Jennifer Garner has a new interview with USA Today promoting her Disney film, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, which is out tomorrow actually. It’s a cute schmaltzy looking movie, co-starring Joel Edgerton, about a childless couple whose wishes are granted when a magical 10-year old boy appears in their garden. As part of her profile in USA Today, Garner talks about her image as a mom that other woman can relate to. She also discusses how difficult life can be with the paparazzi following her family’s every move, which is something she’s reluctant to complain about, but you can tell it eats at her. Overall it’s a very positive piece that makes her come across like the genuine article, which her fans have believed for some time. Here’s more, with more at the source:

On why she’s called relatable:
She smiles wryly at the mention of her much-touted relatability quotient.
“It’s because I always look like I’m wearing the first thing I could find, which is the truth,” she says. “I don’t understand how you can make breakfast, feed a baby, get hair braided, get a lunch put together and get an outfit on. And I don’t have that gift anyway, to just put something on and have it look good. I just wasn’t born that way.”

On losing the baby weight:
“My kids have a lot to say about the appearance of how I look naked,” Garner says with a laugh, describing the three to four workouts she has been squeezing in with a trainer a week to lose her last 5 pregnancy pounds. In past pregnancies, “I’ve always kind of eaten what I wanted and gained 40 pounds,” she says. “And it’s a bummer to gain that much weight and then (have to lose it). But this time, I didn’t want to gain that much weight, so I was really super-careful. And I gained 60.” She shrugs and smiles, the universal what can you do?

On how her marriage and life have changed after kids.
Garner recognized the universality in Cindy Green and fought to play her. “I also floundered so much in the beginning,” she says, recalling watching her and Affleck’s lives change with the birth of their first daughter, Violet, now 6, and “falling in love again” with Seraphina, now 3.
“Now,” she says, sharing a photo of her chubby-cheeked, blue-eyed baby boy, “I just have crazy, crazy baby love.” Adding a boy to the family, so far, hasn’t changed much, Garner says. “My husband says that I’m different with him, but I think I’ve always been crazy about babies. But he thinks that. What does he know?” she jokes.

Married seven years, both have “gotten better at it,” she says. “It’s really fun. I probably am up in his grill less about stuff. I don’t think I’m a particularly controlling person, but I probably work less to make things fit a mold in my head. And he exceeds my expectations anyway.”

On dealing with the paparazzi
Garner’s everyday activities are, like many Hollywood moms’, excessively photographed. In her case, it’s “every day,” from 7 a.m. until bedtime, she says cautiously. Celebrities complaining about paparazzi is a tricky business, and not something she likes to “give energy to.” In her world, nannies at the park act as tipsters. Garner shares a photo showing 14 photographers pressed sardine-like against a pottery shop’s glass storefront, a row of lenses aimed straight at her.

Outwardly, she keeps calm, smiling, she says, for her children. “So inside, I rage, and outside, I go through it. I mean, life is good. I cannot complain. I would give anything for my kids not to be exposed, not to have to deal with this.” At this, her eyes water, but she steadies herself. “It’s just constantly a choice. Is it better for them to get (photographed) in the parking lot of this place but for me to be with them? It’s just something that I try my best to navigate.”

Leaving L.A. could help, “but it’s complicated,” Garner says. “Then we would be separated so much more.”

[From USA Today]

USA Today also has a video interview with Garner in which she goes into more detail about the film and her character. Those quotes aren’t in the article that I could find. She kind of made me want to see that movie, even though I know it’s going to be cheesy.

I admire how Garner deals with the paparazzi. I’ve seen videos of them hounding her family and it looks insane. She doesn’t harp on it, she doesn’t get outwardly upset, but she makes it clear that it’s not ok. She’s dealing with it the best she can. She’s not even dressing up to go out, it’s like she’s saying “F it.”

It also looks like her marriage is doing well and she’s happily balancing motherhood and work. It must not hurt to have a lot of help at home, but I can’t begrudge her that. I like her, I can’t help it. She doesn’t seem like she’s full of sh*t to me, and that’s rare.

