Ben Affleck was the host on the season finale of Saturday Night Live this weekend. I’m not going to front like I even bothered to tape it. Just about the only celebrity that could get me to watch SNL again is Matt Damon, and he hasn’t hosted it since 2002. (He did do a short in 2011 with Val Kilmer, Katy Perry and Andy Samberg.) In contrast, this is Affleck’s fifth turn on SNL. He wants us to like him, he wants us to think he’s funny, and he’s willing to mock himself.

In his opening monologue (video below), Affleck referenced his Oscar acceptance speech and blamed “uncharitable souls” on the Internet for pointing out that he called his marriage “work.” You said it, Ben, no one put words in your mouth. You know this was his idea. He claimed that his speech was misconstrued, and then had Jennifer Garner come on stage to verify that she knew what he meant.

While winning an Oscar was a huge thrill, giving an Oscar acceptance speech is completely terrifying. You remember in my speech I thanked my wife while also saying the essence of marriage is work. And we’ve worked together on our marriage. And then some uncharitable souls on the Internet took that to mean that our marriage is some kind of manual labor. That’s not it, you define what’s important to you by what you dedicate your time to. And my wife knew exactly what I meant. And so to disprove the naysayers I asked her to come tonight.

Would you just now dispell this notion and tell the people what I meant?

Garner: Well yeah, it’s a way that we talk privately about how committed we are to our marriage. Not sure why you had to share it live to a billion people.

Affleck: Our marriage is the work of love. What would you have called it in a speech?

Garner: A gift. I would have said thank you to my wife, ‘our marriage is a gift.’

Affleck: Yeah, that’s one way to go, I guess. It’s a gift to the work of marriage which you gifted me with enormous work.

Garner: Well if we’re going to be completely honest here why don’t we go ahead and mention who does all of the work.

Affleck: That’s too inside the people don’t want to hear that…

I want to tell you how I wish I had ended that speech, ok? I couldn’t do any of the things I do without your support. You’re my angel, you’re my life and my world.

Garner: You’re reading that (shows cue card)

Affleck: I mean yeah, but it’s true. I love you.

Garner: Thank you. You’re a lot of work. [they kiss]

That was cute! It won me over. I thought it would be cheesier than it was, and it kind of speaks to their whole media strategy. Ben opens mouth, sticks foot in it, Jen saves his ass by being gracious and sweet about it.

As for the rest of the show, Pajiba has the rest of the skits for us as well as a nice overview. They call Ben “gracious” and “charmingly bumbling.” It was the last episode for castmembers Fred Armisen and Bill Hader and they got an emotional send off. Maybe they’ll get decent comedians to replace those two but it won’t be the same. Kanye West was the musical guest.

Ben’s marriage comments start at about 1:50

Remember how Ben Affleck talked about how he was going to be “Mr. Mom” to his three kids this summer while his wife, Jennifer Garner, was on set? He said “She’s got a couple of movies coming up. There’s going to be a little Mr. Mom action and I’m going to get back in the ring.” Well if Star is correct (and that’s a big IF) that’s no longer happening. They say that Garner plans to take the kids with her on set, at least for a couple of weeks, and she’s wondering what Ben will be up to when she’s away. I can see her bringing the kids, she seems like a hands-on mom who would really miss them if she was away. But I can also see Ben visiting a lot. So we’ll see. The paparazzi follow them so much that we’ll know by either the lack of photos, or the new photos on set. Here’s some of Star’s story:

Jennifer, 41, is worried sick that 40 year-old Ben might cheat on her. “Jen really doesn’t trust Ben,” states the insider. “She’s going to Cleveland for two weeks this month to begin shooting a new film. While she’s away, she’s pulling the kids out of school in Brentwood to be on set with her – and she’s worried about Ben being by himself…

“There was talk that Ben strayed with Blake [during filming of The Town],” continues the pal. “And he started talking to J.Lo again. His wife checks up on him all the time and looks through his phone…

“Ben is a good dad, but he’s becoming obsessed with work… It’s all about him, his friends and his career. Jen has decided to do fewer movies to make sure the marriage works…

“He still drinks and hangs out with friends a lot,” dishes the pal. “They are not 100 percent solid, like their image suggests.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, May 20, 2013]

Even if Star made that up out of whole cloth, which is entirely possible, it has a ring of truth to it. We’ve been hearing these rumors about them for years. Plus every time Ben opens his mouth he confirms that his relationship is “work” and that he considers caring for the kids work. So I believe that Garner checks up on him and that their marriage isn’t as rosy as the photos would have us think. They’ve lasted though, and isn’t that the point Ben was making in his Oscar speech?

