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Casey Affleck Celebrates Birth of Second Son
16 January 2008 (WENN)
Ben Affleck's actor brother Casey Affleck and his wife Summer Phoenix are celebrating after becoming parents for a second time. The Gone Baby Gone star, 32, announced the happy news on his website with a brief post on Saturday, although full details of the tot's arrival have yet to be disclosed. The message reads: "Casey and Summer Phoenix celebrate the birth of their second child." The couple wed in June 2006. They already have a three-year-old son, called Indiana August. Summer Phoenix is actor Joaquin Phoenix's sister.

'No Country' Wins Again
8 January 2008 (StudioBriefing)
The Coen Bros.' No Country for Old Men collected yet another best picture award Monday -- this one from the Broadcast Film Critics Association. At the group's 13th annual Critics' Choice Awards Monday night, No Country also picked up awards for best director (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen) and supporting actor (Javier Bardem). The group's trophy for best actor went to Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood. Julie Christie won the best actress award for Away From Her. Amy Ryan won for best supporting actress for Gone Baby Gone.

National Society of Film Critics Pick 'There Will Be Blood'
4 January 2008 (WENN)
The last of the major film critics groups, the National Society of Film Critics has given the bulk of its awards to Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood, honoring the period epic with its Best Picture, Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Best Cinematography and Best Director awards. Though it bucked the trend of honoring the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men (which was shut out entirely from the group's awards), the NSFC bestowed a few of its awards to previous critics' winners. In addition to Day-Lewis, who's emerging as the front runner for Best Actor, acting honors went to Julie Christie (Best Actress for Away from Her), Casey Affleck (Supporting Actor for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), and in a bit of a surprise, Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There, who bypassed perennial Supporting Actress winner Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone). No End in Sight was named Best Non-Fiction Film, Tamara Jenkins' The Savages received the Best Screenplay award, and Foreign Language Film Honors went to 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

'No Country for Old Men' Tops With Critics' Awards
10 December 2007 (IMDb News Flash)
As the awards season begins, no less than four critics' groups announced their awards over the past two days, with the highest-profile group, the New York Film Critics Circle, giving its top honor to emerging favorite No Country for Old Men. Quickly turning into the movie to beat this season, the Coen brothers movie also won the Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem) awards from the Gotham critics. Top acting honors went to Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) and Julie Christie (Away From Her), with the supporting actress award going to Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone), who is appearing on as many winners' lists as the Coen brothers. Other winners included The Lives of Others (Foreign Language Film), Persepolis (Animated Film), and No End in Sight (Documentary).

In Los Angeles on Sunday, there was blood -- and lots of it -- as Paul Thomas Anderson's historical epic There Will Be Blood swept the awards, taking Best Picture, Director, and Lead Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) honors. Marion Cotillard of La Vie En Rose was named Best Actress, Vlad Ivanov of the Romanian abortion drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days was the surprise supporting actor winner, and -- yes -- Amy Ryan was named best supporting actress for Gone Baby Gone as well as Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days also won the foreign language film award, and Tamara Jenkins's The Savages received best screenplay honors. No End in Sight was the documentary winner, with Ratatouille and Persepolis sharing the animated feature award.

Also handing out awards on Sunday was the Boston Society of Film Critics, which jumped on the No Country for Old Men bandwagon, naming it their best picture and Javier Bardem as the supporting actor winner. While Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose) was the lead actress winner, the group threw a couple curveballs with awards to lead actor Frank Langella for the acclaimed but little-seen drama Starting Out in the Evening, and to director Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (which also won cinematography and foreign language film honors). Once again, Amy Ryan won the supporting actress award for Gone Baby Gone. Other winners included Ratatouille (screenplay) and Crazy Love (documentary).