Jennifer is shown out with baby Samuel in NY yesterday, 8-13-12. Credit: Hall/Pena, PacificCoastNews.com. She’s also shown at The Odd Life of Timothy Green premiere on 8-6-12. Credit: WENN.com

Jennifer Garner had her third baby with husband Ben Affleck in February. She’s probably just starting to get her groove back (judging by how I felt the first few months after I had a baby), although she looked like a million bucks when we saw her yesterday on the red carpet for her latest film. Back when Ben and Jen had just two kids, we heard a lot of rumors that he was pushing for another child since he wanted a boy. Well these two had a boy, and Garner admits that Ben still wants more kids while she’s ready to hang it up. She told Extra TV that it’s way harder to have three kids than two, and suggested that Ben has a long wait ahead of him.

“It’s absolute chaos!!” said Jennifer, who gave birth to baby Samuel in February. “I really did not realize how much more work three was going to be than two.”

Garner’s kids — including Sam and sisters Violet, 6, and Seraphina, 3 — come first, but some roles are just too good to turn down. That’s when hubby steps in to help. “Ben took a break, he came, he did the school drop-offs and pick-ups and bedtimes.”

Does the couple want more kids? She told Terri, “The fact that Ben wants another IS true… I can tell you that would be a pretty uphill battle with me. I am not anticipating having any more kids!”

[From Extra TV]

I still remember what Garner told Letterman about having two children vs. one. (I mean I had to look it up but I remember it in general.) She said, in 2009 when Seraphina was three months old, that “It’s crazy. It’s like having ten kids. You think you have one and you have it under control, and then you have the other one and it just goes to hell and a handbasket.” She also talked about how tired she was at the time, and said that night to her wasn’t when she slept, it was when she put on sweatpants and had a couple of naps. Well now she’s got three kids and Ben wants four? That’s crazy!

Garner also talked in that interview about what a supportive and helpful dad Ben is. They have help too, we’ve seen photos of their nanny, but I don’t doubt that they’re hands-on parents. I’m happy to hear that they’re doing well, even if they’re not exactly on the same page when it comes to how many kids they have.

These are photos of the Garner-Afflecks on Fourth of July. Garner is also shown out with Seraphina yesterday, and her dad, William Garner, is shown holding little Samuel. So cute! Credit: Fame Flynet

Jennifer Garner made her triumphant return to the red carpet last night for the premiere of The Odd Life of Timothy Green. At first I thought this might be her first red carpet appearance since having her son, Samuel, in late February, but that’s not correct. She made an equally lovely appearance at Cinemacon back in April.

Our friends at Red Carpet Fashion Awards point out that Garner’s gorgeous red draped dress is Lanvin, and that it retails for $2,425. I own a similar red draped dress that gathers at the waist instead of the side, but I got it at TJ Maxx and it cost about $40 I think. (I just spent way too long googling it and getting lost in some great fashion blogs. I’m away from home or would just look at the label. Here’s a dress from Elie Tahari that’s a little more fitted and expensive, but still somewhat affordable.)

I’m not a fan of Garner’s shoes, which are dressy enough but seem to be a little plain and “safe” for this look. Still, that’s a minor complaint and I like how she matched her accessories to the sequins on her shoes. They coordinate without being overkill.

I love her slightly messy updo and elegant, subtle makeup. She could have gone with a red lip to match her dress, but either she or her makeup artist smartly chose a blush shade. She looks great!

The Odd Life of Timothy Green is a Disney movie about a childless couple who become instant parents to a magical kid who grows overnight in their garden. The trailer makes it seem very schmaltzy and predictable, but at least it’s a film you can take the whole family to. We need more of those. It’s out August 15th and co-stars Joel Edgerton, who’s shown here with Garner. He’s arguably hot, but he isn’t doing it for me with that hair. Here’s the trailer.