The Enquirer also has a story this week about the Garner-Afflecks. They say that they’re being courted for a reality show:

The Enquirer has learned that a Hollywood producer has big plans to convince the Oscar-winning actor/director and his beautiful wife to do a blockbuster reality show.

He aims to show how an a-list celebrity couple handles the trials and temptations of life in the showbiz fast lane. He also wants to reveal the secrets behind Ben and Jen’s eight-year marriage.

“It would be great for them to open up about their lives,” said the source. “It would help people understand why Ben said ‘marriage is hard work’ in his Oscar acceptance speech this year.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, May 20, 2013]

Yeah this isn’t going to happen. This is some guy’s pipe dream. These two have worked too hard on their images to risk that with a reality show. Even though Ben seems to risk their family image every time he does an interview.

These photos are from 4-28-13 of the family at a children’s running event in which Seraphina, 4, participated. The family was at Disneyland in Anaheim just this weekend. (Those photos linked just show Jennifer, but Ben was there too.) Credit: WENN.com

These are photos of Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner and their daughter Seraphina out getting ice cream on Tuesday. In some pics these two look really annoyed at the paparazzi, which is understandable. There are photos of them out yesterday, with Violet, where they’re kissing and looking loved-up. I think they know when to turn on the charm when it’s needed.

Where this family is concerned, there’s always the question of whether they court the paps. I believe that they do somewhat, although I don’t think they can control them by any stretch. Let’s put it this way, if you leave food out and too many ants come in your house, should you keep leaving food out? That’s a bad, over-simplified analogy, but you get the point. They would have to move outside of LA to stop the daily photos at this point and that would involve switching their whole life around. They would have to change their daughters’ schools and move out of their mansion compound, etc. Plus we talk about them constantly when they’re photographed and that benefits their careers. The paparazzi ants are more like symbiotic creatures who are sometimes pests, or whatever.

Ben did a recent interview in which he revealed that he’s going to be taking care of their three kids on his own (with the help of nannies presumably) and he jokes that he’ll have to shape up for it, like Mr. Mom. Garner told The Telegraph earlier this month that they trade off caring for the kids – sort of. She said “I definitely work less because Ben is so busy but we have three kids, that’s just part of the deal… I’ve reserved this summer [for work]. It’s mine.” So Ben is stepping up:

Ben Affleck’s next leading role? Mr. Mom! The actor joked with reporters at the premiere of his film, To the Wonder, on Tuesday, April 9 that he’s preparing to be on daddy duty this summer while wife Jennifer Garner goes back to work.

“She told me to go to the gym, I’m preparing myself,” Affleck, 40, joked on the red carpet of the premiere, sponsored by Fiji water, at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. “I’m going to take on some more of the burden.” (Over the past couple years, Affleck has worked on To The Wonder, Runner, Runner and the Oscar-winning film Argo, which he also directed.)

Aflleck and Garner, both 40, are parents to daughters Violet, 7, Seraphina 4, and son Samuel, 13 months. “She’s got a couple of movies coming up,” Affleck explained. “There’s going to be a little Mr. Mom action and I’m going to get back in the ring.”

[From US Weekly]

I haven’t even heard of Ben’s film, To The Wonder, which is out tomorrow in limited release. It’s a Terrence Malick film (Tree of Life, Thin Red Line) co-starring Javier Bardem, Olga Kurylenko and Rachel McAdams. The trailer makes it look like a treatise on love and life, which is similar to Tree of Life I guess. (I didn’t see it yet sorry! I did see that Roger Ebert called it one of the top ten movies of all time. Sidenote: they just released his redesigned site posthumously.)

