two seasons of Project Greenlight aired on HBO, but the premium cable net axed the series in 2003. Bravo quickly snapped up broadcast rights and expanded the show from a half-hour to an hour. The nine-part third season wrapped Thursday. However, Greenlight's ratings dwindled over the course of the season, jeopardizing the future of the show. "Last night was probably the last new episode of Project Greenlight ever," Moore writes in his blog at Bravotv.com. "I am sorry to be reporting this here, but anyone reading this blog is a devoted and loyal Project Greenlight fan. You have been loyal and vocal and true fans of what we have tried to do, so I want you all to know the truth first." Further, Moore has left Live Planet, the multimedia company that coproduced Project Greenlight, to form his own company. Another factor hurting the series' long-term viability is the split between Disney and Miramax bosses Bob and Harvey Weinstein. Miramax released the first two Project Greenlight films and its horror subsidiary, Dimension, will release the third season flick, Feast, later this year. Without Disney's deep pockets at their disposal, the Weinsteins are presumably reluctant to gamble on unproven talents. While the filmmaking contest series drew a rabid, if small, following, the first two releases--season one's Stolen Summer and 2003's The Battle of Shaker Heights--both bombed at the box office. This past season, Greenlight eschewed the coming-of-age plots of its first two seasons' films in favor of a more commercial horror flick called Feast. Feast has no official release date, although producers say it will likely be out during the holiday season.
The Alias star is expecting her first child, E! Online and E! News have confirmed. Multiple sources close to Garner and beau Ben Affleck say the actress is three months along. News of the pregnancy comes just two weeks after several published reports claimed the couple were engaged. According to E! Online columnist Ted Casablanca, Affleck flew Garner's kin from West Virginia to California in April for his leading lady's 33rd birthday party. The question subsequently was popped in private, Casablanca reported. At the time Affleck's rep, Ken Sunshine, described said reports as "garbage." On Saturday, Sunshine declined to address the baby news, saying "I never comment on [Affleck's] personal life." There was no immediate word from Garner's camp on the pregnancy or whether a ceremony was in the offing. Despite having a baby on board, Garner is still keeping to her schedule this summer. Her next big-screen project, Columbia Pictures' romantic drama Catch and Release, begins its two-month shoot next week in Vancouver. The film costars Kevin Smith, Juliette Lewis and Timothy Olyphant and marks the directorial debut of Erin Brockovich screenwriter Susannah Grant. But Garner's November due date could prove tricky for the Alias brain trust. While ABC's spy thriller is wrapped for the season (the finale airs May 25), the show has been picked up for the fall and is slated to resume production in July. Now, producers must decide how to deal with Garner's pregnancy, either by incorporating it into the show (remember, Sydney's eggs were harvested last season) or just try to hide it. Then again, considering the show's sky-high slinky outfit-to-episode ratio, a burgeoning belly would be hard to conceal. Further complicating matters, Garner performs most of her own stunts. Affleck, 32, and Garner costarred on screen together before coupling off--he was Daredevil to her Elektra in 2003's Daredevil. (His cameo in this year's Elektra wound up on the cutting-room floor, but is preserved for posterity on the DVD.) They finally went public with their much-rumored romance last fall at the World Series, when she was spotted snuggling Red Sox diehard Affleck at Boston's Fenway Park. Their pairing was alternately dubbed Garfleck and Bennifer II. But unlike the original Bennifer tandem of Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, the all-new edition prefers to fly under the radar. The World Series appearance aside, Garner and Affleck have generally managed to eschew being photographed together at red-carpet events. Garner was previously married to Felicity costar Scott Foley. They split in 2003, and their divorce was finalized in March 2004. They didn't have any children. The never-wed Affleck previously was engaged to Lopez. That relationship ended with the scuttling of their September 2003 nuptials.
So go reports that have Oscar winner Ben Affleck newly--or at least likely--engaged to Alias girlfriend Jennifer Garner. Speaking to E! News, Ken Sunshine, Affleck's publicist, denounced said reports as "garbage." But there's no easy way to haul away mounting reports on the couple's status. According to E! Online columnist Ted Casablanca, Affleck flew Garner's kin from West Virginia to California last weekend for a surprise party honoring his leading lady at her Brentwood home. Sunday was Garner's 33rd birthday. But the understanding among the actress' family, Casablanca reported, was that Affleck was to use the bash to propose. The question apparently was popped in private, Casablanca reported. Star, meanwhile, noted that Affleck had a 4.5-carat number from Harry Winston "flown in"--from where, it wasn't clear--for the occasion. Affleck, 32, and Garner have been a somewhat public couple since last fall. If the original Bennifer tandem (comprised of Affleck and Jennifer Lopez) had a knack for dominating the headlines, the all-new Bennifer has a knack for flying under the radar. The masked big-screen superheroes--Affleck was Daredevil to her Elektra in two movies--have rarely been photographed together at movie-star events. If not for a freak World Series appearance last year, the world might never have had its confirmation of their coupledom. (Garner was spied taking in the Fall Classic with Red Sox diehard Affleck at Boston's Fenway Park.) The never-yet-wed Affleck previously was engaged to Lopez. That relationship ended amid the wreckage of their box-office bomb, Gigli, and their scuttled September 2003 nuptials. Garner is a divorcée. She split from Felicity costar Scott Foley in 2003. Their marriage formally ended in March 2004. Pre-Lopez, Affleck was linked to Shakespeare in Love costar Gwyneth Paltrow. Post-Foley, Garner was linked Alias costar Michael Vartan. Not that there's a pattern or anything, but Affleck costarred with Garner in 2003's Daredevil prior to their becoming an item. He also cameoed in her 2005 star vehicle, Elektra.
The 32-year-old star has yet find two lead actors for his directorial debut for the feature adaptation of the novel "Gone, Baby, Gone," reports the Boston Herald. Based on the book by "Mystic River" author Dennis Lehane, the story centers on two private eyes, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro, who work with an imprisoned drug dealer to track down the kidnapper of a 4-year-old girl. The partners risk their personal relationship and their lives in order to find the victim. Affleck, who bought the rights to the story two years ago, may have considered taking the lead himself, with then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez as the leading lady. Of course, now they've broken up and proven that on-screen collaborations such as "Gigli" are ill-advised. Affleck has decided that he'll focus on filling the supporting roles for the time being. "To me, I feel like the supporting actors are the most important," says Affleck. "You're only as strong as the weakest link. I'm going to fill the supporting roles before going for the protagonist." Affleck plans to shoot the Touchstone Pictures project, which he will also write, this fall in Boston, where the story is set. Affleck has made a name for himself behind the scenes, having won an Oscar for co-writing 1997's "Good Will Hunting." He is also part of "Project Greenlight," the Bravo reality series in which he and partner Matt Damon team up with producer Chris Moore to help aspiring filmmakers create an indie flick. His latest screen credits include "Surviving Christmas," "Jersey Girl," "Paycheck" and the atrocious "Gigli." His upcoming films include "Man About Town" and "Truth, Justice and the American Way."
The original, released by 20th Century Fox, centered on two couples who head off to Colorado for skiing and dirt biking. Along the way, they witness a satanic sacrifice, but when they call the local authorities, all evidence disappears. They resume their vacation but find themselves shadowed by a cult. Peter Fonda and Loretta Swit starred in the original. The film is being updated for the production outfit Regency Enterprises by writers Drew McWeeny and Scott Swan. Moore had been partners in the LivePlanet production venture with Affleck, Damon and Sean Bailey. Among Moore's producer credits are the "American Pie" movies, the "Project Greenlight" movies, "Joy Ride" and Affleck and Damon's breakout hit "Good Will Hunting." When LivePlanet reupped with the Walt Disney Studios this year, Moore left to pursue a directing career, a move he said was about four years in the making. "I didn't wake up at 12 and have a Super 8 camera in my hand," Moore said. "I'm the kind of guy who learns by being around people who are doing it, and I've been around a lot of sets with experienced directors and first-time directors. I got into the movie business to tell stories, and I think directing is really the ultimate storytelling job. "I feel like I have enough experience now that I might be able to do a good job. I went through the drill with a pad and paper and asked, 'Would I hire myself?' And you know, I decided that on genre pictures and things of small budgets, I would hire myself. Maybe after I do it a few times, I'll do bigger movies." Swan and McWeeny, who also writes under the name Moriarty on the Web site Ain't It Cool News, are writing the John Carpenter-directed episode of Showtime's "Masters of Horror" anthology. They also wrote "Dread" for Fox and "The Final War" for Revolution Studios.
The 32-year-old actor will make his directorial debut for the feature adaptation of the novel "Gone, Baby, Gone," report news sources. Based on the book by "Mystic River" author Dennis Lehane, the story centers on two private eyes, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro, who work with an imprisoned drug dealer to track down the kidnapper of a 4-year-old girl. The partners risk their personal relationship and their lives in order to find the victim. "Gone, Baby, Gone" is one of a series of novels featuring Kenzie and Gennaro. Affleck won't have a role in the film and plans to shoot the Touchstone Pictures project this fall in Boston, where the story is set. Affleck has made a name for himself behind the scenes, having won an Oscar for co-writing 1997's "Good Will Hunting." He is also part of "Project Greenlight," the Bravo reality series in which he and partner Matt Damon team up with producer Chris Moore to help aspiring filmmakers create an indie flick. His latest screen credits include "Surviving Christmas," "Jersey Girl," "Paycheck" and the atrocious "Gigli." His upcoming films include "Man About Town" and "Truth, Justice and the American Way."
The 32-year-old actor has signed on to star in "Truth, Justice and the American Way," report news sources. The Focus Features project centers on the 1950s "Adventures of Superman" TV star George Reeves (Affleck) and his mysterious shooting death in June 1959 that was deemed suicide, but some believe was murder. Diane Lane will play Toni Mannix, a studio executive's wife who might have been romantically involved with Reeves. Adrien Brody co-stars as an investigator looking into the death. The project, based on the script by Paul Bernbaum, also examines Reeves' mixed feelings about being typecast as the iconic Man of Steel. Director Allen Coulter will begin shooting in the summer. Affleck last starred opposite James Gandolfini in the lackluster holiday comedy "Surviving Christmas." He next stars as a successful Hollywood talent agent who's about to lose it all in "Man About Town."
Nominations for the 25th annual Razzies, which honor the worst films of the year, were announced on Monday with "Catwoman," the Halle Berry box office bomb, besting "Alexander," Oliver Stone's much maligned tale of the bleached blond conqueror, by seven nominations to six. In addition, the president made the list for worst actor for his film clip appearances in "Fahrenheit 9/11," a movie he might well consider the worst of the year. Also nominated for their appearances in the politically-charged film about the Iraq war were Secretary of State-designate Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The Razzies are a traditional spoof award made at Oscar time by the non-profit Golden Raspberry Award Foundation. The group's prizes are given out on Feb. 26, the day before the Oscars. Never has one of its films gone on to win an Oscar. "Catwoman" and "Alexander" were nominated for Worst Picture, a category which also drew "SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2," Ben Affleck's career-eroding "Surviving Christmas," and "White Chicks," the Wayans brothers dress-up, gender-bending comedy that left critics cold. Bush was nominated for worst actor along with Affleck for "Surviving Christmas" and "Jersey Girl," Vin Diesel for "Chronicles of Riddick," Colin Farrell for "Alexander." Ben Stiller was nominated for "Along Came Polly," "Anchorman," "Dodgeball," "Envy" and "Starsky & Hutch." Halle Berry was nominated for worst actress for "Catwoman," Hilary Duff for "Cinderella Story" and "Raise Your Voice," Angelina Jolie for "Alexander" and "Taking Lives," Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen for "New York Minute" and Shawn and Marlon Wayans in their incarnation as the Wayans sisters in "White Chicks." The nominations for worst screen couple include: Ben Affleck and either Jennifer Lopez or Liv Tyler in "Jersey Girl," Halle Berry and either Benjamin Bratt or Sharon Stone in "Catwoman, George W. Bush and either Rice or his pet goat in "Fahrenheit 9/11," the Olsen twins in "New York Minute," the Wayans Brothers, in or out of drag, in "White Chicks." Worst supporting actress were Carmen Electra for "Starsky & Hutch," Jennifer Lopez for "Jersey Girl," Rice for "Fahrenheit 9/11," Britney Spears for her cameo role in that same movie and Sharon Stone for "Catwoman." Val Kilmer was nominated for worst supporting actor for "Alexander." Also nominated were California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for "Around The World in 80 Days," Rumsfeld for "Fahrenheit 9/11," Jon Voight for SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2" and Lambert Wilson for "Catwoman." "Catwoman" led with seven nominations to six for Alexander, five for "Fahrenheit 9/11," five "White Chicks," and four for "SuperBabies."
Individual NBC stations raised another $10 million through separate telethons, the network said. Stars donated their time and the $2 million in production costs were covered by a corporate sponsor. Madonna sang "Imagine," and Elton John, Eric Clapton, Norah Jones, Maroon 5 and others all performed. Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney, Johnny Depp and Ben Affleck were among the stars who took phone pledges. The tsunami benefit, aired on NBC and its affiliated stations, struggled for viewer attention Saturday night. It was modeled after a similar benefit aired after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which raised $130 million for victims.
For a man with an Oscar on his shelf at home, Affleck has spent an awful lot of time defending himself in the past several years. For a man who has coped with strained personal relationships made -- through some large fault of his own -- embarrassingly public, bouts with a variety of substances and compulsive behaviors and a string of box office bombs that suggest the curse of a Tiki God more than a negligent agent, Affleck's surprisingly at ease with television critics. He may be joking about how critics in general love him, but the boob tube press has been remarkably generous to efforts as diverse as "Push, Nevada" and "Project Greenlight," which begins its third season on Bravo in March (after spending its first two on HBO). "You're all very nice," Affleck says with something that very nearly resembles sincerity. "It's those f***ing a**holes who do the movie writing that I don't like. You guys are wonderful, wonderful people." Affleck seems comfortable with television critics, and critics in turn feel comfortable with Affleck because the "Gigli" star has been successful at underexposing his television persona in almost inverse proportion to his bloated movie-star image. "One of the things that keeps me coming back is that I'm able to do it as a writer and as a producer, without kind of putting myself out there, without having to be the face of it and that's really rewarding," Affleck explains. "As a writer, you have more control in television. You write movies, and they just get swept away and somebody else works with them, whereas in television it's really interesting and you have a chance to foster other people's talents." The reality of the situation is that Affleck's television endeavors haven't been that much more successful than "Surviving Christmas" or "Paycheck." Despite an intriguing interactive premise and a unique look, "Push" was cancelled well before it could develop a following. While "Project Greenlight" made for compelling television in its first two seasons on HBO, it has failed in its main goal, that of discovering fresh new cinematic talent outside of the Hollywood meat factory. This season, "Project Greenlight" will take a stab at new commercial viability, entrusting its winning director -- eccentric lug John Gulager -- with a gory splatter film, which will be distributed by Dimension, rather than stodgier parent Miramax. At its core, though, Affleck hopes that "Greenlight" will continue provide television viewers with their fix of voyeurism. "So much of life now seems about being on TV and having your reality show," he says. "If you're a billionaire, you have to have a show. If you're a hairdresser, you have to be on a show. If you're in a burlesque thing, you're on a show. The interesting thing is most people think they want it, but they don't know that it is." He sighs, "And when they find out what it is, they're not sure if they really wanted it to begin with."
The 32-year-old actor bought a two-story, family-sized home in Brentwood for more than $4.6 million, reports the Los Angeles Times. The 4,500 square-foot house, built in the country-traditional style, boasts five bedrooms, 5 1/2 bathrooms, rolling lawns and gardens, a wood-paneled library, four fireplaces and an ocean view from the master suite. The recently renovated house was built in 1937. Affleck, 32, last starred opposite James Gandolfini in the lackluster holiday comedy "Surviving Christmas." He next stars as a successful Hollywood talent agent who's about to lose it all in "Man About Town."
Sources tell Star that Ben repeatedly showed up late to the set of his new movie, Man About Town; while off the set, he was back to his bachelor ways of staying out until dawn and gambling with high rollers in a local casino. "We've gotten some late starts because Ben hasn't been on time some mornings," a set insider confirms. The last time Ben was en route to a life commitment -- when he was engaged to his other Jennifer in 2003 -- he ended up at a Vancouver strip club called Brandi's one night. Six months and a cancelled wedding later, that relationship was over. The big question now: Could Ben possibly have another commitment crisis? GAMBLING WITH HIS SEXY CO-STARS While filming in Vancouver for the past two months, sources say, poker-mad Ben became a regular at the Vegas-style River Rock Casino Resort in nearby Richmond. "He played poker at least two or three times a week and spent a lot of money," an inside source tells Star. "He would throw a ton of money into the pot, making sure only the top players remained," a casino-goer says. Though Jennifer Garner flew into town several times to visit, sources say Ben never brought her on one of the poker jaunts. But Dec. 7, he did escort his sexy Man About Town co-stars Amber Valletta and Bai Ling to the gaming tables. Later the three went on to Celebrities, a gay nightclub in Vancouver's West End.
Not judging by his new release, Surviving Christmas, which earned only $4.4 million its opening weekend, following less-than-stellar box office for Gigli and Jersey Girl. Maybe he isn't burning up the multiplex right now, but Affleck's personal life remains fascinating to the public, thanks in large part to his busted romance with former fiancée and Gigli and Jersey Girl co-star Jennifer Lopez. There's his clean-cut all-American good looks, the extroverted charm that served him so well on the John Kerry campaign trail and his string of big-name paramours. (Jennifer Garner is the latest.) "He reminds a lot of women of the popular guy in school that they wanted to date," Us Weekly editor Janice Min says. "He comes across as a likable guy who can laugh at himself." That's why viewers are fond of him, film historian Leonard Maltin says. "There's nothing wrong with his career that one good movie couldn't fix. Audiences like him and want to see him in a good movie. "His career started off on the right foot, and surely he never anticipated what would happen when he started dating Lopez." When Ben became half of "Bennifer," he was instant tabloid fodder. Now, with Lopez married to Marc Anthony and Affleck quietly dating Garner, interest in them remains fierce, even though both stars have learned to seal their lips about their personal lives. Lopez seems to have rebounded professionally with a supporting role in the remake of Shall We Dance?, which has grossed $24 million to date. "J. Lo is just a movie star, and there is something compelling about her with women," Min says. "She's pretty smart about the roles she picks and plotting a career path for herself." Lopez is a one-woman empire busy with her clothing line, perfumes and an album due out in January. Affleck, on the other hand, is hardly the multi-tasker his ex is. But many movie stars go through down-cycles, Maltin says, because a big name is not always enough to open and carry a movie anymore. Look at Julia Roberts and her underperforming Mona Lisa Smile. Or Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black. "People would be stupid to write (Affleck) off at this point," says pal Kevin Smith, who directed him in Chasing Amy and Jersey Girl. "Even Tom Hanks went through a slump in his career." But other industry insiders wonder whether there's much professional goodwill left for Affleck. "How many chances does the guy get?" film historian David Thomson asks. "His career has been going steadily downward, and it looks to me as if he's in trouble." Affleck's career, which took off with an Oscar win for screenwriting with Matt Damon for their 1997 drama Good Will Hunting, is a mixed bag of big-budget action flicks such as Armageddon and romantic comedies such as Jersey Girl. The actor is trying to branch out and told USA TODAY he's done with shoot'em-ups: "I don't want to hold a gun in a movie or blow anything up ever again." Says Smith: "He'd be wise to star in a film he wrote and directed himself. He's an Oscar-winning screenwriter - not to mention one of the sharpest, smartest people I've ever met."
The Jennifer Lopez-Richard Gere romantic comedy "Shall We Dance?" is hanging tough in third place, with only a 27 percent drop in its second week of release. Other films taking the expected 30 to 45 percent drop are "Friday Night Lights," "Team America: World Police," "Ladder 49," "Taxi" and "The Forgotten." Audiences weren't so merry for Ben Affleck's latest offering, the holiday comedy "Surviving Christmas," which debuted at No. 7 with only $4.5 million. The timing is a bit early for yuletide cheer, given that audiences are more interested in screaming in terror than singing carols. Making a whopping 228 percent leap after expanding to 785 theaters in its fourth week out is the quirky, existential comedy "I (Heart) Huckabees." The ensemble flick made it to tenth place with a take of $3 million. The quietly powerful comedy-drama "Sideways" opened on only four screens, but had the highest per screen average of $52,073. Another indie flick, "The Machinist" starring a skeletal Christian Bale, also fared well, earning $21,333 on each of its three screens. Overall, this weekend's Top 12 films fall just a bit short with $99.7 mil versus the same weekend last year, which earned $119.6 mil. These are estimates by Exhibitor Relations, which tracks box-office receipts daily. Check back Monday for final totals.
A surprisingly strong cast -- Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate and Catherine O'Hara -- gets trapped in this embarrassing, disjointed muddle of a movie, and no amount of effort on anyone's part can undo what is simply a bad idea. DreamWorks is releasing this Christmas comedy in late October, long before the lucrative holiday movie season, presumably so no one will confuse it with a real Christmas movie. One might also presume that the company has no real box office expectations because this movie won't survive until Thanksgiving. Halloween may be stretching things. Affleck plays a character so ill-conceived and unpleasant that the movie stands little chance of gaining comic traction. Drew Latham is . . . well, it's not clear who or what he is other than a very rich, cynical young man, apparently highly successful in advertising, though judging from his performance in a pitch meeting, it is not clear to what he owes his success. He follows this pitch up by botching a romantic proposition to current girlfriend Missy (Jennifer Morrison) so badly that she breaks up with him on the spot. Drew is distraught at the prospect of spending the holidays alone in his spacious but absurdly empty Chicago apartment. So he decides to journey to his suburban childhood home for a kind of spiritual reconciliation with the family he once had. In front of the house, as he ceremonially sets afire a small paper on which he has scribbled his grievances against this family -- something of an act of forgiveness -- its present occupant, Gandolfini's Tom Valco, comes outside and smashes Drew's skull with a shovel. Once he -- and the audience -- recovers from this unprovoked act of violence, Drew impulsively bribes Tom, his wife Christine (O'Hara) and son Brian (Josh Zuckerman) into letting him stay for the holidays. For $250,000, this family is willing to pretend to be his family. He even hires a struggling actor (Bill Macy) to fill the "role" of his aged granddad, Doo-Dah. So far, so bad. The movie then delivers cloying episodes of Christmas shopping, tree trimming and snowball fights, where Drew is the only enthusiastic member of the family. Then the family's real daughter, Alicia (Applegate), comes home for Christmas. This throws Drew. He never had a sister. So he insists that she play a minor role such as a maid. One can pretty much guess where things will go from here, but getting there is truly a chore. Director Mike Mitchell never finds a tone or attitude that will transform these misanthropic characters into comedy. The implausibility of all the comic twists and developments -- Missy suddenly drops in on Drew and his new family with her parents in tow, a black actor inexplicably takes over the role of Doo-Dah, Alicia unaccountably goes from hate to love in her feelings for Drew -- only underscores how shaky the premise is. One might sympathize with Affleck having to make do with such a shoddy role if his company weren't one of the producers. While the other actors made a stab at fleshing out their cartoon characters, Affleck merely coasts through the role with high energy but little thought. At times, you have no idea what he is playing. For some reason, it took two cinematographers to shoot this very ordinary-looking movie. While all tech credits are professional, they are certainly unexciting. Cast: Drew Latham: Ben Affleck; Tom Valco: James Gandolfini; Alicia Valco: Christina Applegate; Christine Valco: Catherine O'Hara; Brian: Josh Zuckerman; Doo-Dah: Bill Macy; Missy Vanglider: Jennifer Morrison; Heinrich: Udo Kier. Director: Mike Mitchell; Screenwriters: Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont, Jeffrey Ventimilia, Joshua Sternin; Story: Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont; Producers: Jenno Topping, Betty Thomas; Executive producer: Patricia Whitcher; Directors of photography: Peter Collister, Tom Priestley Jr.; Production designer: Caroline Hanania; Music: Randy Edelman; Costumes: Mary Jane Fort; Editor: Craig McKay.
WELL, CONSIDERING at least one review so far of Affleck's new movie, "Surviving Christmas," Ben might have to take Matt up on that one! I have not seen this latest Affleck opus. Maybe it's as bad as they say. But I wonder if after Bennifer and "Gigli," Ben and Jennifer Lopez didn't both enter what I call "The Madonna Zone." That is, nothing they do will ever please their critics. There's a built-in resistance. Ben is smart and nice and funny. I thought he made a good impression with his Kerry campaigning. Perhaps his second act might not involve movies.
The 32-year-old actor's face looks out from the current issue of All In, the world's leading poker magazine. Affleck's love of cards is well known in Hollywood and often irritated former flame Jennifer Lopez, if the tabloids are to be believed. The simple hobby turned serious when he won the Commerce Casino's California State Poker Championship in June, earning a $356,400 prize and a coveted seat in the World Poker Tour Championship that will be held at the Bellagio hotel in April next year. "Everyone knows about Ben Affleck's commitment to the game of poker," says Bhu Srinivasan, publisher of All In. "We wanted to be careful not to put him on the cover purely because of his celebrity, but when he won a major event, it became a no-brainer." Poker is currently en vogue, not only with other Hollywood players such as Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio, but also with thousands of viewers who catch poker shows on ESPN, FOX Sports, NBC, Travel Channel, and Bravo. Affleck is enjoying an upswing in his personal life after the "Gigli" fiasco and public break-up with Lopez. Now, he's enjoying his poker fame and a relationship with another Jen -- Jennifer Garner of "Alias," who met the actor while co-starring with him in "Daredevil." It remains to be seen if his movie career will also bounce back when his holiday comedy "Surviving Christmas" opens nationwide on Friday, Oct. 22.
"I wish there was a point I could say this thing runs itself," says Michaels, who added that he's "just as nervous" as he was when the series began. SNL said goodbye to Jimmy Fallon at the end of last season. But losing talent never seems to faze the show; it remains the highest-rated late night offering. Last season, it averaged 7.6 million viewers. The big question is: Will Tina Fey anchor Weekend Update alone with Fallon gone? Michaels says she'll have a co-host, but he wouldn't say who. On Saturday, Ben Affleck will host; Nelly will be the musical guest. "SNL is the most fun to be had in this business," says Affleck. "I love the comedy. It's a talented cast, and live television is thrilling. If you bomb, you bomb right there in front of a million people." The October host and guest lineup: Queen Latifah, Oct. 9; Jude Law and Ashlee Simpson, Oct. 23; Eminem (news - web sites), Oct. 30. Rob Riggle, a U.S. Marine turned actor and comic, joins the cast. And, of course, SNL will be thick with political humor this season. After playing President Clinton for years, Darrell Hammond has taken over most of the Bush administration; Seth Meyers does John Kerry (news - web sites).
We like BenJen. Ben Affleck poked fun at the "Bennifer" moniker that stuck to him when he was engaged to Jennifer Lopez. Will he do it again now that the media is dreaming up new tags for Affleck and his Daredevil co-star Jennifer Garner? Doubtful. Reps for both Affleck and Garner refuse to comment on their rumored relationship. And this week, Affleck emphatically told USA TODAY that he is "certainly not going to talk about who I am or am not dating. I speak on behalf of a beleaguered America: This is enough." His non-denial denial is right in line with what gossip editors say: This is one Hollywood couple that will work hard to keep it private. "They are definitely a couple," says Us Weekly's editor in chief Janice Min, who adds that "this Jennifer lives in extreme privacy and has always lived that way." (Garner never made any public appearances with Alias co-star Michael Vartan during their year-long relationship.) By most reports, the duo started dating in late July after Affleck hit the Vancouver set of Daredevil spinoff Elektra to film a cameo. People reports they were together Labor Day weekend at a Savannah, Ga., Starbucks. (Affleck owns an estate nearby.) Us Weekly has them spotted Sept. 9, 10 and 13 at Garner's Brentwood, Calif., home. Star reports Affleck has visited the set of Alias, and the two were cozy at a recent dinner at the L.A. home of John Kerry's daughter Alexandra. "We've had a lot of reports, but never seen any pictures," says In Touch Weekly executive editor Dan Wakeford. Affleck seems to be seeking privacy after the J. Lo debacle, so Garner is a perfect match. "He was burned by J. Lo," Wakeford says. "If he hides, it takes the pressure off the relationship and provides protection if it doesn't work out." Maybe he's taking his cues from his ex. She still hasn't acknowledged that she's married to Marc Anthony. Editors say Ben's romance with the new Jen won't sizzle with the same fireworks that fueled the Bennifer frenzy, which was fascinating because Affleck and Lopez seemed so different. Affleck and Garner are "compatible in a safe way, so it won't be as intriguing," Wakeford says. "It's like they're brother and sister," says Min, who put the couple on last week's cover. They're the same age (32), they share charity projects and similar middle-class backgrounds. "Jennifer 2 plays to the more mature side of Ben," Min says. "She represents the kind of person he wants to become." But there is still plenty of interest in this couple, and it's not just from celebrity mags. Time chimed in this week with a "Jen-Off," comparing Lopez and Garner. And Village Voice columnist Michael Musto noted that now Affleck doesn't have to "throw out all those 'Bennifer' towels and napkins."
