Erik Kabik

We knew there was more going on between Matt Damon and Ben Affleck than meets the eye.

Jokes about their level of closeness and who's banging Jimmy Kimmel aside, it turns out the longtime pals and Oscar-winning screenwriters really are more than friends and writing partners. In fact, they're related!

According to the New England Genealogical Society, the actors are both descendants of bricklayer William Knowlton Jr., an Englishman who settled in Ipswich, Mass., around 1630.

That would make Affleck and Damon approximately 10th cousins, once removed. Affleck was born in Berkeley, Calif., but spent his formative years in Boston, where he and Damon became friends.

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Jennifer Garner is up at the Toronto Film Festival promoting her new movie, The Invention of Lying. With a title like that, one question is obvious: Do you ever tell lies?

And imagine that! She does.

Especially to her children, although Violet is beginning to suspect mermaids aren't real...

But Garner's husband, Ben Affleck, does not abide by little white lies. Sure, they might speed up his wife's getting-ready process, but if that means Jen looking fat in her jeans, he will intervene.

What a nice husband. 

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Get more Famous Families by checking out our gallery.

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Fame Pictures, Inc ; Steve Granitz/Getty Images

Ben Affleck and Jon Hamm are ready to go to Town on each other.

No, not like that.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, this dynamic duo have signed on to the film The Town. Set to begin shooting in October, it's a Boston crime drama (with romance!) about a crook, a smitten bank manager and the FBI agent out to bring in the bad guy.

So who's the sexy, rakish villain? It's Affleck, which means our favorite Mad man plays the fed. Bet you thought it was going to go the other way, huh?

Yeah, we did, too.

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Being a celebrity can be pretty sweet: the fat paychecks, the red carpet glamour and getting to have your photo on the wall at your dry cleaner's.

But some celebrities have figured out that being famous means you can help people, too. Whether it's about the plight of refugees or raising funds for firefighters, stars like Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, Matt Damon, Denis Leary and others are doing more than just polishing their public images. They're using fame to fuel charitable works around the world.

So check out some of Hollywood's finest in our Do-Gooder Gallery, and feel free to offer up your thoughts—or the names of other celebs and causes to mention—in the comments.

• Why hire a Candy Girl when you can have Rihanna? Kanye West gets his embattled pal to writhe around and drive angry in his new video for "Paranoid."

• A tiny camera attached to a writing utensil only results in images of Ben Affleck's hairy arms.

• Hayden Panettiere's tattoo has a typo. What is that, a tat-o?

• Apparently there's still such thing as the cover of a single even though CD singles seem to have gone the way of the dinosaur. Anyway, someone put a target on Britney Spears' face for "Radar."

• Be wary of text messages from Josh Lucas.

• Dear Tyrese: Thanks for forgetting to put license plates on your fancy new car. We needed a good laugh this morning. Love, Rise 'n' Shine

Those ladies of the Gratuitous Gallery of the Gorgeous Gals of Summer sure do sizzle.

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• By golly, that Pink sexuality story was, as she calls it, "so 1991" and "100% FABRICATION." "Cant WAIT for the day when people stop talking about sexual preference or that a woman is a CEO and actually start making the world LIVEABLE," she twitters. (We twitter, too! Follow us @eonline!)

• Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck keep their marriage in their pockets.

• Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady may be the most gorgeous party guests, but apparently they're not the most gracious.

• Helena Christensen is actually refuting a rumor that makes her look good! OK, so being the potential Sean Penn homewrecker is less than ideal, but having hooked up with Josh Hartnett and Heath Ledger? Why would you deny that?!

• Lindsay Lohan takes a tumble...and a fashion fumble.

• Dear Andy Roddick: Being a newlywed has suddenly made you pretty funny. Who can blame that poor sushi chef? You kinda do look like a cross between Seann William Scott and that tennis dude. Love, Rise 'n' Shine

Why, Victoria Beckham, it was so sweet of you to bring the limo around to Big Pic!

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• Lindsay Lohan attempts to reel in Leonardo DiCaprio by showing off her best dance moves. Someone ought to remind her that the Bar is set really, really hot.

• The standard, over-the-shoulder red carpet shot is dead to neon shoe-wearing Sarah Jessica Parker.

• What do Susan Boyle and dying dogs have in common? They both make Joel Madden and Nicole Richie cry.

• Ben Affleck doesn't know what 7th Heaven was, or so its star Stephen Collins thinks. The former TV dad may even be a bit bitter that the State of Play star used his name for the film.

• Kelly Clarkson insists she doesn't hook up and the Black Eyed Peas go boom. Are you going gaga for either of these new vids?

• Dear So You Think You Can Dance fans: Here's a preview video for season five (high-kicking off May 21)—you can thank us later. Love, Rise 'n' Shine

OK, Eva Longoria Parker and Teri Hatcher, what is so funny? The TV-friendly twosome laugh it up in the Big Picture gallery.

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Jennifer Garner isn't a starter wife, but she's now the mistress of a very large family home.

The actress and hubby Ben Affleck have snatched über-producer Brian Grazer's Pacific Palisades mansion off the market for the reported bargain price of...less than $20 million, E! News has learned.

The nine-bedroom, 14-bathroom house sitting on an acre of land in the tony Southern California community was originally listed for $27 million, and at some point the asking price was lowered to $24 million.

According to a source, the hard-bargain-driving Affleck family inquired about buying the existing furniture as well as the walls around it, but the insider couldn't confirm that the additional transaction had taken place.

Regardless, Affleck and Garner's princessian daughters, 3-year-old Violet and 4-month-old Seraphina Rose, should have plenty of space to roam. Their new playground boasts a gym and a pool, plus a billiards room, crafts room, screening room and two-bedroom guest suite.

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Prepare yourself for an onslaught of celebrity kid cuteness. The superscoopers at E! News have captured the first really good look at Jennifer Garner's daughter, Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck, aka Violet's little sis, born Jan. 6. Viewer discretion is advised: Uncontrollable oohing and ahhing may ensue upon viewing.

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•  While promoting handbags in Tokyo, Jennifer Lopez chatted about how her twins, Max and Emme, come first, but apparently they don't come to Japan. Word is, they were still in Los Angeles as mom talked them up.

•  City girl Whitney Port admits that Robert Pattinson is cute, but she's not a fan of Twilight. That said, she was spotted with maybe on-again BF Jay Lyon, so there's really no accounting for taste, is there?

•  Ben Affleck reminds us that he and Matt Damon are still one of the best bromances ever. Perhaps, however, he should take a little buddy break and buy wife Jennifer Garner some new undies.

•  Those dirty dancers get Britney Spears every time!

•  Could Zooey Deschanel be any cuter?

•  Dear Alexis Bledel: We think every Gilmore Girls fan will agree that it was very cool of you to check out your TV mom, Lauren Graham, in Guys & Dolls on Broadway. Love, Rise 'n' Shine

Sarah Jessica Parker is looking decidedly un-Carrie Bradshaw-like in the Big Picture gallery.