Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Garner were in the Boston area over the weekend to host and appear at a fundraising dinner for presidential candidate Barack Obama. Affleck has never been one to shy away from political causes– he and buddy/co-star Matt Damon campaigned in favor fair health benefits for labor unions back in 2004 and Ben not only appeared on the Bill O’Reilly show, but held his own against the host. Affleck told O’Reilly during that broadcast that he is a social liberal but didn’t consider himself a Democratic “party guy.” But since meeting Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention on Boston, Affleck has become a big fan of the candidate.

They may have been drawn by a chance to meet Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, but the hearts of the 450 people who packed Rumor last night belonged to one man: Barack Obama. The sold-out fund-raiser at the Theater District nightclub was hosted by the Hollywood power couple to rally support for Obama’s bid to win the White House. “I’m here because I’m trying to raise money for a campaign and a candidacy that I believe in,” Affleck told the media shortly after hopping out of a black Chevy Suburban with his wife and his mom, Chris. “I’m just trying to do my part.” Affleck met the Illinois senator when they were both in Boston for the 2004 Democratic National Convention and said his “admiration of [Obama] has grown” since. The Oscar winner seemed particularly proud to participate in a gathering that regular folks could go to, noting “it’s not a $1,500-a-plate event for the elite.” (Tickets were $250 for a VIP reception and $50 for the main party.) Among those spotted were Senator John Kerry and his wife, Teresa, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein ’s brother Paul and his wife, Saskia Grinberg, and Wellness Community-Greater Boston CEO Ron Lipof. The politically savvy Affleck, who has donated at least $4,600 to Obama’s campaign according to public records, wasn’t going to be drawn into the recent flaps between Obama and Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton, who won the Massachusetts primary. “This is not about casting aspersions,” the “Gone Baby Gone” director said. “If I were to choose between the two, it would be Barack.” Garner stayed above the political fray, saying she really likes Boston and “would move here in a heartbeat, but it’s six hours from where I work.” But Garner, who’s in town filming “The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” quickly corrected herself saying, “Whoops, I’m working here at the moment.”

[From Boston.com]

I liked that Ben chose to throw this fundraiser in his hometown instead of Hollywood. It would have been so easy for Ben and Jen to turn this into a Tinseltown glamour event, but instead, he decided to keep it a little more low-key and focus more on the candidate than his own star power. My only complain was that his new life partner, Jimmy Kimmel, couldn’t make an appearance.

Pictures of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner were taken on Sunday outside Rumer nightclub where the fundraiser for Obama took place, thanks to Splash News.

Never let it be said that all big stars have big egos. Okay maybe they do, but a couple of the biggest were more than willing to lend their famous faces to Jimmy Kimmel’s revenge video, “F’ing Ben Affleck.” The video was (not surprisingly) an instant internet sensation – really, you can’t get a better time slot for that type of thing than right after the Oscars. Ben Affleck says he was all too willing to don a shiny lame top and blow dry (what’s left of) Jimmy Kimmel’s hair - if it helped best BFF Matt Damon’s video with Kimmel’s girlfriend Sarah Silverman, “I’m F’ing Matt Damon.” Sounds like Kimmel and Silverman have a very mature, deep, and profound relationship. Screw that, it sounds like they have fun, and isn’t that more important? Affleck gave a great interview to Entertainment Weekly where he talked about the process of making the video, and how they got such big stars to agree to it.

What was the backstory on scoring Harrison Ford? Didn’t you hear that he was a fan of the ”I’m F—ing Matt Damon” video?
He either said that to my brother or to Jennifer [Garner, Affleck’s wife]. So that kind of stuck in my mind when Jill [Leiderman, exec producer of Kimmel] called me and we were trying to get people. The first name that came to me — because I’m such a huge fan — was Harrison Ford. Jill called me back 10 minutes later: ”We got Harrison Ford!” And I was like, ”What??? Harrison Ford said yes???” He was awesome. I think people were naturally a little bit intimidated by him, and didn’t want to push him at all. He saw his wardrobe looked kind of normal and was like, ”Don’t we have anything here that’s mesh?” That beat gets the biggest laugh in the whole video, where he’s got his chain and he’s in the convertible and he blows a kiss. It’s the most incongruous moment in the thing because he’s the most rugged, masculine guy in the world, and there he is in his West Hollywood outfit blowing kisses.