"She's a girl who throws herself totally into her work and keeps her relationships quiet. "Jennifer isn't clingy or drawn to the Hollywood limelight. She isn't super demanding of Ben's time, either. "Jennifer's also fine with Ben playing poker in Vegas for several days at a time." The couple got to know each other when they worked on the film "Pearl Harbor" in 2000, but in the past few months, the friendship has blossomed into romance -- with Ben visiting Jennifer on the Canadian set of her "Daredevil" spin-off "Elektra" and on the L.A. set of her hit TV series "Alias." UNDER THE RADAR The two have also gone out on several recent under-the-radar dates. Ben has secretly visited Jen in her trailer on "Alias" since the show began production for the fall season and they've also been seen strolling the grounds of the Hotel Bel-Air together. They constantly send affectionate text messages to each other on their cell phones. The star and his new girlfriend are avoiding the Hollywood spotlight, says the close source. "They love going for hikes, running on the beach, going for morning coffee or heading to an out-of-theway restaurant. And if Ben wants to throw a ball around, Jennifer is into it. She's a real athlete. "Ben vowed he'd never have another under-the- Hollywood-microscope relationship. And Jennifer's last relationship with 'Alias' co-star Michael Vartan was so downplayed that it was over before a lot of people realized they'd been a couple. "Ben is thrilled he's found love." Confided an insider: "The romance has been a long time coming. "Ben and Jennifer have a natural chemistry that threatened to explode when they made 'Daredevil' in 2002. "Despite rumors of an on-set tryst at the time, Jennifer was still married to 'Felicity' co-star/husband Scott Foley." Concluded a source close to the actor: "Ben recently told pals in Las Vegas, 'Jen's perfect for me.' He said there's no pressure, no expectations, no diva drama -- and she lets him play poker whenever he wants."
Although Clinton was invited, Affleck will host the 30th season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" with musical guest Nelly on Oct. 2, NBC announced Wednesday. Clinton had been invited to host the not-ready-for-prime-time show but turned down the offer, NBC said last month. No reason was given for Clinton rejecting the offer. The former president has since undergone open-heart surgery. Affleck, 32, recently made headlines when he boisterously appeared throughout the Democratic National Convention in Boston, his hometown. His films include "Jersey Girl" and "Paycheck." The actor's latest movie, the holiday comedy "Surviving Christmas" with James Gandolfini and Christina Applegate, is due in theaters Oct. 21. Rapper Nelly will perform songs from his new CDs, "Sweat" and "Suit." The hosting gig marks Affleck's third appearance on the live sketch-comedy show. It's Nelly's second.
The Kerry/Edwards photo-op campaign stop at Wendy's in upstate Newburgh, N.Y., last Friday included lots of blue-collar flesh-pressing and autograph-signing — but very little eating. The reason? A member of the Kerry/Edwards advance team had ordered much fancier fare the night before from posh Nikola's Restaurant at the Newburgh Yacht Club at a cost of about $200, the Mid-Hudson News reports. The deluxe lunches were picked up at noon and were waiting on the bus as Connoisseur Kerry ordered just chili at Wendy's and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, ultimately settled on just a Frosty. Just because Teresa inherited a ketchup fortune doesn't mean she likes burgers and fries. "You could tell she wasn't familiar with the menu," Wendy's manager John Garrett told PAGE SIX's Lisa Marsh. But, "Mr. and Mrs. Edwards knew what they wanted right away," Garrett said. John and Elizabeth Edwards ate "a single combo and a single combo with cheese," a smallish meal of a single-patty burger. In contrast, the box lunches on the bus featured shrimp vindaloo, grilled diver sea scallops, prosciutto-wrapped stuffed chicken and steak salad. With such fare waiting for them, it's no wonder the candidates and their spouses ate light at Wendy's. But Hollywood supporter Ben Affleck either didn't know there were treats on the bus or he has a voracious appetite — he ordered the double-cheese combo. The stop at Wendy's also fulfilled a family tradition for Edwards and his wife. They have a standing date there each year on July 30, their wedding anniversary. It was the way they spent their first anniversary as young lawyers in 1978. Meanwhile, the candidates' entourage of press and supporters had to wait for their lunches. While the advance team had ordered 125 bag lunches from the Alexis Diner in Newburgh, the buses bypassed that stop to go directly to Wendy's. The order was finally picked after the group left Wendy's. The Kerry/Edwards campaign did not return calls for comment.
"It's criminal," Affleck told the Hollywood Reporter trade paper. "It makes me sick. I can't stand it." Runaway productions are film shoots that relocate from the U.S. to other countries, primarily Canada, in order to save money. Films like the Oscar-winning Chicago, which was shot in Toronto, have been a boon to Canada's film industry. According to Affleck, runaway production is "probably the most important issue facing the state of California today." Affleck said he took a pay cut to make three of his films in the U.S. He said studios that chose to shoot in countries like Canada are giving a "slap in the face" to the motion-picture workers based in Los Angeles, the traditional capital of the entertainment world. John Kerry, the junior senator from Massachusetts, will accept the Democratic nomination as its presidential candidate on Thursday. Affleck, who is a native of Boston, is in the city to network with delegates and Democratic power-brokers. His comments play well with rank-and-file Democrats, who have traditionally not been as open to free trade as Republicans. "It's our single biggest export and our last great industry that's still here," Affleck said of the motion picture business. "Runaway production is a huge deal." The ex-fiance of Jennifer Lopez and star of Gigli is not the only celebrity at the gathering. Filmmaker Michael Moore has been holding daily news conferences and rock star Bono, who spoke at last year's Liberal Party convention in Toronto, is in Boston to play at a party for the other Massachusetts Senator, Ted Kennedy. Affleck's latest venture is American Start-Up, a reality show about the world of business that is being billed as being in the same mold as The Apprentice. Some in Hollywood have objected to reality television, arguing that the genre deprives performers and writers of work.
The 31-year-old actress is in talks to play Affleck's wife in "Man About Town," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The project centers on a successful Hollywood talent agent (Affleck) who thinks he has it all -- including a gorgeous wife. His perfect life starts deteriorating when he discovers her infidelity and when a reporter steals his journal. Director Mike Binder will begin shooting in late October from his own script. Romijn-Stamos recently starred in "The Punisher" and "Godsend."
The 31-year-old has signed on to star in the adventure film "Nowhere Men" for Disney, based on a treatment by his longtime friend Soren Garcia Rey and Chris Angulo. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project is described as a cross between heist film "Ocean's Eleven" and sci-fi action flick "Men in Black." "Nowhere" centers on a group of people endowed with extraordinary gifts who undertake special covert missions. Affleck will portray one of the gifted men. Affleck next stars opposite Christina Applegate in the romantic comedy "Surviving Christmas," which will be released in November.
The show's producers will select eight fledgling businesses and provide them with $50,000 in seed money. Every week, the businesses will meet with a panel of successful entrepreneurs, tycoons and venture capitalists, competing for major investment and a chance to bring their company to the next level. The panel of experts will evaluate each business at the end of every episode and the less successful ventures will be eliminated. "All over America, every day, millions of small businesses duke it out for survival -- and the stakes are huge," say Larry Tanz and Sean Bailey. "'American Start-Up' shows real challenges -- not staged competitions -- faced by young entrepreneurs in their actual businesses. Seeing them put their livelihoods on the line week to week vying for the chance to achieve a live-changing investment in the dream will inspire and entertain." LivePlanet was founded by Affleck, Damon, Bailey and Chris Moore. The company has earned Emmy nominations for the first two seasons of "Project Greenlight," which aired on HBO. Affleck, Bailey and Tanz will executive produce "American Start-Up" for LivePlanet. "We believe in the contribution and independent spirit of the American entrepreneur," Affleck declares. "And we are excited to work with Spike TV to bring these stories to their audience."
"We talked about it when I saw him last night, it's something we talk about every time we see each other," Damon tells Zap2it.com when doing interviews for his latest film "The Bourne Supremacy" which opens Friday (July 23). "It's about seven years that we've both been working consistently, having struggled for so long through our teens and early 20s, it's kind of an anathema to us to turn down work," Damon sighs. "So that's what I think we'll have to do, to try to write something. We'll just have to block out the time." Boston-bred buddies, Damon and Affleck won the best original screenplay Oscar for "Good Will Hunting" in 1997, and Damon was nominated as best actor the year that Jack Nicholson won for "As Good as it Gets." Affleck has yet to be nominated for an acting role. For now, Affleck is busy after buying the rights to the Dennis Lehane mystery novel "Gone, Baby, Gone," Damon says. "A lot depends on whether he wants to be in it or wants to direct it or where his head's at. But I've been so busy doing all these other movies that we haven't had a chance to sit down and do any writing for some time. We want to do it, but it's just a matter of kind of handling the logistics, and finding a way to get us in the same place at the same time." Damon now lives in New York, Affleck lives in Manhattan. Also, Affleck no longer now has the J.Lo factor. "For both of us, probably, the most creatively fulfilling experience was 'Good Will Hunting,' just because we took an idea from its very beginning and shepherded it all the way through until it was a film," says Damon, instinctively picking up Zap2it's mini-cassette recorder when the tape clicked off. He flipped the tape, pressed the record button and began speaking again. "This is how we use to write, actually," Damon says. "We'd improvise all the scenes, so I'm used to these little guys."
That question - pulled from the Dimension horror film Scream- seemed appropriate when Affleck and Project Greenlight partner Matt Damon announced plans Tuesday to produce their first horror film with Dimension and Scream director Wes Craven. Surprisingly, Affleck did not answer Gigli. "I can remember Nightmare on Elm Street scaring the daylights out of me," Affleck said. "Friday the 13th and The Shining were also really scary. Remember how terrifying it was when they cut to those two little girls in the hallway?" Agreed Damon, standing alongside Affleck on the green carpet: "That was an image that was tough to forget." Damon also singled out The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby as his favorite scares. At Tuesday's event, the pals announced the latest Project Greenlight winner. Written by first-timers Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, Feast takes place in a remote bar ravaged by cannibalistic creatures. Newcomer John Gulager will direct. Feast, as was the previous two Project Greenlight movies, will be filmed during production as a making-of, behind-the-scenes reality series that will air on Bravo, which picked up the series after it was dropped by HBO. "Hopefully, Feast will make these guys some money," winning screenwriter Melton said. The completed film, which is expected to reach theaters next year, will prove a real horror if it performs as poorly as the previous Greenlight coming-of-age films, 2002's Stolen Summer and 2003's The Battle of Shaker Heights. Stolen Summer stole just $134,736 from moviegoers, and Shaker Heights shook $280,351 from patrons' pockets. Affleck, looking super-casual with a beard and a loose-fitting gray sweater, and Damon, in a more tailored linen shirt, reviewed the final 50 screenplay submissions. Affleck said he didn't seek any advice from his family: "My mom gave me all my career advice for the last few years, so I don't listen to her anymore." Affleck just dropped out of Disney's Glory Road, in which he would have played coach to an all-black college basketball team. He will use his free time to write screenplays and support John Kerry's bid for the White House. As for saving the world in another Jack Ryan movie, he said, "I don't know. There's some discussion whether the next movie is going to be Red Rabbit or The Teeth of the Tiger. That's sort of a Paramount/Tom Clancy issue, so when they settle that, then we'll figure it out. Under the right circumstances, I'd be into it."
Outstanding Reality Program Colonial House PBS The 31-year-old actor has dropped out of playing the lead in Disney's "Glory Road," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The project centers on Texas Western coach Don Haskins, who led the first all-black college basketball team to the NCAA national championship in 1966. Affleck's profit-sharing arrangement for the film prompted Affleck's departure. "Glory Road" is set to start shooting in less than a month, causing the studio to scramble to find a replacement. Sources say that Josh Lucas ("Sweet Home Alabama"0 is a front runner. Affleck isn't hurting for cash though. The actor recently nabbed $356,400 in Commerce Casino's California State Poker Championship. He next stars opposite Christina Applegate in "Surviving Christmas," which will be released in November.
For the first time in two dozen years, entertainer Barbra Streisand performed with Neil Diamond, singing their 1978 hit "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," reports the AP. Streisand also sang a new and improved version of "People," with lyrics rewritten to reflect the political climate. Comedian Billy Crystal, who called the event "Woodstock for really, really rich people," maintained the evening's levity with a 15-minute standup routine in which he skewered both sides of the presidential race. Even Kerry's wife Teresa Heinz Kerry was in stitches as her husband was lampooned. "I'm having fun," Kerry told Crystal. "And my face got told." Although Ben Affleck also attended to show his support, he declined to give his pick for Kerry's running mate, saying, "I assume it'd be bad for me if I say some name that's different from the guy whose hand I'm gonna shake in three weeks when I'm like, running around Pennsylvania," Other celebs present included Ben Stiller, Esai Morales, Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. At the end of the event, Kerry addressed his supporters with the final words: "There are four months to undo four years and prevent four more." Kerry's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee will divide the $5 million raised that evening.
The 31-year-old actor had been hospitalized at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center but was now recuperating at his Boston home, Ken Sunshine told AP Radio. The London screening of the film, directed by Kevin Smith , took place Wednesday night. "Jersey Girl," which included a cameo by Affleck's former fiancee, Jennifer Lopez , reaped just $8.3 million in its March debut. Smith killed off Lopez's character minutes into the movie after last summer's bomb, "Gigli," which also paired Affleck and Lopez.
So it must have been the real deal when Ben Affleck begged off the London premiere of Jersey Girl Wednesday night because of bronchitis. Apparently, it was serious enough that the 32-year-old thesp was hospitalized for his ailment. He's since been released and is back home in Boston recuperating, confirmed an Affleck publicist, where "he's okay...he's getting better." Maybe it was something in the water? Costar Liv Tyler was also a no-show, claiming a sore throat. That left only director Kevin Smith and young star Raquel Castro in attendance. Affleck's absence led the British press to speculate that the Hollywood hottie had skipped out on the red carpet event to avoid talking about costar and onetime fiance, Jennifer Lopez, who's been linked to newly single Latin singer Marc Anthony. Conspiracy theories aside, the bad throat could be blamed on Affleck's non-stop schedule. In recent weeks, the Oscar winner's been spotted at a campaign fundraiser for Senator John Kerry, the White House correspondent's dinner and a Boston Red Sox's fundraiser. His calendar isn't expected to clear up any time soon. The Beantown boy, who won his Academy Award for cowriting 1997's Good Will Hunting, is slated to begin shooting on Glory Road later this month about the true story of a basketball coach who led the first African American college team to the NCAA national championship in 1966.
The flick, in which Affleck stars opposite his ex Jennifer Lopez, was a critical and commercial flop, but reps for Affleck say his failure to show up was due to a bout of bronchitis. Yet Liv Tyler and J.Lo were no-shows as well. "There's no Ben, no Liv, no Jen here tonight," Smith told the audience before the screening at the Curzon Mayfair theater, reports London's Evening Standard. "Only me and I'm not in it. "Ben can't be here tonight because he has bronchitis. He originally thought it was meningitis, but it wasn't — damn. Maybe we should call him Bronchifer." Smith — who also directed Affleck in "Chasing Amy," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," "Dogma" and "Mall Rats" — sarcastically noted, "Ben came over here to promote [box-office bomb] 'Paycheck' and that certainly did well." Smith also took issue with those who've said that his latest effort is a "disaster" — " 'Jersey Girl' is not a disaster," he said. "It cost $35 million and made $25 million. That's lower than expectations, not a disaster. A disaster is 'Gigli.' " As for Affleck's future, Smith told a PAGE SIX spy, "I preferred making films like 'Clerks' because I didn't have to deal with the fallout of Hollywood power relationships. I'd work with Ben again but he's had a rough year, so I think he's going to take some time out from the business." While the star's professional life has seen better days, his personal life is said to be on the upswing. Another tab across the pond, the Mirror, says he's getting serious with a new gal pal, TV account executive Enza Sambataro, 26. [The first photo of the couple appears on the facing page.] Affleck reportedly met the brunette at a fund-raising event in a Boston bowling alley and was immediately smitten. He soon asked her to go to Italy or Mexico for a romantic weekend, but she made him meet her mother first. "She had to go to New Hampshire to spend a weekend with her family, so he asked if he could come along," said a source. Friends of Sambataro, who speaks three languages, describe her as "bright, athletic and very personable."
The Starz Encore network is marketing "Gigli", a box office flop starring former lovers Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, as a film that has been so maligned by critics and moviegoers that "you know you want to see it." In marketing materials sent to reporters, Starz Encore calls "Gigli", "The Most Talked About Movie of the Year", then adds, "(OK, not all of our movies can be award-winning blockbusters). "Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em," said Starz Encore's Steve Belgard, director of programming publicity. "If we promoted it like a good film, our credibility would be shot." Belgard dreamed up the idea. Accustomed to seeing ads filled with reviews claiming a movie is "the year's best," Starz offers reporters this from the San Jose Mercury News: "A rigli, rigli bad movie," or this from the San Francisco Examiner: "Viewers (read: victims) will want to talk and comfort each other afterwards." "Gigli" is pronounced zhee-lee. In the movie, Affleck plays a thug who falls in love with a gangster, Lopez, who also happens to be a lesbian. It debuted in August 2003, and racked up $6 million at domestic box offices. In real life, the pair were engaged to be married and their every move was dogged by paparazzi and tabloid press. They have since broken up. Belgard said it was about time Ben and Jen -- sometimes dubbed Bennifer -- got back together, at least on the screen. "We've missed them, haven't we?" he asked, rather dryly.
It's also the only place you'll find actress Meg Ryan, liberal comedian Al Franken and CNN's Paula Zahn confabbing over pre-dinner drinks and hear Secretary of State Colin Powell utter, "I just met Ben Affleck." Jay Leno entertained the 2,500 guests Saturday, mocking the unique blend of the crowd with "half of you are writing a book, and the other half haven't read one." One sign that it wasn't a real Hollywood party: the absence of orangey spray-on tans and mounds of décolletage glitter. Instead: sensible shoes and eyeglasses. Even Ryan sported specs during much of the evening. The event honoring President Bush returned to its reputation as a surprise star-studded event after a year in which stars stayed home and the tone was somber amid the war in Iraq. Bush tempered a solemn eight-minute address with some tongue-in-cheek moments. Lighter touches included a joke about accusations that he's ignoring the economy. "Look what I've done for the book publishing industry," he said in a reference to several best-selling books that don't flatter the Bush administration. Leno followed the president with a full onslaught of political jokes. Getting the biggest laugh: a video clip of Crazy Howard's TV Shop, a mock commercial featuring a ranting Howard Dean hawking TV sets. Drew Barrymore roamed the halls with cameras for a documentary on the voting process. Star Wars director George Lucas, Murphy Brown's Candice Bergen (who brought daughter Chloe Malle) and Lord of the Rings' Sean Astin mingled with the press corps. Fox News' Greta Van Susteren enjoyed surf-and-turf dinner with American Idol tablemates Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Ryan Seacrest. Affleck worked the room like a pro, and when he headed toward the dining room metal detectors, hundreds flocked after him. He said he was there "to see what it's all about," then joked that he was putting faces to the names of writers who made his life difficult while he was engaged to Jennifer Lopez. He sat near Powell but shrugged off the idea that it signaled he's considering a foray into politics. "Not from me, but maybe from my mother."
It's not just for him. The Boston-bred Affleck will be visiting Congressional offices during the day to lobby for an increase of $1.85 an hour for the federal minimum wage, helping a bill sponsored by Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy. Affleck makes an average of $10 million per picture these days, a far cry from the $7,000 paycheck he received from his pal Kevin Smith for "Chasing Amy" in 1997. Director Smith gave him $10 million to star in "Jersey Girl" which opened in March and has made $25 million at the box office so far. Affleck's paycheck for the action film "Paycheck" is reported at $15 million. Later in the weekend, Affleck is scheduled to attend the prestigious White House Correspondents Association Dinner which already has a guest list that includes Drew Barrymore, Meg Ryan, Minnie Driver, Candice Bergen, Drew Carey and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen who received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday.
When Affleck spoke a simple Spanish phrase to player Pedro Martinez, who replied in the same language, the actor quipped, "That's all the Spanish I know. I wasn't with her that long," according to the AP. The 31-year-old "Jersey Girl" star acted as master of ceremonies for the auction, which raised over $400,000 for items, including four World Series tickets, the opportunity to throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park and front-row tickets to the next concert held at Fenway. Affleck was joined by "Saturday Night Live's" Seth Meyers and 22 Red Sox players, including Martinez, Curt Schilling and Nomar Garciaparra. Proceeds will go to The Red Sox Foundation, an organization that supports children's health, education, recreation and urban social programs. Affleck currently stars opposite Liv Tyler in Kevin Smith's "Jersey Girl." He next stars in the holiday comedy "Surviving Christmas," which is scheduled for release in November.
Ben and the 32-year-old "Baywatch Hawaii" beauty ran into each other at the poker tables in Las Vegas and wound up in the "Jersey Girl" star's hotel suite, The ENQUIRER learned exclusively. And afterward Krista told a friend: "I've got Ben smiling again! "He had to go promote his movie but we'll be together again as soon as he gets back to Los Angeles." Krista broke up with Clooney a few weeks ago after a two-year romance "because he wouldn't commit to marriage," her friend told The ENQUIRER. "She was broken hearted, because she really believed George was the one. She was even prepared to have his baby and was telling friends to expect a wedding announcement soon. When she realized that marriage just wasn't in George's plans, she ended the romance -- then had a bad case of the blues. "One of the friends she turned to for comfort was ex-boyfriend David Spade. "Krista was crying on David's shoulder, telling him how lonely she was without George, when David suddenly said: 'Come join me in Vegas for the weekend. You'll have a good time.'" PLAYING POKER Krista flew to Vegas last month and went to Caesars Palace -- where 31-year-old Ben was playing poker, the friend revealed. "Krista and Ben had met before at the World Poker Tournament when he was with Jennifer and Krista was with George. Krista likes the casinos. So when she and David bumped into Ben at Caesars, she took the chair next to him and began playing cards at his table. "In no time at all, Ben and Krista were flirting. He would lean over and whisper in her ear and she was laughing at his jokes. "Soon Ben was kissing Krista on her neck and she was giggling. "After David left, Ben and Krista went out to dinner together, then back to the gambling tables and finally to his suite at the Bellagio. "A day later, Krista flew back to Los Angeles and was excitedly telling pals, 'Ben Affleck is wonderful. I needed some fun in my life and Ben certainly supplies that. "'He told me that he was sad and alone -- till he met me!'"
Such are the tidbits that can be had for a few keystrokes at FundRace.org, the Web's latest, greatest way to suck hours from your life. "It is addictive," says Jonah Peretti. Peretti is director of research and development at the New York-based Eyebeam, a non-profit, tech-minded arts organization. Last fall, Eyebeam launched FundRace.org, a site devoted to humanizing the stone-cold world of campaign finance. About three weeks ago, FundRace.org introduced a search engine allowing users to look up presidential donors from the recent primary season by zip code or last name. The idea was, Peretti says, to "let people search, let people connect with something they're familiar with." Turns out what we're familiar with are celebrities. "People started--especially in New York and L.A.--[going], 'Oh, my God, I didn't know I lived next to Christopher Guest...," he says. For the record, you live next to the A Mighty Wind director if you live in an office building in Santa Monica, California. That's the address of record for Guest's three contributions ($2,000 each to Democratic contenders John Kerry, Howard Dean and Wesley Clark) as found on FundRace.org. And in case you're wondering, Guest's wife, Jamie Lee Curtis (news), wrote a lone $2,000 check (the maximum contribution an individual can make to a candidate) to Kerry. It's the curiosity factor--what stars have given how much to whom?--that has brought Netizens to Fundrace.org, fingers at the ready to type in any and every conceivable celeb name. Some names we typed in so you won't have to: If you're looking for Hollywoodistas who backed President Bush, good luck. Celeb-friendly enclaves, such as the 90264 zip code (for Malibu, California), yielded not a single Republican contributor. And high-profile G.O.P. supporters, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger (news), didn't write checks. Arguably the Industry's most prominent Republican backer was Fox chieftain Rupert Murdoch, who signed over $2,000 to Bush. That Murdoch didn't hedge his bet with a like contribution to Kerry made him a man among moguls. "Actors seem to be giving to the candidate, or a couple candidates, they would like to see win," Peretti says. "But some of the moguls are giving to all the candidates." Case in point: Donald Trump, who balanced his books by giving $2,000 each to Bush and Kerry. Then there's the case of Ben Affleck (news), who with a listed occupation of "actor" gave $2,000 to Clark, and with a listed occupation of "writer" gave $1,000 to Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich. "Some people were joking that he's richer as an actor than a writer," Peretti says. Judging by Affleck's recent box-office record, maybe not for long...
"Scooby 2" scared up an estimated $30.7 million over the weekend, according to Exhibitor Relations, showing in 3,312 screens for an average of $9,283 per screen, the third highest for the weekend. Pulling the highest average per screen was Warner Bros.' "Nascar: The IMAX Experience" with $15,987, followed by LionsGate's "Dogville," starring Nicole Kidman and directed by Lars von Trier, which earned $10,000 in its 9 screens. Taking second place at the box office is the Coen brothers' "The Ladykillers" starring Tom Hanks, which raked in $13m in 1,583 sites -- the best opening ever for a Coen brothers film. "The Passion of Christ" held strong in third place with $12.5m, dipping only 36 percent from last weekend -- a far cry from "Dawn of the Dead," which dropped 61 percent in its second week at the box office, landing at No. 4 with $10.3m. Ben Affleck's career appears safe -- for the time being. Kevin Smith's "Jersey Girl," starring Affleck and Liv Tyler, opened in fifth place with $8.3m -- while the figure is not outstanding, falling below Smith's "Dogma" ($8.7m) and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" ($11m) openings, it is a clear improvement on "Gigli's" $3.7m. "Taking Lives" dropped three spots to No. 6 with $6.5m, followed by "Starsky & Hutch's" $$6.3m. "Hidalgo" occupied eighth place, followed by "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" in ninth and "Secret Window" in tenth. "Never Die Alone" opened to $3m, landing at No. 11, while "50 First Dates" rounded out the top 12. Also opening this weekend were "Dogville," which pulled $90,000m in its nine screens, and "Ned Kelly" with a total of $42,700 in its 22 screens. These are estimates by Exhibitor Relations, which tracks the box-office receipts daily. Check back Monday for final totals.