Getting back to Ben being Mr. Mom, that’s cool and I’m glad he does that for his family, and wife. Ben said in an interview earlier this year that he doesn’t “want to be a stay-at-home dad. Work is very important to me.” I’m guessing that he’s only half-joking that he’s going to have to shape up in order to watch his kids this summer.

photo credit: Pacific Coast News

Jennifer Garner was interviewed in Britian’s Telegraph to promote the UK release of The Odd Life of Timothy Green, which is out there on Friday. (I lived in Europe for a while and it’s maddening how long it takes movies to premiere.) It’s a nice, long interview and profile, which is what the British press excels at. The interviewer must have had a good rapport with Garner, or maybe she was just ready to spill her guts, because she seemed to open up about a lot of things: the paparazzi, her husband’s controversial Oscar speech, and how it feels to be a celebrity.

Note that some of the interview is translated into “Brit speak,” they have her say “mum” instead of “mom” and some of it is phrased in a distinctly British way that makes it sound made up. It’s clear that she met with their reporter at least, and it’s possible that some of her quotes were switched around for their audience. Here’s more:

On the paparazzi
“Seven cars followed me when I left home at seven o’clock this morning. I wish I could say that it doesn’t bother me. But you wouldn’t like it if you had it, and neither would anyone else. They sit outside my house every day. They wait for me at school drop-off and pick-up.”

“This is almost worse [than having a stalker]. They stalk you on a much more regular basis.”

“[If she escapes the photographers] Somebody always calls them and tips them off. They give random people their numbers; nannies in the park.”

On her husband’s Oscar speech
“I had a friend call and say, ‘Are you OK?’ I know Ben, I knew he meant it as the hugest, warmest compliment in the world. I think he was saying, ‘Look, what we have is really real and I value it above all and I’m in it with you and I know you are in it with me.’ That’s the way I took it.”

On the fallout Ben faced after that speech
“Poor guy. It’s so horrible to put yourself out there – he didn’t have to worry about it from my point of view.”

On balancing career and motherhood
“I definitely work less because Ben is so busy but we have three kids, that’s just part of the deal. I want to be a mum. I’m happy for him that he’s as energised about work right now as he is. He should be out there doing it.

“That’s just what makes sense for our family.”

On becoming a mom
“I really thought when I was pregnant with my first that it wouldn’t affect my work at all, it would just be a baby that grows up on set.

“And I was absolutely wrong. For women, the high point of their career and needing to have babies just don’t really go together.”

On celebrity culture
“Why does everyone think they need to be a star? It’s ridiculous. The celebrity culture is so silly and the fact that people grow up thinking that it’s something to aspire to just seems wrong”

“I don’t mean to bash my life, I love my life, I just think it’s not the only way to go. Why don’t we celebrate teachers and doctors – people who actually do something?”

[From Telegraph.co.uk]

There was a lot more in the interview, particularly about Garner’s career. I know a lot of people accuse her, and her husband especially, of playing the paparazzi when they have something to promote. I do think that they do that, but I don’t think they can control how much they’re followed by photographers. I remember seeing video from years ago of them absolutely swarmed by paparazzi outside their oldest daughter’s school, and it was clear to me they were being harassed. I think Garner works hard to play along and smile because she considers it part of her job. In a way, she made the situation worse by being so congenial to photographers and by becoming such an in-demand celebrity mom. It’s only benefited her public image, and she surely knows that and struggles with it. She’s not bitching about the paparazzi constantly either, she’ll tell you about it once in a while but she doesn’t make it a point like Halle Berry does, and unlike her husband you never see her scowling or arguing with the paps.

As for her response to the Oscar speech, I do think that she was wounded a little by what Ben said. You could see the look of shock and surprise flash over her face momentarily before she got it together and smiled. She’s not going to say that, though, just like she’s not going to fight with the paparazzi or frown when she’s having a bad day. That’s the kind of person she is. She has a charmed life, she knows it, and she’s more than happy to play the game.

Thanks to invisiblename on Twitter for the tip! These photos are of Garner dropping Violet off at daycare yesterday and of her out with her three kids on Saturday. Credit: FameFlynet

I was surprised at how many people cared about Friday’s story, from the National Enquirer, that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner were rumored to be fighting at a post-Oscar party. It seemed like an obvious scenario to me – Ben said his marriage was work during one of the most important, most public moments of his life, his Academy Award acceptance speech. Most people would have some choice words for their partner in that same situation, so it just seemed natural to me that Jen would have asked Ben what the hell he was thinking in that moment. Some of you disagreed and thought it was just Ben being honest. Marriages are work from most people’s perspective. I get that, but an Oscar speech is the time to gush about your marriage, you can call it work during a sit-down print interview.

