Ben Stiller is one of the few major celebrities that you rarely hear anything about, good or bad. Maybe he’s secretly the most wonderful man is Hollywood, and he just likes to keep that little fact on the down low. Or he’s a total diva, and he’s just got so much power you never hear any of the negative stuff. Or a little from Column A, a little from Column B. Since I’ve never really heard anything one way or the other, my general impression of Ben is that he’s probably a tough taskmaster, a perfectionist, a little neurotic, but also very talented and professional.

However, that’s not the portrait the Enquirer draws of Stiller. I think Ben really pissed someone off on the Little Fockers set, because someone is out for Ben’s blood, and they are really hacked off:

The joke’s on comic Ben Stiller – insiders on the set of his just-wrapped ‘Meet the Fockers’ sequel nicknamed the egotistical star the original ‘little focker’!

“Ben alienated most of the cast and crew on the film ‘Little Fockers’ with his vain and self-absorbed behavior,” an insider told the Enquirer.

“When he wasn’t obsessing over his looks, he was throwing temper tantrums and screaming at underlings. The crew referred to him as a ‘little focker’ because of his outrageous conduct.”

Stiller fired an assistant director, demanded star treatment for his entourage of personal chefs and hair and makeup minders, and refused to interact with underlings – unless it was to yell at them.

“Ben’s ego has gone off the charts… he flipped out on a female assistant director for some perceived mistake and then screamed at the top of his lungs, ‘I never want to work with this woman again!’ before storming off the set. He refused to come back until the poor woman was gone. She was dismissed and the next day a male replacement was brought in to appease Ben.”

“Ben wouldn’t eat the catered craft services food and insisted his assistant and two personal chefs be allowed to park right on set.”

The chefs – both stunning blondes – constantly massaged the star’s over-inflated ego, added the source.

“They were the only ones able to put a smile on Ben’s face… It was clear from day one that Ben wasn’t happy unless he was waited on hand and foot.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, March 1, 2010]

Reasons why this is most likely total bullsh-t: If Ben was this much of an a–hole, we would have heard about it before now; two, it all came from one source, who probably was this assistant director who got fired (for cause, probably), and wanted someone to blame; three, because I don’t care how talented, rich and A-list you are, you can’t act like that on a film set without someone calling you out. That last point brings me to this question: where the hell was Robert DeNiro when all of this drama was happening? You know DeNiro wouldn’t be too pleased. And you don’t want to upset DeNiro. At. All.

P.S. I really like Ben’s scruff in these photos. They make him look sexy, and I’ve never found him sexy before.

Ben at the Berlin Film Festival, promoting ‘Greenberg’ on Valentine’s Day. Credit: WENN.

Here are photos of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes at a pre-Golden Globes party, sponsored by the New York Times Style Magazine, held at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. The party got an interesting group of attendees - in addition to Tom and Katie, there was Ben Stiller, Chloe Sevigny, Chace Crawford, Adam Lambert, Woody Harrelson and… Katie’s ex-boyfriend/fiancée Chris Klein! As many remember, Katie and Chris split sometime in early 2005, then she maybe dated a couple of other people, then she was sort of instantly with Tom Cruise and pregnant with Suri. Yes, there are other versions and theories about the timeline, but let’s not go there right at this moment. I’ll just say that Suri takes after her father, whomever he may be. There’s no word on whether Katie and Chris spoke to each other or ignored each other. Hopefully, they just ignored each other. Chris seems like an a–hole.

It not like Tom or Katie are nominated for any awards this year, or that they had any big films to promote right at this very moment, so I suspect they either came out to see and support their friends, like Ben Stiller (who Tom looks like he’s groping in some of these photos), or maybe Woody Harrelson, although I didn’t know Woody and Tom were friends? So maybe Katie just wanted a night out.

I do think Katie looks really cute here. The dress is “meh” (open-weave, black, and totally ‘80s), but her hair and makeup look nice. She looks healthier than she did last month. Tom looks… okay, I guess. His whole face perked up when he talks to Ben Stiller, but he just looks like “whatever” when he’s standing next to Katie.

Actor Ben Stiller was on a holiday vacation with his family in New York when he fractured his wrist in a snowboarding accident. The “Tropic Thunder” star took a spill on the slopes and was treated at Mount Sinai Hospital for his injuries. He was seen the next day finishing up holiday shopping in a cast.

Ben Stiller might be having a painful Christmas this year.

