State Champ Radio Ben Affleck
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Eric Charbonneau / Getty
Could Jennifer Lopez be on her way to a fourth divorce in her illustrious love life? We don’t know but it seems like her marriage to Ben Affleck might be on the rocks if recent reports that the two superstars are living separate lives are to be believed.
According to People, J. Lo and Benny boy have been having marital problems for quite some time and the most recent example of the two not getting along came on Mother’s Day when apparently Jenny from the block spent the holiday away from her Oscar winning hubby. Though it seemed like the two were meant to be together when they rekindled their love a few years ago and tied the knot in 2022, it seems like it’s once again falling apart like it’s 2004.
People reports:
Lopez, 54, and Affleck, 51, have been residing apart from each other since Lopez returned to Los Angeles from New York City. She had been busy in New York City filming her movie Kiss of the Spider Woman, promoting her next movie Atlas, and co-chairing the 2024 Met Gala, which Affleck went absent from.
Affleck, meanwhile, has been filming a sequel to his 2016 movie The Accountant in Los Angeles in recent weeks and was most recently seen solo at Netflix’s May 5 live Roast of Tom Brady.
Lopez, who shares her 16-year-old twins Max and Emme with ex-husband Marc Anthony, shared two Instagram posts on Mother’s Day noting her relationship with her kids and her own mom Guadalupe “Lupe” Rodríguez.
After the two collaborated on that hilarious Dunkin Donuts commercial we really thought they were in a good place in their marriage. We guess not.
Though the two haven’t been spending much quality time together, the “D” word (Divorce) has yet to be muttered but the way things are looking, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before Jennifer Lopez is back on the market and has a gang of men sliding in her DM’s. Yes, she’s 54-years-old but still looks amazing, so y’all already know her DM’s are going to get flooded.
What do y’all think about Bennifer possibly going to a second split-up in the span of 20 years? Let us know in the comments section below.
The stars keep aligning for Jennifer Lopez, and the star is reflecting on her growth in her musical experience film, This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, which premiered on Tuesday (Feb. 13) just days before her long awaited new album arrives on Feb. 15.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
In the Dave Meyers-directed movie, the 54-year-old multi-hyphenate follows an astrologically charged journey to find love, which only comes to her once she learned to truly love herself and her inner child. “I was raised in a time of fairytales and Cinderella and Prince Charming and I’m just the type of person since I was very young that really believed in love and was a hopeless romantic from a very, very young age,” she tells Billboard of the inspiration behind the film’s concept, which features Lopez continuing to trust that love will come her way despite the heartbreak, all to the tune of her newest songs. “As I became an artist and started making music, love was my main subject.”
Love is certainly on the brain for Lopez, who rekindled her romance with Ben Affleck nearly two decades after they called it quits before their 2004 wedding. The duo tied the knot in July 2022, something the “Waiting for Tonight” star didn’t see coming, especially after having three marriages end in divorce. “I never thought that he and I would get back together,” she says of her relationship with the actor. “I just just couldn’t give up on idea that there was something amazing out there for me, even when it got really bad — and it did at times. I always believed deep, deep down to not give up completely. It wasn’t until I got to the point where I was really OK on my own and not having to be in a relationship when I feel like universe kind of opened up and said, ‘Well here you go.’”
Trending on Billboard
Another full circle moment is the upcoming release of This Is Me…Now, the sequel album to her 2002 album, This Is Me…Then — which just so happened to have been written at the time of her then-relationship with Affleck. “This Is Me…Then was something that I wrote at that point in time that wound up capturing a moment where I fell deeply in love for the first time in that way, and I didn’t know that I would look back and I think. ‘What a kind of poetic thing to say,’” Lopez reflects.
She continued, “Then to have this kind of crazy, strange, magical, surrealistic plot twist where I wound up back with that person, it was insane and it was also very inspiring. So I went back in the studio, and in the way that This Is Me… Then captured that first moment in time, I wanted to capture this moment in time. It’s even more beautiful and inspiring than the first time. I have something to say about love now that I’ve been looking for which is — I’m sure people wonder because I did — does true love exist? Is that type of love real? Does anything last forever? When I felt like I had the answers to that, I wanted to share that with all the people who’ve been on this journey with me, who watched me get up and fall down, in and out of relationships. It may not be a straight road, but the love is there.”
And of course, because the film features a guardian angel council of astrology gods and goddesses played by Trevor Noah, Sofia Vergara, Keke Palmer, Post Malone, Jane Fonda and more, Lopez had a lot to say about her own astrological sign (Leo) and its compatibility with Affleck’s (also Leo). “Let me tell you it’s fiery! It’s great,” she says of a two-Leo marriage. “And it’s challenging. We are both very willful. If you know what Leos are like, you know we’re passionate. Oh my God, so passionate, the both of us. One of us gets on a tangent about something, it’s like, ‘Just sit down and let him have his moment.’ Or he needs to sit down and let me have my moment. We know each other in that way and we’re getting to know each other again, which is really beautiful too.”