The Enquirer then heaped on a bunch of other rumors about those two – that they’re fighting because Ben wants more another baby and Jen is done, and that Ben is rumored to have cheated with Blake Lively while they were making The Town. (We didn’t even include that segment, it was just a line or two toward the end of the article. I think Ben just had a kind of “emotional” affair with Blake, but who knows? They were very chummy in interviews.) We do know that Ben consistently praised other women during his Oscar press tour, and seemed much more reserved and almost passive aggressive in some of the things he said about his wife.

The two stepped out together on Saturday with their daughters at a street fair in Pacific Palisades and were seen kissing and embracing. They’ve only posed together once on the red carpet that I know of, at the VF party after Ben won the Oscar. We’ve seen candid family moments with them, but affectionate moments aren’t that common. I do think they get hounded by the paparazzi and don’t personally call them or anything, but instead of engaging in evasive maneuvers they just kind of go with it, smile and play along. At least Jen does, Ben often looks grumpy and fed up. (And who can blame him? I’m just saying.)

So is this just a spontaneous moment, or is this Ben’s way of playing the game after a negative story came out in the Enquirer? He seems like he pays attention to the tabloid press and actively tries to counter stories that come out without issuing direct denials. That could be part of the reason he said his marriage was “work,” he thought that everyone was talking about it, he may as well address it. Except all he did was add more fuel to the gossip fire. That said, these photos are really cute and they look solid. Even if Ben is just trying to counter negative stories, at least he’s trying.

Photo credit: FameFlynet

The Enquirer has a new story about Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner that I hope is false. They throw out a bunch of reasons why the two are fighting, and add that they fought at a post Oscar party. They also have a photo of Jennifer whispering something to Ben at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party and Ben looking tense. It’s somewhat similar to the one above, except Ben is clenching his teeth more.

The story goes that Ben is not happy with the three kids he has and wants another boy, while Jennifer feels like she’s done and wants to get back to work. Also, Jennifer allegedly snapped at Ben during a post-Oscar party “what do you mean our marriage is work?” I could see her asking him that, I wondered after the Oscars if she told him off for disrespecting her during his acceptance speech. It’s kind of a no-brainer. (Go here if you’d like to read his comments, I’m assuming you’re familiar with them.) Here’s more, it’s all so overwrought:

Ben Affleck and his wife Jennifer Garner are said to be locked in a bitter battle over whether to have another baby – and The Enquirer has the shocking photo of their fight exploding in public!

According to a source close to the couple, Jennifer, 40, says her hands are full with their three little ones, but Ben is determined to add to their brood in hopes of having another boy.

“He knows that Jen’s time is running out, and if they don’t act now she might have regrets someday,” explained the source.

But Jennifer… is anxious to get back to work…

The Hollywood power couple came to a stand off over whether to grow their family, said the source. But the lingering resentment could be heard in the hunk’s Academy Award acceptance speech, when he talked about how much work it took to keep his marriage going.

Later, during a post-Oscar party at the Sunset Tower Hotel, the clash seemed to turn ugly.

“Jen grabbed Ben’s arm and read him the riot act,” said the source.

“She hissed, ‘What do you mean, our marriage is work?”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, April 1, 2013]

Assuming the “fight” story is accurate, and I’m not sure it’s based on more than that photo, who wouldn’t ask their partner what they hell they meant if they told the whole world their marriage was work? Also, Ben may want more kids but he already has a boy so I’m not sure if he’s pressuring Jen to add another one. He’s said in interviews that it’s up to her. Ben brought all this scrutiny on himself though by calling his relationship work in his acceptance speech. That was a big no-no and he should have known better.

In cuter news, the Garner-Affleck’s youngest daughter, little Seraphina, just got an adorable bob cut. People Magazine has her side-by-side before and after photo. My kid is a boy so I don’t have to worry about hair stuff, but one of my mom friends spends 20 minutes combing through her daughter’s tangles after every bath. I bet this style is easier for everyone.