Photo credit: WENN.com and FameFlynet

Ben Affleck is currently filming Runner, Runner in Puerto Rico with Justin Timberlake. It’s a thriller about a businessman who gets “caught up in the world of offshore online gaming,” something Ben is rumored to have a lot of personal experience with. He didn’t write this one and isn’t directing it, though. In Touch notes that while Justin is staying close to the set, Ben is staying in a different resort “a couple of miles away” in order make sure he’s not around all that partying and gambling. Is Justin meeting some locals too while his fiance is away promoting her movie? That’s the impression I get from this. (Well from him in general.) Here’s more:

While Justin Timberlake knocks down tequila shots and tosses poker chips at a party-friendly hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Ben Affleck curls up with a good book? It’s true! Ben, 39, who has battled alcohol and gambling problems, is steering clear of his old vices as he shoots the thriller Runner, Runner with costar Justin.

Ben’s even staying is different digs – a low-key resort a couple of miles away in Rincon.

“Ben’s not stupid,” an insider says. “He’s not going to get caught up partying and gambling.”

[From In Touch Weekly, print edition]

Good for Ben. He’s had his issues in the past, and he’s making sure to stay away from triggers. So does this mean there’s no love lost between Ben and Justin? Maybe Ben just can’t stand Justin. I know that Jennifer Garner and Jessica Biel are friends after doing that Valentine’s Day movie together, so these two were probably acquainted before this. It just strikes me that Ben and Justin may not get along off set because they’re at different places in life. Maybe it’s one of those situations where Justin reminds Ben of how much of a douche he used to be.

Things seem to be going well for Affleck and Garner. She’s visited him on location and was spotted on the beach in Puerto Rico with him and the kids a couple of weeks ago.

Garner is back in L.A. now, and was photographed out yesterday headed to a business meeting. I’m not a fan of this navy dress. It looks good on her, but I don’t like this short kind of baby doll cut. Her shoes are cute though!

Affleck and Timberlake are shown on set on 7-23-12. Garner is shown out yesterday, 8-2-12. Credit: Fame Flynet. I’m also including a photo of Ben in his tiny T-shirt on the fourth of July. Credit: WENN.com

Ben Affleck, seen here in his wife’s baby-tee, likes a good tan. Who can blame him? Despite the epidemic of leather-faced, perpetual tanning-bed victims, there ARE some people who just go into a tanning booth every once in a while for various reasons. Maybe they don’t like tan lines (that’s me!), or maybe they just need a little pick-me-up. Maybe they caught sight of themselves in bad lighting and thought, “Damn, I need some color.” Maybe they looked at John Boehner and thought, “That’s a good look – bright orange! I should try that.” I don’t know WHY Ben Affleck is allegedly using tanning beds. All I know is that I enjoy this story:

Strange but true: Ben Affleck has become a member at Le Beach Club Tanning Resort in Brentwood, California, spending hundreds of dollars at a time on tanning – which is weird since his wife, Jennifer Garner, is an advocate for a Neutrogena skin-health campaign!

“He’s been using the most damaging beds there are,” says a source. “She flipped when she found out!”

[From Star Magazine, print edition]

Ben Affleck is cheating on his wife with a tanning bed!! I actually have a theory, though, and one that might explain Ben’s actions (but not his wife’s alleged freakout). The theory: Ben is currently filming Runner, Runner in Puerto Rico with Justin Timberlake (I’m including some photos from the set below). It’s possible that his character is supposed to be someone who has been living on the island for a while, maybe? Someone used to beach living? And maybe Ben decided to do some preparation and he got a nice tan before he came to the set. Either that or Ben’s side-piece likes him tan. Either/or.

Photos from the Runner, Runner set. That’s Timberlake in the last two photos. The movie’s about gambling, I think.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck welcomed their son, Samuel Garner Affleck, back at the end of February. Since she gave birth, Jennifer has been following her normal mom-routine with the two older kids, Seraphina and Violet, and the paparazzi have been following them like always. But in that time, we haven’t really gotten a good look at Samuel. Jen and Ben have never sold photos of their babies to a magazine, so I wasn’t expecting a People Mag cover or anything, but for the girls, Jennifer always made sure that the paparazzi got free candid photos of the babies soon enough (and on a nearly daily basis after that).