The Tropic Thunder star was rushed to New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital after fracturing his wrist in a snowboarding accident.

But his Christmas spirit remained in tact as he stepped out of Barney’s shopping centre on Madison avenue later in the day, showing off his cast and bandages.

Fans need not worry though as Ben, 42, is expected to make a full recovery in time for his next film, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, due in May.

Meanwhile, Stiller is preparing to produce and possibly star in a film version of the yet-to-be-published graphic novel The Return of King Doug, about a man who must return to the fantasy world he abandoned 30 years earlier.

[From The Daily Mail]

I’m pretty sure Ben Stiller is Jewish, but perhaps his wife isn’t and they celebrate Christmas and Hanukah. As for his injury, I’ve been skiing for more than 30 years and have never broken anything – I guess I’m lucky. There’s no way you could get me to try snowboarding – I’ve seen way too many injuries from it. Something about having your feet locked into one position just seems too risky to me.

Anyway, it’s good to know that Ben will be recovered in time to make another sh*tty “Night at the Museum” movie. Who keeps greenlighting these projects, anyway?

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor are shown at The Who’s Tommy: 15th Anniversary Concert on 12/15/08. He is also shown at the opening night of Shrek: The Musical on 12/14/08. Credit: WENN

Robert Downey Jr has plans to help Ben Stiller win an Oscar. Not only are they going to work together again, but they’re going to continue on the long road down bad taste, following Tropic Thunder, and make a movie about conjoined twins.

He told BANG Showbiz: “There is a story about some famous conjoined twins – I don’t remember their names but that’s irrelevant anyway – and I’m going to direct Ben in that film. Ben will play both twins. It’s going to be kind of like ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’, except with two buttons.

“He got me to score in the comedy department and I am determined to help him win two Oscars for playing the same part. And we will get picketed by the Siamese twins organisation, which will draw more attention to the cause.”

Robert is also planning to give himself an unusual starring role in the film.

He quipped: “I am also going to make a cameo as a Siamese cat. I want Ben to win one Oscar for a dramatic role and another for his role in a musical or comedy because one of the conjoined twins likes to tap out the words and dance a little bit!”

M & C

I’m pretty sure Downey is joking about this, particularly since Matt Damon has already made a film about conjoined twins, one that he probably wishes he could bury in the vaults of Hollywood. If not, I think the twins he is talking about is Chang and Eng Bunker, who were born in Siam and traveled around in a circus/freak show, and that is where the term ‘Siamese Twins’ actually comes from. It’s not at all related to the cats, so if Downey’s reading this he might just have learnt something new.

Actually, checking out this Wiki article about the twins, this film could be a smorgasbord of politically incorrect humor – the twins, following the end of their contract, went on to build a plantation and hire slaves, where they married another set of twins. They had 21 children between them.

Ben Stiller and Robert Downey, Jr. are shown at a photocall for Tropic Thunder at the San Sebastian Film Festival on 9/21/08. Credit: WENN

When I think of Tom Cruise a lot of words come to mind. Wee. Peculiar. Elfin. What I don’t think of are big strong man hands. But being that Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise and thus quasi-delusional by his very definition, he has no clue that the rest of the world sees him that way. Tom thinks he’s still the masculine leading man he used to be in the days of old. And apparently he really wanted Ben Stiller to play up that angle in his upcoming film Tropical Thunder.

Ben Stiller recently spoke to Elle magazine about Tom Cruise’s role in the upcoming satire “Tropic Thunder,” and reported that Cruise had some interesting thoughts about his character.

“Tom said… ‘I want to play the studio guy. I want to dance, and I want to have big hands,’ ” Stiller told the magazine. “I’d never thought about the size of a character’s hands, ever. …Tom was doing this little dance, and I was like, ‘This is insane. If this thing was on YouTube, it would be all over the world. It would be a crazy screensaver.’ ”

Stiller’s complete interview, where he also discusses his inspiration for “Tropic Thunder,” is available in the September issue of Elle, on newsstands Aug. 11.

[From MSNBC’s The Scoop]

“‘I want to have big hands.’” There are just so many jokes I could make about that. They’re almost too easy. But I’ll stick with the (slightly) less obvious and point out that it’s pretty damn hard to change the size of your hands. I know this because I unfortunately do have man hands. Or so I’m convinced. And I can tell you right now, it’s not everything it’s cracked up to be Tom. That whole thing about big hands equaling a big penis is bullshit. I can’t even find mine. And I can only wear stretchy gloves, like the kinds little kids wear. It’s totally not worth it Tom. Focus on what you can control. Focus on the dance.

