Morning Briefing:
Yes, they're hitched: Here's what we know about Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's nuptials on Wednesday: 1) The wedding happened. 2) It took place on the beach at the Parot Cay resort in the Turks and Caicos Islands. 3) Affleck held a very low-key bachelor party with a few friends at his home in Brentwood, Calif., last Friday. ("At one point, his 'Chasing Amy' co-star Jason Mewes went out to Starbucks for five iced coffee Ventis!" reports the New York Daily News.) 4) Garner was in Vancouver, working on her new movie, "Catch and Release," at the time of said bachelor party. 5) The bride's "Alias" co-star Victor Garber was on hand to witness. 6) The couple subsequently confirmed that they are expecting a baby in November. (Reuters, Rush & Molloy)
Cover wars: Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston may be holding the "amicable" line on their divorce, but the former couple is currently duking it out on the covers of two rival magazines. People is generating much publicity with its cover spread featuring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie frolicking in a field near Jolie's estate in Buckinghamshire, England; the photos show Jolie standing by as a shirtless Pitt treats her son, Maddox, to a dirt-bike ride. People says it paid less than $1 million for the photos, adding that there was no bidding war. Meanwhile, on the cover of Us Weekly, Aniston appears clad in a black bikini and wrapped in the arms of her "Breakup" co-star Vince Vaughn. "JEN'S REVENGE," trumpets the magazine. The Aniston-Vaughn photo and coverline may be a bit misleading, however; a story within the magazine relays that the two are "just friends" but seem to have a certain chemistry on set. Yawn. (USA Today, Associated Press)
Brooke fights back: "War of the Worlds" opened big on Wednesday, taking in $21.2 million in the U.S. alone and $34.6 million worldwide, making it the seventh most lucrative Wednesday opening and the most lucrative opening for any Tom Cruise movie ever. Meanwhile, Brooke Shields has decided that the time has come to speak out about the series of disses Cruise has shot her way about her decision to deal with her debilitating postpartum depression with a combination of drugs and psychiatric therapy. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but after Tom Cruise's interview with Matt Lauer on the NBC show 'Today' last week, I feel compelled to speak not just for myself but also for the hundreds of thousands of women who have suffered from postpartum depression," Shields writes in a New York Times Op-Ed piece published today. "While Mr. Cruise says that Mr. Lauer and I do not 'understand the history of psychiatry,' I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Mr. Cruise has never suffered from postpartum depression." At the lowest points during her ordeal, the actress says, she "thought of swallowing a bottle of pills or jumping out the window of my apartment," but was brought back from the brink by the antidepressant Paxil, from which she has since tapered off, and weekly therapy sessions, a combination that "saved me -- and my family." Adds Shields, "If any good can come of Mr. Cruise's ridiculous rant, let's hope that it gives much-needed attention to a serious disease." (BBC News, Associated Press, N.Y. Times)
Also: USA Today has scooped the Washington Post by publishing excerpts from Post reporter Bob Woodward's book "The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat." The Virginia-based national paper reportedly bought the book, which was not to go on sale until next Wednesday, from a bookstore in Fairfax County, Va., that put it out for sale days early. (USA Today) ... "American Idol" also-ran Bo Bice is having a big week: He's earned the No. 1 spot on next week's Billboard hot singles chart for his version of "Inside Your Heaven" -- and he just got married to his hometown sweetheart. (Associated Press) ... Vincent Pastore, who played "Big Pussy" in "The Sopranos," is weighing whether to cop a plea in connection to his alleged assault on his ex-girlfriend, Lisa Regina, in May. (Associated Press) ... The Live 8 concert in London will be alcohol free for most of the fans -- though VIPs and performers will be able to drink booze. The organizers say the ban is a matter of public safety, given the number of people expected to turn up for the event. (This Is London) ... Meat Loaf cheated death this week when a private, chartered plane he was flying from Hamburg to Manchester Airport skidded off the runway during landing. None of the 13 people aboard the plane were hurt. (This Is London) ... Ian Holm will take on the role of Pope John Paul II in a four-hour TV biopic. (BBC News) ... Marlon Brando's hand-marked script for "The Godfather" fetched $312,800 at auction this week, setting a new record for the amount paid for a screenplay. (L.A. Times)
Money Quote:
Teen heartthrob Aaron Carter on being pelted with a "used feminine hygiene product" while performing onstage in Orlando: "They threw it on stage at me! I was like, 'Ooooh! My God! I got hit with it! Oh my God!' I walked off the stage." (Lloyd Grove's Lowdown)
Turn On:
If you have nothing better to do this holiday weekend, you can always watch the "Live 8" coverage on Saturday. Concert highlights will be broadcast live on MTV and VH1 from noon to 8 p.m. EDT. ABC will air a two-hour highlights show at 8 p.m. EDT. And watch for Salon's coverage of the concerts this weekend as well.
-- Amy Reiter
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