Also shown: Jennifer Garner out having dinner with friends at Giorgio Baldi restaurant in Santa Monica on Wednesday night. (3-20-13.) I’m trying to think of something nice to say about her outfit, but maybe it’s just the shoes that are throwing it off.

photo credit: WENN.com and Fame Flynet

These are just some cute photos of Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck and their kids out yesterday. Jen went out grocery shopping with Seraphina and Samuel earlier in the day, and then the whole family was spotted out later at a park in Brentwood. It looks like she changed one year-old Samuel into some sweats for their outing to the playground. That knit cap he’s wearing there is so cute, I wonder if one of his grandmothers made it for him. Also, Ben clipped down his beard somewhat and is back to his original hotness.

Check out the adorable St. Patrick’s day outfits that the kids are sporting. Look at little Samuel noshing on that bagel! Garner is so chic and casual here in her green skinny jeans, white sweater and green and white striped scarf. That’s a great outfit and looks effortless yet well put together. She can look gorgeous and casual when she puts some thought into it. Love me some scarves.

Garner has a partnership/sponsorship deal with Neutrogena, I’ve seen her ads for their skincare quite a few times. As part of her promotional duties, she spoke to People Magazine about making sure her kids wear sunblock. She also admitted to bribing them with M&Ms when necessary.

“Of course it’s a struggle!” the actress, 40, tells PEOPLE Wednesday at the Neutrogena Sun Summit. “The kids do not like getting sunscreen put on, especially at at a certain age, at least not mine. If you have kids out there who like sunscreen, hallelujah!”

Garner, who admits she luckily missed out on the “major baking-in-the-sun years” by mostly staying inside when she was younger, wants to ensure that her children with husband Ben Affleck — Violet, 7, Seraphina, 4, and Samuel, 1 — also avoid future skin damage by educating them about the dangers.

“We talk about skin health, and they know why they have to wear sunscreen,” she says. “If someone forgets, they’ll say ‘Hey, did you forget to put sunscreen on me?’”

She also praises Neutrogena’s kid-friendly SPF application options for making things a little easier at home: “I give them a stick that they can rub on their faces. Or they can do a spray if they want it fast. I’ve used everything.”

And Garner admits she’s not above rewarding her kids for remembering their sunscreen.

“I know it’s horrible — and I’m admitting to bribery — but I’ve given them an M&M [for putting] sunscreen on before,” Garner reveals. “I’ve [also] done a sticker chart. I’ll do whatever it takes — it has to be a non-negotiable part of life.”

[From People]

My son is pretty good about letting me put on sunblock, but I understand the bribing thing. I’ve totally done it. (I don’t do it all the time, but I’m not going to act like I never do!) I’m sure there are parenting experts who would say that it’s wrong and harmful and the lesson is lost or something, but sometimes you just have to get the job done.

This reminds me of an episode of “Parenthood” where Julia (Erika Christensen) asks her sister-in-law, Kristina (Monica Potter), for parenting advice after she adopted a 10 year-old boy and can’t get him to do his homework. Kristina states very bluntly that she bribes her own son with Skittles and explains why there’s no shame in it. I get it, I really do.

I just made the mistake of googling “should you bribe your kids” and at first it made me feel like a terrible mom, but then I learned some strategies to be a more effective briber. I mean parent.

Back to the photos, I love this one so much!

Also Violet is playing basketball, that’s cool. These kids are little stars.

photo credit: FameFlynet

I was looking through the photos at the Jon Varvatos benefit for Stuart House, which took place at the Varvatos Boutique in LA yesterday. Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck were both there, they were the big “gets” as Kaiser puts it, and they of course posed separately for the most part. There’s at least one photo of them together, but we don’t have it, it was more of a candid. This is what they’ve done for years and I didn’t think much of it until I realized that they broke their own rule recently! These two posed together at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party after Ben’s big win. So they’ll make exceptions for big occasions, which is nice. Ben is surely very worried about creating another Bennifer 2.0 situation, so he’s talking about his wife as if she’s his co-worker and refusing to be photographed with her for most outings. It makes sense. I jest – sort of.

US Weekly had a brief interview with Ben at the event, and he revealed that he’s been just chilling at home with his wife following his Oscar win. That and getting mad at the paparazzi he used to court. Here’s more:

While the A-list couple were suitably dressed up for the fundraising event in honor of Stuart House, a rape treatment center, Affleck explained to Us Weekly that he’s been reluctant to get out of sweats post-Oscars. “Luckily, I’ve been able to just enjoy my good fortune the last couple of weeks, just sit back and take it in, not do anything, eat ice cream on the couch,” the actor, director and producer, 40, said. “It’s been a nice time, hanging out with my wife, that sort of thing, and we’re enjoying it.”