And sharing in the fun was the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association, which along with Boston and New York named No Country for Old Men as their Best Picture, and giving the Coen brothers directing honors and Javier Bardem the supporting actor award; to exacerbate the sense of deja vu, Amy Ryan was again the supporting actress winner for Gone Baby Gone. A bevy of usual suspects rounded out the DC awards, with George Clooney (Michael Clayton) and Julie Christie (Away From Her) nabbing lead acting awards, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly taking the foreign language film honor. Other winners included Michael Moore's Sicko (documentary), Ratatouille (animated film), Charlie Wilson's War (adapted screenplay) and Juno (original screenplay and breakthrough performance for Ellen Page).

Following up these critical honors will be the announcement of the Golden Globe nominations this Thursday morning; the Academy Award nominations will be unveiled next month on Tuesday, January 22. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

'No Country for Old Men' Named Best Picture by National Board of Review
6 December 2007 (WENN)
In a year with no one film as a specific front-runner of the awards season, the National Board of Review has given a leg up to the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men, honoring it as Best Picture, as well as with the group's ensemble cast award and adapted screenplay honor. In a reflection of the lack of heavyweight pictures and performances favored for potential Academy Award nominations, the National Board spread around its awards to a number of movies and actors. Tim Burton was named Best Director for Sweeney Todd, while former Oscar winners George Clooney (Michael Clayton) and Julie Christie (Away From Her) were honored as Best Actor and Actress; the supporting awards went to two highly acclaimed performances: Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone (which also starred Affleck). The Diving Bell and the Butterfly won the Foreign Film Award, with Body of War and Ratatouille named the best documentary and animated films, respectively. A group of film aficionados and academics, the National Board is not a critics' group per se, but has gained its fame by handing out the first honors of the awards season. Winners named by critics' groups in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles will follow in the next week, with the Golden Globe nominations being announced on Thursday, December 13.

Other awards include: Breakthrough Performance by an Actor - Emile Hirsch, Into The Wild; Breakthrough Performance by an Actress - Ellen Page, Juno; Best Directorial Debut - Ben Affleck, Gone Baby Gone; Best Original Screenplay (tie): Diablo Cody, Juno and Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl.

In addition to its Best Picture award, the National Board of Review also names the top ten films of the year, in alphabetical order: The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, Atonement, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Bucket List, Into The Wild, Juno, The Kite Runner, Lars And The Real Girl, Michael Clayton, and Sweeney Todd. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

'No Country for Old Men' Named Best Picture by National Board of Review
5 December 2007 (WENN)
In a year with no one film as a specific front-runner of the awards season, the National Board of Review has given a leg up to the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men, honoring it as Best Picture, as well as with the group's ensemble cast award and adapted screenplay honor. In a reflection of the lack of heavyweight pictures and performances favored for potential Academy Award nominations, the National Board spread around its awards to a number of movies and actors. Tim Burton was named Best Director for Sweeney Todd, while former Oscar winners George Clooney (Michael Clayton) and Julie Christie (Away From Her) were honored as Best Actor and Actress; the supporting awards went to two highly acclaimed performances: Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone (which also starred Affleck). The Diving Bell and the Butterfly won the Foreign Film Award, with Body of War and Ratatouille named the best documentary and animated films, respectively. A group of film aficionados and academics, the National Board is not a critics' group per se, but has gained its fame by handing out the first honors of the awards season. Winners named by critics' groups in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles will follow in the next week, with the Golden Globe nominations being announced on Thursday, December 13.

Other awards include: Breakthrough Performance by an Actor - Emile Hirsch, Into The Wild; Breakthrough Performance by an Actress - Ellen Page, Juno; Best Directorial Debut - Ben Affleck, Gone Baby Gone; Best Original Screenplay (tie): Diablo Cody, Juno and Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl.

In addition to its Best Picture award, the National Board of Review also names the top ten films of the year, in alphabetical order: The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, Atonement, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Bucket List, Into The Wild, Juno, The Kite Runner, Lars And The Real Girl, Michael Clayton, and Sweeney Todd. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

Affleck Impressed by Amy Ryan
7 November 2007 (WENN)
Director Ben Affleck was so impressed by actress Amy Ryan, he hired her on the spot following her audition for Gone Baby Gone. And Affleck was so excited at the emergence of the new talent, he begged her not to turn down the role. He says, "I think Amy is brilliant and I'm really glad to see that people will get to see more of her. And I just lucked out that she walked into the room. She read one scene in the audition and I like stopped and said, 'You're hired. Please do the movie.'" Ryan's performance in the film as a drug addicted mother has already been tipped for an Academy Award nomination.