This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, a 65-minute musical film drops on Amazon Prime video on Friday (Feb. 15) alongside the album. The singer also announced a 30+ city tour in support of the project. Check out the full list of dates below.
June 26 — Orlando, FL @ Kia Center
June 28 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
July 2 — Austin, TX @ Moody Center
July 3 — Edinburg, TX @ Bert Ogden Arena*
July 5 — San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center
July 6 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
July 9 — Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
July 11 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
July 13 — Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
July 16 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
July 17 — Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
July 19 — Palm Springs, CA @ Acrisure Arena
July 20 — Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena*
July 22 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
July 24 — Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
July 26 — Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
July 27 — Indianapolis, IN @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse
July 30 — Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
July 31 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
Aug. 2 | Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena*#
Aug. 5 — Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre*#
Aug. 7 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
Aug. 9 — Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena
Aug. 10 — Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
Aug. 13 — Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
Aug. 14 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
Aug. 16 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Aug. 20 — Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse*
Aug. 22 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
Aug. 24 — Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena
Aug. 25 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
Aug. 27 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
Aug. 30 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
Aug. 31 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center*
*Verizon Up Presale Not Applicable | #Citi Presale Not Applicable
Jennifer Lopez is taking fans on a “musical experience” in a new teaser for her upcoming album. On Saturday (Nov. 25), the 54-year-old singer and actress dropped a brief clip packed with tons of visuals to further build anticipation for her upcoming ninth album, This Is Me… Now. The 18-second teaser opens with the words […]
It looks like Ben Affleck missed the memo that Ice Spice was rapping about Barbie dolls on “Barbie World,” not Munchkin dolls. In a new clip of Affleck and Ice’s new Dunkin’ commercial, the actor unsuccessfully tries to pitch an Ice Spice doll made out of munchkins doughnut holes as the next step in their collaboration.
“What about this? Boom!” Affleck says as he pulls out an admittedly hideous Ice Spice doll made out of munchkins. The figure sports a pink coat and denim mini shorts combo that slightly recalls the outfit the “Deli” rapper wore at 2023 Rolling Loud in Miami. A hilariously aghast Ice responded to the doll with a barely audible “Oh my God …”
Affleck then plays around with the figure and even makes it “say” Ice’s signature “like” ad-lib — a move that was met with a side eye and a speechless “Uh…” from the rapper herself.
“You feelin’ that? Like on a poster, big in Times Square!” Affleck said in a Boston accent before pivoting with “Oh, we can go another way!”
Ice’s “Princess Diana” — which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 after the unveiling of its Nicki Minaj remix — closes out the clip.
On Tuesday (Sept. 12), the official Affleck-Ice Dunkin’ commercial aired during that night’s MTV Video Music Awards. In the commercial, the Oscar-winning actor and the VMAs’ newly minted best new artist put their minds together to come up with the name and concept for the “Bikini Bottom” rapper’s new Ice Spice Munchkins drink. The ad also served as a sequel to Affleck’s Super Bowl commercial, in which he worked in a Dunkin’ drive-thru, and featured a cameo with Jennifer Lopez, his wife.
The Dunkin’ goods don’t stop there. Mere hours before she graced the 2023 MTV VMAs and accepted her very first Moon Person, Ice took to Instagram to flaunt a jaw-dropping 80-carat Eliantte diamond chain that spelled out “Munchkins,” a nod to both her new Dunkin’ drink and the name of her fanbase.
Ice Spice boasts four top 10 hits on the Hot 100: “Karma” (No. 2, with Taylor Swift), “Princess Diana” (No. 4, with Nicki Minaj), “Barbie World” (No. 7, with Minaj & AQUA), and PinkPantheress duet “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2” (No. 3). On the Billboard 200, Like..? — her debut EP — peaked at No. 15.
Watch the new cut of Ice Spice and Ben Affleck’s Dunkin’ ad above.
It’s been one year since Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck tied the knot, and the “Waiting for Tonight” singer took to Instagram on Sunday (Aug. 20) to celebrate the couple’s enduring love. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “One year ago today,” she wrote alongside a series […]
Ben Affleck dished in a new interview on Tuesday (April 4) about his relationship with Jennifer Lopez and the songs she’s written about him over the years.
Appearing on an episode of the SmartLess podcast with Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, the Air star raved about all the facets of his wife’s talent, saying, “Here’s this incredible actress and this incredible performer. And then we’re sitting in the car, you know, and I’m humming along, like I will, you know, to the radio. And then a professional singer goes ahead and sings along and you kind of feel like, ‘Well that’s embarrassing.’