Affleck added to Us that he’s happy that the busy awards season is behind them. “Now, when I go out and spend my time at events I can choose events like this that have some cause, some benefit other than trying to go after something for my movie,” he explained of promotional duties. Nothing is wrong with that but it’s also important to balance that with this type of activity that feels good.”

[From US Weekly]

Ben is a hustler and he’ll tell you about it. This just reminds me that I’m glad Awards season is over and we can relax a little too.

I really like Garner’s styling here. She looks so pretty, casual and fresh. Her hair is lovely and looks polished without being fuzzy. The outfit leaves something to be desired in that the Fendi dress looks like it could use a belt, the cardigan is somewhat shapeless and those Gucci shoes don’t go with the look at all. Still, this is cute looking and suited for the occasion.

Ben was in some kind of wrinkled jacket. I don’t have a full length photo of him so what’s really standing out for me is his beard – it’s back! We heard that Ben shaved it off at an Oscar party, probably encouraged by Jen who had brought clippers with her in her purse. The last time we saw him he was sporting some sexy stubble, but he hasn’t bothered to shave since. I don’t mind him with a beard, he looks hotter with it usually, but the dude needs a haircut.

Also there we have Nina Dobrev, who is styled to look very young for once. She is wearing a bizarre Elie Saab dress with a striped full skirt and a kind of peek-a-boo lace front. Nina has worn Elie Saab many times on the red carpet and she usually hits it out of the park in that designer. So this is a rare miss.

Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber showed up, looking very matchy and together. We just heard rumors that she was getting wasted and hitting on young guys, but I would bet her husband is pretty much doing the same thing.

Bonus pics of Tiffany Amber Thieeson, her husband Brady Smith, and their daughter, Harper, who turns three in June. These are for Kaiser since she loves Tiffany.

We’ve heard rumors that Ben Affleck’s wife, Jennifer Garner, and Matt Damon’s wife, Luciana Barroso, aren’t friendly. I think Lainey initially floated some of those theories, which seem totally plausible given what we know about the two women and the fact that we haven’t seen them together. In a recent Playboy interview, Matt Damon subtly threw shade at how paparazzi-friendly the Afflecks are, saying that people “are interested in [Garner] and how she parents.” What’s more is that Damon and his family moved into a mansion down the street from The Garner-Affleck compound in LA last summer. Affleck mentioned in an interview last fall that he’s over Damon’s house all the time, saying “I wonder if his wife is thinking, ‘Is he really going to come over every night?‘”

We’ve never heard about the two families hanging out together and they certainly could because they’re neighbors and they have daughters around the same age. Damon has daughters that are 6, 4 and 2 (along with a now teenaged daughter) and Affleck has daughters that are 7 and 4 along with an infant son. So you would think that the kids would be friends and everyone would be hanging out together but all we’ve heard about is Ben going over Matt’s house and bugging his wife.

That’s why I’m somewhat convinced by this story in the National Enquirer. They claim that Matt’s wife, Luciana, planned an elaborate destination vow renewal ceremony because she was annoyed and feeling competitive after Ben won the Oscar for Best Picture. I don’t think that part is true, but I believe that Lucy and Jen aren’t friends. We’ve already talked about Matt and Lucy’s vow renewal thing and I don’t think it bodes well for their marriage. If the Enquirer is right it may have not have come from a place of love and celebration or whatever:

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon may be best buds, but sources say their wives can’t stand each other!

“The two families socialize frequently,” an insider told The Enquirer.

“But despite Matt and Ben’s decades-long friendship, their wives have never warmed to each other.”

Tension reached a fever pitch after Ben, 40, won the Best Picture Oscar for his political thriller “Argo” with wife Jennifer Garner at his side on Feb. 24, sources say.

Just days later, Matt’s wife Luciana Barroso pushed him into announcing they’re planning a destination wedding in April – more than seven years after they tied the knot at City Hall in New York City.

“Luciana has always felt that Matt is more talented and way more deserving of recognition than Ben,” an insider told The Enquirer.

“It burned her up seeing Ben feted for months like he’s the King of Hollywood.”