Anyway, as CB was discussing yesterday, the Garner-Afflecks were out and about for the 4th of July, and the girls were in their patriotic best, and Samuel even came out for some of the festivities. Some photo agencies managed to score photos of Samuel on the Fourth – we did not. You can see those pics here. So… these photos of Jennifer and Samuel on the 5th (yesterday) are not “Baby’s First Candids”. But it’s still nice that Jennifer made sure that some other photo agencies got some grainy photos of Samuel. He looks like… a baby. I can’t really tell who he looks like at this point or if he even HAS dimples.

As for Ben and Jen… sources claim that Ben really wants another baby and he’s trying to “convince” Jennifer to go for a fourth. I kind of think they should just stick with three! TOO MANY DIMPLES.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

These are some paparazzi photos of celebrities out with their kids enjoying our national holiday yesterday. I hope you had a relaxing one with friends and family and that you had power! So many people in the eastern US are suffering in this heat without it.

First off we have Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner and their daughters Violet, 6, and Seraphina, 3, at a parade in L.A. Look at Seraphina rocking those patriotic bows and eating blue cotton candy. She’s a little star. We just heard yesterday that Ben probably wants a fourth kid already. I’m still waiting to see photos of their son Samuel. They’ve kept him under wraps so far and we haven’t gotten a glimpse of his face yet, have we? Update! Popsugar has a photo of Samuel! Yay!

Ben is looking beefy hot in that too-small Tee, and as we’ve seen from him lately he’s very affection with Jennifer. It’s nice to see them back on track.

Victoria’s Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio went out with her newborn to the Malibu Country Mart. Here’s her equally hot husband, Jamie Mazur, carrying their two month-old son, Noah. I love Noah’s patriotic outfit and his tiny blue shoes! They also have daughter Anja, who turns four in August. Alessandra was born and raised in Brazil and Jamie is from California. That’s one beautiful multi-national family. Here’s a link to some more photos of Alessandra with Noah.

Anja is a ham! Check out her model pose.

Pink and Carey Hart brought out daughter Willow, one, in Santa Monica. Willow is sporting a red, white and blue tutu and a floral headband for the occasion while Pink is in a retro polka dot navy shirt and white pants. I love her style. Carey can’t be bothered, he has his look and he’s sticking to it.

Pink just announced that she has a new album coming out. You can watch her video announcement here. It’s called “The Truth About Love” and is out September 18. The first single, “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” came out earlier this week. It’s really catchy and I love it. She’s one of my favorite pop singers, along with Ke$ha honestly.

Amy Poehler stepped out looking cute as anything in a blue tank top, denim skirt, low rise red chucks and a fedora. Photo agency Fame says that she was taking her son, Archibald Arnett, to see The Amazing Spider-Man in NY. Archie doesn’t turn four until October. I hope they saw Brave or Madagascar 3 instead. Check out how they’re both smiling subtly. I’m overcome with the urge to give that kid a hug!

Photo credit: Pacific Coast News, FameFlynet and WENN.com

Here are some new photos of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner in Santa Monica yesterday. As he was during Jennifer’s last pregnancy, Ben continues to be uncharacteristically affectionate and warm towards his wife. It really does seem – visually, at least – that Jen and Ben are stronger than ever. I do think they had a “rough spot” for a few years – especially when Ben was working on The Town with Blake Lively, right? Whatever went down (something!), Jennifer seems to have fought for her marriage and they made it through. And now they’re even stronger. Because looking at couples like Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp and Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes… don’t you just see how Ben and Jen could beat the odds and actually make this thing work for decades to come?

Of course, I have an alternate theory: Ben is simply overjoyed to finally have a son. For years, it was widely reported that (unlike Matt Damon) Ben really, really wanted a boy. And now he has one. So Ben is no longer acting like such a grumpy bitch. So you’d think that now Ben has his boy, he and Jennifer would say “no more kids” right? Not so much, according to Us Weekly:

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are beating the seven-year-itch.

“The marriage is rock-solid,” says a Garner pal. The duo taosted their anniversary June 29, and the actress, 40, will soon join Affleck, 39, in Puerto Rico, where he’ll film Runner, Runner.

Meanwhile, their third child, Samual, arrived in February and they’re debating having another.