“I do love her music, it’s brilliant and I know all of it,” he added. The Oscar winner also reflected on the tracks in her discography that bear his name, including “Dear Ben” from 2002’s This Is Me… Then and its 2023 follow-up “Dear Ben Pt. II” on the soon-to-be-released This Is Me… Now.
“The songs that have been written about me have been written by the greatest performer in the history of the world, Jennifer Lopez,” he said. “I don’t know if they are exactly about me, as maybe inspired by me because there are some negative things in there. She’s amazing.”
Just a week ago, the couple graced the red carpet for the premiere of Air, which Affleck also directed. At the time, he heaped praise on J.Lo for being by his side during the process, saying, “I love you. You mean the world to me. You’re fabulous, you’re amazing, you’re wonderful, good, kind, magnificent and I love you.”
Listen to Affleck talk about J.Lo’s music on the SmartLess podcast below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Ben Affleck worked hard to earn his way into becoming a major Hollywood filmmaker, actor, and producer. Even with the type of pull Affleck surely has, a request from Michael Jordan was heeded ahead of him getting the blessing to put out the film, Air.
Ben Affleck shared behind-the-scenes details of Air during the film’s debut at SXSW in Austin, Texas this past weekend. Per Variety, Affleck shared at the event that Jordan had a number of suggestions that Affleck heeded but the most notable one was asking that Viola Davis play Deloris Jordan, Air Jordan’s mother.
From Variety:
Related Stories
“I got the script and then had the chance again to talk to Michael. Michael Jordan, for those of you who don’t know, is one of the most intimidating, impressive men you’ll ever see in your life,” Affleck said. “He told me about [his] father. And then he talked about his mother. It was the first time I saw this look cross his face. It was a look of reverence, of awe, of love, and gratitude, and innocence. He said, ‘None of this would have ever happened without my mother.’ I said, ‘Who would you like to play your mom?’ He said, ‘Well, it has to be Viola Davis.”
The outlet adds that Ben Affleck brought out the award-winning Davis for a brief moment ahead of the airing of the film in full.
Air comes to the theaters on April 5, 2023.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty
To many fanboys, Ben Affleck had the best iteration of The Dark Knight in Zack Snyder’s Batman V. Superman and The Justice League, but if you ask the Bawsten actor himself, he didn’t care much for the experience he had in the DC Universe and doesn’t plan on returning anytime soon.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Oscar winner explained that though the DC films he was a part of have established a cult following years after their release, he felt that the Justice League “stories became somewhat repetitive to me and less interesting.” After that debacle that Joss Whedon put together on the fly, we can’t blame Ben for feeling that way. The Zack Snyder cut of the film was superior though not exactly mind-blowing.
Continuing to explain his beef with Whedon’s remixed version of The Justice League, Ben said “You could teach a seminar on all the reasons why this is how not to do it. Ranging from production to bad decisions to horrible personal tragedy, and just ending with the most monstrous taste in my mouth. The genius, and the silver lining, is that Zack Snyder eventually went to AT&T and was like, “Look, I can get you four hours of content.” And it’s principally just all the slow motion that he shot in black-and-white. And one day of shooting with me and him. He was like, “Do you want to come shoot in my backyard?” I was like, “I think there are unions, Zack. I think we have to make a deal.” But I went and did it. And now [Zack Snyder’s Justice League] is my highest-rated movie on IMDb.”
Keep in mind Zack only got the chance to finish the film he started because of years of fan support and demands that he right the wrong that Whedon gave us after taking over the Justice League when Snyder stepped down due to personal reasons. The Whedon experience was so taxing on Ben that he admits that it led to him drinking too much during production and questioning whether he was content with where his career and life was at the moment.
Luckily Ben is in a better place now, but that doesn’t mean he’s down to return to the DC Universe even if it was in a directing gig for which he’s already won an Oscar in 2013’s Argo.
“I would not direct something for the [James] Gunn DC. Absolutely not. I have nothing against James Gunn. Nice guy, sure he’s going to do a great job. I just wouldn’t want to go in and direct in the way they’re doing that. I’m not interested in that.”
Not even in a directing capacity?! Ben must have really had a bad time being involved in those DC productions. that being said the way that James Gunn is running that ship, we doubt he’d want Ben Affleck to be a part of anything. Just sayin.’
Will you be missing Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne/Batman in the DC Universe? Let us know in the comments section below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Amazon Studios / Amazon Studios
A year after it was announced that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon would be making a movie behind the signing of Michael Jordan to Nike, the first trailer to Air has landed and it actually looks pretty damn interesting.
