London, Oct 10 - Genealogy experts have discovered that good friends actor-director Ben Affleck and Hollywood star Matt Damon are 10th cousins.

The actors are childhood friends from the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts, and found fame together starring alongside each other in a number of movies, and winning an Oscar each for their 1997 screenplay "Good Will Hunting".

Los Angeles  - The auction may be a memorabilia collector's dream: Rows of aliens used in the sci-fi series, The X-Files; a cryogenic tube from Austin Powers; a huge drill used by Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck in the 1998 film, Armageddon; even a spaceship built in 1959 for a Twilight Zone episode.

But for the movie industry, the sale this week of thousands of items by a specialty props company that's fallen victim to Hollywood's hard times, sounds ominously like a nail in the film sector's coffin.

Los Angeles  - Ben Affleck has signed on to direct and star in the romantic crime thriller The Town, according to The Hollywood Reporter Tuesday.

Jon Hamm from the hit TV show Mad Men and Rebecca Hall from Vicky Cristina Barcelona are in line to costar in the movie.

The film is based on the Chuck Hogan novel Prince of Thieves and has Hamm playing an FBI agent on the heels of a bank robber (Affleck) who is considering going straight after falling in love with a bank teller (Hall).

Washington, July 23 : Jennifer Garner is apparently not too happy with the close bond shared by husband Ben Affleck with his ex-girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow.

Paltrow reportedly sends gifts and letters to him on various occasions.

“Ben and Jen got one of Gwyneth’s famous notes this year just after Seraphina was born,” Fox News quoted a source as saying.

Washington, July 10 : Ben Affleck has confessed that when he was in a relationship with Jennifer Lopez he had lost control over his life, which was eventually bad for his career.

"I was no longer in control of my life. I thought I wanted certain things, but I didn''t. I got lost. I felt suffocated, miserable and gross. I should never have gone down that route or got sucked in to all the publicity,” Contactmusic quoted him as saying.

London, May 12 : Hollywood actor Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Garner would certainly be celebrating, as they have landed filmmaker Brian Grazer's California mansion at an incredible low price 6.7 million pounds.

The couple got the mansion for less than the asking price.

The parents to Violet, 3, and Seraphina, 4 months, are said to be more than happy with it, as they have been hunting for a huge mansion for their growing family long, reports the Daily Express.

New Delhi, May 11: Ben Affleck has revealed that he fights with wife actress Jennifer Garner over the importance of domestic chores.

The actor insists that doesn''t understand the necessity of some domestic tasks, but risks his wife''s wrath by ignoring them, reports the China Daily.

Washington, Apr 18 : Hollywood actress Jennifer Garner has revealed that the person responsible for her daughter Violet's messy hair is her father Ben Affleck.

Jennifer says that Ben is the one who takes Violet to school, and does her hair by simply tying to barrettes.

Washington, Apr 4 : Hollywood actor Ben Affleck was left red-faced when he accidentally taught his daughter Violet, 3, to swear in German.

Ben was dinning with his wife Jennifer Garner and their kids - Violet and 3-month-old Seraphina - at a restaurant when his daughter spilt all the food on him, and he unknowingly said "sheisse".

"All the food is coming, spilling towards me. And I go, ''Shhhhh... and I turn it around and say ''sheisse''," Contactmusic quoted Ben, as saying.

Teaching his daughter three-year-old Violet to swear in German made Ben Affleck’s face go red. The actor had taken his daughter to a Mexican restaurant where the tot decided to spill both their meals on her dad's lap, prompting him to swear in German. Ben thought he'd avoided teaching her a bad word by cursing in a foreign language - only to watch Violet recite the phrase loudly to the horror of other diners.

Affleck tells contactmusic. com, "All the food is coming, spilling towards me. And I go, 'Shhhhh... and I turn it around and say 'sheisse'.

Washington, April 2 : Hollywood actor Ben Affleck was so enlightened about the media profession while filming his latest movie that he has vowed to treat journalists with more respect.

He admitted that he might have dealt with the press throughout his career, but he had very little understanding as to the profession until he worked on his upcoming political thriller `State Of Play'.

The film tells the story of a team of investigative journalists who try to solve the murder of a congressman''s mistress.

London, Apr 1 : Hollywood actor Ben Affleck is planning to reteam with best pal Matt Damon for a new film.

The duo, who won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for 1997 drama Good Will Hunting, have been busy working on their own projects.

And are now planning to reunite on the big screen to spend some quality time together.

"Supposedly we''re doing this thing next year (10),” the Daily Star quoted Affleck as telling People magazine.

Washington, Jan 14: Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have announced their new baby's name. It is Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck.

The baby was born Jan. 6 in Los Angeles. Garner and Affleck also have an older daughter, Violet, 3, reports People.

While no explanation was offered for the name, or if she was named for anyone, one Web site specializing in the origin of names refers to Seraphina as "derived from the Biblical word ''seraphim,'' which was Hebrew in origin and meant ''fiery ones.'' "

Washington, Dec 19 : Hollywood actor Ben Affleck thinks that Angelina Jolie does not have the power to be an ambassador for the United Nations.

The `Glory Daze' actor jovially stated at the press conference for his short flick `Gimme Shelter', which highlights the plight of families in war-torn Congo, that Angelina is not high profile enough to grab the attention.

"UNHCR has to find a goodwill ambassador who will get the attention of the president because the woman they''ve got is not high profile enough," US Weekly quoted Ben, as saying.

London, Dec 18 : Hollywood actor Ben Affleck and musician Mick Jagger have joined hands to launch a short flick revealing the wretched plight of families living in the war-torn republic of Congo.

The flick named `Gimme Shelter' highlights the unbearable condition of 250,000 refugees in eastern DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo).

The UN''s refugee agency, the UNHCR, is hoping the film will help to raise 23million dollars to pay for emergency aid and clean water.

London, Nov 21 : Hollywood actor Ben Affleck is urging the world to help stop the suffering of innocent civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa.

The ‘Pearl Harbor’ star met with aid officials and toured refugee bases on a trip to the Central African country, where some 250,000 people have been displaced by fighting.

And now Affleck, who has made a documentary about the country''s problems, has called for help to stop the suffering of innocent civilians.