Filmmakers usually decry blabbermouths who reveal movie secrets, but writer-director Smith and distributor Miramax are quick to acknowledge Lopez's demise, a plot twist they once had hoped to keep hidden. The reason: The lingering cloud of box-office carbon monoxide left by "Gigli," last summer's bomb that was the first pairing of Lopez and real-life sweetie Ben Affleck. A year or two ago, the prospect of Lopez and Affleck together on screen sounded like music to a studio executive's ears. Then came the media farce over their on-again, off-again nuptials, culminating in gleefully harsh reviews of their mob comedy "Gigli," a $54 million production that earned back just $6 million at theaters. A long, slow anticlimax followed, as Affleck and Lopez called off their September wedding at the last minute and rumors flew about the status of their relationship. They finally called off their engagement in January. Everyone involved wants to distance the new flick from "Gigli," so they're taking an unusual tack for Hollywood and selling "Jersey Girl" truthfully for what it is: A goodhearted story of a widower (Affleck) struggling to put his life back together while raising a little girl on his own. Lopez plays Affleck's wife and dies in childbirth within the first 15 minutes. "I never would have wanted to do a bait-and-switch and sell it as a Ben-and-Jen movie, then have people suddenly get irate when she dies so early," said Smith, who previously directed Affleck in "Chasing Amy," "Dogma," "Mallrats" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." "In the post-`Gigli' climate, you'd have to be an idiot to hype it as a Ben-and-Jen movie. This way, it's more honest," Smith said. Smith initially wanted the death of Lopez's character to be a surprise, but word leaked out after test screenings. Once "Gigli" laid its egg, it was in the best interests of "Jersey Girl" to go public with Lopez's fate and downplay her involvement. Affleck hopes enough time has passed so audiences can view "Jersey Girl" on its own merits. "`Gigli' was a movie that definitely suffered from the surfeit of publicity about me and Jen. So it was kind of, `Enough already,' before the movie came out," Affleck said. "Also `Gigli,' while it was a great experience and while I had a great time making it, didn't really, ultimately work as a movie, and `Jersey Girl' really does. I believe it's a beautiful movie, and I'm really proud of it." Affleck plays Ollie Trinke, a crack Manhattan music publicist who meets and marries the woman of his dreams, Gertrude Steiney (Lopez). After Gertrude's death giving birth to their daughter, Gertie (Raquel Castro), Ollie's professional life crumbles and he finds himself back in New Jersey, licking his wounds at the home of his father (George Carlin). Liv Tyler co-stars as Ollie's new romantic interest, but the heart of the story is the father-daughter attachment, inspired by Smith's relationship with his own daughter. To hold the focus squarely on Affleck as a single father, Smith truncated the movie's opening, deleting scenes to reduce the romance and marriage of Affleck and Lopez to a whirlwind montage. He cut a wedding scene, a smart move given the wisecracks it would have provoked after Affleck and Lopez's nuptial nonsense. "Jersey Girl" is the most grown-up film yet for Smith, whose first movie "Clerks" put him at the vanguard of the 1990s wave of young independent filmmakers. The new movie has plenty of Smith's trademark character banter, but on a mature level, without the gross-out schtick of his previous work. With its $35 million budget ($10 million for Affleck's salary and $4 million for Lopez's), "Jersey Girl" is less of a risk than "Gigli." Smith's young, hip fan base alone could lift it to profitability. "Kevin Smith has a following regardless of the Ben Affleck-J. Lo factor," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "There are a lot of his fans who will want to see this movie. That may be all it needs to rise above the `Gigli' debacle." If the movie catches a break with reviewers and builds solid word of mouth, "Jersey Girl" also might lure older audiences into the Smith fold. Still, doubters think the "Gigli" fallout could smother "Jersey Girl." "The person who has my greatest sympathy right now is Kevin Smith," said John Wilson, founder of the annual Razzie awards for worst movies, where "Gigli" swept all the top categories last month. "How do you sell `Jersey Girl' after this fiasco? How do you convince anyone that you want to see these two people reunited on screen? "They may need to put Lopez in a coffin on the poster if they want anyone to come." The real "Jersey Girl" posters show Affleck with crossed arms, looking down at Castro in a paternal staring match. Miramax hopes that image lingers over any groans of "Ben and Jen again." Miramax is opening "Jersey Girl" in 1,600 theaters, about 600 fewer than "Gigli," then gradually rolling it out to wider release over the next two weekends hoping the buzz builds and overcomes the "Gigli" taint. "We have a completely different movie from `Gigli,'" said Rick Sands, Miramax's chief operating officer. "The movie's the movie, and we're proud of it. `Gigli' has no influence on the marketing or distribution." Before "Gigli" hit theaters, Miramax moved "Jersey Girl" from its original release date last fall to this spring to avoid flooding the market with Affleck flicks. Besides "Gigli," Affleck also starred in December's action thriller "Paycheck." When "Gigli" flopped, "suddenly, our move to 2004 was the best thing that ever happened. It seemed like a brilliant move, getting us away from `Gigli,'" Smith said. "If we had come out two months after `Gigli,' I don't think we would have gotten a fair shake." Now, Smith thinks audiences will give "Jersey Girl" a chance. The mentions "Jersey Girl" got amid the bad press for "Gigli" actually helped build awareness for Smith's film. But whether it's good or bad awareness remains to be seen. "I think we have a shot to have the movie seen and reviewed for content and not its back story. I feel like enough time has passed," Smith said. "And I felt like maybe after their breakup, there might be a macabre interest in it now."
Or, as he joked on Saturday Night Live, should he consider a romance with Matt Damon? Affleck, 31, has been making light of his single status since Bennifer went belly-up in January. And he says he's still a bit "gun-shy" about dating. Don't expect any hook-ups when he starts work this summer on Glory Days. (It's a basketball film with a lot of guys.) Perhaps he's just too busy promoting his new movie, Jersey Girl, opening Friday, to worry about his love life. So we asked two professionals to play matchmaker on Ben's behalf. USA TODAY's Karen Thomas consulted Samantha Daniels of the bi-coastal Samantha's Table (and the inspiration for NBC's Miss Match) and Lisa Ronis of Lisa Ronis Personal Matchmaking, a $5,000-a-year service in Manhattan. Pefect, but... Jennifer Garner, 31 A top choice for both matchmakers. But is she available? Garner's rep just last week denied rumors that the Alias star and boyfriend/co-star Michael Vartan are Splitsville. "She's got the right presence." - L.R. "One wonders what would have happened if they weren't involved (with other people) while making (2003's) Daredevil. She's confident, at the top of her game right now, very pretty and very sweet." - S.D. Amanda Peet, 32 Another perfect match, if only she weren't hot 'n' heavy with boyfriend Brian Van Holt. "She's gorgeous, with a little bit of an edge." - L.R. "Her down-to-earth, low-key personality would jell with his New England roots. She's fun and spontaneous and used to the dramatics of Hollywood." - S.D. Perhaps... Jessica Alba, 22 "She could be perfect. He needs someone who's sexy and can handle him." - L.R. "She's definitely interesting enough for him. She feels young, though. I don't think she has enough Hollywood sophistication to hold his interest long enough." - S.D. Sandra Bullock, 39 "She's got the right feistiness about her." - L.R. "If she were only younger. She's been around a long time, and she has a fun, spontaneous way about her. Plus, she knows how to stay under the radar of the press." - S.D. Salma Hayek, 37 "Maybe. But she may be a little too heady for him." - L.R. "He'd be intrigued by her. But she's too old." - S.D. Uh, no... Kristin Davis, 39 "No, but she looks like she could use a guy like Ben Affleck." - L.R. "She's sweet. She has a very positive spark that's appealing. She's confident. But she's too old." - S.D. Angelina Jolie, 28 "She feels too old, too weathered. I just feel like she's been around a while. I can't believe she's only 28." - L.R. "Ben is too conservative at heart for her." - S.D. Nicole Kidman, 36 "She's the antithesis of J. Lo. I'm sure she's a fiery woman in there somewhere, but she looks like she's going to break." - L.R. "He's very American; she's so international. She's elegant; he, at the end of the day, would like to be casual. Not a match." - S.D. Britney Spears, 22 "Too young - young in age, and young emotionally." - L.R. "He so doesn't want that!" - S.D. What went wrong with Bennifer? Our matchmaking experts weigh in Lisa Ronis: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's polar-opposite personalities conflicted. A "bad boy" like Affleck needs a sexy, beautiful woman who is "a little more clever" than J. Lo. "He needs an edgy woman who can really handle a guy," Ronis says. "Some guys are unspinnable, and they need a woman who has the knack for spinning a man's head." Samantha Daniels: The "double whammy" of two big stars in the spotlight burned out their relationship and turned their love into something like reality TV. "He needs to be with someone who tinkers on the edge of Hollywood and has a connection - an agent, manager, journalist, producer or writer - but who doesn't need the spotlight as much as Jennifer."
Gigli (rhymes with really awful) star Ben Affleck was presented with a Razzie award for Worst Actor Tuesday on CNN's Larry King Live after joking to the press that he had never received the booby prize. The movie, which racked up six wins, fell one statuette short of tying with all-time stinkers Showgirls and Battlefield Earth. But Affleck rejected the Razzie on Larry King Live, saying "It's a little cheap." And so the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation, which dis-honors the worst achievements in film, retrieved the tacky trophy and put it up for sale on eBay, where it's received a much better reception. Within 24 hours, bidding jumped from $4.89 to $967.97, prompting the foundation head John Wilson to say in a statement, "This is a classic case of life handing us lemons, our turning around and making lemonade. In this case, RAZZberry lemonade!" The award will be up for auction until March 27, 2004. Meanwhile, Affleck is pressing ahead to promote his next film, Jersey Girl, which has all but excised the role of costar and fellow Gigli culprit, Jennifer Lopez. To that end, Affleck fills Kelly Ripa's chair opposite Regis Philbin on Live with Regis and Kelly next week while the bubbly blond yakker is on vacation. Monday's show, which was pretaped, features Saturday Night Live's Darrell Hammond and Affleck competing in a "Reege-off" to see who does the best impression of Philbin. Affleck hosted SNL last weekend and poked fun at the whole Bennifer phenomenon. The Kevin Smith-directed Jersey Girl hits theaters March 26. Affleck's next effort, Surviving Christmas, is scheduled for a Nov. 12 release.
For months, American tabloids gushed with headlines that the hunky actor and sultry singer were headed for the altar before their love affair ended in a messy public split. Now finally the pair are married, albeit for a short-lived 15 minutes on the silver screen that ends with J. Lo's untimely death after childbirth in the movie "Jersey Girl," set for a March 26 release. "I think professionally and personally -- and being that Jen is in it for just 15 minutes -- it leaves that whole thing on a kind of a positive note," Affleck said in a recent interview about his newest cinematic bow. The curtains came down on the two movie stars real relationship several months ago. But only after they suffered some of the worst movie reviews ever for their flop "Gigli" -- a movie Hollywood executives had dreamed might propel the romantically-entangled pair to become the new Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. "Jersey Girl" was made before the pair broke up and was originally set to be marketed as another Ben and Jen vehicle. But after the end of their romance and the monumental flop of their last on-screen pairing, their newest offering makes almost no reference to Lopez in its marketing. 'GIGLI' DAMAGE CONTROL Still, Affleck is hoping that "Jersey Girl" will help repair the damage done to the Oscar winner's reputation after "Gigli," which he called a "gigantic bomb." After a year Affleck described as both humbling and overwhelming, he is hoping "Jersey Girl" will put him back in the win column. "The gigantic 'Ishtar' catastrophe is the one everyone remembers -- which is why I think it's nice to have this movie happen now because it serves as a counterweight to that," Affleck said. "Ishtar," starring Hollywood heavyweights Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman, flopped dramatically in 1987 and is widely regarded as one of Tinseltown's greatest bombs. The 31-year-old actor has also signed onto a heavy promotional tour that includes an interview with Katie Couric and as guest host on "Saturday Night Live." While leaving Affleck with "positive memories" of his work with Lopez, making 'Jersey Girl' "was really important for me career wise -- going back to doing the most basic thing I started doing, which was stories of regular people." Affleck worked in "Mallrats" in 1995 and "Chasing Amy" in 1997 -- both helmed by the writer and director behind "Jersey Girl," Kevin Smith. He shared an Academy Award with Matt Damon for co-writing the 1997 film "Good Will Hunting" in which the two also starred. Smith, a long-time friend of Affleck, said he was dismayed by the "Gigli" fallout. When he signed Ben and Jen for his flick, he thought he was buying into a rock-solid Hollywood pairing that would almost guarantee box office success. Instead, his movie now features two of the more damaged stars in Hollywood. BUGGED BY 'GIGLI' "The 'Gigli' thing kind of bugged me," Smith said in an interview. "I had to accept the fact that we will never be a No. 1 film." "Jersey Girl" is the story of a high-flying Manhattan music publicist, played by Affleck, whose life is transformed after he loses his wife, Lopez, and then realizes he must move back to his more affordable hometown in New Jersey and concentrate on raising his daughter. After beginning with scenes that include J. Lo's death and Affleck's character raising his newborn daughter with great difficulty, the movie jumps forward to his daughter's grammar school years. Liv Tyler plays Affleck's love interest. Marketing material now features Affleck and his nine-year-old co-star Raquel Castro with just snippets of J. Lo in the trailer and no sight of her in the movie's promotional posters.
"Out of all the actors I've ever worked with, I feel particularly comfortable with Ben," Tyler tells TV Guide Online. "We have some sort of special chemistry. I don't even know what chemistry means or where it comes from, but it feels very natural for us to be back together." Affleck sums up their professional relationship in a slightly different way: "I was talking to Liv and she was like, 'It's weird, but I think we do have good chemistry together'," he recalls. "I think what she wanted to say was that it's weird to have good chemistry with someone that you are not attracted to in real life. She was sort of too polite to go all the way and say it, but it's true." But even Tyler admits she got a case of the butterflies when it came time for her and Affleck to disrobe for their Jersey Girl shower sequence. "It is always nerve-wracking doing any kind of love scene or make-out scene," Tyler admits. "But I feel really comfortable with Ben. You just try and let go and have fun with it."
Ben Affleck, 31 Addiction: Charlie Sheen drove Affleck to Promises clinic in Malibu, Calif., for alcohol abuse after an all-night bender in Las Vegas in August 2001. Recovery: "Ben is a self-aware and smart man who has decided that a fuller life awaits him without alcohol," said his then-spokesman, David Pollick. Yasmine Bleeth, 35 Addiction: In December 2000, the Baywatch babe voluntarily entered Promises clinic with a cocaine addiction. But she was still using when she drove her car off a cliff in 2001 and was ordered to undergo regular drug tests. Recovery: In the February 2003 Glamour, Bleeth wrote that "consciously trying to stay off drugs is now part of my life and always will be." Robert Downey Jr., 38 Addiction: A judge ordered the actor into rehab for one year in March 2001 for addiction to drugs. He previously served time in prison for drug possession. Recovery: Downey told USA TODAY last year that with his hard-fought sobriety, he was "unencumbered by the most glaring of my character defects." Jack Osbourne, 18 Addiction: In April 2003, this teenage member of MTV's dysfunctional family checked into rehab after he became addicted to alcohol and prescription drugs. Recovery: He signed up for another year of The Osbournes, telling 20/20 that "here's a chance to kind of maybe redeem myself. I was kind of a drug (expletive) in the past couple of seasons." Matthew Perry, 34 Addiction: The Friends star was treated in 1997 for addiction to prescription drugs and again in March 2001 for addiction to Vicodan and alcohol abuse. Recovery: "It was scary. I didn't want to die," he told People in September 2002. Charlie Sheen, 38 Addiction: In May 1998,Sheen's father, actor Martin Sheen, persuaded the actor to enter Promises because of substance abuse. Recovery: "It's time for a change," he said in a statement. According to spokesman Jeff Ballard, Sheen aimed "to overcome what he describes as his 'destructive appetites.' "
The question remains: Were they excited because the film is good or because the pairing of the former lovebirds is so brief? Director-writer Kevin Smith told the sold-out audience afterward that he's still happy to have the former off-screen couple play an on-screen couple in his film, despite the disastrous "Gigli," their previous cinematic pairing, according to the AP. After the Sunday night screening (March 14) Smith fielded questions from the crowd. He also told them that his wife suggested casting Lopez as Affleck's wife: "I said, 'Really? He's making a movie with her right now. It's called "Gigli." Should be a huge hit.'" And not only were the couple's real-life nuptials panned, but the on-screen ones were as well. Smith left a now infamous wedding scene between Jen and Ben on the cutting room floor. Lopez's character dies during childbirth within the first few minutes, forcing Affleck's character, a smarmy publicist, to reevaluate life as he raises their daughter on his own. The director acknowledges that "Jersey Girl" is incredibly different from the movies in his past such as "Clerks" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." These films built him a loyal (albeit stoner) fan base. He deadpans that his next film will be about a puppy. Despite his self deprecating attitude, Affleck says that audiences are going to be surprised and that he thinks it is, by far, Smith's best work to date. The 11-year-old South by Southwest film festival ends Saturday, March 21. "Jersey Girl," co-starring Liv Tyler and George Carlin, opens nationwide March 26.
Smith stumbles setting up dramatic confrontations and strains credibility a time or two with implausible moments. Nevertheless, it's pleasing to witness Smith operating without the geeky brashness and potty-mouth dialogue. The presence of Vilmos Zsigmond, one of the world's great cinematographers, certainly makes this the best-looking film of Smith's career. The problem is that "Jersey Girl" never adds up to much. Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler -- they teamed up briefly in "Armageddon" -- will be a strong draw for the under-30 crowd. The presence of Affleck's ex, Jennifer Lopez, is a plus as well despite the fact that she exits the movie in 14 scant minutes. The much-delayed film should rack up above-average numbers for Miramax as it reaches out beyond Smith's core audience to bring in older audiences. Affleck plays Ollie Trinke, a hotshot New York publicist who woos and weds his lady love Gertrude (Lopez). When Gertrude dies in childbirth, Ollie is left distraught and with an infant daughter he has no idea how to nurture. He brings the baby home to his dad, Bart (George Carlin), in a small New Jersey town, where he expects his father more or less to raise her while he resumes his warp-speed rise in the PR biz. But the tragedy has, mysteriously and improbably, turned Ollie into a jerk. Yelling at the office staff, especially assistant Arthur (Jason Biggs), causes no real problems. But when Ollie yells at the assembled media at a press conference and disses his own client -- a rising young TV and music star named Will Smith -- Ollie gets canned immediately. An instant pariah in the biz, Ollie is forced to give up his cool Manhattan lifestyle. We are then asked to believe that the only job he can land is as a city sweeper and garbage collector like his dad. Cut to seven years later, and father and daughter -- named Gertie (Raquel Castro) after her mom -- get along great. But wait. How did that happen? Isn't that the meat of this story? Why does their bonding take place off-camera so to speak? Nevertheless, as the second act gets under way, the movie's major issue is resolved and the absence of a woman in Ollie's life gets taken care of the minute Gertie and Ollie walk into a video store and clerk Maya (Tyler) smiles at Ollie. What passes for conflict centers on Ollie's obsession with getting back into publicity in Manhattan. The movie insists that Ollie's outburst has barred him from PR for life. (In a cameo scene, Matt Damon and Jason Lee literally laugh him out of their office during a job interview.) But a publicist yelling at the press isn't nearly as rare as Smith seems to think it is, nor would anybody be ostracized to this extent, especially if he were as good as Ollie is supposed to be. The movie builds up to a crisis when Ollie lands a key job interview on the same afternoon as Gertie's school music pageant. This creates implausible screaming matches about life values in the Trinke household featuring Ollie, Gertie, Maya, his dad and even his dad's buddies (Stephen Root, Mike Star). Nobody, of course, thinks to reschedule the interview. There is no question that Smith's heart is in the right place, but his dramatic instincts fail him miserably. The actors are all fine, especially young Castro, who does bear a resemblance to Lopez. Her felicitous, impish charm infects the movie and brightens her scenes with Affleck. For that matter, Tyler manages several sexy and romantic scenes with Affleck, making you wish Smith had further investigated that relationship rather than relying on trite sitcom gimmicks. Carlin, for once in his on- and off-again movie career, has a lengthy role as a man content with his lot in life but puzzled over why his son is so dissatisfied with his. A game Will Smith turns up for cameo as the star Ollie dissed. All credits are pro, the most outstanding of which belong to Zsigmond, whose lighting gives the movie a romantic feel, where the morning is bright with promise and twilight alive with potential. Cast: Ollie Trinke: Ben Affleck; Bart: George Carlin; Maya: Liv Tyler; Gertie: Raquel Castro; Gertrude: Jennifer Lopez; Arthur: Jason Biggs; Greenie: Stephen Root; Block: Mike Star. Screenwriter-director: Kevin Smith; Producer: Scott Mosier; Executive producers: Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Jonathan Gordon; Director of photography: Vilmos Zsigmond; Production designer: Robert Holtzman; Music: James Venable; Co-producer: Laura Greenlee; Costume designer: Juliet Polcsa; Editors: Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier.
He says at the very least he should get "a golden sack of grapes" or something. Affleck says he feels "stiffed" because he's never gotten any of his Razzies. He says the people who give out the awards have "diminished their integrity." On a serious note, Affleck says what happened to him and former fiance Jennifer Lopez was like many of his fears coming true all at once. "A fear starts to seep in, like what if something bad happens? What if everybody hates my movie? What if I have some public embarrassment? Then it all happens in a month and it turns out like alright, it's not the end of the world," Affleck told AP Radio. Affleck says the media frenzy and Bennifer label taught him that his fame and career doesn't affect who he is. "I don't have to be at the top of everybody's list careerwise. Every movie doesn't have to work. I'm still fundamentally going to be who I am and that's really the center of my happiness and my friends and my family and the people that I love and how I feel about myself. And the rest of it is dressing and it's good, and it's healthy to want to do well at your job and all that stuff, but it's not this incredibly important thing," Affleck told AP Radio.
As the host of Saturday Night Live over the weekend, he didn't just promote his film Jersey Girl, which opens March 26. Affleck brazenly skewered his tabloid-monopolizing breakup with ex-fiancée Jennifer Lopez, who briefly appears in Jersey Girl as his wife. Call it a case of goodwill hunting. The celeb-obsessed gossip press lately has painted him as a sad, lonely gamble-holic whose romance withered under the glare of the spotlight. But in skits about gay marriage and Gigli and his opening monologue, in which he goofed on "Bennifer," the 31-year-old Oscar-winning scribe of 1997's Good Will Hunting came off as a likable good sport eager to move on with his life. Before his latest go-round with the SNL crew, Affleck told USA TODAY that he welcomed the sendups of his personal travails and movies. "I've done the show before, so I was pretty cool about it. They know I'm pretty easygoing." The actor is so keen to restore the sheen to his image that he shaved off his goatee before attending Jersey Girl's premiere last week in New York. Those urging a makeover included Harvey Weinstein, the honcho behind Miramax, which is releasing the film. "There was a general consensus from the marketing people," Affleck says. "They said (he puts on a New York-y accent), 'You have to look like how you do in the movie. Otherwise it's weird for people.' " Early reviews have assured that Jersey Girl, directed by Affleck's buddy Kevin Smith (news) (Chasing Amy, Dogma), is not another Gigli, the summer flop that co-starred Lopez as a lesbian hit woman. That's especially good news because the actor's last release, the holiday thriller Paycheck, also failed to cash in. Though it is a bittersweet experience to have Jersey Girl's early scenes reflect his relationship with Lopez, Affleck welcomes its arrival. "I'm really proud and pleased of Kevin and his work. It is done on a high professional level. Gigli was such a disaster of a movie. What created it was an excess of publicity for me and Jen. There was a rising tide of animosity against us that crested on that movie. It was hard for people to distinguish between our relationship and the movie." With Jersey Girl, "we can end that chapter on a positive note with fond memories." Though he has been choosy about selecting his forums to promote the film, Affleck has faced most questions about the split head-on with a fair amount of personal insight. "It is just a flip side of why you become an object of attention," he says of the pair's status as a media target. "The undercurrent is the same thing: envy, resentment. As an emotion, hate is something very close to love. It became such a story with the media telling how Ben and Jen do this or do that. Familiarity breeds contempt. Maybe it became too cutesy." What goes up must come down, especially when you are a celebrity, he says. "People have a sense of drama. They want another act. Where is the fall? It was nothing that I was complicit in. It was something that was happening around me." Affleck also knows that such attention, which also got in the way of an earlier romance with actress Gwyneth Paltrow (news), is inevitable for a high-profile person. "It's a pattern that happens. Like a big Tom Cruise (news) backlash. Or when I saw a teaser for The Beach (with Leonardo DiCaprio (news)) after Titanic and everyone was booing. "I could say I won't date anyone famous in the future. I imagine I'll be reluctant. But I can't govern my personal feelings in some objective, Machiavellian way." Careerwise, the star of Armageddon and Pearl Harbor is swearing off action blockbusters. Which means he won't be wearing Daredevil's crimefighting suit again. "I can't imagine doing another action movie. I'm not interested." Instead, Affleck is seeking out new challenges, like the holiday comedy Surviving Christmas, due Nov. 19. "It's the kind of script you would normally expect someone like Mike Myers (news), Adam Sandler (news), Will Ferrell (news) or Eddie Murphy (news) to be in. Instead, it's me trying my hand at comedy." Observing Smith, whose wife and 4-year-old daughter inspired Jersey Girl, as he wallows in domestic bliss has had a positive effect on the footloose actor. "I would like to settle down at some point. I have other friends who have done it, too. My brother (actor Casey) is about to have a baby." But he is in no rush. "I hope I know enough to know when it is right."
Couric asks Affleck if he's concerned that his relationship with ex-fiancee Jennifer Lopez will overshadow the movie. "Jersey Girl," directed by Kevin Smith, opens March 26. A wedding scene with Affleck and Lopez has been cut from the film. "I would hate to have that sort of like tabloid aspect of it or the relationship or anything overshadow, you know, what I think is really Kevin's best movie — and probably mine, too," he tells Couric. Excerpts of the interview were released in advance. Affleck's films include Smith's "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy," "Dogma" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." The 31-year-old actor also has starred in "Gigli," co-starring Lopez, "Pearl Harbor" and "Good Will Hunting." Affleck and Lopez were to have married last September, but abruptly postponed their lavish plans. They have since ended their engagement.
Affleck brought his mom, Chris, to Tuesday's world premiere of his love story, Jersey Girl, which briefly co-stars Jennifer Lopez as Affleck's wife and the mother of their daughter, Gertie. "You mean Jennifer's not here? What?!" joked Jersey Girl writer/director Kevin Smith as he made his way down the red carpet with his wife, Jennifer, and their daughter, Harley, 4. And 30 minutes later, as he stepped in front of a packed house at the Ziegfeld Theatre to introduce his labor of love, Smith went one step further and told the audience that "we're just waiting for J. Lo to show up." But Smith squashed any worries that Affleck's endlessly scrutinized and now busted romance would hurt the movie, even though he cut the couple's wedding scene from the film. "It's not really about their relationship," Smith says. "It's about him and the little kid. So if he and the little kid broke up, I'd have problems." Affleck plays a driven Manhattan music publicist who finds himself a single parent raising a daughter (newcomer Raquel Castro, 9) in suburban New Jersey after his wife (Lopez) dies during childbirth. The star, who is no stranger to media attention, joked that he "based my character on this man," pointing to his own publicist, Ken Sunshine. Well, not really. But, Affleck says, "there are some in this business who are shallow and superficial. I know that's hard to believe, but those kind of people do exist in Hollywood." Jersey Girl, which also stars Liv Tyler (news) as as a video store clerk and Affleck's would-be girlfriend, finally opens March 26 after delays fueled by the Affleck/Lopez dud Gigli. The two hooked up in early 2002 while shooting Gigli, went on to make Jersey Girl, and after postponing their September 2003 wedding, announced their breakup in January. Tyler, who co-starred with Affleck in 1998's Armageddon, says their reunion "was amazing. It was easy for us to connect." And Affleck was upbeat about his new romantic comedy. "Jen's great in the movie," he says. "More than anything, I feel good and proud of the movie, so it's nice to have this end the chapter on a positive note." The actor tells People that he and his ex are still pals. "I'm on really good terms with Jen," he says. "We still talk."
Before the premiere of Affleck's new schmaltz-fest, "Jersey Girl," the star got up with director and pal Kevin Smith and rambled on for almost 10 minutes about his love for the Miramax honcho. "Harvey, Kevin and I are part of a dysfunctional family," Affleck rambled. "I love Harvey, I wouldn't have a career without Harvey . . . I'm loath to admit it, but I did my best work with Kevin and Miramax." It's not customary for actors to speak during a film's premiere, unless it's Oscar time. One insider speculated, "Ben's career isn't going so well right now, and he needs Harvey to help save his career." Weinstein was furious Affleck had cooperated with Biskind. A rep for Affleck swears the actor was taken by surprise when asked to join Smith up front in the theater and hadn't planned on speaking. Affleck wrote to Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter after the magazine published excerpts from Biskind's book, noting: "I regret cooperating with [Biskind] . . . As it turned out Mr. Biskind was yet another gossip columnist masquerading as an 'entertainment journalist' who had written his story before even bothering to research it." Affleck goes on at length, claiming his quotes were taken out of context and were misleading. He also writes that after he gave a Weinstein-bashing quote to Entertainment Weekly, he received an e-mail from Biskind pleading, "If you're going to bash Harvey, do it to meeee." Biskind responds: "Affleck saw every quote of his that I used and asked to change many of his quotes to make them more Miramax-friendly. I agreed to 99 percent . . . Far from telling me he 'objected to every quote,' he was flattering, saying he couldn't wait to read the book." Meanwhile, Affleck is having a good time without Jennifer Lopez. Spies said he met up with several women in a West Village bar last Saturday night, "bought them all rounds of shots and then took them back to Matt Damon's apartment where he is staying." Affleck himself did not drink. The star is also said to be making fun of Lopez this weekend on "Saturday Night Live," which he is hosting.
"It wasn't too tough to film," Affleck laughs. "When we were shooting, it was at the pinnacle — actually [what] I thought was the pinnacle — of the madness. I felt like I had the inside track on the character. "For the most part, in my experience, people in the press happen to be bright, interesting, smart, thoughtful, professional people with standards," he adds diplomatically. "It is a few-bad-apples thing with the media, mostly in the tabloid media, that creates sort of the lowest common denominator, where magazines that used to do straight-ahead journalism now feel they have to compete with screaming headlines and a gossipy angle." Affleck knows the press wields great influence over moviegoers' viewing choices — just look at what media coverage has done for The Passion of the Christ. So he hopes critics will look favorably upon Jersey Girl. "The press always has to be able to say something that is new," he sighs. "I think the hook [for Jersey Girl] will end up being, 'This is not Gigli' or 'Hey, this movie is actually good!'" Although Bennifer swept the Razzie Awards with Gigli, Affleck hopes we'll give him and his famous ex another chance. "Last year was an interesting year. I had a movie that did really well (Daredevil), a gigantic bomb (Gigli) and a movie that performed more or less on par with where it should have (Paycheck). The one that is the biggest Ishtar-like catastrophe is the one that everyone remembers. "It is actually really nice to have [Jersey Girl] happen now, because it is sort of counters that," he points out. "I'm really proud of this film. Professionally and personally, being that Jen is in it — even for 10 minutes — it leaves that whole thing on kind of a positive note. It gives me positive memories of my professional experience working with her."