Were you surprised that all of these celebrities wound up participating?
Brad [Pitt] said yes, and that was really cool. And then Don [Cheadle], Cameron [Diaz], I mean, Huey Lewis, all the musicians who populated the ”We Are the World” aspect of it… In some ways, my favorite part of it is Josh Groban. I mean, he’s just hollering. The way he sings just full-throated cheese at the piano and the shaft of light, I mean, it’s spectacular. Every time we got one of those people, I felt like, This is either really great or it’s really terrible for me, because I’m gonna have to be living with this ”I’m F—ing Ben Affleck” anthem for the rest of my life!… I hope it virals out by the time my daughter is using the Internet.

[From Entertainment Weekly]

Ben also says that he’s fairly sure there will be some kind of retaliation. He said maybe he and Sarah would hook up, there might be a three-way, but he worries it might sink into something with animals. “It will have to be taken to another level — a horrible, horrible level that will stop being funny and then stop being passed around on video.” I think he’s missed the most obvious form of payback: using his wife, Jennifer Garner. While I can’t for a minute imagine her being involved in something tawdry; a week ago I would have said that about Josh Groban too, and how very wrong I would have been.

Here’s the video again. Thanks to Splash News for the screenshots.

Jimmy Kimmel somehow managed to outdo the hilarious video created by his wife girlfriend, comedian Sarah Silverman, “I’m F’cking Matt Damon.”

In a star-studded video called “I’m F’ing Ben Affleck,” Affleck and Kimmel play gay lovers while a chorus of celebrities sings “Jimmy Kimmel is f’ing Ben Affleck” in “We are the world” style. There’s even a cameo from Bad Pitt as a delivery guy, although I was disappointed that there were no homosexual undertones to Pitts appearance. Harrison Ford blows a kiss and smiles at the camera suggestively, and Cameron Diaz makes the finger in the hole sign. The celebrities sing an uplifting chorus of Kimmel and Affleck’s newfound love as the two stars walk off into the sunset, Kimmel shirtless with moobs and Affleck in a shiny tight lamé top.

Thanks to Redlasso for sending this to us, and they also note the cameos by Brad Pitt, Robin Williams, Don Cheadle, Pete Wentz, Perry Farrell, Macy Gray, The Madden Twins, Lance Bass, Huey Lewis, Josh Groban, Dominic Mognahan, McLovin from Superbad, Harrison Ford, and Cameron Diaz.

Here’s Silverman’s video “I’m f’ing Matt Damon” if you missed it

Shes Screwing Matt Damon - Watch more free videos

Ben Affleck has moved on from his much-derided career-stalling relationship with Jennifer Lopez to marry a woman who seems her polar opposite in many ways. Jennifer Garner is relatively free from pretension and seems genuinely kind, if a little ditsy at times. (We can’t always be signing her praises.)

Garner has made fun of herself for even small moments of being demanding, saying in a recent Glamour interview that she had to check herself when she found that she was slightly miffed that she had her makeup done after someone else. “Ben’s in Africa studying malaria and visiting slums with a lack of potable water and maternity wards where many women have HIV. So would I really put my energy into worrying that I’m second to get my makeup done? When you think about the bigger picture, it’s hard to not have some perspective.” Lopez, on the other hand, sends lists of demands to hotels where she’s staying that rival many concert riders for big stars.