Here’s Tom and Katie at the US MotoGp in Laguna Seca, California on July 7th. Images thanks to WENN.

Although it’s been reported that Ben Stiller had to (or chose to, who knows) fire good friend Owen Wilson from his upcoming movie “Tropic Thunder” after Wilson attempted suicide, it appears the two are at least on speaking terms. Stiller was on Ellen DeGeneres’ show on Friday, and said that, though he tries not to talk about it too much, Wilson is doing a lot better. I really hope reports that Stiller fired him aren’t true, as that would make him a giant douchebag, and a terrible friend. People have the right to react to a suicide attempt however they want to, but I can’t imagine anything that would be more thoughtless.

“Ben Stiller says things are looking up for his longtime pal and frequent costar Owen Wilson. ‘He’s doing really well,’ Stiller, 41, tells Ellen DeGeneres on her show Friday. ‘I sort of like to protect his privacy, ’cause I feel like it’s his own thing,’ says Stiller. ‘But he’s a really good friend of mine. He’s an incredible guy and I wish him as everybody does, all the best.’

“Wilson, 38, was set to begin shooting the comedy Tropic Thunder with Stiller this month, but was hospitalized on Aug. 26 for what police called a suicide attempt. He dropped out of the film after issuing a statement requesting that he be allowed to ‘receive care and heal in private during this difficult time.’

“Wilson’s withdrawal from the project – which is about actors on a war movie location where a real battle erupts – was reportedly a mutual decision between him and Stiller, and Matthew McConaughey has stepped in to join the ensemble cast that includes Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Nick Nolte.

“Speaking at Thursday night’s Westwood premiere of his and his son’s latest movie, The Heartbreak Kid, Ben’s dad Jerry Stiller, 80, expressed concern for his son’s best friend and said he was ‘surprised’ to hear of Wilson’s apparent suicide attempt – but he was sure that Wilson would ‘recover.’

“‘I know that he’ll put his life together,’ the elder Stiller, who also costarred with Wilson in 2001′s Zoolander, told PEOPLE. He added that his son has been ‘very close to Owen for most of their careers, and that Ben had been an ‘advocate’ in ‘intervention and all that stuff.’”

[From People]

So I guess they’re still going with the official “mutual decision” line about dropping out of the movie. That preserves everyone’s dignity. I wonder, when Jerry Stiller says that Ben has been an advocate for “intervention and all the stuff,” if he means in terms of Owen’s obvious depression, or his rumored drug/alcohol abuse. Hopefully Wilson will continue to get better, and has lots of loving and supportive people around him. As long as there are good people, he can get better and still have a really great career.

Picture Note by Jaybird: Here’s Ben Stiller with wife Christine Taylor at the premiere for his new movie, “The Heartbreak Kid” yesterday. Header image with mother Anne Meara Images thanks to PR Photos.

The incident that is said to have triggered Owen Wilson’s suicide attempt was a fight with a close friend after he failed to deliver promised material for a comedy project. It was reported that Wilson pulled out of the comedy he was involved in with good friend Ben Stiller after he was hospitalized, but that might not have been the case. Variety reported that the decision for Stiller not to be involved after his illness was “mutual,” but The National Enquirer says that Stiller and Steven Spielberg, who were directing and producing the film, decided they needed to fire Wilson and arranged to have the news delivered to him in his hospital bed.

The film had been shooting for six weeks at that point, according to People, so they probably couldn’t afford to wait any longer. There were millions at stake and Owen was a major liability:

It’s hush-hush and strictly confidential, but tragic comedy star Owen Wilson didn’t “quit” his movie after that drug-fueled suicide bid – my spy reveals he was actually fired by pal Ben Stiller and mogul Steven Spielberg… although both agonized endlessly over how to deliver the blow without sending him over the edge! Even as Wilson was rushed to Cedars-Sinai, director Stiller and producer Spielberg – under the gun because “Tropic Thunger” rolls next month – huddled desperately, debating two major points: (1) Could Wilson recover fast enough to handle the grueling shoot; and (2) would insurers of the multimillion Dreamworks flick underwrite a drug-taker/suicide risk?