While Affleck stars in Miramax's "Jersey Girl," written and directed by Kevin Smith (news) ("Clerks," "Chasing Amy"), Lopez has a cameo role as Affleck's wife and dies 15 minutes into the movie. Affleck's real co-star is Raquel Castro, the adorable 9-year-old who plays his daughter and looks so much like Lopez that you'd swear they were mother and daughter. Although Lopez disappears quickly, she does have a few scenes with Affleck where they have exactly the sort of good romantic chemistry that somehow didn't materialize in "Gigli." "She's great in the movie," Smith explained. "Without her, I don't think we would have gotten the same committed, wonderful performance that we got out of Ben. I'd have gotten something great out of him, but I really got what I feel is something magical out of him because he was so in love with Jen while we were shooting the movie." Affleck plays Ollie, a former superstar New York publicist whose career died after his wife Gertrude died giving birth to their daughter Gertie. Ollie moves back home to New Jersey with the infant Gertie (Castro) to live with his widowed father (George Carlin (news)). The film's adult female lead is actually Liv Tyler (news), who plays Maya, a video store clerk who meets Ollie when he brings Gertie to rent a tape. While Gertie's busy considering videos, Ollie ducks into the adult section to grab something for himself. When he checks out, Maya's interest is aroused and romance takes its course. Smith, who's "always for the underdog story," viewed the dismal failure of "Gigli" as an opportunity for Affleck to make a comeback. "And it forces the marketing to be a bit more honest. I think if 'Gigli' had been a big hit, you probably would have seen a poster that had Ben and Jen on it. And that's not really the movie because Jennifer dies in the first 15 minutes. "Because 'Gigli' died (at the box office) we got marketing that I really believe in that sells the movie honestly. It's a story about a guy and his kid and a story about a guy and his father." Smith was inspired to write the story back in 2000 when he watched his wife put their baby to bed one night. "I was really kind of moved by it -- kind of swept up by the feeling of like what if my wife had died and left me with a kid? How on earth would I have possibly done this alone because we worked as such a really good team?" He wrote 50 pages in two hours, did another quick burst the following year, and finished it in early 2002. "All told, it was probably a total of a three week write with all the combination of time," he said. After that, it turned into a movie quickly. Affleck had come on board after reading the first 50 pages, and Miramax picked up the project. It was Affleck's idea to cast Lopez. The two had just finished "Gigli," where they cemented their relationship. Shooting took place in New Jersey and in Manhattan, wrapping in November 2002, and was "pretty stress free," Smith said. "...Ben & Jen mania hadn't even kicked in yet. So those two were together, but we weren't hounded. There was no paparazzi, no press until we got to New York City for the last two days of the shoot. And then suddenly the paparazzi came out in full force and you started to get the impression that people were really fascinated by this relationship for whatever reason." Although "Jersey" doesn't hit theaters until Mar. 26, Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein is clearly so enthusiastic about the film that in February he handed Smith "The Green Hornet" to write and direct. Miramax hopes that Smith can turn the classic comic book, whose roots are in a radio serial that began in 1936, into a movie franchise. "He seemed to like our movie enough to give me 'The Green Hornet,' which is kind of cool," Smith observed. "I can't wait to do it. I'm a huge comic book nut. I did a lot of comic book writing for Marvel and D.C. and I've been a reader forever. So the chance to make a comic book movie is a big opportunity for me and it's one I kind of relish."
Golden Raspberry Awards voters picked "Gigli" as 2003's worst picture, Affleck as worst actor, Lopez as worst actress and the two as worst screen couple. "Gigli" filmmaker Martin Brest also took the Razzies for worst director and screenplay. "Gigli" hit theaters last summer amid the tabloid frenzy over Affleck and Lopez's on-again, off-again wedding plans. They finally announced in January the romance was off. The movie, which starred Affleck as a thug smitten by Lopez as a lesbian crime colleague, fell short of the record seven Razzies won by "Showgirls" and "Battlefield Earth." "But those are much better bad movies, if that makes any sense," said Razzies founder John Wilson. "If you sit through them with the right people or the right brand of liquor, they can be strangely entertaining. "But I don't care how medicated you are or what people you're watching it with, `Gigli' is just a pain in the posterior. It's one of those things that is, as opposed to enjoyably embarrassing, it's just skin-crawlingly embarrassing." "Gigli" cost $54 million to make but earned back just $6 million. Among other "winners," Sylvester Stallone padded his Razzie resume with a record 10th prize, this time for worst supporting actor in "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over." Stallone's past Razzies include one for worst actor of the 20th century. With the 25th annual Razzies coming up next year, the group is considering a special career-achievement prize for Stallone, Wilson said. In "Spy Kids 3-D," "he plays five characters, so technically the whole supporting-actor category could have been made up of his performances," Wilson said. Demi Moore took the supporting-actress Razzie for her comeback role in "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," which also was named worst remake or sequel. "She tried to come back, and we said, `No, thanks. We chased you away before. Go away again,'" Wilson said. The storybook adaptation "Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat" won the Razzie for worst excuse for a movie. Another top nominee, "From Justin to Kelly," was shut out in the awards balloting by the roughly 600 Razzie voters. The group decided to give the movie — a spring-break romp featuring "American Idol" stars Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini — a special "governor's award" for distinguished underachievement in choreography.
"I didn't know if (it was right) to leave it in," Smith is quoted as saying in an issue. "People might forget they're watching a picture, like, 'Wait, didn't these two NOT get married?'" Affleck and Lopez were reportedly to have married last September in a secret ceremony in Santa Barbara. When the media besieged upon the sleepy beach town, the lavish plans were canceled though never rescheduled. They recently terminated their engagement. "Jersey Girl" is set for release March 26.
Miramax Films has pushed back the release date of Kevin Smith's "Jersey Girl," featuring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, by one week to Friday, March 26. Afterward, it will expand further through the first two weeks of April. The reunion will be brief, however. "Jersey Girl" centers on Ollie (Ben Affleck), who tries to pick up the pieces after the love of his life (Lopez) dies and leaves him with a child. The film also stars George Carlin as Ollie's dad and Liv Tyler, who opens Ollie up to love again. "Based on the feedback from research screenings and positive response from key exhibitors, 'Jersey Girl' is proving to have great word of mouth and promises to have strong play through the Easter holiday," says Miramax chief operating officer Rick Sands. "This, coupled with the favorable competitive environment, allowed for the date change from March 19th." On the strength of an early screening, Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein recently tapped Smith to write and direct the tentpole superhero project "The Green Hornet," which Smith will begin after finishing the upcoming comedy "Fletch Won."
Speaking publicly for the first time since the split, Affleck tells American entertainment news show 'Access Hollywood', "The media has kind of evolved to where it's become so much more competitive in terms of... there's only so many stories. So naturally, stuff becomes blown out of proportion or exaggerated." Affleck assures he won't be photographed with a new lady on his arm anytime soon, explaining, "It's a little time of recovery for me." In other news, it seems J.Lo spent a romantic Valentine's Day with former flame, Latin singer Marc Anthony. Despite recent reports she had reunited with one-time lover Sean P'Diddy Combs, Lopez reportedly got intimate with Anthony as they partied with friends at her Miami Beach mansion last weekend. A fellow guest tells American magazine The People, "Jennifer and Marc hugged and kissed at the pool. The whole crowd was having a great time. Marc was even singing." The friend added the pair spent the Valentine's weekend together, visited Anthony's mother, and even had a "a long, passionate kiss". The pal adds, "It looks like they are back together." Another source adds that Lopez may even be responsible for the break-up of the Latin star's marriage to Dayanara last month - although the split was thought to be down to reports of Anthony's infidelity. The source says, "Marc would do anything to be with Jennifer. He's never gotten over her. He's madly in love with her. Even when he was married, he was still pining for Jennifer."
Exclusive ENQUIRER photos, taken February 3 at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, show Ben intensely focused on his favorite pastime -- high-stakes poker. The Oscar winner's string of bad luck -- including his devastating breakup with J.Lo and successive box-office bombs -- has sent him on a downward spiral that has friends fearing a return to his old self-destructive lifestyle. "Our concern is that Ben isn't dealing with his recent problems and that he's throwing away good money after bad in a gambling whirlwind that could lead to him going back to booze," a close pal of the actor told The ENQUIRER. "It seems like Ben has been out gambling pretty much every night since his breakup with Jennifer. "He doesn't hang out with his best buddy Matt Damon like he used to and now that he doesn't have Jennifer around he's got way too much free time on his hands." His last two films, "Paycheck" and "Gigli," were major disappointments. Putting even more pressure on Ben, the industry will be closely watching the box-office results of his latest movie with Jennifer, "Jersey Girl" -- which is already getting bad buzz. Friends are very concerned, but fear if they try to counsel Ben, he'll just shut them out of his life, divulged his close pal. "We're just watching him -- and watching him closely. It's hard to watch a friend go down in flames. What nobody wants is to see Ben hit rock bottom." During Ben's February 3 trip to the Commerce Casino, it was clear he went to gamble seriously -- not party, an eyewitness told The ENQUIRER. "This is the very first time that I've seen him out gambling all alone. "I've seen Ben at most of the casinos in Los Angeles and Las Vegas and he usually has a few people with him. "The thing that struck me was that Ben wasn't his usual confident and happy self. He seemed depressed." On another recent occasion at the Los Angeles-area Hustler Casino, Ben threw himself so heavily into gambling the evening turned into a disaster. Playing poker until the wee hours of the morning, he wound up losing every penny he had on him -- literally! When he left, he had to borrow money from a friend to pay the parking attendant to get his car. Lady Luck has been a poor replacement for J.Lo. Concluded Ben's close pal: "If he's not busy working on a film, he's often out doing what he loves -- playing poker. "Most gamblers drink, and up to this point Ben has been good about not going back down that road again. But he's very vulnerable."
Ben Affleck, who officially split from fiancee Jennifer Lopez in January, discovered that he was passed over for honorary duties at the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 15. When the incredulous star demanded to know who was replacing him, he learned it was none other than Dubya himself, and responded, "OK, terrific. Guess I'm bumped then," reports the AP. Although some duties went to President Bush, the 31-year-old actor still served as grand marshal and drove the pace car. Other celebrities attending include Whoopi Goldberg, Evander Holyfield, Greg Norman and the reigning Miss America Ericka Dunlap. Country star LeAnn Rimes sang the national anthem. NASCAR president Mike Helton, who introduced all the celebrities, was proud of the stellar turnout. "I think that speaks," says Helton. "It's a compliment to the Daytona 500 and to NASCAR as to just how special an event this is." Affleck revisits the ghost of girlfriends past in "Jersey Girl," which reunites him with J.Lo on the big screen on Friday, March 19.
The series, which is moving to Bravo from HBO for its third season, will begin accepting entries from screenwriters and directors on Monday, Feb. 9. The deadline for submissions is Saturday, Feb. 28. Miramax and LivePlanet, the companies that run "Project Greenlight," are taking a slightly different course for the third contest. The script contest is asking for horror or thriller screenplays, after coming-of-age stories won the last two contests. Directors are asked to submit an original short or scene no longer than three minutes. It can cover any subject matter, as long as it's not "pornographic or illegal" (complete rules and submission guidelines are at ProjectGreenlight.com). LivePlanet principals Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Chris Moore, along with a group of Miramax executives, will then choose a writer and director by midyear, with production on the winning film starting in late summer or fall. The third season of "Project Greenlight" is slated to hit Bravo early next year.
The Razzies, an annual parody of the Academy Awards, pegged Affleck and Lopez's stinker "Gigli" for nine nominations, including a worst picture nod and worst screen couple. A spokesman for Lopez announced over the weekend that she and Affleck were no longer together. Their romance was the stuff of tabloid fodder for over a year what with on again/off again wedding plans and trips to the courthouse for various permits. "I cannot figure out how someone read this script and got heavy hitters like [director] Martin Brest and Affleck and Lopez to agree to this film," Razzies founder John Wilson tells Zap2it.com. "It is an enormously bad movie. And it's not a fun bad movie like 'From Justin to Kelly' is." Other rotten tomatoes that made the Razzies worst picture list are Mike Myers' abysmal "Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat," "From Justin to Kelly" -- featuring "American Idol" stars Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini -- "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and "The Real Cancun," reality-TV brought to the big screen. "Gigli" also is in the running for worst actor and actress, supporting actor (Al Pacino and Christopher Walken), supporting actress (Lainie Kazan), and worst director and screenplay (Martin Brest). Wilson, a California-based publicist, says his pick for worst film is "Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat." "How Theodore Geisel's widow let that film get made is beyond me," says Wilson. Winners (or losers) for the 24th annual Razzies will be announced Saturday, Feb. 28, the day before the Oscar ceremony. See a complete listing of nominees at Razzies.com.
Director and longtime Affleck buddy Kevin Smith tells Post film critic Lou Lumenick: "There weren't plans beforehand for [Lopez] to be there at the March 5 press junket in New York, so the breakup doesn't affect that. But I expect Ben to get hammered with questions," and he predicted the premiere will be a full-scale mob scene. Miramax, which will release the movie on March 19 and has a huge investment in Lopez's future as a star, has been playing down her participation in the picture. Lopez barely appears in the trailer, which makes it clear that her character dies during the birth of their child early on, and that Affleck's character moves on to a relationship with more prominently featured Liv Tyler. Perhaps mindful of the scorn showered upon Bennifer's first movie together, "Gigli," the studio saw to it that Lopez's image doesn't even adorn the "Jersey Girl" poster. Instead it features Affleck with Raquel Castro, who plays their young daughter. Lopez - who has two more Miramax movies due this year, "Shall We Dance" with Richard Gere and "An Ordinary Life" co-starring Robert Redford - is discreetly billed last in the credits. "Now that the trailer's out, people are getting [the idea] that it's not a Bennifer movie," Smith said. "Jennifer has about 12 minutes of footage in the first half hour in which they meet, get married and she dies." Smith, who made Affleck a star in "Chasing Amy," says he doesn't regret taking up his pal's suggestion to cast Lopez, even though the "Gigli"-generated publicity surrounding the couple has helped keep "Jersey Girl" on the shelf since it was completed in the fall of 2002. "I think I got a better performance out of the dude than if he was acting opposite someone else, because of the way he felt about Jen," Smith says. "If I had to point a finger about why they broke up, I would blame the media, though maybe there's some law of physics that says two insanely good looking people cannot be together." Smith admits that, "at times, I felt like the third wheel in the relationship. Hopefully, my next flick will have an all-male cast."
"I am confirming the reports that Jennifer Lopez has ended her engagement to Ben Affleck. At this difficult time, we ask that you respect her privacy," Lopez's spokesman told Reuters. A spokesman for Affleck, 31, told Reuters; "As usual, we never comment on the personal lives of our clients." Thursday's reports come four months after Hollywood's most talked-about couple, dubbed "Bennifer," abruptly called off their September wedding just days before it was due to take place, citing media invasion of their privacy. Since then they have been seen together in public several times, although there were widespread rumors that they were splitting up. Lopez and Affleck met on the set of the mob comedy "Gigli" in late 2001 and were engaged in November 2002, only months after Lopez's second marriage, to dancer Cris Judd, collapsed in less than a year. Her 6.1 carat pink diamond engagement ring, his-and-hers luxury cars and the booming success of J.Lo as both an actress and a singer made "Bennifer" the hottest tabloid couple in the world for six months. But life in the media spotlight turned sour last summer when "Gigli" was universally panned by critics and flopped at the box office and Affleck was reported to have spent a night at a Vancouver strip club. News of their supposedly secret September 2003 wedding, in front of 400 guests, leaked out a week ahead and the couple abruptly postponed the nuptials and spent the day they had planned to be married thousands of miles apart on opposite U.S. coasts. Lopez, 33, and Affleck apparently reconciled but rumors about a break-up persisted. Us Weekly magazine, which broke the story on Thursday, said Lopez had grown frustrated with Affleck's penchant for casino gambling and his hesitation in committing to marriage and a baby. "She was tired of waiting around for him," a source close to Lopez told Us Weekly. Affleck attended the Sundance Film Festival in Utah alone this week and while in Europe recently promoting his latest movie "Paycheck" he was photographed partying in a German nightclub.
Some four months after nixing their lavish nuptials, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have split, her camp confirmed Thursday. "Jennifer Lopez has ended her engagement to Ben Affleck. At this difficult time, we ask that you respect her privacy," a spokesperson told E! News Live. Affleck's rep declined comment. "As usual, we never comment on our clients' personal lives," Ken Sunshine said. The breakup comes amid gossip-page speculation that Lopez has recoupled with ex-boyfriend Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. Both Combs and Lopez have denied recycling their relationship. The new Us Weekly pegs Tuesday as the exact day that Bennifer became undone. The magazine, due out Friday, described the split as mutual. But it also cited a source as saying Lopez, now sans her 6.1-carat engagement ring, "was tired of waiting for [Affleck] to come around." The 33-year-old Wedding Planner star was said to be anxious for marriage and a baby, while the 32-year-old Affleck was said to be not. It was just last September that the whole media world was watching Santa Barbara, California, where Lopez was to wed Affleck before family, friends and Matt Damon. But four days before the ceremony, the couple announced they were postponing the shindig. The official story was that Affleck and Lopez believed their "joyful and sacred day" had been spoiled by "excessive media attention." The unofficial story was (take your pick): (a) Lopez was upset she couldn't corral Affleck's casino and/or clubbing ways; (b) Affleck wasn't ready for groomdom; (c) Affleck's mom and/or Matt Damon were positive Affleck wasn't ready for groomdom (and told him so); (d) Lopez and Affleck were going to elope. The two kept up appearances following the never-was marriage--enjoying a photo-op at Beverly Hills restaurant here, taking in a Boston Red Sox playoff game there. As recently as New Year's weekend, the couple was spotted at a Las Vegas wedding chapel. But while Britney Spears (news) celebrated 2004 in Sin City with a walk down the aisle (and a sprint to the annulment lawyer), Affleck and Lopez were merely putting in an appearance to help drum up business for a pal, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. On January 14, Lopez was spotted at a Miami nightclub, the Opium Garden, in the company of a new (old) leading man--Combs. The two dated from 1998 to 2001, with Lopez managing to squeeze in the hip-hop mogul between her two short-lived marriages. Combs portrayed their Miami meeting as nothing more than a coincidence. "She's in a relationship that she's very happy in. I'm in a relationship I'm very happy in," Combs told Access Hollywood. "We're friends." Lopez confirmed her engagement to Affleck in a prime-time interview in November 2002. The two met in late 2001 on the set of Gigli, their summer 2003 box-office bomb. They confirmed their couple status while working on Jersey Girl, the Kevin Smith comedy-drama due out March 19. While the pairing brought them power-couple status, their inescapable Bennifer-ness began to overshadow their individual careers. Affleck, in particular, has had a rough last six months. In July, the National Enquirer caught him enjoying a night out at a Canadian strip joint (all innocent, he insisted). In August, Gigli opened and closed, with the $50 million movie "grossing" just $6 million. In December, his sci-fi thriller Paycheck opened and languished, with the $60 million movie taking in $51 million through last weekend. Adding insult to injury, the original posters for Paycheck featured a drawing of an anonymous male, rather than a photo of the real-live Affleck. "It certainly looks like he has some image-fixing to do," Henry Shafer, of the research firm Marketing Evaluations, told the Wall Street Journal last month. Affleck will next be seen as a solo act in the holiday-themed comedy, Surviving Christmas. Lopez steps out of Bennifer with Richard Gere in the Hollywood remake of the hit Japanese romance, Shall We Dance?
A spokesman for Lopez at Dan Klores Communications said in a statement: "I am confirming the reports that Jennifer Lopez has ended her engagement to Ben Affleck. At this difficult time, we ask that you respect her privacy." People and Us Weekly magazines first reported the breakup on their Web sites Thursday afternoon. Affleck's publicist, Ken Sunshine, would only say: "As usual, we never comment on the private lives of our clients." Lopez, 34, and Affleck, 31, have been the subject of near-constant media scrutiny for the past year and a half. In the video for Lopez's 2002 hit "Jenny From the Block," in which she makes fun of the paparazzi, Affleck rubs her legendary posterior while basking in the sunshine on a boat. In another song from her album "This Is Me ... Then," titled "Dear Ben," she professes her affection for Affleck. But then their romantic comedy, "Gigli," was considered the cinematic disaster of the year before it even debuted in August. They were supposed to have married a month later, but abruptly postponed their lavish plans "due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding." Since then, the media has followed their every move, keeping track of who Lopez was with and whether she wore her 6.1-carat pink diamond Harry Winston engagement ring. Even a routine trip to a Georgia courthouse to get a gun license for Affleck drew a horde of photographers and celebrity reporters. This would have been the first wedding for Affleck. Lopez has been married twice before — to waiter Ojani Noa in 1997 and to dancer Cris Judd in 2001. Noa lasted a little more than a year; Judd for nine months. She also famously dated Sean "P. Diddy" Combs — back when he was still "Puffy" — for two years before the couple broke up in February 2001. Now the former couple will appear on screen together again in "Jersey Girl," due out March 19. Lopez plays Affleck's wife, but she dies 12 minutes into the movie.
The 31-year-old actor and his Project Greenlight producing partner Chris Moore are teaming up with HP Chairman and Chief Executive Carly Fiorina to hold their worldwide digital photography contest, "YOU Take Five!" The contest gives people from around the world the chance to become the official on-set photographer for Project Greenlight's next independent film as well as earn a walk-on role in the movie and have their photo essay, or YOUstory, featured in an HP advertisement. To enter the contest, people simply create a YOUstory by submitting five digital photos that tell a story to the HP website. "We are eager to begin our third Project Greenlight screenwriting and directing competition with the support of HP and excited to launch this global digital photography contest," says Affleck, co-founder of production company LivePlanet. Five finalists from Asia Pacific, Canada, Europe/Middle East/Africa, Latin America and the United States will each receive an all-expenses paid trip for two to the premiere of the next Project Greenlight movie, a walk down the "red carpet" at the premiere, access to a private cocktail party hosted by HP and a suite of HP digital photography products. The worldwide grand prize winner will receive an all-expenses paid trip from anywhere in the world to the set of the next Project Greenlight film to become the official on-set digital photographer of the movie. The winner will also receive a suite of HP digital photography products to document his or her experience, a tutorial from a professional photographer and his or her YOUstory will be featured in an HP advertisement. To commemorate Project Greenlight's partnership with HP, Affleck, Matt Damon and Moore have added their YOUstories to the photo gallery on the HP site. Project Greenlight is a unique filmmaking contest gives undiscovered filmmakers a chance to break into Hollywood. Previous winners include Pete Jones who wrote and directed 2002's "Stolen Summer, and directors Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin and screenwriter Erica Beeney for last year's "The Battle of Shaker Heights." This year's winners will be announced mid-2004 and awarded a $1 million production budget to make their movie. The "Project Greenlight" series, which chronicles the filmmaking process, is scheduled to air on Bravo in January 2005. For contest details or to view YOUstories by the Project Greenlight staff, visit the HP website.
While real-life sweethearts Affleck and Jennifer Lopez co-star in the upcoming "Jersey Girl," their on-screen collaboration won't be a selling point after their colossal bomb "Gigli" last summer. The failure of "Gigli" actually might benefit "Jersey Girl," the story of a widowed father bringing up a daughter, Affleck said. "The one thing it prevents from happening is for the marketing people to sell it in a dishonest way," Affleck told The Associated Press on Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival, where he plugged his filmmaking TV series "Project Greenlight." "They're not going to be so eager to sell it as a Ben-and-Jen movie. They can actually sell it for what it actually is, which is a movie about me and a young girl, and me trying to raise her." Lopez has a cameo as the wife of Affleck's character, but she dies 12 minutes into the movie, Affleck said. "Jersey Girl" opens in March. Affleck and Lopez planned to marry in real life last September but postponed the wedding, citing paparazzi overkill. Rumors about their relationship continued to circulate, but Affleck said "everything's going along fine. We're good." On the marriage front, "There's nothing to report," he said. Just as he hopes for better commercial returns on "Jersey Girl," Affleck is aiming for stronger results in the next installment of "Project Greenlight," a contest that he, pal Matt Damon and producing partner Chris Moore created to give young filmmakers a start in the business. Filmmakers are given about $1 million to make a movie, with the TV show chronicling their efforts. The first two "Project Greenlight" movies — "Stolen Summer" and "The Battle of Shaker Heights" — were coming-of-age stories that fizzled at the box office. HBO dropped the show last fall, but the Bravo network has picked it up for a third season. Affleck said the next movie will be more commercial, possibly a comedy or horror flick. "We've kind of shown the independent side of filmmaking. Now we want to show more of the money side. The fact is, that that's really a very powerful force in making movies. People interested in this business should understand that," Affleck said.
The 28-year-old thespian and his sweetheart of four years, Summer Phoenix (news), the younger sister of actors Joaquin and the late River, have sealed their love and are headed for holy matrimony, his publicist confirmed. According to the rep, Affleck popped the question to Summer, 25, in New York around Christmas time by presenting her with a sparkling diamond ring, which he designed himself and reportedly featured more than 261 sparkly gems. No word yet on a wedding date but the engagement is probably about time considering the happy couple are already expecting their first child in May. It's likely that Phoenix will give birth in Europe since that's where her fianc will be stationed alongside George Clooney and Brad Pitt for shooting on Ocean's Twelve, the sequel to their 2001 hit Ocean's Eleven. Like his big brother, Affleck caught the acting bug early when the two were growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While he hasn't made the leap to movie stardom like Ben whose highly-publicized union to Jennifer Lopez is on hold, Casey has several notable credits to his name including roles in To Die For, Chasing Amy, Good Will Hunting, 200 Cigarettes, Drowning Mona, Hamlet, American Pie 2, Ocean's Eleven, and most recently, Gerry with Matt Damon. Phoenix, meanwhile, has an acting clan of her own to contend with as the last of five showbiz driven siblings. But she's stood out in such films as SLC Punk, Committed, 2001's Sundance Jury winner The Believer, and The Laramie Project.
In Paris with director John Woo to promote "Paycheck" -- the latest Hollywood movie to be based on a sci-fi novel by Philip K. Dick -- the 31-year-old Affleck was asked as part of a two-pronged question whether he planned to marry in 2004. "I don't remember the rest of the question," he said quietly after answering the first part. Last month he said on television that he and the 34-year-old Lopez were still together but suggested they would be more private in the future about their relationship. In his latest film, the "Pearl Harbor" star plays a slick and canny computer engineer who, with the help of a friend and after falling in love (with Uma "Kill Bill" Thurman), halts a potentially earth-shattering conspiracy by a major corporation involving a machine that can read the future. Though chock-a-block with Woo's legendary car-chases and breathless action scenes, the two said the key to the movie was its humanity, demonstrated in the moral progression of Affleck's character, Mickael Fielding. "The movie," said Affleck thoughtfully, stroking his beard, "suggests that much of what makes life worth living are the small interactions, family friends... the movie urges to make these little things as important as the rest." "I hope I'm on the right track," he added. Woo agreed that making a success of one's life was about caring for others. "We all need to care about each other," he said. The Hong Kong director said he based his sixth Hollywood movie on the novel by the cult sci-fi writer because of its "clever insight, suspenseful moments and love story." "There's also a great love of humanity in the book (by Dick)," he said. "I'd never read his novels before." Affleck said his initial motivation in taking the role was to work with legendary action director Woo -- "a big influence on me.... I still have posters of his films at home". The character however was interesting because he "begins flawed, an everyday computer engineer not interested in anyone, and then becomes changed by the transforming power of being in love."
Rocker Sheryl Crow, U2 guitarist The Edge and actor Ben Affleck spoke out against piracy after a keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show by Hewlett-Packard Chairman and Chief Executive Carly Fiorina, who pledged her company would protect artists' rights in all its devices. Singer Alicia Keys, who performed two songs on stage, told the audience she regularly spoke with children about music piracy. "I always tell them, 'You can download, but if you like what you hear, go out and buy it," she said on Thursday. Fiorina said the company would commit to either buying or developing the best software possible for content security, in a fervent speech in which she dedicated the company to battling piracy. HP announced plans on Thursday for a digital music player based on Apple Computer's wildly popular iPod player and said it would install Apple's iTunes music software on its computers. Longstanding music industry executive Jimmy Iovine, the chairman of Universal's Interscope music label, gave a lengthy speech condemning piracy and called for changes. "For the last few years, parents and children have been given a pass to do something they knew in their heart was wrong," he said. "We're going to support HP to the point where they're going to ask us to stop." Iovine and Fiorina were joined on stage by the music industry figures, who also included country artist Toby Keith and producer Dr. Dre, to raucous cheers from a full theatre audience.