So Affleck probably feels like he dodged a bullet in marrying and fathering a child with such a lovely low-key woman. He’s not above acknowledging his ex’s happiness, though. Lopez has managed to stay with her third husband Marc Anthony for an incredible three years and now she’s pregnant with up to two babies. Affleck sent her a friendly note to congratulate her on the pregnancy and let her know how much he enjoys fatherhood. His daughter with Garner, Violet, will turn two next month:

Despite telling “Details” magazine that his relationship with the Latin superstar “was probably bad for my career,” Ben sent a personal message to Jennifer and hubby Marc Anthony extending his best wishes, say sources.

Ben, now married to Jennifer Garner, “raved how fatherhood has left him thrilled - and he said he knows what a great mother J.Lo will be,” the source said. “While the two have had little communication since their highly publicized breakup, Jennifer was deeply touched by Ben’s heartfelt message.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, November 26, 2007]

This isn’t the only one of the couple’s exes that Affleck and Garner are friendly with. They are said to have invited Garner’s ex husband, Scott Foley, over to dinner.

Affleck and Garner have been quite scandal free since their 2005 beach wedding. There was a minor blip in February when a Hollywood madam claimed that Affleck hired one of her girls for sex at least six years ago, back when he was single and known as a partier. That mini scandal quickly blew over, and Affleck has kept his nose and polished clean apart from some rumored online gambling.

Last week’s Life and Style has an article about Affleck and Garner titled “Ben and Jen face the biggest test of their marriage.” They suggest that Ben must be lonely since Jen is devoting so much time to her well-reviewed role on Broadway in Cyrano de Bergerac. The only evidence Life and Style offers that they’re having trouble is that Ben “was spotted nursing a Guinness and knocking back a few glasses of wine after the Oct. 10 Chicago premiere of Gone Baby Gone“! In fact Ben even “filled Jen’s dressing room with roses” and they’re said to be “very much in love.” He probably does feel like he dodged a bullet and landed on a soft bed.

Affleck is shown out with his family on 10/14/07 in NY, thanks to Splash News. He is shown below at the Glamour Woman of the Year awards on 11/5/07.

The stars were out at Glamour’s Women of the Year Awards at Avery Fischer Hall in NY City last night. Jennifer Garner was accompanied by her husband, Ben Affleck, to accept her award as “The Icon Next Door.”

Senator John Edward’s wife, Elizabeth Edwards, was named “The Role Model,” and her award was presented by her children, Cate, Emma Claire and Jack. Elizabeth Edwards is a breast cancer survivor and is currently fighting stage four breast cancer that has spread to a spot on her rib. She is being treated with anti-estrogen drugs.

Young Abigail Breslin was named “The American Girl,” and famed author Toni Morrison was given a lifetime achievement award titled “The Voice of Our Time.”

Garner has an interview with Glamour in which she talks about balancing motherhood with her career and admits that she is a “goody-goody,” but is not immune to an occasional diva moment. She also says that she doesn’t pose on the red carpet with her husband Ben because she tries to avoid the needless speculation that goes along with that:

GLAMOUR: Your press is impeccable. Your fans adore you. Do you have a dark side, or are you a goody-goody?

JENNIFER GARNER: You totally called me out. I am a bit of a goody-goody. Not that there aren’t times when I think, I was kind of an asshole today. I work in a world in which people are really catered to; someone will come up to me and say, “Is it OK if this person’s makeup is done before yours for the premiere?” Right now Ben’s in Africa studying malaria and visiting slums with a lack of potable water and maternity wards where many women have HIV. So would I really put my energy into worrying that I’m second to get my makeup done? When you think about the bigger picture, it’s hard to not have some perspective.

GLAMOUR: Have you managed to find that balance for yourself?

JG: I’m trying to, but it’s hard: I just had a year off where I put every spoonful of food into [Violet’s] mouth. Now I’m working and though I’m usually with her more hours than not, some days I just can’t be. That’s hard for me, and for the first time, my daughter. Luckily my husband is a true partner, and he picks up where I leave off.

GLAMOUR: Is being in Hollywood hard on a relationship?

