Jennifer Lopez is unhappy with the growing closeness between her ex Ben Affleck and his ex-wife Jennifer Garner, evidenced most recently by some cuddly paparazzi pics.
J. Lo and Affleck were first together in 2003, Four days from getting married, they broke off the engagement in the aftermath of their “Gigli” bomb.
Affleck went on to marry Garner and had three children, while Lopez wed Mark Anthony and had twins.
But they got back together for Bennifer 2.0 20 years after the first proposal. The marriage lasted about two years.
“J. Lo believed it would be forever,” said my source. “The idea of divorce was his. Seeing photos of him with his other Jennifer is like salt on a wound.”
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The Oscars were brutally wonderful for Thomas Pierce, executive producer of “The Brutalist.”
The movie — nominated for 10 — won three Academy Awards, but lost to “Anora” for Best Picture, so Pierce didn’t get to go up onstage. But he was thrilled in any case.
“It was my first time at the Oscars. I’ve been dreaming about it since I was 5,” Pierce told me.
With “The Brutalist” costing $10 million, and “Anora” costing $6 million, “The indies won big. Investors are thrilled.”
After the awards marathon was over, Pierce joined the other winners at the Governor’s Ball. Everyone had other parties to attend, but Adrien Brody and his love, Harvey Weinstein ex Georgina Chapman — and many other A-listers — had to wait an hour for their cars.
“The glamor came to a crashing halt,” Pierce said. “It was very humbling for everyone.”
The producer — also the founder of the Children’s Oncology Support Fund (COSF), a cancer charity that helps kids — finished at Madonna and Guy Oseary’s party where Demi Moore was dancing atop a table, and Zoe Saldana was doing bicep curls with her surprisingly heavy Oscar.
“I left around 4 a.m. There was still energy, that’s for sure,” Pierce said. “It was a thrilling experience. I hope to do it again soon.”
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Pat McAfee — the former football punter and kickoff specialist — called Canada a “terrible country” after a Toronto audience booed the Star Spangled Banner during a WWE event.
It looks like there’s been some pushback on the outspoken ESPN host. According to Hampton Sheet publisher Joan Jedell, during the after-hours broadcast of The Pat McAfee Show Live on YouTube, McAfee was heard praising Canada for the good things that came out of the Great White North — like moose, retired NHL legend Mario Lemieux and the Montreal-based Canadelle’s WonderBra — the revolutionary push-up bra that delighted male and female fans alike.
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Creeps are getting away with abusing their pets because no one is keeping track of the sadists.
Andrea Stark, of the Stark carpet family, wants all 50 states to get onboard a plan to create an Animal Abuse Registry that will list convicted abusers — with their photos and fingerprints — to prevent them from adopting new pets.
“Animals can’t say someone is abusing them. They are voiceless,” Stark told me. “No one is keeping track of animal abusers.”
She hopes that convicted pet abusers face criminal penalties and lose the right to own an animal in the future. This would help to crack down on neglect, hoarding and dog fighting.
Several states including New York have pending legislation to create statewide registries that list convicted animal abusers. But many states have done nothing.
Stark, owner of two rescue dogs, has spearheaded the “Adopt, Don’t Shop” campaign to find homes for abandoned pets.
She’s a big supporter of Kris Kelly, who compiles videos of abused animals on Instagram sent from all over the country to her home in California.
“I am so moved by this,” Stark said. “We can make a difference.”
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Mark Kostabi threw a party at his house in Rome last month and discovered the next day that one of his paintings had disappeared.
“I invited about 50 people, but most people brought a guest and there were also many ‘friends of friends,’ totaling about 150 people,” Kostabi said.
“Apparently my generosity in serving dinner, endless open bar and live music wasn’t enough for one guest, so they left with a painting, probably hidden under a big coat.”
Kostabi co-hosted with Italian pop star Tony Esposito, who played drums as Kostabi played piano with a string quartet.
Listening were Italian singer Renato Zero, Adriano Pennino, Bruno Colella, Giuseppe Cerasa and Paul Haggis.
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This year’s Oscar-nominated film “Conclave,” starring Ralph Fiennes, Isabella Rossellini and Stanley Tucci, tells the story of what happens when a Pope dies and a new one is elected.
It’s timely with Pope Francis, 88, in the hospital with bilateral pneumonia.
The movie also calls attention to the important role of the colorfully uniformed Vatican Swiss Guard, which has been protecting the Pope and Vatican City since 1506.
A new documentary “Honor in Armor: Inside the Vatican Swiss Guard” just had its premiere and offers an in-depth look into the Guards and their history including the time when Adolf Hitler and the Nazis were plotting to kidnap the Pope.
The film’s executive producers Dr. Ramon Tallaj, the founder of SOMOS Community Care, and Mario Paredes have worked with the Vatican for over a decade on health equity for the underserved in New York.
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Judith Pisar, the former Director of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, will serve as the Gala Chair for the Young Concert Artists’ 64th Annual Benefit honoring Clive Gillinson, the artistic director of Carnegie Hall, on April 17.
The event at Jazz at Lincoln Center will feature performances by over a dozen musical luminaries, including pianists Emanuel Ax and Anne-Marie McDermott, both alumni of the YCA, as well as soprano Courtenay Budd and violinist Tim Fain.