The show will likely return to television in 2005. It's moving over to Bravo after two seasons on HBO, which opted not to renew it. One of the reasons cited for HBO's passing on the show, which chronicles the making of a Miramax-funded film by a first-time writer and director, was the fact that producer Chris Moore might not be involved in the third season. But Moore, who also produced the "American Pie" films, will be part of the series after all. He won't take the central role in the show that he previously has and won't produce the movie that results from the "Greenlight" contest, says Frances Berwick, Bravo's senior vice president of programming and production. Moore will, however, take part in selecting the contest winners with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, his partners in the production company LivePlanet. "This glimpse into the creative process of filmmaking is a perfect fit for our brand, and we're thrilled with the prospect of providing 'Project Greenlight' the kind of elevated platform it deserves on Bravo," Bravo president Jeff Gaspin says in a statement. The third "Greenlight" contest will differ somewhat from the previous two in that the concept is calling specifically for horror or thriller scripts. Berwick says Miramax and LivePlanet believe a genre film will have more viable commercial prospects than the coming-of-age stories the past two "Greenlight" films have told. Contest rules and submission deadlines will be announced soon at ProjectGreenlight.com.
The second annual "ET Hot List" ranks celebrities by their number of mentions on the show over the course of the past year, and Jennifer Lopez usurps the throne of 2002's leader, Jennifer Aniston, who falls to No. 2. The King of Pop follows close behind, with "Paycheck" star Ben Affleck and Golden Globe nominee Nicole Kidman rounding out the Top 5. "It has been an incredibly eventful year of weddings, almost weddings, sex scandals, animal attacks and celebrity deaths," says Linda Bell Blue, executive producer of "ET." The beautiful people populated the remainder of the Top 10 spots, starting with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Brad Pitt and finishing with Cameron Diaz, Britney Spears and Demi Moore. Eleventh through 20th places include: "Cold Mountain" star and Golden Globe nominee Renee Zellweger, the angelic Drew Barrymore, Halle Berry, Aniston's "Friends" co-star Courteney Cox Arquette, "American Idol" warblers Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, Madonna, Michael Douglas, the much-missed John Ritter and Evan "Joe Millionaire" Marriott. Conspicuously absent from this year's list after making a showing on 2002's list are "Mona Lisa Smile" star Julia Roberts and "The Last Samurai's" Tom Cruise.
Greenlight, which gives aspiring writers and directors the chance to make movies, recently was dumped by HBO after two seasons. Like other orphaned TV shows, it's just been adopted by Bravo. The cable channel was "really aggressive in trying to do it," Affleck tells TV Guide Online. "We're really excited. They really get the spirit of it." Since it's moving to the home of Queer Eye, Affleck, 31, feels obliged to give Greenlight a makeover. "We're going to make some changes to the contest this year," J.Lo's beau reveals. "This year is going to be more of the Hollywood Greenlight. I think what we have shown [in the past] is the true process of making an independent movie. Now, we're going to show what it is like to make a movie in the studio system. It will have different demands and constraints on the filmmakers." Fans of the show may not mind this new direction, but they'll probably miss the series' villain — film producer and Greenlight executive producer Chris Moore. Sounds like Moore finally got tired of yelling. "Chris didn't want to do it this year, so we needed a new bad guy," Affleck says. "So we figured that the movie studio was a good bad guy. The movie studio is the one that is saying you have to have these commercial constraints, you can't play this, or this joke is too smart. [These are] things that you get from studios, who sometimes think that dumbing a movie down is the way to appeal to a mass audience." Affleck has high hopes, despite the fact that Greenlight's first two ventures yielded the box office duds Stolen Summer and The Battle of Shaker Heights. "Who knows?" he asks. "Maybe people will go to the movie this time. For the number of questions I get about Greenlight, [why] didn't you guys buy any g--damned tickets to the movie when it came out? The press loves the show, but they all get to go for free. That's the curse of that show."
"Who says we gotta get married right away?" Affleck asks in an interview with his hometown paper, the Boston Herald. "That's my plan - to go along and be unmarried until it stops being an issue. Look at Kurt [Russell] and Goldie [Hawn]. Look at my mother." (Affleck's mom, Chris, is still legally married to his dad, but has lived with Calvin Jensen for 15 years.) Affleck also insisted, contrary to rampant reports, that it was his fiancée J.Lo - not he - who first raised the issue of calling off their wedding in September in the face of a tidal wave of publicity. "She actually was the first to say, 'This is so crazy.' She actually initiated the conversation. She's . . . been down the road a few times - it wasn't her first turkey shoot - and she had an understanding and a level of maturity about these things and a very level-headed perspective about it. "The stuff about me getting cold feet was all B.S. It was a question of us trying to make our lives as reasonable and sane as possible. "So there are no plans for a wedding. We're really not in any rush. We were lucky that we were in a position were we could afford to take a whack on some of the deposits and everything because we want to do it at the right time. It just got too crazy and that craziness can ruin a relationship." But Affleck is looking forward to siring as many kids as J.Lo lets him whenever the bootylicious Bronx bombshell is ready. "I imagine I would just like to keep 'em coming," he says. "Push hard for the maximum and the woman lets you know when it's enough." Affleck, who stars in "Paycheck" opposite Uma Thurman, crows that he convinced the director to cut a reference to the Mets from the script and replace them with his beloved Red Sox. "In the script it said that the Mets were my favorite baseball team and I spent so much time crying in 1986 [when the Mets won the World Series over the Red Sox] that I could never say that," he told the Herald. "So I said to the director, John Woo, 'You know what team would work better here? The Red Sox.' And he's from China so he didn't care."
For Affleck, 2003 brought the cinematic bomb Gigli, his notorious Vancouver strip club encounter, and the last-minute cancellation of his high-profile wedding to Jennifer Lopez. But succeed or fail, Affleck always looked dapper doing it. Thursday night was no exception, when he suited up in gray at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre for the premiere of his final project of the year, the John Woo-directed Paycheck. In the sci-fi adventure hitting theaters Christmas Day, Affleck plays a man whose memory has been erased, but who also has access to a machine that reveals his future. No doubt wishing he could erase much of 2003, good sport Affleck told USA TODAY: "I'm not sure it would be an altogether good thing to know my own future. I guess it would be useful to have a screenplay machine, where you could put the screenplay in and see what the movie would turn out like. But doing a movie directed by John Woo is the next best thing to a guarantee that the movie's going to work." Fresh off a taping of The Best Damn Sports Show Period, the well-coached Affleck refused to comment on banners freshly hung across from the theater, announcing the imminent arrival of a Hooters restaurant. "I'm not going to advertise for your favorite restaurant," he playfully told a reporter. Rather than speak of girls in short-shorts serving Buffalo wings, Affleck revealed fiancée J. Lo's new addiction: "I wish there were something in my life that gave me so much instant pleasure as a new episode of Queer Eye (for the Straight Guy) gives Jennifer. She's obsessed with that show. I'm sure those guys could benefit me a great deal." So where was Lopez, who set off cameras when she and Affleck emerged arm in arm from their limos at the Daredevil and Gigli premieres? Paramount clued in reporters the day before that Lopez was expected to attend, but her appearance was carefully orchestrated so as to avoid another Bennifer bonanza. Outside the theater, Paramount prez Sherry Lansing teased that Lopez was indeed on her way. "There's an excitement, and a buzz and an anticipation," said Lansing. "I wasn't in on the planning, but I do know what's going to happen." Then, sure enough, at 7:50, Lopez finally made her appearance, surrounded by an impenetrable wall of guards and publicists. With Affleck already safely in the theater, the paparazzi were unable to capture the couple together. As she raced down the carpet, Lopez refused even to answer reporters' questions as to her dress designer - an opportunity she traditionally never turns down. (The dress, by the way: a pale-pink lacy Dolce & Gabbana.) Let's hope Ben and Jen will be more chatty when their next collaboration, Jersey Girl, premieres in March. On the carpet, Woo confessed that he had some real concerns about the famous couple's hype overshadowing his film. "It is a pretty complex feeling," Woo conceded. "I like it, but I'm also nervous about it. "A lot of people came here - all very famous, but I don't know if that's because they like the movie or not." Affleck's leading lady, Uma Thurman, accompanied by Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino, looked radiant in a Marc Jacobs gown and Manolo Blahnik heels, despite having been on duty since 3:30 a.m. to announce the Golden Globe nominations. (Thurman received a best-actress nomination for her work in Kill Bill Vol. 1; Vol. 2 arrives in February.) She also managed to squeeze in an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, all while battling a cold. Later that night, she would be on a plane back to New York to spend the holidays with her children. Asked what she'd most like to erase from her year, Thurman, who has been separated since September from her husband, Ethan Hawke, just laughed and said: "Oh, that's too big of a question. I'm just hoping 2004's a good year. I feel very positive about it. I feel like I have a slightly new life, and I'm really looking forward to it." Guests included Paycheck co-star Aaron Eckhart, along with David Spade and Jersey Girl director Kevin Smith. All agreed it's time to retire the term "Bennifer" in 2004.
"I had kind of been through it with (ex-girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow) and thought, 'What's the worst that could happen? How many articles could you write?'" he told The Associated Press on Monday. "Well, I found out the answer to that question, and it wasn't what I expected. "By the same token, I live a life that I could more or less be proud of," he added. That doesn't necessarily include "Gigli," the couple's film that bombed after abysmal reviews. Affleck joked that the movie should have been promoted as "a modern-day `Showgirls' from the people who brought you `Glitter' or `it's a film that no one will see.'" He summed up the movie in three words: "a big bombarooni." Affleck hopes his new movie does better. In "Paycheck," his character was supposed to be a New York Mets fan. Affleck — a Boston Red Sox fan — says it could've been worse. "I would rather say the lines 'I worship you Satan' than say my favorite baseball team is the New York Yankees," he said. Nevertheless, he persuaded director John Woo to change the team to the Sox. "Paycheck," based on a sci-fi story by Philip K. Dick, stars Affleck as a high-tech engineer who allows three years of his memory to be erased after working on a secret project. Then he has to figure out why people are trying to kill him. The movie will be released in U.S. theaters on Dec. 25.
Point One: They're not sending out many 100 million-buck pictures these days. And we're talking about major nervousness in the studio's Executive Suite. They need a hit. Point two: This one's super-violent. Not the family-fare feast usually served up for Santa. Point three: They've surrounded Affleck with newie Aaron Eckhart and glorious Uma Thurman, but the worry is - following "Gigli" - is he a joke whom the industry should back off from or is he a star who can actually open a movie. Multiple careers are riding on this one.
Working from a story by Philip K. Dick -- aren't the best science-fiction movies usually based on stories by Dick? -- writer Dean Georgaris and director John Woo propel a viewer through shoot-outs, chases and suspense sequences that break enough new ground to feel fresh. There are moments when you know you're watching a John Woo film but many more where he seems to want to flex new muscles without drifting too far from the action genre. The moral issues that are central to Dick's science fiction are touched upon only briefly, yet they do reverberate through the film. While opening against stiff competition at Christmas, Paramount and DreamWorks nevertheless should find yuletide cheer in this "Paycheck." Affleck plays scientific genius Michael Jennings, a "reverse engineer" who can take a piece of high-tech equipment, disassemble it so he sees how it ticks, then improve and reassemble the device into a more advanced piece of equipment in a few weeks. He is also a scientific whore, agreeing to perform his reverse engineering for a conglomerate run by his old buddy, billionaire entrepreneur Jimmy Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart), in exchange for a whopping paycheck and -- this is the kicker -- his willingness to allow his quirky pal Shorty (Paul Giamatti) to erase his memory of those work weeks so he cannot disclose company secrets to anyone else. Jimmy's latest project for Michael breaks the pattern. Not only does the job require three years -- a lot of one's life to give up -- but when he finishes and all memory is erased, Michael is mystified to discover that he agreed to forfeit his $90 million paycheck in exchange for an envelope filled with random objects. What's more, both the FBI and Jimmy's thugs are hunting for him. When two of these seemingly innocent objects allow Michael to miraculously escape FBI custody, he quickly realizes that each of the objects not only provides a clue to his erased past but is vital to his survival -- worth more, in other words, than $90 million. The movie gradually lets the viewer in on Jimmy's dirty little secret: In the past three years, Michael perfected a lens powerful enough to see past the curvature of time into the future. So everything that happens to Michael he has already foreseen using his own super lens and has taken the precaution to supply himself with everyday objects that will allow him to change that future. Now for readers who hate Logic Nazis, who delight in pointing out fatal plot holes in movies, this is fair warning: One enormous plot hole is about to be revealed, so you might want to skip to the next paragraph. Once Michael changes his fate and escapes the FBI and his foretold destiny, he is in a new future where he cannot possibly have foreseen anything that happens to him. The rest of the movie cannot be the future he saw with his super lens but a new series of events that directly result from his altering the future. Fortunately, while caught up in the gripping tension of Michael's race against time to destroy his own machine and to recall his life with Rachel (Uma Thurman), the woman he has loved for the past three years but cannot remember, you don't think about plot holes. The payoffs from each of these everyday objects -- a matchbook, a coin, a crossword puzzle -- are fun. And when both Jimmy and the FBI realize what's going on and scheme how best to thwart a man who has seen the future but cannot remember, these strategies keep the movie intriguing down to the last moment. Affleck gives his scientific genius enough of a blue-collar attitude to make the character believable. Although underutilized until the picture is almost half-over, Thurman gives Rachel a determined strength of character. But after the gymnastics of "Kill Bill," her fans can only see this outing as a comedown. Woo and his crew make good use of Vancouver, where they stage a chase through heavy traffic with Affleck and Thurman on a motorcycle and another down in a subway tunnel with a train is about to wipe out the hero. Jeffrey L. Kimball's cool, crisp photography seamlessly integrates the visual effects and stunts into a very real-looking environment. Similarly, William Sandell's futuristic sets don't unduly call attention to themselves as is often the case with science-fiction movies.
However, when asked whether there was a risk waiting to marry his girlfriend, he answered, "Sure. Sure it does. Sure there are risks," before adding, "It's a complicated time - it's an unexpected time." Then, when quizzed about whether his relationship with Lopez was "just as before", he revealingly answered, "No."
The United Services Organization, USO, on Wednesday said Affleck will head to the Persian Gulf this Christmas and New Year season to shake hands with troops and show off his new movie, science fiction flick "Paycheck," directed by John Woo. "He will be spending the holidays with the troops," said USO spokeswoman Donna St. John. As a general rule, the USO does not publish dates or locations of celebrity visits to U.S. troops overseas. In a statement, the USO said only that Affleck "will sign autographs, participate in photo sessions and tour duty stations at various locations" in the Persian Gulf. Affleck and actress/singer Lopez had been scheduled to wed back in September but the ceremony was "postponed" due to the media frenzy surrounding it. Since then, media outlets around the world have speculated as to whether they were still a couple and, if so, when a wedding might take place. In recent press interviews in Los Angeles to promote "Paycheck," Affleck was asked whether he and his "sweetheart" would be married, and his reply was to joke that since the state of Massachusetts legalized Gay marriages, he and best friend Matt Damon were tying the knot. "I think it's important to address (that issue). It is now legal in Massachusetts and Matt and I have set a date," he said to laughter that sufficiently deflecting the question. "Paycheck," directed by John Woo and based on a short story written by Philip Dick, tells of a genius engineer who creates a machine that can change life for the better but, in the wrong hands, can change human existence as we know it. The non-profit USO has been arranging entertainment and providing other services for U.S. military troops since World War II.
During the tour, he will preview his new movie "Paycheck," sign autographs, pose for photo ops and tour duty stations. Affleck is still best known for his original screenplay, "Good Will Hunting," which he co-wrote with friend and fellow actor, Matt Damon. The film received nine Academy Award nominations and earned a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for the pair. The success of the movie launched Affleck's career into full gear and made him an overnight sensation, leading to blockbuster hits such as "Armageddon" and "Shakespeare in Love." Other recent films include "Pearl Harbor," "The Sum of All Fears" and "Daredevil." "Paycheck" is based on a short story written by Phillip K. Dick. Affleck portrays a genius computer engineer hired by hi-tech companies to work on top-secret projects. Once a project is completed, his short-term memory is erased. But following one assignment, instead of his paycheck, he is given a packet of objects that hold clues to his past. With the help of Uma Thurman, who portrays Rachel, his co-worker and love interest, he tries to piece his life together before his previous employer kills him. The sci-fi thriller is directed by John Woo and also stars Aaron Eckhart as the bad guy. "Paycheck" opens in theaters nationwide on Dec. 25.
Affleck, who stars in the upcoming Paycheck, which will be released Dec. 25, will give the command "Drivers, start your engines" in NASCAR's biggest, richest and most prestigious stock car race in the world. His Grand Marshal duties also include leading the 43-car field in the pace laps from the Grand Marshal pace car. "We're excited to have Ben take part in Daytona 500 pre-race festivities to help start the first NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race of 2004," said Speedway President Robin Braig. "As a huge sports fan, I'm thrilled to serve as Grand Marshal for the 2004 Daytona 500," Affleck said. "I've heard about the excitement and competition of the Daytona 500 and I can't wait to be part of the festivities." Affleck continues the tradition of high-profile celebrities, athletes and politicians that have participated in or attended the Daytona 500, NASCAR's annual season-opening event for its premier racing series. International superstar actor John Travolta served as Grand Marshal in the 2003 Daytona 500 to join a list of esteemed past Grand Marshals including Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and NFL Hall of Fame quarterbacks Terry Bradshaw and Jim Kelly. Mariah Carey, the biggest selling female pop artist of all time, sang the national anthem during the pre-race festivities for the 2003 Daytona 500. Celebrities such as former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield, Wimbledon champion Serena Williams, American Idol judge Randy Jackson and action movie star Vin Diesel all have attended NASCAR's most watched race.
He and his girlfriend/fiancee, Jennifer Lopez, bought two of the first 10 parcels made available, including the two main homes on the island. Hampton Island boasts for its residents an 11-passenger sea plane available to ferry residents from their docks to such neighboring islands as Hilton Head and Sea Island, an equestrian center with 20 miles of riding trails, a 53-acre interior lake with a grist mill and fish camp, and a chapel overlooking the marsh. Affleck tells Zap2it.com that ever since he made "Forces of Nature" with Sandra Bullock, that he fell in love with the South. Bullock is also a homeowner in nearby Tybee Island. "It's hard to explain, difficult to put into words, but every time I go there I feel really relaxed," he says. Though the island is private, he and Lopez must visit the mainland, including a tiny town called Hinesville near Fort Stewart, to access the property. Affleck almost seems embarrassed by what the celebrity couple bring to the some 30,000 residents. "When I first went down there and there was, like, eight million [sic] paparazzi. I think everyone was horrified," he laughs. Feigning a Southern accent he adds, "The poor people were like, 'I can't believe it. I'm gonna lock the door to the store.'" Residents don't seem to mind though. Says Savannah paralegal Elizabeth New, "It's easy to know when they are in town because the word spreads throughout the city; however, we welcome them and pretty much follow the Golden Rule and treat them like we would our regular neighbors." It is this very attitude that apparently has Affleck charmed. He is also grateful for the guards at adjacent Fort Stewart and their Southern hospitality, the kindness of strangers, if you will. "If I am being followed by reporters, they let me pull in the entrance and hide," he explains. "I guess making 'Pearl Harbor' and 'Armageddon' paid off after all."
"They were very tight and he called her whenever he thought he might fall off the wagon. But she told Ben that the Big Book (the AA 'bible') says to stay out of romantic relationships for your first year of sobriety." Ben bristled -- and snapped that he'd never change his mind! "He also said maybe it was time he found a new AA sponsor -- and that was that," said the insider. "They haven't spoken since!"
The "American Pie" producer and partner in Live Planet, the company that launched the "Greenlight" contest for aspiring moviemakers, "decided that he didn't want to be the Simon Cowell" of the show, says Ben Affleck, Moore's Live Planet partner and another driving force behind "Project Greenlight." HBO has passed on a third season of the show, which chronicles the winners of the contest as they work with Miramax to get their movie made, with all the attendant conflict. The sometimes quick-tempered Moore was the dominant character in the show's first two seasons, and without him, HBO didn't really want the series. "HBO thought that without Chris involved that we wouldn't want to be a part of it," Affleck told Zap2it.com during a junket for his next film, "Paycheck." "That was totally not true. I called them and told them that." He does understand why Moore would opt out of the series, however. "I'm sensitive to the fact that people come up to him and say unpleasant things," Affleck says. "He didn't get into the thing about being in front of the camera. He stuck to his guns." There's a chance that Bravo might pick up the series; the cable channel recently ordered "Project Runway," a similar show for would-be fashion designers that Miramax is producing. One possible stumbling block, Affleck says, is that "Greenlight" recently became unionized, which brings a higher production cost. "Bravo would never really pick up a union show. So, we're trying to see if we can get some additional sponsorship money, to cover the nut of producing it or maybe figuring if we can schedule down," Affleck says. "We had a lot of camera crews around all the time. If we reduced that number, we're afraid that we won't get the great stuff. For a documentary, you sort of gotta be everywhere."
"I don't know about 'Daredevil 2.' That may be too much work for me," Affleck tells Zap2it.com. "It was a very difficult movie to make." "Daredevil" stars the 31-year-old actor as Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer who moonlights as a red-suited vigilante. The film, which was released on Valentine's Day, earned over $100 million in the U.S. Affleck says he may change his mind if longtime friend, filmmaker and comic book writer Kevin Smith was behind the sequel. Or if Jennifer Garner asked him to. "I think that Kevin is the guy who should be behind it. He'd really do the best job," he says. It wouldn't be the first collaboration for the friends. Affleck has appeared in Smith's "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy," "Dogma," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" and "Jersey Girl," which will be released sometime next year. For fans still hoping to see him in red latex, the actor says that he'd consider appearing in the spin-off "Elektra," which stars his "Daredevil" love interest Garner in the title role. "I would do some sort of cameo in Jen's movie. But she'd have to plead with me," he quips. Affleck next appears opposite Uma Thurman in John Woo's sci-fi thriller "Paycheck" opening Christmas Day.
The Oscar-winning thespian, 68, has been working on stage and screen for the best part of 50 years and thinks that the wages of silver screen stars are getting out of control, according to London's Channel 4. Dench and Affleck starred alongside each other in "Shakespeare in Love." When she discovered Affleck commanded a fee of $21.2 million-a-picture, she was horrified. "I mean, sorry, I'm not saying anything about Ben, who I think is a jolly good actor, but if people are going to demand that amount of money, then the whole thing is cockeyed," says Dench. Affleck will next be seen in "Paycheck" which opens nationwide Christmas day. Dame Dench will be seen in "The Chronicles of Riddick" next year with another million dollar man, Vin Diesel.
NBC-owned Bravo has emerged as the likely home for the next installment of "Greenlight," according to sources, who indicated that the cable network is deep in negotiations with Miramax TV and its production partner Live Planet, which is run by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Miramax reportedly received interest from broadcast and basic cable networks interested in picking up the third season. A Miramax spokesman would only confirm that it is seeking a new home for the series. "We believe in 'Project Greenlight' and are currently re-evaluating its distribution options," he said. HBO, which was licensing "Greenlight" on a season-by-season basis, declined comment. Live Planet could not be reached for comment. While it was not quite the cultural phenomenon that "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City" became, the denial of another season came as a surprise. The series, which first chronicled the efforts of a rookie filmmaker in 2001, had built buzz and ratings in its second season, which completed its run in the summer. Maybe even more surprising would be Miramax's interest in reviving "Greenlight," both seasons of which produced theatrically released films -- "Stolen Summer" and "The Battle of Shaker Heights" -- that fared poorly at the box office. However, Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein, Damon and Affleck are said to be less interested in the films' earnings than in their ability to provide budding independent talent a shot at mainstream acclaim. The series could be a natural addition to Bravo, which recently pacted with Miramax on a fashion-themed spinoff to "Greenlight" titled "Project Runway." One factor in HBO's decision to drop "Greenlight" was the absence of a commitment from a third Live Planet principal, Chris Moore, to produce the film that would eventually become the centerpiece of the third season, according to sources. Moore was not only a guiding force in the development of both films but earned himself something of a cult following for his on-air role in past "Greenlights." Equally uncertain is the future on-air involvement of Damon and Affleck, who squeezed "Greenlight" appearances into their busy shooting schedules. The series underwent extensive changes in format before its second season, which expanded the contest at the heart of the program to recruit not only a director but a scriptwriter whose struggles are recounted each episode. More tinkering is expected, with more time likely to be allotted for the winning writer to develop his or her script after a rushed process last season resulted in an uneven product.
"Jennifer was very upset by the celebrity gambling tournament Ben did last month in Las Vegas," one insider said. "She feels he just gives up one addiction for another and it is destructive behavior. In a strong moment, she told him to move out of her [Los Angeles] house." But just a week later, Lopez was back with Affleck and planning the trip to Atlantic City last weekend for a poker tournament. "Ben got Guadalupe involved and used the whole 'your mother wants to go gamble, too' card on her," we're told. "Jennifer lost her nerve and they are back together again, but it is very tumultuous." "Guadalupe loves Ben," one spy said. "She thinks the sun rises and sets on him. Anytime Jennifer has doubts, her mother lets loose on her and tells her Ben is just the best thing that ever happened to her." Guadalupe's favorite thing about Affleck apparently is the attention and presents he lavishes on her. "Ben buys Guadalupe cars, jewelry, trips - anything she wants," our spies said. The trio were all smiles on Saturday morning when they arrived at the Showdown at the Sands Poker Tournament, which Affleck paid $10,000 to enter. Affleck, dressed in grungy sweats and sneakers, played for over six hours and 140 hands before dropping out. "He was drinking Diet Cokes, but tipping the waitreses $100 for each one," an Atlantic City tipster said. Later, the three went to dinner at the Old Homestead Steakhouse at the Borgata hotel/casino before Lopez hit the 25 cent slots at the casino while Guadalupe hit the $1 slots and Affleck left to drop over $50,000 in the high-roller room on blackjack. "You have to understand," one of our spies said. "Jennifer does not like to gamble, she doesn't drink or do anything. It is pretty amazing that she is putting up with his addictive behavior." The "Showdown at the Sands" airs on Thanksgiving Day on Fox Sports Net. A rep for Lopez declined comment, while Affleck's rep said: "That's the best one I have heard today."
The wedding of Bennifer may, or may not be in the works--but one thing's for sure: The two halves of Hollywood's most infamous couple are keeping themselves busy in the meantime. Perhaps feeling nostalgic for her Fly Girl days, Jennifer Lopez has taken on a host of dance-related projects to occupy her time. La Lopez just wrapped Shall We Dance? with Richard Gere; now she's tangoing on to develop and possibly star in Dance Lessons, which the Hollywood trades describe as a cross between Footloose and The Full Monty. Lopez has two more Miramax flicks on her horizon--An Unfinished Life with Robert Redford, and the long-completed Jersey Girl with, sigh, Ben Affleck. Not to worry though, it simply couldn't top Gigli in the turkey category. The full-bottomed Bronx babe won't stop there--she also plans to star in New Line's romantic comedy Monster in Law. Jenny from the Block returned to her hometown of New York Tuesday and canoodled with Mayor Michael Bloomberg at an event celebrating the formation of a new commission to attract Latino talent to the city. The multihyphenate star will serve as its honorary chairwoman; Robert De Niro will co-chair. "I never thought I'd be here next to such greats as [salsa star] Willie Colon and with the mayor of New York here at City Hall," Lopez gushed. "It's a real honor for me." Bloomberg seemed singularly starstruck by the meeting, which was duly chaperoned by B. Aff. "For those of you who were wondering, I finally got my date with Jennifer Lopez," Bloomberg said. "The Blue Room isn't exactly...some romantic restaurant, but you know, heck, Ben's here, and you take what you can get." For his part, Affleck shied away from the media and stood in a corner, perhaps still mourning his beloved Red Sox while in Yankeetown. Despite reports that Affleck's latest Disney vehicle, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, was dumped due to the bad press associated with Gigli, the actor isn't hurting for gigs just yet. The Pearl Harbor star recently signed to star in Disney's Glory Road, a Jerry Bruckheimer-helmed project. Affleck will portray hoops coach Don Haskins, who took the first all-black team to NCAA championship victory in 1966. The film was pitched as a Hoosiers meets Remember the Titans mixer. No matter how it turns out it can't be any worse than...well, we won't bother to mention it again. You know what we're talking about. The basketball-themed flick marks the third time that J.Lo's significant other and Bruckheimer have joined forces--however, this venture will ostensibly feature less explosions than the duo's previous blockbusters, Armageddon and Pearl Harbor. Glory Days is due to begin shooting in early 2004. As for Bennifer's wedding? Date unknown.