JG: We’ve worked really hard not to be one of those couples who are constantly in the limelight. In the past we’ve both been the kind of people who go along with things—if you’re supposed to be photographed together, you don’t question it. But how does that help your relationship? So now we refuse to walk the red carpet together: It’s a way of not condoning the attention. Plus, it just feels silly to be in that situation with him: Ben was nominated for a Golden Globe [for 2006’s Hollywoodland]. I remember being photographed next to him and thinking, This is ridiculous. You’re not some actor; you’re my husband.

[From Glamour.com]

Garner also talked about the causes she’s involved with, which include Hurricane Katrina victims and the Children’s Defense Fund.

As for whether nearly two-year-old Violet will have a career in show business, Garner doesn’t rule it out but says that she won’t allow her to get her start in it as a child.

Like Julia Roberts, Garner says she wants to help Britney Spears, and that she “wanted to go backstage and mother her” after her performance at the VMAs.

Garner said she doesn’t wear her Alias costumes for husband Ben at home, because that stuff isn’t that important to him since he doesn’t seem to notice how she looks. She said his lack of attention to her appearance is annoying when she’s dolled up for an event, because she wants to get him to comment on it, but that it usually works in her favor because “most of the time I’m a schlep.”

As for whether she’ll have another child, Garner says she will but that she’s not pregnant or trying yet.

Garner’s hero is her sister, who is “a mom and an accountant for the state of West Virginia.” She says that her sister is “able to juggle a job, kids, volunteer work and church, and she still manages to cook dinner every night without feeling bogged down.” If she’s anything like Jen, she probably does it all with a smile while looking fabulous.

Other women honored at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards include Dr. Victoria Hale, Donna Karan, Lara Logan, Lorena Ochoa, Mariane Pearl, Nancy Pelosi, Shonda Rhimes, and Alice Waters. The non-celebrity woman who was honored was Laura Crandall, a 39 year-old woman who founded the Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) Program after losing her 15 month-old daughter to unknown causes.

Thanks to PRPhotos for these pictures of the event. Attendees that were not yet mentioned and are pictured include Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany, Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes, Eric Dane, Portia Di Rossi, Taye Diggs, Iman, Rashida Jones, Fran Lebowitz, James Pickens, Brooke Shields, Diane Sawyer, and Jamie-Lynn Sigler.

Jennifer Garner made her Broadway debut last night in Cyrano de Bergerac with Kevin Kline. Unlike Julia Roberts’ Broadway debut, Garner was largely positively reviewed, with critics hailing her performance as Roxanne.

Newsday says she “breaks the recent Broadway curse of the Hollywood stars,” and that “she flips comfortably from the comic to the plucky and, finally, to the heroic.” The NY Times also praises both Kline and Garner, calling Garner “by far the most comfortable [on stage]” and lauding her performance and timing. the Canadian press did give the play a mixed review, saying that Garner “finds little nuance in her portrayal of Roxanne.” Considering all the other triumphant reviews, it just sounds like one critic was particularly hard on the play.

Garner says she’s not going to pay attention to the reviews, though, and told People Magazine. “I’m not going to look at [them]. No. I can’t stand it.” She doesn’t have much to worry about though.

Garner’s husband of two years, Ben Affleck, was at the premiere and said he was “really impressed by her courage and her talent.” As are the rest of us.

Thanks to PRPhotos for these pictures of Jennifer, and Splash News for the pictures of Ben.

Jennifer Lopez is so adverse to spending time in ex Ben Affleck’s hometown of Boston that she refuses to perform there. The Northeastern city has too many bad memories for her after her broken engagement to Ben and she’s not about to go back voluntarily:

Jennifer Lopez is touring cities from Los Angeles to Miami to promote her latest CD, Brave. But there’s one city where she won’t be performing - Boston! “Jennifer has very bad memories of the city,” a friend tells Star. It’s where [ex-boyfriend] Ben Affleck proposed to her and where Ben is from.” Since their 2004 split, J.Lo and Ben “have not been friends,” adds the pal. “She’s mad that he continues to trash her and their relationship in the media.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, October 29, 2007]

Affleck told Details Magazine recently that dating J.Lo “was probably bad for my career,” and that the tabloids made up a lot of crap about them. It’s possible this story is made up too, and that Lopez isn’t playing Boston because she couldn’t fit it into her schedule or something and that it has nothing to do with Ben.