“Ben was literally sick about making a decision to fire his good friend,” said an insider – but after hours of deliberation, Stiller and Spielberg concluded Owen had to go! But how to soften the blow? Incredibly, Plan A was to phone Wilson at the hospital and ax him on his bed of pain… gently of course! “Ben proposed calling directly so Owen wouldn’t hear the news from the press or a flunky,” said the insider. “But after family members told them Owen was not in a good state of mind, they realized the direct approach was far too stressful.” Rather than order studio lawyers to contact Wilson’s people, however, Stiller and Spielberg conferenced them personally to deliver the bombshell that Owen was goin’!

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, Mike Walker's column, September 24, 2007]

So instead of having their people contact Owen’s people, Stiller and Spielberg contacted Owen’s people and by eliminating one level of detachment from the situation were able to relieve some of their guilt. At least they considered contacting Owen directly, and it sounds like they were told not to do it that way. Hopefully Owen’s people broke it to him once he was feeling a little better and was able to handle the news.

There’s a really nasty article in this week’s Star Magazine about how Owen must not have really tried to cut his wrists because a recent picture, not the ones from the beach, showed no scars on his right wrist. Photos taken recently on Malibu beach do reveal scars on his left wrist, showing that the suicide attempt did involve some cutting on Owen’s part.

The article is titled “Was it All a Hoax?” and circles a picture of Owen’s right scarless wrist with an arrow pointing to it:

The truth about what happened to Owen Wilson on Aug. 26 has now become a mystery that seems to be getting deeper by the day. While it’s been reported that The Wedding Crashers star sliced his wrists and took drugs in a desperate suicide bid, Star has learned that the entire incident may be cloaked in a cover-up that began right after Owen was found bleeding at his Santa Monica home.

“I’ve seen many patients who have attempted suicide by slashing their wrists, and even weeks later there are red marks and scarring,” says Louis Mueller, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist based near Tampa, who has not treated the actor but has studied photos of him taken shortly after his release from the hospital. “These photos do not computer with attempted suicide by slashing of the wrists.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, September 24, 2007]

The article goes on to say that 911 was not called until an hour after Owen’s brother Luke found him, and brings up the fact that a criminal attorney was called to visit Wilson when he was at the hospital. They then put even more emphasis on the pictures, with another quote from that random psychologist.

Star is grasping at straws. Owen’s other wrist shows a clear scar, which is because he’s probably right-handed and used that hand to cut his left wrist without getting to the other one. Maybe the reports were incorrect that both wrists were slashed, but it’s not some big conspiracy and Star should have passed up that story instead of needlessly speculating about it. The guy needs help, not more grief.

Owen Wilson will forever be known as the celebrity who tried to take his own life, but he has also become a much-needed symbol of the very hidden and deep pain of depression. As I mentioned earlier, Owen shows us that anyone can suffer from mental illness, and that there is no shame in getting help before its too late. While the rest of us yearn for fame and wealth, we may be better off just as we are. Rich celebrities aren’t immune from problems any more than the rest of us, and they’re certainly subject to a lot more nasty speculation about their personal lives.

Owen Wilson is shown in the header image on Labor Day paying a visit to his brother Luke Wilson. Thanks to Splash News for the pic.

In truly frightening news Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller are in talks to star in a Hardy Boys all grown up comedy Hardy Men. It all started when

Tom Cruise met with Ben Stiller about possibly starring Ben’s newest project Tropic Thunder, a film that mocks the Mission Impossible trilogy, but that Cruise won’t be involved with that project. The site also reports that Cruise sees the Stiller comedy as a way to remold his image after a string of bad publicity surrounding his odd behavior including jumping on couches and calling Matt Lauer glib.

Having recently finished impregnating (?) and re-sculpting Katie Holmes both outside and inside, nasally and spiritually, Cruise is busting a Betsy Ross on the tatters of his reputation.

The theory being that a comedy will make him both likable again and somehow imply that he’s in on the joke – rather than the personally trained butt of it.

When looking for a comedy project – clearly the Ben Stiller train is leaving every five minutes. Stiller’s manic over-production seems to turn major motion picture production into a weekly Sketch Comedy show. Something will be rolling out with a catch phrase and a basic parody concept no matter what day of the week it is. Mission Impossible parody not a good fit … no worries … he has baker’s dozen of half-conceived projects already in pre-production. This boy needs a lot of love from a lot of people all the time.

Lucky for Ben The Wayan Brother keep churning out their product — insuring the Hollywood bottom feeders rung is always occupied … sometimes your competition is the only thing that keeps you from coming in last.

Stills via Tenth Planet.net