So sources say green-eyed Luciana, 37, goaded Matt – who shares a Best Screenplay Oscar with Ben for the 1997 drama “Good Will Hunting” – into sending out “save the date” invites to their wedding.

“It was totally unnecessary, but Luciana wanted to stick it to Ben,” said the source.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, March 18, 2013]

I doubt Luciana is as calculating as all that. She’s always struck me as an “organized mom” type who is happy to be behind the scenes, and who is grateful for her husband’s success. She doesn’t seem particularly conniving or competitive. She can dislike someone without being a scheming bitch.

It’s an an interesting theory though, and I have to admit that the timing is suspect for this vow renewal announcement, right after Ben won the Oscar. I don’t know, maybe it was also when things were calming down at home for Damon’s family. Although it’s not like Damon was at any awards ceremonies this year, and he certainly could have been. He won the Ben Screenwriting Oscar with Affleck 15 years ago and yet he didn’t go to the Oscars this year when Ben’s movie was up for Best Picture. That seems a little strange to me, but they’re dudes and it’s not like Damon is the type to go to an awards ceremony when he’s not nominated. Maybe he didn’t want to overshadow Ben. Plus their wives probably can’t stand each other. If Jen and Lucy were friendly I imagine it would be different.

Matt Damon and Luciana are shown on 12-4 and 12-6-12. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are shown on 2-24-13. Credit: WENN.com

These are photos of Jennifer Garner out with her adorable son, Samuel, on Tuesday. It’s rare that we see that sweet baby, who turned one just yesterday! She’s also shown out and about with her oldest daughter, Violet, yesterday. She changed into a different outfit at one point to go on a Starbucks run. This is the Jennifer we see so often, the mom just doing her thing, and it looks like everything is back to normal for her. She was all spruced up on Sunday for the Oscars of course, and was there supporting her husband, Ben Affleck, as she’s done all awards season. As you know, Ben took home best picture for Argo. In thanks for her support and loyalty Ben disrespected her, in my opinion. He paid her a backhanded compliment by admitting that their marriage was work. Of course we’ve already mentioned this but I haven’t had a chance to really discuss it and I wanted to.

This is what Ben said in his Oscar acceptance speech, in reference to his wife. (It’s at 6:50 in this video. Garner smiles in reaction, but does pull her head back and grimace a little like she’s wondering why he said that.)
“I want to thank my wife, I want thank you for working on our marriage for ten Christmases, it’s- uh, it’s- it’s good, it is work, but it’s the best kind of work, and, uh, there’s no one I’d rather work with.”

In an interview with Access Hollywood after the Academy Awards, Ben tried to explain his statement and just dug himself deeper, in my opinion. He said:
“All marriages, all relationships to a certain extent, require your work. They require work and investment. We work on it together, we try our best, nobody’s perfect. I would be lying to you if I said that either she or I were. She’s more perfect than I am, I can tell you that. We do our best. She’s committed. She’s as committed as I am. We work together, we have three great kids.”

Yes marriages are work, but that’s usually not the part you focus on during an Oscar acceptance speech! We’ve heard Ben say things like this in interviews about his marriage, it’s kind of appropriate for an interview, however personal it may seem. Those kind of lines get pulled out and dissected by bloggers, but they’re forgotten in the larger scheme of things, and the press moves on. An Oscar speech lives forever, and is not the place to admit cracks in your marriage. This guy is an Oscar-winning screenwriter. How hard would it have been for Ben just to give a pre-rehearsed line like “I love and admire you more every day” or “you inspire me to be a better person” or some other platitude? No, he had to get all honest and gritty and I just ended up feeling sorry for Garner, who clearly takes a lot of sh*t from him. This is fully on Ben, not her. The rest of his speech was really heartfelt and good, so I don’t get why he had to do that to her.

So do you think Jen told him off, or do you think she figured that’s just how Ben is? I think she probably said something to him gently and then let it go. That’s the impression I get of their dynamic.

We know that Garner did assert herself later in the night. She brought clippers with her to a party after the Oscars, the one at Craig’s where all the Academy Awards were sitting on a table and the guests were doing tequila shots. At one point during the night Ben went off and shaved off his beard. Small victories.

Oh and I just want to give a shout out to College Humor for their send-up of Ben’s Oscar speech.

Photo credit: FameFlynet and WENN.com