Lopez is definitely pregnant despite not making a public statement or confirming the rumors. Her stomach is clearly visible, even in the loose fug outfits she’s been wearing on tour. At a joint gig on Friday in LA, Lopez’s husband Marc Anthony sang the Journey hit “Faithfully,” dedicating it to her and saying that “[the] song has a whole new significance.” It includes the lyrics “They say that the road ain’t no place to start a family.” Isn’t that song about an impoverished musician being separated from his wife? It doesn’t really seem to apply to a multi-millionaire couple that gives detailed requests of how the room should be stocked before they stay in five star hotels.

Lopez is shown on 10/11/07 celebrating the release of her new album, Brave. Thanks to Splash News and WENN.

Boy Ben Affleck sure has come a long way since his high school and college days. He says he used to be a loner kid dealing with his alcoholic father who didn’t give him a lot of support. “I grew up in a home environment where I wasn’t getting esteem for anything I did.” That seemed to lead to a pretty low sense of self worth, causing Affleck to attend the University of Vermont simply because his then-girlfriend was 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.’”

[From People]

I’m guessing that the whole situation was actually a good thing for Affleck – it was after that time that he and Damon costarred in “School Ties” and eventually wrote “Good Will Hunting.” Bad things can ultimately lead to much better times; you just have to get through them first. That’s my personal mantra right now. I’m the poor man’s Oprah today. Affleck seems like he’s clearly found a great amount of happiness in his life now, not just professionally but personally.

“To shelter daughter Violet from developing a sense of entitlement, her celebrated parents Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are looking at schools in Los Angeles and New York – and in Georgia, where the family has a country home. 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.’”

[From People]

I love the thought that a child can be “happy as hell.” What an accidentally dark way to put it. Babies are so cute when they get to that little babbling phase, which is where I’m guessing Violet is right now. In a backwards way, it’s probably a good thing that Affleck didn’t have everything handed to him on a sliver platter. He may not be the greatest actor around, but he’s worked hard for what he has and probably has a greater sense of appreciation for it.

In an interview before the popular German variety talkshow “Wetten Das?,” where Jennifer Garner and Jamie Foxx appeared on Saturday to promote The Kingdom, Jennifer Garner revealed that the longest she’s been away from her daughter Violet, who will be two on December first, is four days. Garner is on a brief trip to Europe to promote her new terrorism-themed thriller and says she misses her daughter terribly and is anxious to get back to her.

Interviewer: You’ve got Violet on the set as well, she was with you. Wasn’t it hard to be mommy on the one side and to be very concentrated on the movie and to work?
Garner: I think every working woman has it kind of the same, when you’re with your kid you’re one person and then you flip a switch and you’re someone else, so you know, when I was in the trailer with her I would take care of her and feed her and be with her and they would knock on the door and I would just, you know, get myself back together and focus. If it was a really emotional, you know day with scenes I probably wouldn’t have her there. I would stay you know, just stay in the zone, but otherwise she was there with me most of the time.

Interviewer: Is she with you today here in Switzerland or no?
I wish, I’m so excited to go home to her. Yeah, this is the longest I’ve been away from her for four days. But no, it was too fast of a trip to drag her all the way over here.

[Transcribed from the video available on ZDF.com]

Garner talked about how she prepared for the role as FBI agent Janet Mayes by taking shooting lessons and spending time with real FBI agents, who she said she admired. She also revealed that she keep fit through a regimen of Pilates, running and weight training.

Garner also said that Violet has no idea what she and her husband do for a living, and that her husband, Ben Affleck, hasn’t seen the film yet as he’s been too busy watching Violet.