No. 1 With Bullets
6 November 2007 (StudioBriefing)
The nation's box office recovered like gangbusters over the weekend, with the top film, American Gangster, hauling in $43.6 million and the No. 2 film, Bee Movie, $38 million. The figure for Gangster represented the most ever raked in for a crime drama in its opening weekend. The Bee Movie figure came in at the low end of most analysts' expectations. Like most horror films, Saw IV saw its second-week take drop significantly, but it nevertheless pulled in $10.3 million to help the box office return from a six-week-long slump.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. American Gangster, Universal, $43,565,135, (New); 2. Bee Movie, Paramount, $38,021,044, (New); 3. Saw IV, Lionsgate, $10,348,646, 2 Wks. ($50,398,835); 4. Dan in Real Life, Disney, $7,870,196, 2 Wks. ($22695653); 5. The Game Plan, Disney, $3,931,491, 6 Wks. ($82,035,100); 6. 30 Days of Night, Sony, $3,741,763, 3 Wks. ($33,970,509); 7. Martian Child, New Line, $3,376,669, (New); 8. Michael Clayton, Warner Bros., $2,785,133, 5 Wks. ($33,083,619); 9. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?, Lionsgate, $2,604,119, 4 Wks. ($51,059,398); 10. Gone Baby Gone, Miramax, $2,237,915, 3 Wks. ($14,786,017).

Affleck Berated by Freeman on First Day of Filming
6 November 2007 (WENN)
Casey Affleck was left red faced after a confrontation with Morgan Freeman on the set of their latest film Gone Baby Gone - because he turned up late for work. Affleck claims the incident occurred following a timing miscalculation, when Freeman was brought on set earlier than required - and was forced to wait in his trailer for the younger star to show up. He tells talk show host Larry King, "Morgan was fantastic. He is Morgan Freeman. The first day he came to work, everyone is a little on edge because Morgan was coming and it was a big week. And I guess they brought in Morgan a little bit early. You know, they thought he might need a hair cut or something. But Morgan didn't need a haircut. So he was sitting in his trailer for half an hour, waiting for everyone else to show up. And so when I got there, Morgan had been told that he was waiting there because I was late. No one wanted to admit that they had brought him in early. So I went up to Morgan's trailer, and knocked on the door. And I thought, I'm going to introduce myself to Morgan Freeman. And he came out and gave me a lecture for 15 minutes about being late and being professional. And so I had live with that."

'Gangster' Swats 'Bee'
5 November 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Ending a box-office downturn that saw ticket sales fall significantly below last year for six consecutive weeks, the openings of American Gangster and Bee Movie brought moviegoers back to theaters again in droves. Gangster, starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, raked in an estimated $46.3 million; Bee Movie, $39.1 million. The crime drama, while expected to perform well, outdid forecasts -- doing more business in its opening weekend than any other film of its genre in film history. It was also the best opening for both Crowe and Washington. Bee Movie, on the other hand, performed somewhat below expectations -- and also below many major computer-animated movies. An intensive promotional campaign by Jerry Seinfeld may have been offset by generally poor reviews. However, Anne Globe, DreamWorks Animation's head of worldwide marketing, expressed satisfaction with the results, telling the Los Angeles Times: "It feels like we're igniting the holiday season." In an interview with the Associated Press, Media by Numbers chief Paul Dergarabedian commented, "It took three of the biggest stars in the world to get the box office back on track, and they did it in high style with two totally different kinds of movies. ... You had an R-rated movie and a PG-rated movie bringing in a really diverse audience." However, a third newcomer, Martian Child, starring John Cusack, tanked, with just $3.7 million, adding to a long string of New Line failures of late. Last week's top film Saw IV, dropped 65 percent from its opening to $11 million.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. American Gangster, $46.3 million; 2. Bee Movie, $39.1 million; 3. Saw IV, $11 million; 4. Dan in Real Life, $8.1 million; 5. 30 Days of Night, $4 million; 6. The Game Plan, $3.85 million; 7. Martian Child, $3.65 million; 8. Michael Clayton, $2.9 million; 9. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?, $2.7 million; 10. Gone Baby Gone, $2.4 million.