Source: Amazon Studios / Amazon Studios
Starring Ben Affleck as Nike co-founder Phil Knight and Matt Damon as Nike marketing executive, Sonny Vacarro, Air takes place in the 80’s and centers around a somewhat struggling Nike and how they went about becoming the hottest brand in the sneaker game. Looking to make the brand popular and compete with top tier sneaker lines such as Converse and Adidas, Knight tasks Vacarro with the seemingly impossible task of taking their struggling basketball division and figuring out a way to make it grow in popularity.
Looking to pull a rabbit out of a hat, Vacarro decides that a possible solution would be to sign a college basketball star to Nike and give him his own signature sneaker line. That man was none other than Michael Jordan. Hoping to convince Michael Jordan to take a chance on the Nike brand, Vacarro attempts to smooth talk Michael Jordan’s mother, Deloris Jordan (Viola Davis), his father, James Jordan (Julius Tennon), and Michael himself. Though we still don’t know who’ll be playing Michael Jordan in the film, don’t be surprised if it’s the GOAT himself as we all know CGI can de-age actors by decades nowadays.
Though we don’t actually get to see Michael’s face in the trailer, we do get to see the actor actually hold a pair of the OG Air Jordan 1 “Chicago”‘s which is all sneakerheads really want to see anyway. Watch the price for those silhouettes skyrocket once this film hits Amazon Prime on April 5th.
Check out the trailer to Air below and let us know if you’ll be checking for this in the comments section below.
[embedded content]
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Variety / Getty
One would think that a movie centering around the partnership between Nike and a then NBA rookie known as Michael Jordan would be a straight-to-streaming affair, but apparently Amazon believes in the film so much that it’s actually going to be getting a theatrical release.
According to Deadline, Air, the Ben Affleck and Matt Damon film about how Nike landed Michael Jordan in the early ’80s, will be foregoing the straight to Prime premier and will instead be released in movie theaters globally. Warner Bros. will be handling the international distribution of the film. Originally set to debut on Amazon Prime, Air will be seeing a theatrical release weeks before the film ultimately hits Amazon Prime for sneaker aficionado subscribers to indulge in.
Related Stories
While Air isn’t exactly a film that people have been begging to be made or even asked for, it is one that’s peaked the interest of sneaker heads around the globe since it was announced last year. And Affleck and company have recruited some Hollywood heavyweights to partake in the production.
Air reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division, which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand. The story follows the career-defining gamble of an unconventional team with everything on the line, the uncompromising vision of a mother who knows the worth of her son’s immense talent and the basketball phenom who would become the greatest of all time.
Damon plays maverick Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro and Affleck plays Nike co-founder Phil Knight with Jason Bateman as Rob Strasser, Chris Messina as David Falk, Matthew Maher as Peter Moore, Marlon Wayans as George Raveling, Chris Tucker as Howard White, Viola Davis as Deloris Jordan, Gustaf Skarsgård as Horst Dassler and Julius Tennon as James Jordan – among others. While Damon and Affleck starred in such movies together such as Good Will Hunting and Dogma, Air reps the first time that Affleck has directed his longtime friend.
Talk about an all-star cast. Keep in mind, Michael Jordan wasn’t only reluctant to sign with Nike back in 1984, but he actually wanted to sign a sneaker deal with adidas or Converse who were more popular than Nike at the time. What a time to be alive. It took all kinds of pushing and convincing to get Michael Jordan to even meet with Nike executives about a potential deal. Luckily, it happened. And we have all kinds of Air Jordans in our closets as a result. Now we get to see how history almost wasn’t made.
Ben Affleck for one is excited to show the world what he and Matt Damon have been cooking up.
“Matt and I are very excited for audiences to see Air and proud that it’s the first release from Artists Equity. The movie was an extraordinary experience where we had the honor of working with some of the best cast and crew in the business, all of whom brought passion, persistence, and creativity to a collective effort at recreating a remarkable and aspirational story.”
“I appreciate and value Jen Salke’s faith in our ability to execute on and deliver a movie we are proud of, as well as her and Sue Kroll’s incredible ongoing support of the film. Amazon Studios, Skydance, and Mandalay were all critical to getting this done, and the film couldn’t have been made without them. We value the steps it took on each of their parts to make it happen and want to thank them. This was the best creative and personal experience of our lives and we look forward to many more like it.”
You have to wonder if they’re going to be getting their own friends and family Air Jordan exclusives when it’s all said and done. Watch them be in “Bawsten” colors or something.
Air is set to hit theaters April 5, 2023. Will you be heading to theaters to see it or will you be waiting for it to hit Amazon Prime instead? Let us know in the comments section below.