The Kingdom is already out in the US, and will be released in Germany under the title Operation Kingdom on October 11.

Jennifer Garner should be back with Violet and husband Ben by now. She left “Wetten Das?” on Saturday early, saying she had to fly back to work on a film with Kevin Kline.

Brad Pitt, who was raised as a Southern Baptist, has a pretty interesting interview in the upcoming issue of “Parade” magazine. He says that as he entered college, he began to doubt religion, and that doubt stays with him today. He says he believes in his family and the goodness of people, and that’s where he puts his faith. In a way, it helped him discover himself by really thinking about things. I know a lot of our commenters have said they don’t think Brad is very smart, and while I wouldn’t accuse him of secretly attending Mensa meetings, I think he’s got a lot more going on in his brain than most celebrities.

Now the head of Hollywood’s most famous family finds comfort in his partner Angelina Jolie and their four children, Maddox, 6, Pax, 3, Zahara, 2, and one-year-old Shiloh. “I still have faith in that,” he says. In the new issue of “Parade” magazine, Pitt discusses his evolution from college journalism student to actor to philanthropist. Is a run for office in his future? See interview excerpts below to find out…

On inequality:
“Whoever said all men are born equal never left his own backyard. I see people everywhere without opportunity. I want to help level the playing field.”

On whether his charity work is the result of his relationship with Jolie:
“That’s idiotic! I do it because I’m a member of the human race. In Africa you see people on the street dying from AIDS, children left without parents. We’re all cells of one body, with the same emotions and desires for our families–for a little dignity and a chance for a better life. Let’s focus on that! I believe in the founding principles of America. I want to fight for that. I know most Americans feel the same way.”

On whether he’ll ever run for office:
“Oh, my God! I never thought about it. I have no desire at this point. Maybe I serve better by not going through that door. George [Clooney] should do it! He’d be quite good. I think Ben Affleck should run.”

On being famous:
“When fame really hit me was when Legends of the Fall was released three years later. You get no warning about what celebrity is or how to deal with it. It’s sort of multitiered. The initial stage is feeling discombobulated and not up to the task. I didn’t understand the incessant attention when I went outside, the way people completely focused on me. It made me very uncomfortable.

On the paparazzi:
“I mean, yesterday Angie was taking Maddie off to school. There were 30 paparazzi outside. One guy sticks a video camera in Mad’s face, yelling, ‘Maddox! Maddox!’ He doesn’t get a response. He doesn’t know my boy. Mad is already savvy to this, unfortunately. But my 2-year-old dreads being anyplace there are cameras. It scares her. They’re all in her face. My kids are faced with this every day! It’s disgusting. So we’ve been run out of L.A., all the major cities. We just can’t live there. You don’t understand–this is the hunt, the hunt, the hunt! I thought it might be over a year ago. It’s gotten worse.”

On turning away from religion:
“I didn’t understand this idea of a God who says, ‘You have to acknowledge me. You have to say that I’m the best, and then I’ll give you eternal happiness. If you won’t, then you don’t get it!’ It seemed to be about ego. I can’t see God operating from ego, so it made no sense to me.

On the ways of the world:
“We’re basically all the same. There is so much focus on our differences. Again, this thing of ego—my high school is better than your high school! We forget that we all have the same feelings on any side of the world. Why can’t we find common ground instead of this obsession with our hatreds?”

[From Us Weekly]

While I may not agree with Brad on everything, it’s hard to deny that it sounds like he’s actually thought a lot of things through that many people never bother to wrestle with. I think Angelina has been a good influence on him in terms of charity, but he was a bit of a do-gooder before he met her, just a less public one. I think Brad’s still smarter and more caring than 9 out of 10 celebrities out there, and I hope he keeps up the good work.

Picture Note by Jaybird: Here’s Brangelina at the Assassination of Jesse James premiere on September 18th. Header image of Brad at the Clayton’ New York City Premiere on September 24th. Images thanks to PR Photos.