The film will be directed by Antoine Fuqua, director of "Tears of the Sun" and "Training Day," the El Paso Times reported Friday. Haskins coached the Miners to a national championship in 1966 when the school was known as Texas Western College. He is credited with breaking the color barrier after he fielded five black starters against the all-white Kentucky Wildcats. The Wildcats' shooting touch went cold against the Miners, who beat Kentucky 72-65. Haskins has maintained that he simply started the best players for the game. Haskins, 73, led UTEP to 719 victories over 38 years. "I'm just flattered that they want to do the movie at all," the Hall of Fame coach said. "I'm happy for all the players on that team and for UTEP and for El Paso. I think it will be good for everyone." Filming of "Glory Road" is expected to begin early next year.
Us Weekly says the couple will exchange rings at a beachside ceremony on Affleck's estate in Hampton Island, Ga., 35 miles from Savannah. Star magazine says the nuptials will happen before New Year's Day. Hogwash, Affleck's publicist says. "It's complete nonsense," Ken Sunshine says of the stories. "I don't even like to dignify these made-up stories." A rep for Lopez says any possible wedding plans are a private matter between the couple, but says they have not already married. Just days before their Sept. 14 wedding, Affleck, 31, and Lopez, 33, canceled the extravagant 2 million-dollar nuptials. Us Weekly's four-page cover story, which quotes 15 unnamed sources, says wedding plans were scrapped because Affleck dumped Lopez. After much, much begging and pleading, he took her back. "Bennifer" are back together, and by all appearances, they are still madly in love. They were gambling together in Las Vegas last week, Us says. And they cuddled live on TV at a Boston Red Sox baseball game earlier this month. The Bennifer wedding, Take 2, will be a much smaller affair with only a handful of guests, Star and Us report. In an Us poll, 71% of respondents said Ben and J. Lo should not marry.
Just four weeks from the start of production on "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," Disney has canceled the comedy about a bachelor visited during his brother's wedding by specters of his former flames. Betty Thomas, of "I Spy" fame, had been hired in August to direct the movie, and the studio was just about to announce some big names as Affleck's co-stars. The Hollywood Reporter noted that "in addition to the movie's high cost, another contributing factor was Affleck's tarnished image. The star has taken a beating in the tabloids and at the box office with the failure of his most recent film, 'Gigli.' " Disney will have to pay Affleck's salary in any case - unless another studio picks up the movie - because he has a "pay-or-play" contract. Meanwhile, Paramount is said to be considering dropping Affleck from its next Jack Ryan movie, though he played the CIA agent in "The Sum of All Fears." Affleck will be seen in December in John Woo's "Paycheck," and next year in what is widely rumored to be another Affleck/Lopez bomb, "Jersey Girl," directed by Kevin Smith. The relationship of Affleck with Jennifer Lopez has launched a thousand magazine covers. The latest supermarket tabloid story has them eloping any minute. But the publicity isn't helping put any fannies in seats for their movies. "Daredevil" failed to capture the audience that "Spider Man," "X-Men" and "The Hulk" pulled in. And "Gigli" - after being savaged by the critics - was one of the biggest flops of all time. Beside the speculation over the wedding and its last-minute postponement, readers have been deluged with stories about Affleck's partying with strippers, his gambling and his impulsive shopping for cars and jewelry. There is a growing suspicion that all the publicity is backfiring, that the public is getting bored with "Bennifer." It might be time for Affleck and Lopez to take a long vacation, as Demi Moore did, so we'll be eager to see their faces again.
The studio pulled the plug on the project late Monday. "Ghosts" was to star Affleck as a bachelor who goes to his younger brother's wedding, where he is visited by the ghosts of his past girlfriends. In August, Betty Thomas ("I Spy") came on board to direct the film, and several high-profile castings were close to being finalized. Disney declined comment on the decision. But it is believed that in addition to the film's expected high cost, another contributing factor was Affleck's tarnished image. The star has taken a beating in the tabloids and at the box office with the failure of his most recent film, "Gigli." He returns to theaters on Christmas Day with the John Woo actioner "Paycheck." Because Disney signed a pay-or-play deal with Affleck -- meaning that he gets paid even if the movie is not made -- it has reason to hope that one of its competitors will step in to take the project off its hands. Representatives from Affleck's LivePlanet production company, which is producing the film along with Jon Shestack, could not be reached for comment.
The Hollywood hunk received the Spirit of Liberty award from the liberal People for the American Way Tuesday night (Oct. 14). In his acceptance speech, Affleck, 31, attacked President Bush's "dangerous right-wing" policies, claiming they erode civil liberties, according to media sources. He also discussed fellow celeb Arnold Schwarzenegger's recent election to the governorship in California, comparing what he called "the dawn of the Schwarzenegger era in American politics" to the decline of the Roman Empire. Affleck was honored for his work on behalf of children's rights and voter registration. The actor hopes that the recent media attention regarding his relationship to Jennifer Lopez can be put to good use, stating, "I accept the award in the hope that the absurd amount of publicity I received lately ... might be directed at something more significant." Other stars attending the People For The American Way event included Harrison Ford, Bruce Willis and the Dixie Chicks. Affleck appears next opposite Uma Thurman in John Woo's "Paycheck," opening Christmas Day.
Raquel Castro may only be 9 and has but one feature to her credit. But as the co-star of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's other film, Jersey Girl, the Long Island fourth-grader has seen her share of off-screen drama. "They were saying that because Gigli was a bad movie, they may not bring out Jersey Girl," she says of Ben 'n' Jen's notorious summer flop. "I thought, 'All that work and nothing?'" Not to worry. The domestic comedy about a workaholic PR exec (Affleck) who must raise his 6-year-old daughter alone after his wife (Lopez) suddenly dies will open March 19 after being moved from this fall. During her audition, Raquel who is of Puerto Rican descent, just like her movie mom figured out quickly that she nailed it. "This lady kept staring at me. Kevin Smith (the director/writer) kept staring at me. They thought I looked like J. Lo. I told my parents, 'I think I got the part.'" Raquel, who performs songs from Sweeney Todd in the movie and may do a musical version of Interview With the Vampire on Broadway, found the real-life couple to be "very nice. They understand kids. This was Ben's first movie with a kid, and he might not be scared of being a dad now." She also stands up for the tabloid-taunted pair. "I don't think they are telling the truth about Jen and Ben. I think they are still going to get married. Ben just got nervous. Sometimes, when it's your first wedding, that happens." Yes, she is only 9.
"I only accept it in the hopes that the absurd amounts of publicity that I received lately, that as far as I can tell is chiefly because I have a pretty girlfriend, that's what I did, I am a champion of the American way with a pretty girlfriend — bring it on, paparazzi, news at 11 — in the hopes that some of that publicity might be pointed at something more significant, something more positive, productive and meaningful," Affleck said, according to an Associated Press Television News tape. The actor made the remarks while accepting a Spirit of Liberty Award Tuesday night in Los Angeles. Lopez and Affleck, whose recent film "Gigli" bombed after abysmal reviews, had planned to marry Sept. 14 before abruptly calling off the wedding. It would have been the third marriage for Lopez, 33, and the first for Affleck, 31. Since then, media scrutiny has intensified, with everyone wondering, will-they-or-won't-they? When they bought a pickup truck in Georgia and attended a Red Sox game in Boston, it was news. Affleck and Lopez also co-star in the Kevin Smith movie "Jersey Girl," set for release next year.
Affleck was being honored at the Beverly Hilton with the Champion of the American Way Award by the People for the American Way Foundation, a controversial liberal organization that promotes, among other things, free speech and freedom of the press. Strange that so few recipients and presenters were willing to walk the red carpet to address the press. Affleck and the curly haired, silver-heeled Lopez entered through a back door, as did Harrison Ford, who presented the Spirit of Liberty Award to actress Heather Thomas and her philanthropist husband, Skip Brittenham. Affleck's Armageddon buddy Bruce Willis, appearing ultra-svelte, arrived early but rushed past the press right along with usually outspoken Democrat Rob Reiner. Defenders of Democracy Award winners The Dixie Chicks didn't attend at all (they're finishing up the last leg of their tour), but requested their presentation be made by Bill Maher, who also dodged the carpet. Perhaps all feared being "Dixie Chicked" a term Maher coined in his speech referring to the heat the band received after speaking out against President Bush. During his acceptance speech, Affleck also had some strong words for the current administration, which he suggested was deserving of the harsh criticism given to his summer flop, Gigli. (He also joked that he thought he was getting recognition because he has a "pretty girlfriend.") In his presentation to Affleck, close pal Kevin Smith said his buddy was more worthy of an award for his large, ahem, "manhood." "That's what the dude should be getting an award for," Smith joked. "Jen knows." The couple laughed off Smith's jokes even one alluding to Affleck's Vancouver strip-club adventure. The director of Affleck and Lopez's 2004 film, Jersey Girl, told USA TODAY that all is well with the couple. In fact, Smith said, he already has given Affleck his wedding gift and planned on giving Lopez hers this week. "I got them his-and-hers chairs I had painted as art pieces about their lives," Smith said. "They're pretty cool. I mean, what do you get them?" Over dessert, Maher said he didn't quite understand why Affleck was being honored. "I like Ben, but I don't know what he's done for freedom," Maher said. "He's getting married, so that's what he can do for freedom break off that engagement! Just kidding, J. Lo."
Lopez has only a small part in Jersey Girl and her character actually dies fairly early on into the script. The film is set for a 2004 release, following a bit of a release-date shuffle after the last Ben and Jen film, Gigli, bombed at the box office.
District Attorney John Carriker said Tuesday that repeated attempts by Kure Beach police to contact accuser Tara Ray were unsuccessful and he dismissed the warrant. Ray took out the warrant Saturday, alleging that Affleck threatened her on Sept. 25. A spokesman for Affleck said the 31-year-old actor had never met Ray and was at his Georgia home that day. Carriker criticized a system in which Ray could obtain an arrest warrant without proof the incident ever took place or without input from Kure Beach police. "This is a very good example of why people shouldn't be able to take out a warrant without any kind of police investigation," Carriker said. He added that officials don't plan to file charges against Ray. Ray said Sunday she was in a romantic relationship with Affleck that started in February 2002. According to the warrant, the Pearl Harbor star called her and said he was coming to "blow your (expletive) head off." Magistrate Ralph Ellen signed the warrant, stating there was probable cause to believe the incident occurred. Carriker, however, said an investigation revealed no credible evidence that Affleck had been to Kure Beach or called the woman.
The runaway bride sported the honking stone while joyriding with Ben Affleck on his Suzuki motorcycle around his rural Georgia estate. Does this mean the Wedding of the Century is a go? All we can say is, stay tuned!
OK, sure. We've got some on the lot. Name please? "Ben Affleck." Yeah, right. "And my name is George Bush," Stanley thought to himself Thursday. He bit his tongue and treated the customer with respect, though. His colleagues had played practical jokes before, but Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, who recently postponed their plans to marry, own a home on nearby Hampton Island and they were in the area. The man on the other end of the phone said he'd be in later that day to take a look at the vehicle. Sure enough, Affleck AND Lopez showed up in a black Range Rover, followed by a small army of photographers: "I thought to myself, 'Both of them. Wow,'" Stanley told the Savannah Morning News for Friday's editions. He said the actors asked a lot of questions about the truck and took a short test drive on the lot, but there was very little haggling over the vehicle's $37,000 sticker price. At one point, Affleck — who earlier in the week applied for a gun permit at the local courthouse so he could do some hunting — turned to Lopez and asked whether she liked the color — black — and the options. She said she did. The deal was done. And the Hollywood stars were on their way.
Lopez and Affleck told onlookers yesterday they were at the office to buy a hunting licence, but the London-based Daily Express paper claims the Liberty County Clerks Office in Hinesville doesn't issue those. Now reports speculate the pair may have even married at the office. An assistant there said "no marriage licences were issued from this office today", but giggled and refused to comment when asked by the newspaper if any couples had actually married there. A source close to the stars says, "This kind of stunt would not be Ben's style - but it is totally Jennifer's."
Hollywood's most overexposed couple set gossip pages aflame anew on Monday when they popped into a south Georgia courthouse near Affleck's island home. But apparently it was a gun license, not a marriage license, that the on-again, off-again super couple was seeking. "Affleck wanted to know where he could apply for a gun permit," said Liberty County Sheriff Don Martin, who mugged for a photo before sending the couple down the hall to the probate court. The appearance has unleashed a horde of paparazzi and celebrity reporters onto the small town of Hinesville, where a court clerk verified Tuesday morning — apparently not for the first time — that the couple did not apply for a marriage license. The pair, whose recent film "Gigli" bombed after abysmal reviews, had planned to marry Sept. 14 before abruptly calling off the wedding. It would have been the third marriage for Lopez, 33, and the first for Affleck, 31.
"It's over," our sources declare. "It's like an exit interview. You don't call off your wedding to someone you are in love with and then never talk to them again. They have a lot of issues to talk about and things to work through." Most telling to pals of both stars is that while Lopez flew to Miami for the week, Affleck stayed in Los Angeles for a bit and then went to Savannah - not Miami. "Ben looks so relaxed ever since he called off the wedding," one friend said. "And, hello," the source added, "he didn't fly to be with Jennifer. She has to go to him." Maybe Lopez's notorious diva reputation finally sank in with Affleck, described as a regular, low-key guy. Just four weeks ago, when Affleck was in the headlines with stories of his wild night out in a topless bar, Lopez threw another notorious fit. "Jennifer was supposed to do a shoot for W magazine," a Hollywood insider said. "And she had a long list of demands - one of which was a private jet. This is unusual because W doesn't really have that sort of thing in the budget. But they really wanted Jennifer, so they paid for it." Sadly, the plane sent to Lopez's set for "Shall We Dance" in Winnipeg to take her to Los Angeles was not up to snuff. "She flew to Los Angeles on the W plane but refused to fly back in it because it was not good enough," the insider laughed. "She got to the airport and saw a better plane waiting. It was Enrique Iglesias' plane. She insisted on flying back to Winnipeg in Enrique's plane. Good thing Enrique let her, because she was throwing a fit." A pal of Lopez had a different account: "Jennifer flew the W plane there and wanted to stay one more day in Los Angeles before flying back. The W plane was already booked the next day, so she went in another plane." A rep for W declined comment. Lopez's rep didn't return calls.
What's wrong? she wanted to know. He told her he couldn't take it and he wanted to push it back. For the 33-year-old singer-actress, her worst fear was coming true. The wedding plans that the world had anticipated along with her were suddenly in danger of falling apart after months of planning. "It's all the attention," he said. "It's driving me crazy. Everything is out of control." Her fiance reassured her that he did still want to get married. He said he was just venting. He told her how much he loved her. But Jen had a feeling. She called her closest girlfriends, completely hysterical. "Something is wrong," she said through tears. Ben had been acting distant toward Jen for a few weeks according to people close to the couple, and his late night phone call was all the proof that the would-be bride needed. "I know something is wrong," she said. A source close to the actress tells Star: "She thought Ben was getting cold feet." As Jen - and the world - soon discovered, the problem was much bigger than that. In this week's Star Magazine, find out all the details of Jen's first weekend alone, who she turned to first, Ben's wild partying and why Ben dumped J.Lo!
Reports have Affleck running to Las Vegas, to Miami and now to Savannah. It appears that the union of the year is officially off, but could Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have made it work for a lifetime? Licensed therapist Catherine Burton says not unless they had changed their ways. "J. Lo and Ben have both shown typical celebrity behavior," said Burton. "Without some work, this marriage, if it had gone through, would have been another Hollywood statistic." Burton has conducted extensive studies in celebrity behaviors and how their fame leads to the self-destructive behavior that has become so stereotypical. Burton's vast knowledge and expertise in psychotherapy allow her a unique perspective on these high-profiled individuals who, despite their fame, power and money, lead troubled lives. Burton contends that self-destructive celebrity behavior -- drug and alcohol abuse, physical violence, addictions -- is caused by the emotional gap left between the person's two personas, the person they were before they were famous and the idol they become. Are they still the small child from the Bronx, or are they really the mega-star worshipped by millions? Affleck's parents separated soon after his birth, officially divorcing when he was 11. Ben's father, Tim Affleck, was an actor who was rumored to have spent his nights partying and chasing women. Affleck reached superstardom after writing and starring in "Good Will Hunting," along with his friend Matt Damon, for which they both won Oscars. After his stay in rehab for substance abuse, Affleck is quoted as having said, "Fame is wasted on me." "That could very well be a statement of guilt," said Burton, "of Ben feeling undeserving of the riches and privileges of fame." A series of high-profile romances, including his with Gwyneth Paltrow, typify Affleck's behavior, noted Burton. With J. Lo, Affleck was taking an enormous risk, according to Burton. He was making big plans for his marriage to her, buying a six-carat $1.5 million pink diamond ring, as well as reportedly buying a multi-million dollar mansion in Georgia. He was preparing to settle down and start a family. Burton believes that Lopez battles her own identity confusion. Her marriage to Affleck would have been her third, after two within the past few years that have each lasted little more than a year. Is J. Lo set to repeat patterns set by stars such as Elizabeth Taylor? Burton feels that this marriage, if it does eventually happen, could be another short-lived Hollywood marriage. "They would both need counseling to help heal this emotional gap," she noted. "Without some serious work, we could be witnessing another train wreck." Catherine Burton, a Dallas-based licensed professional counselor, holds a B.A. in Psychology from University of Texas at Dallas, an M.A. in Psychology from Southern Methodist University, and is also a licensed professional counselor, as well as a licensed marriage and family therapist.
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A new report Wednesday on the possible "whys" behind the wedding postponement-slash-reputed breakup, plus word of one reporter who ended up in police custody in pursuit of the phenomenon known as Bennifer. First up: The latest Us Weekly, on stands Friday, says the couple, which survived the bomb that was Gigli, blew apart for good--"It's Over!, a cover headline declares--due to an argument on September 8, less than a week before the scheduled ring exchange, and two days before they announced they were pulling the plug on their party due to "excessive media attention." Us apparently doesn't say what the instigating tiff was about, although it suggests that Affleck's fondness for high-stakes casinos may have been a sore point between the stars. For those keeping track at home, it's also been reported by various outlets that the wedding was nixed because: Lopez, 33, opted to follow the advice of her psychic; Affleck, 31, opted to follow the advice of his mother, Chris, as well as pal Matt Damon (news); and/or, Affleck opted to follow his cold feet out the door. According to Us, Affleck, who paid a well-documented visit to a Canadian strip joint in July, has been spotted at big-money tables at Los Angeles-area establishments such as Larry Flynt's Hustler Casino at least twice this month. One such visit, to Flynt's house of cards, came last Friday, it says. For those still keeping track at home, Friday was two days after the postponement, and one day after Affleck and Lopez, a supposed still-cozy duo, were out dining at Hollywood power eatery, the Ivy. Us, like People before it, isn't buying into the Ivy photo-op. Both mags portray two-time divorcee Lopez as the teary-eyed party in what they, and many media sources, say is a definite bust-up. "She wants to sit on the couch and cry," a Lopez friend tells Us. "If she goes out, it's only because her girlfriends want to get her mind off the heartache." At least she'll always have second ex-husband Cris Judd. "She has my number if she wants to call me," the dancer/choreographer tells Us. Last weekend, when Lopez and Affleck were supposed to be getting married before 400 guests and fellow movie stars, in Santa Barbara, California, Lopez was spotted, sans Affleck and sans her Affleck-gifted, 6.1 carat engagement ring, in Miami; Affleck was spotted, sans Lopez, at Las Vegas' Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Even as their respective reps continue to deny knowledge of a permanent split, and TV's Extra cautions that reports of their romantic demise are "premature," sources tell E! News Live that the super-couple unit remains geographically apart. It is "100 percent confirmed," according to the sources Wednesday, that Lopez is still in Miami, and Affleck still is not. At last word, the Pearl Harbor flyboy had ditched Vegas for Georgia, where he owns an 86-acre plantation on Hampton Island, near Savannah. It was at Affleck's estate Sunday morning that a People magazine reporter found himself in Southern discomfort. Don Sider, a 40-year veteran of Time Inc., publications, on assignment to cover the wedding-that-never-was for People, was arrested for allegedly trespassing on a private construction road near Camp Affleck. The 70-year-old journalist faces a misdemeanor charge. The police report on the bust is published on The Smoking Gun Website. On Wednesday, People spokeswoman Dianne Jones referred to the incident as "a misunderstanding." Sider drove his car onto the road in an attempt to turn around after failing to reach someone at the Affleck property via a security-gate phone, Jones said. While on the road, his car's tires became stuck, so Sider called an emergency auto service. The mechanic, upon arriving and seeing the road marked with no-trespassing signs, subsequently called the cops, Jones said. "It's a little thing that got blown up," Jones said. Sounds familiar.
The superstars had been due to be married at a lavish ceremony in California on Sunday but cancelled their nuptials at the last minute, citing excessive press interest and sparking widespread speculation that they had split up. "They're not over yet," said one source close to the pair, dubbed "Bennifer" by media because of their inseparability in public since announcing in November that they would wed. "They are having some trouble, but you don't go from getting married on Sunday to being totally off. It takes a process to get there, and while that process has started, we are not at that point yet," the source said. The comments came amid a media frenzy over the fate of the most feted celebrity union since Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton ignited the tabloid pages in the 1960s. People magazine reported that the couple -- who flew off to separate US destinations at the weekend after cancelling their wedding, which was to have been attended by 400 luminaries -- have ended their year-old relationship for the moment at least. But the sources said Tuesday that the magazine had jumped the gun, even as reports quoted an Affleck insider as saying that the couple had split after he initiated a breakup. Some reports have said that pals of 31-year-old heartthrob Affleck had staged an "intervention" and persuaded him to split up with the 33-year-old diva. The People report quoted Lopez insiders as saying she was "devastated" after Ben had "second thoughts" about their union. And as Lopez frolicked alone on the beach in Miami and Affleck was spotted in the casino hub of Las Vegas, other reports suggested that J-Lo had had enough of Ben's gambling and was annoyed over his visit to a strip club. The couple became friendly in December 2001, on the set of their movie "Gigli" -- the box office mega-flop of the summer -- and said they began dating after Lopez split up with her second husband, Cris Judd, in July. The singer and actress earlier was married to Ojani Noa. "Pearl Harbor" star Affleck has never wed. Last week the couple announced they were postponing their wedding after the world's press invaded the California town of Santa Barbara, where the ceremony was to have taken place. "When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate 'decoy brides' at three different locations, we realized that something was awry," they said in a statement issued by Lopez's publicist. "We began to feel that the spirit of what should have been the happiest day of our lives could be compromised. We felt what should have been a joyful and sacred day could be spoiled for us, our families and our friends." Representatives for Lopez and Affleck could not be reached for comment on the conflicting reports Tuesday.
Hollywood hunk Ben Affleck has ditched his fiancée Jennifer Lopez after a series of bitter rows in the run-up to their postponed wedding yesterday, according to friends. Ben was spotted with a mystery brunette in Las Vegas yesterday while J.Lo was photographed swimming in the sea near Miami, Florida - has allegedly ruled out the prospect of reuniting with the actress. The glamorous pair blamed intense media interest in their wedding for ruining the occasion, but close pals claim the stars' relationship "soured" after the dismal performance of their movie Gigi, and Affleck has subsequently split with Lopez. One friend tells Britain's The Sun tabloid, "In the run-up to the wedding they had a series of disagreements. In the end, Ben simply got cold feet. J.Lo is secretly hoping they can patch things up. But he feels there is no hope." A source close to the couple insists the "rot set in" in the aftermath of Gigli's release in America - critics and cinema-goers slammed the movie alike. He says, "It started a lot of rows between them. It soured everything."
But one person who isn't mincing words about the almost third-time bride is Lopez's former father-in-law, Larry Judd. He told the New York Daily News that son Cris Judd (Lopez's second husband) "is still probably the best thing that ever happened to her." Judd, speaking to the Daily News from his Florida home, says his son was a "one-woman guy." He adds: "He wasn't ashamed to walk 10 or 15 feet behind her at a movie premiere. She was the star. His thing was to motivate her and keep her life in perspective. Cris said there were no problems. But I knew there were problems." Judd blames Affleck. "I thought Mr. Affleck would honor a married woman and not just go right into the trailer" during the filming of Gigli. Lopez and Affleck had said there was no hanky-panky before her split from Judd. But Larry Judd says, "She was infatuated with (Affleck) from the start." He adds: "She'd be happier if she'd just tell the truth. No one in her little circle is going to say one negative thing to her. I feel sorry for her."
The Post caught the love-'em-and-leave-'em star emerging from his ex-fiancée Jennifer Lopez's Beverly Hills home late Sunday afternoon with his assistant Chay Carter and two other hotties in tow. Grinning and laughing, Affleck led the tempting trio to Lopez's Rolls-Royce (right) - the one Ben gave her as an engagement present - and they all jumped in, an eyewitness told The Post. "Ben got behind the wheel and pulled out, driving crazy-like. It looked like he was having lots of fun with them - not like somebody who just had a painful breakup," the witness said. The group headed to the Baja Fresh Mexican Grill in the San Fernando Valley for a late lunch before hopping back into the car and returning to Lopez's place. Affleck later emerged solo, revved up his motorcycle and zoomed off. "It looked like a case of when the cat's away," the witness said. Lopez, of course, was some 3,000 miles away in Miami, where - without her $1.5 million engagement ring - she and several gal pals partied into the night at a number of clubs. Lopez has told several Miami residents, "you should expect to see more of me," and pals say the diva is planning on hiding out in her Miami home until the breakup with Affleck blows over. Affleck's rep Ken Sunshine declined comment, as did Lopez's flack Liza Burnett. Meanwhile, Jennifer isn't the only Lopez going through a hard time. Spies said her sister Lynda is having a rocky time with her boyfriend, "Entertainment Tonight" stud Chris Booker. "Lynda and Chris just got axed from Blink 102.7 and it has been rough. She is a tough cookie and pretty bossy," spies said.
The magazine's Web site, http://people.aol.com, quoted unidentified sources as saying Affleck decided he wanted out of the relationship, but it was not certain if the break-up will be permanent. Representatives for the pair could not be reached for comment. People magazine reported that the representatives said they had no knowledge of the break-up. The pair, who reportedly planned to wed on Sunday at an estate in the hills near Santa Barbara, California, said in a joint statement last Wednesday that they had postponed the nuptials because of unwanted publicity. Lopez, 33, and Affleck, 31, are currently America's hottest celebrity couple, but doubts were cast over their engagement when stories surfaced in tabloids and magazines last month about Affleck visiting a strip club without Lopez in July. Lopez publicly shrugged off Affleck's night out. The couple also suffered bad publicity when their first movie together, "Gigli," was panned by critics and flopped at the box office in the summer.
A joint statement for the movie star pair says, "Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date. When we found ourselves, seriously contemplating hiring three separate 'decoy brides' at three different locations, we realised that something was awry. We began to feel that the spirit of what should have been the happiest day of our lives would be compromised. We felt what should have been a joyful and sacred day could be spoiled for us, our families and our friends." Its reported that J.Lo had visited a psychic shortly before postponing intensifying speculation she is unsure about their relationship. Sources close to J.Lo believe her adopted 'godmother' - spiritual advisor Merle Gonzalez - was instrumental in the shock decision to call off the glitzy Santa Barbara ceremony just days before the event. A source tells Britain's London Evening Standard Gonzalez is a follower of the quasi-religious Santeria mysticism and that Lopez has sought her advice in the past. The source, a neighbour of Gonzalez's, says, "It's Merle who Jennifer turns to whenever she needs counsel on important things in her life." Another neighbour adds, "I know she isn't just a housewife. She once told me about her psychic work but I thought she meant a few tarot cards and some palm reading. Apparently, she can go into a chance for up to five hours at a time and really look into people's pasts and predict their future. I'm surprised a millionaire celebrity would visit someone like that." Gonzalez emerged from her Los Angeles home only to comment, "I am involved in Santeria and I am friends with Jennifer Lopez but I cannot discuss my relationship with Jennifer."
The couple said they didn't want any more publicity regarding their nuptials and have decided to postpone the ceremony, which was to take place this weekend at a mansion in the Santa Barbara area. "We began to feel that the spirit of what should have been the happiest day of our lives could be compromised," said a joint statement released Wednesday by Dan Klores and Ken Sunshine, Lopez and Affleck's respective New York-based spokesmen. "We felt what should have been a joyful and sacred day could be spoiled for us, our families and our friends." Affleck and Lopez have become a romantic phenomenon that gossip columnists have dubbed Bennifer and chronicled relentlessly since they started dating last year. "Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date. When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate 'decoy brides' at three different locations, we realized that something was awry," the statement said. Us Weekly magazine had reported that the vows and reception would occur at Sotto Il Monte, a private $29-million estate in the Montecito area. Guests including Matt Damon, Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry and Alec Baldwin were set to be shuttled to the wedding from nearby resort hotels. Some celebrity journalists warn the postponement report could be a fake-out to dupe the press. "I think it's a good possibility. I think it's at least 50-50 that the wedding will still take place this weekend but perhaps in a different location," said editor Bonnie Fuller, who oversees 14 magazines including the Enquirer, the Star and the Globe. The Star recently reported that Lopez had premarital jitters. If or when the wedding happens, it will be the third for Lopez, 33, and the first for Affleck, 31. The couple met while filming this summer's bomb, Gigli. Previous rumours about the wedding have placed it in Kauai, Hawaii; Atlanta and Scotland. Affleck himself has teased reporters by saying: "It is in Namibia on Nov. 15. So you go ahead and fly on down, and we'll see you there."