Few Halloween Treats at Box Office
30 October 2007 (StudioBriefing)
The Saw franchise committed its annual serial killing at the box office over the weekend before Halloween as Saw IV collected $31.8 million, according to final figures released Monday. Overall, the box office showed little signs of life, recording a take that was lower than last year's for the sixth straight weekend. The No. 2 film was the Steve Carell comedy Dan in Real Life, which debuted with $11.8 million. But a huge drop-off occurred after the top-two. Last weekend's vampire film, 30 Days of Night, had most of the blood drained from it as it saw ticket sales fall to $6.9 million, just ahead of the fifth week of Disney's The Game Plan which took in $6.1 million, to bring its total to $76.9 million the biggest total of the season. Rounding out the top five was Why Did I Get Married?, which brought in $5.4 million in its third week.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Saw IV, Lions Gate, $31,756,764, 1 Wks. (New); 2. Dan in Real Life, Disney, $11,809,445, 1 Wks. (New); 3. 30 Days of Night, Sony, $6,862,764, 2 Wks., ($27,480,907); 4. The Game Plan, Disney, $6,129,720, 5 Wks., ($76,939,167); 5. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?, Lions Gate, $5,643,899, 3 Wks., ($47,204,260); 6. Michael Clayton, Warner Bros., $4,924,374, 4 Wks., ($28,668,168); 7. Gone Baby Gone, Miramax, $3,817,451, 2 Wks., ($11,226,975); 8. The Nightmare Before Christmas, Disney, $3,446,012, 2 Wks., ($10,100,435); 9. We Own the Night, Sony, $3,395,012, 3 Wks., ($25,065,018); 10. The Comebacks, Fox Atomic, $3,371,708, 2 Wks., ($9,925,268).

The Came. They Saw 'Saw'. It Conquered.
29 October 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Saw IV proved to be just the trick for the box office on the weekend before Halloween as the horror sequel debuted with an estimated $32.1 million, down only slightly from Saw III's $33.6 million. Revenue from other films on theater marquees this past weekend could not have been regarded as much of a treat, with total ticket sales falling below last year's pace for the sixth week in a row. In fact the total gross for the Halloween weekend, amounting to $86.1 million, was the worst in ten years. In second place, the Steve Carell flick Dan in Real Life, which drew so-so reviews on Friday, drew so-so business over the weekend as it tallied up $12.1 million in ticket sales. Third place went to Sony's vampire movie, 30 Days of Night which dropped 58 percent to $6.7 million in its second week. If there was another bright spot on the box-office report, it was the continued strong performance of Disney's The Game Plan, which dropped only 23 percent in its fifth weekend to about $6.3 million and bring its total to $77.1 million -- the best of any film thus far this season. Particularly disappointing may have been the performance of Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited as it widened its release to nearly 700 theaters but managed to bring in just $1.7 million, Anderson's worst showing. Among limited releases, Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead was very much alive with an estimated $73,500 take at just two theaters.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Saw IV, $32.1 million; 2. Dan in Real Life, $12.1 million; 3. 30 Days of Night, $6.7 million; 4. The Game Plan, $6.3 million; 5. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?, $5.7 million; 6. Michael Clayton, $5 million; 7. Gone Baby Gone, $3.9 million; 8. The Comebacks, $3.45 million; 9. We Own the Night, $3.4 million; 10. Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before Christmas, $3.35 million.