“Jen is happy with three now that she has a boy,” says the pal. “Ben wants four.”

[From Us Weekly, print edition]

When she was pregnant this last time, I seem to remember Jennifer saying that this was the last time she was doing it. Maybe she didn’t come right out and use those words, but that was definitely the impression I had. So… I could see her being all “Seriously, we have three healthy children. Enough.” And Ben being like, “But we could have one more!! Maybe another boy!!” It’s cute. But I’m betting that Jennifer is kind of over it (pregnancy) at this point.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

This is a story that gives me hope that Oscar winning screenwriters Matt Damon and Ben Affleck might finally, ultimately be ready to start collaborating on a new project after years of rumors and nothing coming to fruition. Matt Damon has just purchased a new mansion just down the street from Ben’s lavish estate in Pacific Palisades, California. These two roll so deep with their families now that in order to get any work done they need to live within walking distance of each other. (Not that anyone walks in L.A.) Can’t they just Skype? Here’s the story, thanks to In Touch:

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck… grew up just two blocks apart in Massachusetts, and were roommates when they first came to LA. Now, Matt, 41, and his family have moved down the street from the Pacific Palisades, CA, ranch house that Ben, 39, shares with his wife, Jennifer Garner and their three children. “Matt was tired of the lack of space in New York,” says a friend, who adds that the buddies are excited to dive into a new project together, a biopic about the life of Boston mobster Whitey Bulger, which will star both actors, with Ben directing. And while Matt is keeping his NYC pad, he’ll be on the West Coast a lot more. “Now that they live so close, they hang out all the time, and their kids are always together,” says the friend. “It’s a perfect situation.”

[From In Touch, print edition, July 9, 2012]

I’m sure they want to make sure they have plenty of time to hangout, and have their kids play together too. It’s nice to imagine. So are we going to see paparazzi photos of Matt’s wife Lucy going out for lunch with Jennifer Garner and their kids? That’s got to be a huge downside for Damon. He’s spoken about how he’s afforded his privacy in New York and I would guess he feels similarly about Miami, where he has a huge house on the water. It’s going to be a big adjustment when he’s stalked every day leaving his house. It’s not like he doesn’t have anywhere else to go, and he can put up with it for a while as he’s cranking out another amazing script with Affleck. It’s about damn time that these two worked together again.

These are the most recent photos I can find of Ben and Matt together and they’re from 2010. (In suits) They better fix that soon. They’re also shown at a poker event in 2009. Credit: Fame Flynet and WENN.com

Here are some new photos of Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck and their four-month-old son Samuel Garner Affleck out and about in LA yesterday. Apparently, they were getting their son a passport because one of them (?) is going out of the country for work. I think it’s Ben, right? He’s set to begin filming Runner, Runner in Puerto Rico. Do you need a passport to go to Puerto Rico?!? Google says NO, but you do need some kind of ID, and since Samuel can’t get his driver’s license, I guess that’s why he needs a passport. Anyway, they look happy, don’t they? I really do think Ben is beyond thrilled to have a son at long last.

It’s kind of weird/funny to me that Jessica Simpson gets an endless amount of tabloid crap about her body and “losing the baby weight” and Jennifer Garner is left completely alone. Part of that is the expectations that each woman set up during their respective pregnancies – Jessica talked about her weight and what she was eating, and she signed on to Weight Watchers when she was still pregnant, which gave everyone a green light to discuss it publicly. Meanwhile, Jennifer didn’t really discuss anything, and it’s generally believed that she had a healthy pregnancy and she isn’t focused on losing the baby weight immediately – as in, it isn’t her top priority, she’s just letting it happen naturally. Of course, there’s another reason Jessica and Jennifer are treated so differently. It’s because Jennifer is seen as every woman’s girlfriend and if any tabloid said anything harsh about her post-baby body (like, even a tenth of what’s said about Jessica), there would be blood on the streets. I just enjoy the double standard that seems to only apply to Jennifer Garner because she and her daughters have dimples.

PS… I love Jennifer’s purse. Bottega Veneta?

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.