With only three days left, the bride and groom called the whole thing off. Postponed indefinitely. Ben Affleck (news), 31, and Jennifer Lopez (news), 33, planned to say "I do" at 3 p.m. Sunday in Santa Barbara, Calif. The guests were thought to number 400. The gown was said to be Vera Wang. Flowers, cake, music all were in the works. All nixed. The news, first reported by Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood Wednesday afternoon, caused gossips to gasp from coast to coast. The couple's reason: The media frenzy had just gotten too big. "When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate 'decoy brides' at three different locations, we decided that something was awry," Ben and Jen said in a joint statement. "We began to feel that the spirit of what should have been the happiest day of our lives could be compromised." But wait. These are movie stars, who should have known what to expect. So speculation immediately ranged from: They'll still wed on Sunday in Santa Barbara, and this is a ploy to throw off the media. They'll elope this weekend or some other time. They actually have split and will not be married. Absolutely not, say their camps. All is well with the couple as a couple they're united in sadness about their special day being ruined. Even though Lopez said in a Dateline interview recently that when she and Affleck were married they wouldn't try "to hide," the bride reportedly was upset over steady leaks about wedding details. "I think they started to get kind of scared," says Larry Hackett, a People magazine editor. "I don't think they had any idea how much attention this would generate." And even though he points out that many celebrities Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, Madonna (news - web sites) and Guy Ritchie (news) managed to pull off their weddings just fine, this one wasn't going smoothly. "They misgauged how big they are. I feel bad for them." New York-based Hackett said People already had reporters in Santa Barbara, but he was canceling his own trip there. "It's not the worldwide story it was." In the quiet, lovely seaside town, there were no obvious signs of media frenzy. Nothing was going on at the lush Sotto Il Monte estate just outside Santa Barbara, where some media reported the wedding would take place. At the Four Seasons in Santa Barbara, the hotel rumored to be catering the wedding, it was business as usual. And at the Bacara Resort & Spa, where friends and family were expected to take the overbooked ocean-view suites, guests watched as the full-time falconer on the grounds kept busy doing his job: keeping sea gulls at bay.
According to reports on "Entertainment Tonight," "Access Hollywood" and "Extra," invited guests were told the wedding was off, at least for the time being. Publicists for singer-actress Lopez, 33, and Affleck, 31, could not be immediately reached for comment. The couple and their representatives have been extremely tight-lipped about wedding plans in hopes of keeping the ceremony private. But details have been leaking over the past several days in various publications, including the alleged location -- a swank estate in the hills near Santa Barbara. Hotels in and around the usually quiet seaside town north of Los Angeles have been filling up as reporters, photographers and TV crews booked rooms hoping to get close to the event. A rehearsal dinner reportedly was set for Saturday, with the wedding slated for the following day. "Extra," quoting a source close to the couple, said the media frenzy became too much for them. The source said Affleck and Lopez feel things have "gotten out of control" and that at this point, they would prefer to sneak off at a later date with only their immediate families.
"It will be at the hotel," Vivian Terhark of Spooner, Wis., told ABC News Radio. Terhark said she knows this because guests at her daughter Julie Ann's wedding are being told to carry their invitations at all times to avoid being mistaken as crashers at the celebrity nuptials. "As the mother of the bride, I had to hand-carry my invitation because of security purposes," Terhark told ABC. Affleck, Lopez and their publicists have refused to comment on their plans. So has the oceanside Four Seasons hotel, where deluxe rooms go for up to $2,000 a night. This will be the third wedding for Lopez, 33, and the first for Affleck, 31, who met while filming this summer's infamous bomb "Gigli."
In the W interview Lopez talked about the national media exposure that her fiance Ben Affleck was subject to, after a tabloid reported that he allegedly had an encounter with a stripper in Vancouver. Lopez told W, "I was like, 'Wow, so this is where we're at: You can't walk into a place and hang out with a couple of friends without it turning into a national scandal.' It was ridiculous." Lopez added that the story wasn't really much of a story to her. "For me it wasn't an issue," Lopez said. "We talk every day, we don't have those kinds of secrets. It was ridiculous, because I knew he had gone. We sat and read the articles together and said, 'This is just insane.'" The latest reports indicate that Lopez and Affleck will tie the knot on Sunday (September 14), at a ceremony in Santa Barbara, California. Lopez follows singer Britney Spears in posing for W. Spears' provocative photo spread was featured in the August issue.
The Bennifer countdown to matrimony continues, and already the media frenzy is in overdrive. Photos are the talk of the day. OK!, the celeb magazine out of England, has offered $1.5 million for wedding shots of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, but publicists for both stars say there will be no sale. "I've gotten lots of insane calls," says Ken Sunshine, Affleck's publicist. And he has entertained exactly none of them, he says. If celeb watchers are lucky, one (free) photo will be released to all media after the event. Meanwhile, Access Hollywood reports that UsWeekly magazine has offered $80,000 for Bennifer photos. But Us editor Janice Min said Monday, "That's not true." Yes, her staff is on the wedding chase, and she has photographers on retainer. But "there is no figure," she says. Nevertheless, "this is the Super Bowl of celebrity events." Her photo wish list: a full-length picture of the bride in her dress, a kiss, interior shots. "I can't say the pictures will be priceless, because there will be a price," she says with a laugh. "Fans love weddings." Linda Bell Blue, Entertainment Tonight's executive producer, promises "major coverage" and says the show "already has a team of reporters on the story." And Bonnie Fuller, chief of Star, rates it as "the most anticipated wedding of the year." As for photos, she says everyone in the media is "hoping that there will be some cooperation (from the stars) because it just makes it so much easier for everybody, including the bride and groom."
The newspaper quoted unidentified friends as saying the nuptials -- the third for "J.Lo" and the first for Affleck -- will take place near Santa Barbara, California. The newspaper said representatives for the pair declined to comment on the nuptials. The two recently starred together in "Gigli," in which Lopez plays a lesbian crook who helps Affleck in a kidnapping plot.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are still headed for the altar. The date being bandied about by tabloids: a bash spread out over the Sept. 13-14 weekend on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. "No comment," says Jen's publicist, Rob Shuter. "Don't ever believe anything you read in the tabloids," says Ben's publicist, Ken Sunshine. Besides, would the marriage-loving J. Lo be likely to keep her wedding date and location a secret? Don't forget that Dateline interview in which she said the nuptials aren't "going to be a thing where we're trying to hide." Instead, think of Paul McCartney's wedding to Heather Mills reporters were at the gates of the castle in Ireland, but not inside at the ceremony. Still, Vera Wangis said to be almost done designing the wedding dress. And the actress will wrap up shooting Shall We Dance? in Winnipeg on Friday. That would leave her free for a wedding sometime in the next several months, but not free to attend Thursday's MTV Video Music Awards, where she was rumored to be singing Like a Virgin with Madonna and Britney Spears. What a trio! If only it were true. Spears and Madonna are presenting awards but aren't scheduled to perform. MTV, though, is known for surprises at this show, and on Tuesday it was being coy about the rumor. The network had no comment. As for the groom, Affleck has plenty of free time now. He has three movies in the can: Paycheck is due in December, and Jersey Girl (with Lopez) and Surviving Christmas will be released next year. The rabid Red Sox fan threw out the first ball at Friday's game, and photos of his left hand revealed a ring. A wedding ring? Had he eloped with J. Lo? Affleck's publicist scoffed at that, but he could not explain the ring. Though Affleck told Jay Leno that he's getting married "soon," the actor has been toying with the media about plans. Remember how Drew Barrymore and Tom Green did that for months? Affleck told one BBC reporter who asked about the nuptials: "It is in Namibia on Nov. 15. So you go ahead and fly on down, and we'll see you there." And, according to People, he teased the press at the premiere of The Battle of Shaker Heights Aug. 11, saying, "The wedding is going to be Dec. 11."
According to British tabloid The Sun, Affleck's brother Casey will be best man and the guest list will read like a who's who of Hollywood - Matt Damon, Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, Mathew Perry, Alec Baldwin, Joaquin Phoneix and Miramax head honchos Harvey and Bob Weinstein are among those invited. The Hawaiian venue will be decked with hundreds of flowers and guests will dine on Latin-influenced seafood including lobster, shrimp and salmon. An insider involved in organising the event let slip, "The wedding promises to be one of the biggest events in modern-day showbiz history. There will be some very famous people among the congregation, some even more famous than the happy couple. Every last thing is being planned in minute detail to make sure Jen is happy with her special day." Lopez was rumoured to be close to cancelling the wedding after tabloid claims of his infidelity - but she has now even changed her mind about banning him from holding a bachelor party. Affleck and pals including long-term buddy Damon will now hold a pre-wedding bash in the posh Cape Cod, Massachusetts, town of Truro - near his Boston hometown.
As PAGE SIX first reported last week, Lopez has asked Vera Wang to have a wedding dress ready by Aug. 24, but for a while it was touch and go. "The weekend after the story about Ben [Affleck] and the Canadian strippers broke, Jennifer was really angry," a pal of the couple confided to us. "She kicked him out of their house in Los Angeles and hasn't let him back in yet." Despite public proclamations from both Affleck and Lopez about their undying love, the tensions still simmer and Lopez is "punishing him," our insider says. "He has to work to get her back," the friend explained. "Especially after the Vibe magazine interview where she talked about [Sean] 'Puffy' [Combs] cheating on her. She won't put up with cheating. "She is a stand-by-your man kind of woman, but cheating - no way." Affleck's spokesman, Ken Sunshine, insists the pair are living together still. Lopez's rep, Dan Klores, could not be reached for comment. On Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" this week, Affleck made light of the Canadian stripper incident, which took place in Vancouver where Affleck was hanging out with pals Christian Slater, his wife Ryan Haddon and Tara Reid. He described it as his "bachelor party." The deft handling of the scandal prompted one industry observer to note that "Sunshine and Klores are masters of spin." Meanwhile, Antonella Santini, a stripper whose stage name is "Felicia," is suing the National Enquirer for naming her as a participant in Affleck's alleged tryst. The supermarket weekly described her as the main object of Affleck's supposed affections. But she insists that they had no sexual contact and believes she has been defamed, and blames a fellow dancer who sold the tale to the tabloid. The Enquirer has stood by its story.
During Monday night's premiere of the film, Affleck looked out at the crowd of a few hundred people and joked, "I see every person in the United States who saw 'Gigli' is here tonight," according to Wednesday's USA Today. The actor also read some of his favorite lines from the scathing reviews he and fiancee Jennifer Lopez received for "Gigli" during an appearance on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on Monday night. The gangster comedy, which cost about $54 million to make, earned a paltry $5.6 million in its first 10 days. But with a budget of just under $2 million, "The Battle of Shaker Heights" comes with a much lower profile — and lower expectations. "The onus is not on us to go out and make a ton of money," Affleck, who turns 31 Friday, told reporters recently. "If this movie does what 'Gigli' did in its first weekend, it's a hit for us, you know what I mean? Whereas that was a disaster for the other movie." "The Battle of Shaker Heights," starring Shia LaBeouf and Amy Smart, opens Aug. 22 in New York and Los Angeles and expands to other cities in the following weeks.
"(The movie) wasn't good and we got buried," Affleck told reporters at an interview for the upcoming film, "The Battle of Shaker Heights." "I think there is good work in it, scene by scene. I think the acting is good -- it's a different character for me," he said. "But I don't think ultimately the movie held up as a whole," said Affleck. The film, featuring Affleck and Lopez as underworld figures who become romantically involved, was roundly panned by critics and bombed at the box office, pulling in just $3.8 million in its first weekend earlier this month. "You can put scenes together and sometimes they just don't work," he added. "I think there was a certain amount of Schadenfreude, a certain amount of a critical slam dunk contest that it turned into, like some (critic) was saying 'I have been saving up this one turn of phrase all summer.' But that's part of the deal." He skirted questions about whether his recent visit to a Vancouver strip club in July had affected his planned wedding to Lopez. "You can tell your news editors that you are too big for that kind of stuff, that you are better than that, that you rise above it," he laughed, as video cameras documented the press briefing for the HBO series "Project Greenlight." Project Greenlight began in 2000 as an online screenplay competition sponsored by Affleck and his boyhood friend and "Good Will Hunting" co-star, actor Matt Damon. The awarded winners $1 million to make their films. The filmmaking process has been chronicled on the successful HBO series of the same name. Affleck said he was not worried about critical reception for "Jersey Girl," another upcoming film that pairs him with Lopez. "I think 'Jersey Girl' is a really good movie," he said. "Jen is only in it for about 10 minutes, so it's not really like a 'me-and-Jen' movie. In fact, probably after the towering success of 'Gigli,' I suspect Miramax will find a way to sell it as other than a 'me-and-Jen' movie."
The two remain engaged, the source said, and Affleck's publicist added, "they're fine." Rumors about a break-up began after Affleck allegedly spent time with a couple of strippers. And it didn't help that Lopez was seen around town without the multi-million-dollar engagement ring he gave her. In addition, Ben and Jen's new movie "Gigli" has become a box-office bomb, with some people questioning if the film's failure will put more stress on the couple. Experts, however, have said it appears Lopez and Affleck are bruised, but not battered from the "Gigli" disaster. The studio that made "Gigli," however, is feeling the aches and pains of losing $30 million. In another blow to J.Lo, an Internet survey concluded that Jennifer Aniston's backside tops Lopez's bottom. In a survey by EDiets.com, Aniston narrowly beat out Lopez for the best butt in Hollywood. According to the poll, more than 46 percent of Americans think Aniston has the "most attractive" derriere, while more than 45 percent think Lopez does. Oprah Winfrey got 7 percent of the vote. Calista Flockhart got just 1 percent.
Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez was aware that husband-to-be and "Gigli" co-star Ben Affleck had patronized a strip club in Vancouver, British Columbia, last month, but shrugged off the whole episode, sources close to the couple told Reuters on Wednesday. The sources also dismissed reports in British newspapers that Lopez, 33, had dumped Affleck, 30. "They're completely together," one source said. "She knew he went to the strip club ... and her attitude is: 'What's the big deal?' Moving on." Another source denied tabloid reports that Affleck had engaged in any errant behavior with the strippers, saying only, "Nothing happened beyond him going to a strip club." Reports that Affleck had gone without Lopez to Brandi's Exotic Nightclub in Vancouver first surfaced in a lurid article published by the National Enquirer tabloid last week. The magazine Us Weekly followed that story with a report of its own this week quoting Ryan Haddon, the wife of actor Christian Slater, as saying they and actress Tara Reid had joined Affleck at the club on July 17, the same night a tape was shown of he and Lopez together on "Dateline NBC" talking about their movie and real-life romance. Haddon told the magazine their entourage, including several strippers, also returned to Slater's rented home for a private after-hours party. But contrary to the Enquirer report, Haddon said Affleck was a model of fidelity during the entire evening. "Ben did not cheat," she was quoted as saying. "He did not have sex with anyone. Ben was listening to music, hanging out, talking to people, that's it." Lopez is certainly no stranger to men in tabloid trouble. She split from her then-longtime boyfriend, rap impresario Sean 'P. Diddy" Combs, during his much publicized trial in New York on weapons and bribery charges in connection with a nightclub shooting. Combs was later acquitted. Reports of Affleck's evening out have generated international headlines in the wake of overwhelmingly scathing reviews of their movie, "Gigli," a box office flop that grossed a meager $3.8 million its first weekend in release.
On Tuesday, the New York Post reported that the bride-to-be, upset about Affleck's antics (this week's National Enquirer cover story), had flown to Los Angeles this past weekend, gone dancing at a nightclub with friends and was not wearing her engagement ring. Affleck was in Vancouver over the weekend, wrapping his movie, Paycheck. A spokesperson for Lopez said Tuesday that the actress knew her fiancé was going to a strip club before he went, that she is fine with it, and the wedding is still on. Affleck's spokesperson said any suggestion that the two are unhappy with each other is untrue. Us Weekly's new cover story on the pair "Will J. Lo Forgive Him?" confirms the dancing but not the ring tidbit. It chronicles Lopez's night out in L.A., first at Ashton Kutcher's restaurant Dolce with her hairdresser and makeup artist, then later at the Shelter Supper Club, with a group of 15, including rapper Q-Tip. Us' story also details Affleck's night out, saying the actor began with stops at a few bars with friends, where he was said to be tipping $50 a round. Then he went to the strip club, Brandi's, where he ran into Tara Reid, Christian Slater and his wife, Ryan Haddon. According to the Enquirer, they were entertained by strippers, and Affleck eventually engaged in sexual activity with one. The party and the sex, says the tabloid, continued later at Slater's house. Reid told USA TODAY on Sunday that the National Enquirer story is "garbage." Haddon says in the Us Weekly piece that Affleck did not cheat on Lopez. "He did not have sex with anyone. Ben was listening to music, hanging out, talking to people, that's it," Haddon tells Us Weekly. And in the New York Post on Sunday, one of the strippers said Affleck, who has been through a rehab program, was "drinking water" and never touched any of the girls. As for Lopez, the only comments the actress made were on July 30 when her sister, DJ Lynda Lopez, called her during New York's 102.7 Blink morning show. When Lynda recounted the Enquirer story, J. Lo said, "It sounds like Ben. He, uh, does tip a lot." If there is trouble in Benniferland, don't forget that between his visit to the club and her night out dancing, the two did show up at the L.A. premiere of Gigli, all smiles. But that was before all of this broke. Maybe Affleck will have more to say at Monday's L.A. premiere of Miramax's feature film, The Battle of Shaker Heights, a product of Project Greenlight launched by Affleck and Matt Damon. Don't look for Lopez to be there: She's expected to be back in Winnipeg working on her film, Shall We Dance? In promoting Heights, Affleck talked to Variety's Army Archerd on Tuesday. Affleck didn't address clubbing, but he did give his thoughts about Gigli, admitting: "The movie didn't work." As to whether he'll work with his fiancée again, Affleck told Archerd: "It all depends on the story always. But," he said, laughing, "we probably won't be getting many offers." Audiences will, however, get to see the couple again in Jersey Girl, due in March, but there won't be a lot of screen chemistry to analyze: Lopez dies in childbirth early in the film, and Affleck raises their daughter. Liv Tyler becomes the romantic interest. Archerd gave Rick Sands, Miramax chief operating officer, a chance to start some good early buzz: "We've had several research screenings, and it's received critical approval. (It) made the audiences laugh and cry in the right places."
With such a dismal turnout for the opening weekend of the J.Lo and Ben Affleck film, Sony Pictures will pull its midweek ads for the film from newspapers, according to the New York Daily News. In addition, "Gigli" television spots will be replaced by ads for "Bad Boys II," another Sony film. Almost universally panned by critics, "Gigli" finished its first weekend in eighth place, earning a feeble $3.8 million. The film cost $54 million to produce. Director Kevin Smith is feeling some heat for his film "Jersey Girl" which also stars the superstar couple. On his website Viewaskew.com, Smith reassures his followers that "As far as all this worrying about what this weekend's 'Gigli' reception means for 'Jersey Girl'... well, don't waste your energy. We're gonna be fine (more than fine, I think). Apples and oranges ... the two are just completely different films altogether." "Jersey Girl" marks the sixth time that Smith has worked with Affleck on a feature film. Previously, the actor starred in Smith's "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy," "Dogma," and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." Smith also co-executive produced "Good Will Hunting" for which Affleck won an Oscar for best screenplay. "Jersey Girl" is not scheduled for release until 2004.
Affleck is engaged to superstar Jennifer Lopez, and was reportedly furious when he read the magazine's expose of his alleged trip to a strip club. Now that Affleck has denied the allegation he cheated on J-Lo with one of the exotic dancers, he is considering taking the tabloid to court. In a surprising move, the editors of the Enquirer say, bring it on, Ben. They are so sure of the sources that they put them through a lie detector test, one they passed. Editors are now insisting that the only way Affleck can prove his innocence is to take the test himself. A statement on their website reads: "The Enquirer's sources for this shocking story were given lie-detector tests by a top independent polygrapher - and the sources passed the test. Now, the Enquirer is challenging Ben to do what we required of our sources for this article: Take a lie-detector test. The Enquirer will even pay all expenses associated with the test, to be conducted with a mutually agreed upon independent examiner."
Actually, it probably is far behind, but exhaustively covered Hollywood buddies Matt Damon and Ben Affleck do make their collaborative theater debut--sort of--with an irreverent new off-Broadway play that's chalking up sold-out performances at New York's PS 122 (www.ps122.org). Matt & Ben is the creation of writers Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers, who not only immortalize the actors' friendship in the script, but who also play them in the production. Yep...the Good Will Hunting guys are played by gals. "I think it helps the play come off as more affectionate than just mean and jealous," says Kaling on the duo's decision to cast themselves as the leads. "We're not competing with them for roles, so there's no underlying bitterness or meanness towards them. It's also just funny to have Brenda and I playing them, because we obviously look completely different." The play captures--fictitiously, of course--Matt and Ben circa 1995, as they spend an afternoon in Ben's Boston apartment, trying to adapt Catcher in the Rye into a screenplay in the hopes of winning an Oscar. "Adaptation is the highest form of flattery," Ben reasons. But before the longtime pals can carry out their ill-conceived plan to take Salinger to the big screen, a better option falls into their laps. Literally. While sitting on Affleck's grungy couch, a script entitled Good Will Hunting falls from the ceiling and right into their laps, sending the pair into an friendship-testing struggle about whether or not they should claim the story as their own, and, most importantly, which one of them gets to play the lead character. The idea for Matt & Ben, which nabbed Best Overall Production honors at the 2002 New York International Fringe Festival and was the only play invited to appear at the HBO-sponsored U.S. Comedy and Arts Festival in Aspen this year, came about during the summer heatwave of 2001, when Dartmouth grads Kaling and Withers were sharing a New York apartment. Escaping the heat meant days camping inside with the air conditioner and stacks of entertainment mags. Affleck's breathlessly documented rehab stint graced the cover of many glossies that summer, which led Kaling and Withers to decide to pen an homage of sorts to the Beantown boys. "Once our friends knew we were working on it, they would just barrage us with emails every time there was news about one of them," Withers says. "Most of it didn't even make it into the play." From the grungy plaid couch that perfectly marks Affleck's pre-million-dollar paydays and the bags of chips and crushed beer cans strewn about the abode to the School Ties poster on the wall (the film represented their first major roles) and the plastic milk crate housing a paperback copy of A People's History of the United States (the classic revisionist American history penned by Damon's childhood neighbor Howard Zinn), the knowledge of all things Matt and Ben paid off. The play's clever attention to detail is a highlight of the production. And while Matt & Ben (www.mattandben.com) is a satire of all things Hollywood and of the many rumors and innuendos that have followed the titular stars throughout their quick rise to fame, there's also an underlying sweetness to the play. The play suggests Affleck is the less brainy half of the duo ("Ben is creative. Ben, for instance, uses the made-up word 'chillaxin' because he senses something missing in just 'chilling' or 'relaxing,' " says the play's Matt). And, for those really up-to-speed on Hollywood gossip, there's a cheeky moment when the character of future Affleck girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow makes an appearance and suggests to Damon that there's nothing wrong with the boys claiming the Good Will Hunting script as their own. (Paltrow, it has been alleged, snagged the script for Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love from then-pal Winona Ryder while camping out at Chez Ryder in the days after Gwynie's Brad Pitt breakup.) But for all the playful jabs at Matt, Ben, Gwyneth, Ben's bro Casey and even David Schwimmer, Kaling and Withers say they respect the efforts of the guys to continue collaborating on endeavors like Project Greenlight and to maintain their friendship amid constant media scrutiny and the travails of life in La-La Land. The play, therefore, depicts Damon and Affleck as committed not only to achieving Hollywood success, but in doing so as a team. "I do admire them," says Withers. "I especially admire what they've been able to do as friends, which is to remain friends and be successful and do good work, which I think is pretty rare in an industry like the one they're in." Still, does that mean Kaling and Withers would welcome a couple of very special guests--namely Matt and Ben themselves--to a performance? "I don't even know if they know about the play, to be honest," laughs Withers. "I hope they know. But they haven't seen it, I don't think anyone close to them has seen it, and we haven't gotten any feedback from them." "And we're happy with that in some ways, too," continues Kaling, "because, though it would be delightful if they came, we haven't had to be too worried about whether they like it or hate it." Besides, PS 122 only seats 100. Would that even hold J.Lo's entourage?
Despite being relegated to the kids table, Robert Rodriguez's "Spy Kids" hung onto the second spot. It dropped a sizeable 40% from last weekend, earning an estimated $20.1 million. Families hungry for kid-friendly fare and air-conditioned refuge from the summer as a last hurrah before school starts up again are no doubt contributing to the film's continued success. Similarly, the more consistent swashbuckling "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" is still enjoying the fruits of its plunder, taking in an estimated $19.1 million and only dropping 17% in attendance. "Seabiscuit" is proving it has legs with its minimal drop of 16%, earning another $17.5 million this weekend. Sequel-itis seems to be hitting the action flicks "Bad Boys II" and "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life," with both earning $12.7 and $11.3 million respectively. Zap2it.com predicted "Tomb Raider" would fall from the top 5, which it did just barely, with fans apparently still interested in the Angelina Jolie-starring vehicle enough to bring it in at sixth place. "Finding Nemo" is still getting along swimmingly with its mates in the top 10 in its tenth week out and ties the opening weekend of "Gigli" with $3.8 million. Despite appearing on 500 more screens than the Disney/Pixar cartoon, the much maligned J.Lo and Ben Affleck film couldn't even break into the top 5 in its first outing, proving that not everybody is interested in a train wreck, even one with a shapely caboose. In ninth and tenth place are Fox's "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" with $3.1 million and Warner Brothers' "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" with $2.9 million in box office receipts. The Rowan Atkinson spy spoof "Johnny English" followed close behind with $2.6 million. The Cinderella story this week belongs to the 12th-ranked finisher, Fox Searchlight's "Bend It Like Beckham." The film's success, in part due to its re-release nationwide and in part to its new advertising campaign pushing co-star Keira Knightley of "Pirates of the Caribbean," has rocketed the little film that could up from 24th place, a whopping 716%. Ticket sales this weekend were a bit sluggish. Overall, the top 12 films grossed $133 million, dropping from $147.5 last weekend.
The tabloid nation is so taken by the couple that it is starting to refer to them as a two-headed media monster: Bennifer. There's also no doubt about this: Their new crime-caper flick, Gigli, opens today to very bad buzz. Glitter bad. Swept Away bad. Nearly Plan Nine From Outer Space bad. A sample reaction, from Roger Friedman of Fox News: "Witless, coarse and vulgar ... A total, mindless disaster ... Stupefying." Their greatest sin has been said to be the bugaboo that befalls many film romances starring real-life couples: that Ben and Jen, who first met on the set and should be setting off flirty sparks like sexual fireflies, have all the combustible chemistry of a soggy match. Let's be fair. She plays a lesbian. That's a bit of a barrier for hetero matchmaking. He plays dumb. So dumb he thinks a Tabasco bottle is great reading. And their killers-for-hire devote much time to babysitting a slow-witted kidnap victim who comes off like Rain Man Jr. But at a screening Wednesday in Washington, D.C., with an audience sprinkled with a pro-J. Lo contingent, the movie didn't play like a totally big, fat dud. In light of that, we offer 10 reasons Gigli is actually not going to ruin Ben or J. Lo's career, nor will it drive Bennifer from the limelight: 1. Their chemistry isn't that bad. They kiss with the right amount of lip action. They make love with enthusiasm. The audience was not groaning. In fact, you could say the anticipatory tension in the air when she first begins to sexually tease him was palpable. 2. There were laughs. People in the audience chuckled regularly. Not necessarily at them, but with them, even when Affleck had to declare himself "the original gangster's gangster." 3. No one ran out screaming, not even during a scene that already has gone into the Hollywood annals of embarrassing moments: J. Lo, provocatively sprawled on a bed, announces to Ben, "It's turkey time." When he looks quizzical, she smiles and adds helpfully, "Gobble, gobble." And, no, she is not inviting him over for Thanksgiving dinner. 4. She makes her entrance in black low-slung hip huggers and cropped top, an outfit highlighted in the preview trailer. That alone will draw fans of toned flesh into the theater. Bonus: Jen's snake-like moves during a yoga routine that begins with a truly stunning position that one could only describe as the Perdue roaster chicken. 5. We're told that in every relationship there is a bull and a cow. In Gigli, Affleck is the one who ends up mooing. Literally. Not to worry: As Lopez confirmed in the pair's chat on NBC's Dateline, "Ben wears the pants" in real life. 6. They drive a sky-blue Chevy Impala convertible. The two of them cruising is a sight we know well. Remember those tabloid shots of them kissing in a Bentley? Her hair shines and blows in the wind. He looks handsome behind the wheel. If Rain Man Jr. weren't in the back seat, you would call it romantic. 7. Not only can they say they've done a film with Al Pacino, they also can say they've acted with Al Pacino and they were actually better than he was. 8. Ben takes his shirt off at least three times. 9. J. Lo has one shower scene. (A complaint: Why does she wear a robe during the sex interlude? Her hit woman is anything but demure.) 10. Was Madonna ever clamped in irons and locked away for her many cinematic crimes? Bennifer will survive this, too.