Pitt Arrives in Green Style at Awards Show
24 October 2007 (WENN)
Brad Pitt went green at the Hollywood Awards on Monday night, arriving at the glitzy Los Angeles event in a chauffeur-driven Toyota Prius hybrid. The actor was there to present his The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford co-star, Casey Affleck, with the Breakthrough Actor of The Year prize. Meanwhile, Richard Gere was named Actor of The Year for The Hoax, John Travolta picked up the Supporting Actor of The Year prize for Hairspray and Casey's brother Ben Affleck claimed the Breakthrough Director gong for Gone Baby Gone. Jennifer Connelly was named Supporting Actress of the Year for Reservation Road and French star Marion Cotillard claimed the Breakthrough Actress prize for her portrayal of singer Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose. The Hollywood Awards are part of the annual Hollywood Film Festival.

Box Office Is Blood Sucked
23 October 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Vampires had a field day at the box office over the weekend, leaving it nearly bloodless. Sony's 30 Days of Night took in $16 million and last weekend's Why Did I Get Married?, $12 million, but they were the only two films to finish in double digits. Of seven other new films (in addition to Night) that opened over the weekend -- a record number -- the highest grossing film was Fox Atomic's The Comebacks, which earned just $5.6 million to finish fifth, followed closely by Miramax's Gone Baby Gone with $5.5 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. 30 Days of Night, Sony, $15,951,902, (New); 2. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?, Lionsgate, $12,186,011, 2 Wks. ($38,95,0,821); 3. The Game Plan, Disney, $8,178,646, 4 Wks. ($69,20,6,626); 4. Michael Clayton, Warner Bros., $6,677,272, 3 Wks. ($21,56,3,586); 5. The Comebacks, Fox Atomic, $5,554,594, (New); 6. Gone Baby Gone, Miramax, $5,501,406, (New); 7. We Own the Night, Sony, $5,420,793, 2 Wks. ($19,70,4,516); 8. The Nightmare Before Christmas, Disney, $5,330,101, (New/Re-release); 9. Rendition, New Line, $4,060,012, (New); 10. The Heartbreak Kid, Paramount, $3,814,636, 3 Wks. ($32,02,5,396).

'30 Days' Sinks Its Fangs Into Serious Fare
22 October 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Moviegoers turned their backs on serious dramas -- particularly those based on current news -- and instead opted for vampires and comedies over the weekend. Although a record eight films opened over the weekend, only one earned more than $10 million -- Sony's vampire flick 30 Days of Night, which made it to the top with an estimated $16 million in ticket sales. In second place was last weekend's champ, Why Did I Get Married? with $12.1 million. In its third week, Disney's The Game Plan placed third with $8.1 million. Of the other new films, the Ben Affleck-directed Gone Baby Gone, which nabbed positive reviews for the actor-turned-director, fared best with $6 million. But Rendition, about a terrorist suspect arrested by the U.S. and sent to a foreign country to be tortured and questioned, grossed only $4.2 million. Commented today's (Monday) Wall Street Journal: "A glut of serious-minded Oscar contenders is crowding theaters with disastrous box-office results." And in an interview with the Associated Press, Paul Dergarabedian, head of Media By Numbers, added: "Fall is the season of the serious movie, and it seems like audiences in a way are resisting the serious movie right now."

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Media by Numbers: 1. 30 Days of Night, $16 million; 2. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?, $12.1 million; 3. The Game Plan, $8.1 million; 4. Michael Clayton, $7.1 million; 5. Gone Baby Gone, $6 million; 6. The Comebacks, $5.85 million; 7. We Own the Night, $5.5 million; 8. Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before Christmas, $5.1 million; 9. Rendition, $4.2 million; 10. The Heartbreak Kid, $3.9 million.

Movie Reviews: 'Gone Baby Gone'
19 October 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Ben Affleck is the star of the reviews of Gone Baby Gone, even though he's the director of the movie. Writes Jack Mathews in the New York Daily News: "Ben Affleck won an Oscar for the Good Will Hunting script he co-wrote with Matt Damon, but this is his first outing behind the camera. Whatever you think of his acting, he's got real chops as a filmmaker. The movie has energy, pace, some insanely well-choreographed action sequences, outstanding performances and a couple of speeches that belong in the pulp fiction hall of fame." Claudia Puig in USA Today remarks: "Ben Affleck has come of age as a director." And Stephen Hunter in the Washington Post comments that Affleck "shows that even if he never developed a memorable performance when he was in front of the camera, he was paying attention to what was going on behind it."

Plethora of New Releases Floods Theaters
19 October 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Eight new films -- count 'em, eight! -- enter the box-office competition this weekend, each on more than 500 screens, which is likely a record. Box-office forecasters are by no means united on which film will come out on top, but the Sony vampire flick 30 Days of Night, directed by David Slade and starring Josh Hartnett and Ben Foster, is generally given a slight edge, if only because of the fact that it is opening in the most number of theaters, 2,855. Gone Baby Gone, directed by Ben Affleck, is also expected to make a strong showing. Both films are R-rated, as are two other dramas, Rendition, with Jake Gyllenhaal, Meryl Streep and Reese Witherspoon, and Things We Lost in the Fire, starring Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro.

Affleck Used Free Extras for Directorial Debut
15 October 2007 (WENN)
Ben Affleck was so determined to keep costs down on the set of his feature film directorial debut Gone Baby Gone, he refused to use extras in bar and street scenes. Instead, the canny actor/director gave Boston, Massachusetts locals the chance to become film stars for the day. He explains, "Basically, what we did was, wherever possible, we went down to locations - say we shot in a bar - and we basically said, 'Whoever's at your barstool, we're gonna show up and make the movie, stay where you are. We're gonna make the movie around you.' A lot of times, and I'm not sure if this is legal, we were just buying people drinks. We would come into neighborhoods... we'd set the scene, bring the cameras and, as people came out of their house to see what was going on, say, 'You folks are in the movie...' We cast all our smaller roles from people who were not only local to Boston but people who were in that neighborhood."

Affleck Drama Yanked from London Film Festival
13 September 2007 (StudioBriefing)
The London premiere of Gone Baby Gone, directed by Ben Affleck and starring his brother Casey Affleck and Morgan Freeman, has been canceled because of plot similarities with the actual case of Madeleine McCann, the British child who disappeared in Portugal in May. The film was to have been screened at the London Film Festival next month and to open in the U.K. in December. The distributor, Disney's Buena Vista International, said that it had postponed the release of the Miramax film in the U.K. indefinitely because of sensitivity "to the depth of feeling surrounding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann." Ironically, the name of the actress who portrays the child at the center of the Gone Baby Gone movie is Madeline -- Madeline O'Brien -- and reportedly bears a striking resemblance to the missing girl.

Affleck Feeds the Poor
7 June 2007 (WENN)
Ben Affleck returned to his native Massachusetts on the weekend to help feed the poor and hungry. Affleck volunteered at the Greater Boston Food Bank in Boston on Sunday as part of the America's Second Harvest campaign, before joining fellow workers to sort food in the warehouse. The Pearl Harbor star said he became aware of the less fortunate residents of Boston while filming his full-length directional debut Gone Baby Gone in the north eastern city. He says, "We did a lot of location scouting . . . and you knock on a lot of doors and you go into a lot of homes . . . and I saw the need. What I saw sort of surprised me. I saw a lot of working poor."

Affleck Rushed to Hospital
31 May 2006 (WENN)
Good Will Hunting star Ben Affleck spent his Memorial Day holiday on Monday, in the hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, after developing serious migraine headaches. The actor's wife, Alias star Jennifer Garner, drove him to hospital and he was released after receiving emergency treatment. According to a statement released by the star's representative Ken Sunshine on Monday, "Ben Affleck was treated for a migraine at Mt Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, today. He was released this afternoon, and is recuperating at home." The celebrity couple are spending the summer in Cambridge with six-month-old daughter Violet, while Affleck directs his first feature film Gone, Baby, Gone.