Gigli is the rare movie that never seems to take off, but also never seems to end. It tries hard to titillate, but ends up making audiences want to avert their eyes. Ben Affleck (news), playing the low-rent hood Gigli, kidnaps a retarded teenager. When the task threatens to become too tough, reinforcement arrives: glam lesbian Ricki (Jennifer Lopez (news)). Of course, she succumbs to his wily charms. The stars preen for the camera but strike no sparks with each other. There's no question that Lopez knows how to steam things up: Check out her scenes with George Clooney (news) in 1998's Out of Sight. But Affleck had more chemistry with buddy Matt Damon (news) in Good Will Hunting than he does with Lopez, whom he met while making this film and now is his fiancée. Maybe it's because Lopez appears so in love with herself that there's no room for anyone else. She shows off her curves through a variety of yoga postures and other self-consciously suggestive moves while Affleck looks on, sometimes in a dumb leer, sometimes in a calculated approximation of desire. Gigli aspires to the comic noir style of the Elmore Leonard adaptations Get Shorty and Out of Sight. The intent, one imagines, was to integrate black humor and sexy banter with some shatteringly violent moments. But what emerges is desperate and occasionally offensive salaciousness merged with corny, predictable jokes. Supporting actor Justin Bartha must have watched Rain Man a few hundred times to nail his performance as Brian, a cheery lad with occasional bouts of Tourette's syndrome interspersed with moments of comic wisdom. When he obsesses over his favorite show, "the Baywatch," he sounds as if he's channeling Dustin Hoffman (news)'s Judge Wapner-loving Raymond. Still, Bartha is a good deal more engaging than our not-so-dynamic duo. When Bartha requests a bedtime story ("it soothes me down," he explains innocently), Affleck mocks him, reading aloud from a Tabasco sauce label and a Charmin toilet paper wrapper. See, he has no books in his house. A rare illuminating moment in Gigli comes when we learn the proper pronunciation: Gigli rhymes with "really." Or is it silly? No big deal-y.
In fact, thanks to Sony's heavy promotional campaign emphasizing the relationship between Ben Affleck (news) and Jennifer Lopez (news), it's hard to consider this movie apart from that relationship. More to the point, it's hard to imagine this movie existing at all without the glamour of Ben & Jen. Whether by coincidence or design, writer-director Martin Brest seems to have crafted a movie to revel in their celebrityhood: Each gets a scene to display a newly sculpted body. Each gets monologues to command the spotlight. The movie does riffs off their private lives and turns tabloid rumors into subtext. The film comes from Revolution Studios, a company that firmly believes in star vehicles, yet "Gigli" may be the reductio ad absurdum of this approach. The same script with any two other actors might make a weak Sundance Competition entry or, more likely, a Sundance reject due to its implausible story, rote characters and a general malaise that settles over the movie like a damp blanket. Thanks to Sony's media hype, "Gigli," whose target audience is young females, should enjoy an OK opening weekend, then a quick payoff. Gigli -- pronounced "Jeally" -- feels like a single-set play expanded for a screen version. Affleck's title character is a low-rent L.A. thug who takes enforcing jobs from Louis (Lenny Venito), a midlevel (at best) underworld figure. Louis asks Gigli to kidnap a young boy named Brian (Justin Bartha), the mentally handicapped brother of a federal prosecutor, to give leverage to a New York crime boss on the verge of a lengthy prison sentence. Believing Gigli to be a total screw-up -- a judgment the audience is encouraged to share -- Louis sends a second enforcer, Ricki (Lopez), to his scruffy apartment to keep an eye on both backward males. Ricki, of course, has a body to die for, and despite his initial hostility toward his "partner," Gigli is willing to die more than a little. Now comes the movie's big twist: Ricki is a stone-cold lesbian. Nothing much happens after this set-up other than a series of arias and duets built around Gigli's growing sexual frustration and Ricki's flirtatious ways of saying no and then maybe. All three characters are completely fictional constructs, neither credible nor viable outside the realm of make-believe. Affleck's hood is about as tough as a marshmallow. For all his Technicolor tattoos and upper-body bulk, he's a preening, delusional fool no self-respecting gangster would hire to pick up his dry cleaning. Lopez's free-spirited lady of crime is a teasing centerfold, toying with sexual ambivalence to spice up a bland stew. Even Bartha's "Rain Man" impression, while impressive, feels fake. Brian is an idiot savant one moment, doing mean rap songs and fixated on "Baywatch," then unaccountably lucid the next. Four actors appear for a single scene of what one might call Extreme Acting. First up is Christopher Walken (news) as a police detective with a mesmerizing array of mannerisms and nervous ticks. Next comes Lainie Kazan (news), doing a Jewish Mother bit to end all Jewish Mother bits. Missy Crider turns up as Ricki's hysterical and suicidal ex-lover; never mind how she knew where to find the trio in hiding. The piece de resistance is Al Pacino (news)'s East Coast crime boss, oozing malevolence with every gesture and leaving nothing -- set, props, fellow actors -- unchewed. Brest certainly has handled movie stars throughout his directing career, so what explains his willingness to let actors go off on whatever tangent suits them or his inability to find the right tone for this dark romantic comedy? The film lacks a controlling point of view to guide an audience through so improbable a tale. Nothing in the movie is funny -- aside from giggles provoked by misfired jokes -- or romantic or dramatic. With so few sets and locations to work with, Brest's technical crew struggles unsuccessfully to make the film visually attractive. The movie's final scene winds up on the set of "Baywatch," which runs the risk of making an entire audience wish it were home watching TV. Columbia Pictures, Revolution Studios presents a City Light Films/Casey Silver productionCAST CREDITS The magazine alleged Affleck heavily tipped the strippers - some of whom reportedly came back to Slater's house with the pair - in order to buy their silence. Lynda - host on New York's Blink 102.7 radio show - told Jennifer and listeners yesterday morning, "Oh gosh. They say Ben wants to sue The National Enquirer because they put a story in that he, when he was in Vancouver, he went to a strip club with other actors and that he was tipping the girls a lot and stuff." A tired sounding J.Lo replied, "He, w-he ... it sounds like Ben. He, uh, does tip a lot ... I don't know about this. I'll have to ask him." When Lynda's co-host and boyfriend Chris Booker asked Jennifer if all the publicity surrounding the two had taken its toll on their engagement, the Latina star was realistic. Jen answered, "We're human, so, yeah, sometimes it bothers us. But you know, for the most part you just try to take it with a grain of salt. I mean what can you do? Sometimes they're gonna, they're gonna write things or concentrate on the wrong things. It's just entertainment is what I try to always think about."
The dialogue from writer-director Martin Brest is clunky, the film has serious tonal inconsistencies and at over two hours, it drags on way longer than it should. Even making a little game of it, and trying to pinpoint the exact moment when Ben Affleck (news) and Jennifer Lopez (news) fell in love, stops being fun after a while. Perhaps it's when he says, in an attempt to seduce her, "I'm the bull, you're the cow." Or when she beckons him into foreplay by lying back in bed and purring, "Gobble, gobble" — which could forever change the way you view your Thanksgiving turkey. But as pop star vehicles go, "Gigli" isn't as insufferable as, say, last year's Madonna (news - web sites)-Guy Ritchie (news) debacle, "Swept Away." It's more on par with Mariah Carey (news)'s "Glitter" and Britney Spears (news)' "Crossroads." If this were a movie starring two B-list actors, or two complete unknowns, it probably would have gone straight to video. After curious masochists and J.Lo fans check it out the first weekend, "Gigli" probably will have a drop-off in audience that rivals "The Hulk" — 70 percent — then go to video. And with the release next spring of Kevin Smith (news)'s "Jersey Girl," in which they also co-star, we can have this little conversation all over again. For now, we have Affleck starring as incompetent mob thug Larry Gigli. (That's pronounced JEE-lee, which rhymes with really, a running joke that isn't particularly funny the first time.) Gigli is asked to kidnap Brian (Justin Bartha), the mentally disabled younger brother of a federal prosecutor who's going after a New York mobster (Al Pacino). His boss, however, thinks he's incapable of handling the assignment alone and sends in Ricki (Lopez), another contractor, to help him. Gigli is an anti-social lout who lives in a seedy apartment. Ricki is beautiful, grounded, enlightened. She quotes Sun Tzu — who could blame Gigli for falling for her? (And whether you like her or not, Lopez does have an undeniable presence.) But Ricki is also a lesbian — so it makes absolutely no sense when she falls for him, too, although they have all the obligatory banter and alleged sexual tension required of a romantic comedy. (And it's only a romantic comedy sometimes. Other times, it aims to be an edgy action-crime movie; still other times, it aspires for gag-inducing poignancy.) Apparently, the only force that binds them is the fact that they both feel squeamish about cutting off Brian's thumb and mailing it to his prosecutor brother. Instead, they break into a morgue and saw the thumb off a corpse using a plastic knife, while Brian — who has an unexplained penchant for old-school rap — sings Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back." It's also incredibly misinformed to suggest that Ricki can be "converted" to heterosexuality — that a man's love is all she really needed to allay any confusion about all that silly lesbian stuff. So what you have here is "Rain Man" meets "Chasing Amy" — which is apropos, since the latter is a 1997 Kevin Smith movie in which Affleck also starred as a guy who falls for a lesbian. Instead of counting matches and obsessing about "The People's Court" like Dustin Hoffman (news)'s "Rain Man" character, Brian counts sunflower seeds and obsesses over going to "the Baywatch." Cameos from Pacino, Christopher Walken (news) as a detective and Lainie Kazan (news) as Gigli's mother don't help, either. Did they owe someone a favor? What are they doing here? Pacino won his one and only Oscar with Brest for 1992's "Scent of a Woman," but couldn't he have just thanked the director instead? Instead, we get to see Pacino shoot someone in the head, then watch as fish in a nearby aquarium snack on splattered drops of the victim's blood. HOO-HAH!! "Gigli," a Columbia Pictures release, is rated R for sexual content, pervasive language and brief strong language. Running time: 124 minutes. One star out of four.
"They had a massive fight - everyone could hear it," our spy said. "It was about [former manager] Benny Medina - Ben wanted her to settle the case quietly and she didn't." The two have since made up.
Both are heavily involved in planning the nuptials, from picking out the flowers to setting the gourmet menu to deciding which champagne they will sip during their first toast as Husband and Wife. For more on Jennifer and Ben's big day, and how Jenny From the Block is preparing for motherhood, be sure to get the latest edition of Star, on newsstands this week!
Lopez says, "If people want to be outside and they want to take our picture, then OK. We're not going to be with the 24 million security guards. We wanna just have a nice wedding, have it be a beautiful day and if there happen to be cameras outside, then that's fine. We're not gonna obsess over them." The pair have yet to set a date for the big day - expected to be later this year. In other news, Jen's in talks to pen her autobiography - so she can correct all the false stories she claims are written about her. Despite a proposed multi-million deal in the offing for her life story in her own words, sources close to Lopez claim she is only concerned with letting her fans hear the "truth" about her showbiz life. One pal tells Britain's New magazine, "The deal is worth millions to Jennifer, yet all she wants is for people to find out about the real her. She is just a hard-working actress and singer who happens to attract all the wrong headlines. She feels all her hard work gets overlooked because of her lifestyle and relationships." Lopez, who is said to be shocked at repeated reports of her 'diva-esque' behaviour, is presently embroiled in a bitter battle with her ex-manager Benny Medina, who she sacked last month and is currently engaged to Hollywood star Ben Affleck following two short-lived marriages.
But first, this week, audiences get a peek at the real-life relationship between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. It's all part of a publicity juggernaut for their new movie, Gigli (pronounced Jee-lee), opening July 30. Access Hollywood's Pat O'Brien scored the only interview with Ben and Jen together. It airs as an hour-long Dateline special Thursday on NBC (10 p.m. ET/PT). To tease it, the first of a three-segment deal for the Today show airs Thursday morning. Access also will run tidbits this week. In the chat, taped Sunday at Affleck's rented Vancouver home (he's filming Payback there; she's making Shall We Dance in Winnipeg), O'Brien gets the two to coo a little about their wedding plans. No date, no place, but they do offer some details: * Best man will be . . . no, not best pal Matt Damon. The first-time groom says it will be his brother, actor Casey Affleck. * And the wedding dress? ''I'm having something made,'' says the bride, making her third trip to the altar. As two big stars in a high-profile romance, Lopez, 32, and Affleck, 30, have kept the celebrity media busy this year. Now, the couple seem to be taking their relationship to a new level as a power couple. Last month, their names moved to the business pages when, with Affleck's guidance, Lopez began taking more control of her empire. She fired personal manager Benny Medina, who saw her through her big rise to fame in the past five years, and then sued him. A settlement is expected any minute. And also in the last month, both Affleck and Lopez parted company with their longtime publicists and hired new behind-the-scenes teams. Popular theory: Affleck wants to help sophisticate his wife-to-be's image in case his long-rumored aspirations of a political life as a congressman from Massachusetts become a reality. For now, there's Gigli, a romantic caper. She's a lesbian; he's a hit man who falls for her. Early buzz is bad. A screening review on the Ain't It Cool News Web site used the word ''disastrous.'' Movie duds Glitter and Ishtar are being mentioned. During filming, Lopez was still married to Cris Judd; she and Affleck became ''friends.'' ''It felt like we had good chemistry,'' Lopez tells O'Brien. ''You know what I mean? He liked to improv. I could improv back. He's the best person to improv with in the whole entire business, really.'' Answers Affleck: ''Don't be like my mom. Don't do that thing where you're like (mimicking a mom voice), 'He's the best, he's so good at . . . ' '' ''He is, though,'' Lopez says. ''For real.''
That's Jennifer Lopez, talking to Pat O'Brien on NBC's "Dateline Access Hollywood" airing tomorrow night at 10 - an exclusive hour with Jen and Ben. They don't announce a wedding date, but want us to know that fans and paparazzi won't be harmed in the making of their holy wedlock. This sit-down is the first time the famous pair has been interviewed together. They're not fools - they are busy promoting "Gigli," the first of their two co-starring movies. Hype can be lifeblood at the box office. (Though not always. "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and "Legally Blonde 2" spent a fortune on publicity with less than fabulous results. Poor Demi! Did she have to go public with Ashton Kutcher for nothing?) O'BRIEN, WHO spent 15 hours with the famous couple in Vancouver, says Jennifer and Ben are "very genuine . . . the real deal." Pat played basketball with Affleck and Miss Lopez prepared a meal. (I'm passing out from the normalcy of it all.) And O'Brien promises that those who tune in will find a "whole new Jennifer." Well, having watched many a Lopez interview, I wouldn't say this was necessary. She is one of the most charming and engaging subjects. Her reputation as a demanding diva defines her in the press, but that's always counterbalanced by her earthy on-camera appearances. So just what is a "whole new Jennifer?"
The rumor of a secret wedding sent paparazzi and camera crews into the picture-perfect town, staking hotels only to discover that the couple wasn't even in the area. "It's all fabricated," Ken Sunshine, Affleck's representative tells the New York Post. "Ben is filming 'Paycheck' in Vancouver with Uma Thurman. God knows where these rumors come from." Lopez's U.K.-based rep, Barbara Charone, says her client was in Canada shooting a movie with Robert Redford. A local tour director thinks the confusion may have been caused by preparations for a private wedding. In any case, Affleck and Lopez can be seen together on the big screen in the film "Gigli," which opens nationwide July 30.
The Dateline interview would coincide with the 30 July release of their much-delayed romantic comedy 'Gigli'. Lopez and Affleck met on the Gigli set two years ago, sparking their still-smoldering romance. The pair have also been promised plenty of airtime on NBC's entertainment news show 'Access Hollywood', according to the magazine. Lopez and Affleck have given numerous of interviews, but have rarely sat together to answer questions about their romance - and about just why Gigli has been so often shelved.
"Ben is determined that if he is going to marry Jennifer, she has to have a sophisticated image, not the demanding, oversexed diva her former management manufactured," says the insider. "He wants her to rebuild herself in a more positive way - more class and less ass." So Big Ben has taken control - and laid down the law to J.Lo, insisting that there will be no wedding until her street image is revamped and she gets over her insane jealousy.
And right from the get-go, it's obvious that one shortcoming from Season 1 has been eliminated. Rather than have a single chosen writer direct his own script -- as Pete Jones did with his film "Stolen Summer" -- this time, the scribe and helmer (in this case a directing team) are separate entities. If anything, the first pair of half-hour episodes (presented back-to-back Sunday) are crisper and more focused than was the first "Project Greenlight." Ben Affleck (news) and Matt Damon (news) are back, as is their bad-cop partner Chris Moore along with six other executive producers headed by Harvey Weinstein and brother Bob. Affleck, Damon and Moore are again all over the screen, helping steer the neophytes in the fine art of making a movie. In this case, they preside over the making of the Miramax Films feature "The Battle of Shaker Heights" from first-time writer Erica Beeney and first-time directors Kyle Rankin and Efram Potelle. Beeney, Rankin and Potelle emerged victorious in a competition that began with more than 7,200 writer and director submissions, a pool that was narrowed to 250 screenplays and 250 directors, then down to 50 and finally to 10 writers and four directors who were flown this year to the Sundance Film Festival (news - web sites). We see the process of the scribes and directors trying to win over the toughest of rooms. The winners were announced Jan. 18 at Sundance -- with that scene concluding Sunday's second installment. We get the first taste of what life will be like for the amateur writer and directors in the second week's pair of installments, in which the group encounters the eye-opening realities of preproduction while dealing with pressuring producers, a bullying casting director and a surrealistic array of willful personalities. This installment of "Project Greenlight" captures the process in all of its inglorious glory, taking deer with their peepers caught in the headlights and forcing them to sink or swim without means of life preservers. The politics, the pressures and the process itself make for another compelling, fly-on-the-wall ride. One can sense that there is extra stress and strain on "The Battle of Shaker Heights" going in. Not only is it limited by Harvey Weinstein's largess to about $1 million and an accelerated production schedule to fit an Aug. 24 limited-release date, but there's also the seeming need for it to be good and attract more than the critical sneers that greeted "Stolen Summer." The very future of the "Project Greenlight" franchise depends on quality and at least limited success this time, it's implied at the outset of this 13-parter that concludes in late August to coincide with the film's release into theaters. The film itself -- which stars Shia LaBeouf (news), Elden Henson, Amy Smart (news), Kathleen Quinlan (news), Shiri Appleby (news), Anson Mount (news) and Ray Wise -- will be followed throughout the three months from preproduction, casting and principal photography through post, marketing and release. What's coolest is to be privileged to ride shotgun as the early niceties fall away and the decent, well-rounded innocents are transformed into flailing psychotics. That's when you thank God you aren't in the movie business -- at least for today. Featuring: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, Jeff Balis, Erica Beeney, Brian LaBelle, Meryl Poster, Kyle Rankin, Efram Potelle, James Renner, Shia LaBeouf. Executive producers: Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Sean Bailey, Chris Moore, Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, Bob Osher Co-executive producer: Tony Yates Supervising producer: Randy Sacks Producer: Eli Holzman Co-producers: Amy Wruble, Marc Joubert, Larry Tanz, Alex Keledjian Director of photography: Mark Jungjohann Segment producers: Casey Kriley, Ryan Flynn, Gaylen Gawlowski Editor: Holly Howard Brink Music: Harold Barefoot Sanders III
Written by first-time scribes Tempest Farley and Analisa LaBianco, with a rewrite by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel ("City Slickers"), the story centers on a sports reporter who finds popularity by applying sports terminology and strategy to solve the problems people have with their sex lives. Affleck is also in talks to star in "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" for the Walt Disney Company, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The project centers on a bachelor who goes to his younger brother's wedding, where he is visited by the ghosts of his past girlfriends. Affleck will be starring next opposite fiancée Jennifer Lopez in Martin Brest’s "Gigli" and Kevin Smith’s "Jersey Girl." He is currently shooting John Woo’s "Paycheck" with Uma Thurman. No production dates have been set for "Sex Talk" and "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past."
Replacing her at the top is Jennifer Aniston, one of TV's "Friends" stars, who earned $35 million last year and appeared on more magazine covers than any other celebrity. Jennifer "J-Lo" Lopez and Ben Affleck (news) emerged as Hollywood's hottest new power couple, occupying the fifth and seventh spots on the list, with a combined income of $65 million. It has not been a good year for Spears, who hit it big in 1999 with "Oops!..I Did it Again." She has had a string of bad press recently, as her much publicized relationship with Justin Timberlake (news) of N'Sync went sour; her movie "Crossroads," was less than successful. She was also photographed flipping off the paparazzi in Mexico after refusing to go on stage in a rain storm, while photos in the New York Post of her smoking also worked to tarnish her good-girl image. "Good press or bad press, all press is equal in our eyes," said Peter Kafka, an editor at Forbes, the business magazine that compiled the list, which takes into consideration earnings, press clippings, radio and TV coverage and web hits. "By dollar value, Britney did not have a big album or a big tour, the proponents that usually land celebrities on the list," said Kafka. Rappers Eminem (news - web sites) and Dr. Dre take the number 2 slot this year, also earning $35 million, but with nearly 2 million web hits. Golfer Tiger Woods slipped from 2 to 3, while earning $78 million -- $9 million more than last year. Kafka said Aniston, whose husband, Brad Pitt (news), did not make the list, was a bit of a surprise. "Aniston's marriage may have helped to propel her to 13 covers, but she is still one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood," he said. Aniston's female "Friends," Lisa Kudrow (news) (30) and Courteney Cox (news) (41) made the list, but only one male co-star, Matthew Perry (news) (25). "Harry Potter (news - web sites)" author J.K. Rowling (news - web sites), catapulted from 34 in 2002 to 15 this year amid anticipation about the latest book in the children's series. Rowling's earnings increased by about $90 million, up from $41.8 million. While golfer Woods was by far the most powerful sports celebrity, basketball legend Michael Jordan (news) was 13 with motor racing's Michael Schumacher at 19. Soccer star David Beckham entered the list at 56, but without Spice Girl wife Victoria. Rounding out the top ten were movie director Steven Spielberg (news) (4), ex-Beatle Paul McCartney (news) (6), Oprah Winfrey (news) (8), Tom Hanks (news) (9) and The Rolling Stones (10).
As well as boasting astounding views, luxury amenities and pricey interiors, the home comes equipped with a special added bonus - a designer nursery with a colourful mural on one wall. Multitalented J.Lo and Ben were so pleased with the room, they decided to leave it just as it is - in preparation for their own brood. An insider reveals, "They were really pleased when they saw the room. They both seemed to be feeling broody and said they had no plans to remove the mural, calling it 'perfect'."
The rapper, who was dumped by J-Lo midway through his 2001 trial for gun charges, said he had already selected the luxury gifts. "I heard they have some Bentleys. I want to upgrade them to Rolls-Royces - his and hers," he told People magazine. But Combs said he would not be at the ceremony to personally deliver the high-class motors. He explained: "I don't want to make anybody feel uncomfortable." Lopez, 32, married dancer Cris Judd a few months after Combs was cleared of gun possession and bribery charges stemming from a 1999 nightclub shooting in which three people were injured. She split with Judd, her second husband, within a year, after meeting Oscar winning Affleck on a film set. The couple have not set a date for their wedding.
According to American gossip site THE SCOOP, Lopez - who starred alongside Affleck in upcoming movies TOUGH LOVE and JERSEY GIRL - has been lending her critical eye to his acting performance in his new film SURVIVING CHRISTMAS. A source tells the site, "She was watching the dailies and calling JENNO TOPPING, who's a producer on Ben's movie, and telling Jenno what to tell Ben, how to get a better performance of him. "It was driving people crazy." A spokesperson for studio DREAMWORKS, however, insists the reports are untrue, "We haven't heard of any such thing happening. It sounds ridiculous."
And now, Affleck has signed a lucrative contract as the new face of L'Oreal, five years after his famous fiancé did the same, reports Hello! magazine. The clean-cut Daredevil actor has scored a $2.45 million-plus deal to promote men's grooming products for the firm. ``Ben embodies a new generation of men who show their strength in their personality but are not afraid to care for their appearance,'' a L'Oreal spokesperson said. Meanwhile, J-Lo has revealed that P. Diddy's cheating heart was the main reason she left him. ``It was the first time I was with someone who wasn't faithful,'' she told London's Sun. ``I was crying, crazy, going nuts. It really sent my whole life into a tailspin.'' He wanted to get married, but J-Lo said no. ``I had to think, do I want to be home with kids in 10 years, wondering where somebody is at three in the morning? ``We broke up so many times he didn't believe it was over when it finally ended,'' she said.
The celebrity magazine is trying to lock-up the nuptials by offering the couple a record-breaking deal, which could go as high as A$1.8 million. A rep for 'OK!' told 'MSNBC' gossip columnist Jeannette Walls, "I can confirm that OK! magazine is currently negotiating and bidding on the exclusive pictures of the Jennifer Lopez-Ben Affleck wedding." But Lopez's manager, Benny Medina, says at this point 'OK!'s' negotiations are one-sided. He says, "For some time now, they have been pursuing the opportunity without any response. They put out feelers to find out how much it would take. But there's no price." 'OK!' editors paid A$1.8 million for the exclusive rights to Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones' ceremony - only to have arch-rival 'Hello' make it to the newsstand first with unauthorised snaps from the ceremony. The celebrity couple later successfully sued 'Hello', claiming the publication had invaded their privacy. In other news Jen and her long-time publicist have parted ways because he reportedly urged her to tone down her diva demands. Jen has often been criticised for her outrageous behaviour, and publicist Alan Neirob of Rogers and Cowan was keen to show his client the error of her ways. A source tells American website NBC.COM, "Alan Neirob has represented Jennifer like a lion at the gate. But lately, he's been warning her about public backlash and trying to be a voice of reason. But Jennifer doesn't want anyone telling her to dial it back." When Neirob himself was asked about the situation, he replied, "I will just say we are no longer representing Jennifer Lopez."
The star of MAID IN MANHATTAN has reportedly set her sights on ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL - the same place used for the late PRINCESS DIANA's 1981 marriage to PRINCE CHARLES - when she ties the knot with DAREDEVIL fiancé Affleck. According to British magazine NEW!, J. Lo told friends, "I fell in love with this church after watching the Princess Diana wedding in the early '80s." An inside source reveals, "Jennifer feels that, at third time lucky, she could do with some help, and feels that the UK - where she is always warmly received - would make a great start for her wedding to Ben. "She knows people will laugh, but she has this dream of a fairy-tale wedding and sees St Paul's as the perfect setting."
The actor has signed a deal worth over one million- pounds to promote men's grooming products for the beauty firm. Perhaps he can get some tips from his fiancée, Jennifer Lopez, who had a contract with L'Oreal five years ago. He won't be the first male celebrity who has modeled for L'Oreal, but he is the most high profile. Past male spokesmodels for the cosmetics company have included race car driver Michael Schumacher and European soccer player David Ginola. "Ben embodies a new generation of men who show their strength in their personality but are not afraid to care for their appearance," a L'Oreal spokesperson tells Britain's Hello! magazine.
A producer and camera crew from the E! entertainment channel are in town today, tomorrow and Friday to get the dirt on our local boys turned Hollywood superstars for the dishy documentary series. ``Matt and Ben and their families aren't cooperating,'' said Someone Who Knows. Which is always the way with ``True Hollywood Stories.'' So the producers are interviewing friends, hangers-on and Matt-and-Benophiles like yours truly. Natch. The E!ites and the crew from Pulse Media are also heading into Cambridge to grab footage of the boys' working-class 'hoods and MIT, the setting for ``Good Will Hunting.'' E! is particularly keen on finding the scoop on the actors' legendary love lives. Matt has dated Minnie Driver, Claire Danes and Winona Ryder while Ben had flings with Gwyneth Paltrow and Shoshanna Lonstein. He's now, of course, engaged to J. Lo. Filming will wrap up in July but there's no air date for the Matt & Ben story yet. So do stay tuned. Good gift, doggone And speaking of Matt, he got a lovely parting gift from the funny Farrelly Brothers when he finished shooting their ``Stuck On You'' down in Miami. US Weekly reports Peter and Bobby gave Matt a homeless dog they found on the street during the ``Stuck'' shoot. Well, Matt fell madly in love with the stray, but because he's headed off to the Czech Republic to film ``The Brothers Grimm'' next month, he couldn't keep the pooch. Never fear, PETA pals, Damon found the dog a good home - his co-star, Greg Kinnear, adopted the dog. Woof!
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