Jennifer Garner

It's always great to report about celebrities giving back to the community and few, if any, are a better example of that than Brangelina.

Former President Bill Clinton, too, is no slouch in that department. Bill hosted his Clinton Global Initiative University, while Pitt, the founder of the Make It Right Foundation, posed with supporters and promoted an all-important cause.

The political and Hollywood stars greeted volunteers and broke ground for new homes in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana, on Sunday.

Brad Pitt and Bill Clinton walked along the street as hundreds of volunteers on each side, wielding shovels and rakes, prepared the land for homes, clearing overgrown grass and weeds that were covering drains and sidewalks.

The foundation headed by Pitt plans to begin building affordable homes for Hurricane Katrina victims, and the 9th Ward was one of the hardest hit.

"We hope to see a huge change here in the next six months," Pitt told a group of residents as the 42nd President stood by his side.

Brad Pitt, Bill Clinton and a young lady named DeeCarla Rogers.

While Brangelina continued rebuilding New Orleans, Bennifer (Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner) had politics on the mind, hosting a fundraiser for Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama on Sunday in Boston, Mass.

Wearing a gray suit and black Converse All Star sneakers, Ben Affleck said he and his wife were just doing "their part for society."

Calling the Illinois senator a "genuine, real force" he said "there are a lot of things" he loves about Barack Obama, "but I won't bore you with all of them. I'm an actor. I'm not going to create 10-point policy details."

Affleck has been a Barack Obama supporter since he first met him at the 2004 Democratic convention in Boston, according to the Boston Herald.

Their relationship hasn't gotten too close for comfort.

"I'm just grateful he didn't ask me to do a sexy YouTube video with him," Affleck said, referring to his raunchy music video with Jimmy Kimmel.

Actually a decent actor but better known for being a loose cannon, Gary Busey surfaces every now and again. Bless him for it.

Last night on the red carpet, prior to the start of the 80th annual Academy Awards, the 63-year-old, somewhat insane actor inexplicably hijacked American Idol host Ryan Seacrest's interview with Jennifer Garner and Laura Linney.

He then embraced Garner and planted one on her neck.

You gotta love Gary Busey. Here's the clip. Be forewarned that it's a sure bet to make you squirm with awkwardness...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQYeL7RInsg[/youtube]

George Clooney. Patrick Dempsey. Brad Pitt. Jennifer Aniston. Christie Brinkley. Aishwarya Rai. With some celebrities, there's simply no doubt when you gaze upon them. The gut reaction is "He [she] is so beautiful!"

Pete Wentz is not one of those people.

We think that's clear, having, you know, seen pictures and videos of Pete Wentz before. But People magazine, in an effort to act cool and trendy, decided to include the Fall Out Boy bassist / Ashlee Simpson boy toy in annual its list of the world's most beautiful individuals.

Seriously, People. WTF. What's next, Marilyn Manson? Dudes wearing makeup is great for publicity and selling records - and it doesn't stop you from scoring with hot girls, either. But let's not kid ourselves and call Pete Wentz beautiful, k?

He's as good looking as Britney Spears is stable.

Anyway, we'll make up for posting this Pete Wentz pic with some images of some others who (deservedly) made the People's list of the Most Beautiful People of 2007. You don't often see Matthew McConaughey with a shirt on. Take it in… as you wish he'd take it off!!!!

In case you can't identify him, that's Prison Break star Wentworth Miller up top with the voluptuous Scarlett Johansson. Then there's McConaughey, of course, loving life in all his chiseled glory. Jennifer Garner, super mother and super actress, is always a favorite of The Hollywood Gossip. 

Thanks to US Weekly for the following celebrity quote round-up from the past week ...

"He was a really fun partner-in-crime, but I didn't take him seriously, and he didn't take me seriously...We just made fun of each other."
- Jennifer Garner, on first meeting husband Ben Affleck

"I'm sick of myself to tell you the truth."
- Julia Louis-Dreyfuss on Seinfeld reruns

"His smile has turned into sort of a grimace because I don't think even he thinks he's supposed to be there anymore."
- Neil Patrick Harris on American Idol's Sanjaya Malakar

"I feel like I just married myself basically. At one point I thought, 'It's time. It's time to have some really beautiful dishes.'"
- Kate Walsh, joking about her full china cabinet

"I don't talk to anyone about my problems with my husband. The ritual Will and I have is to talk about everything. You can't expect people to understand your relationship."
- Jada Pinkett Smith, on husband Will Smith

"Of course I don't want to be on a failing show after being on a successful show for 10 years, so I was nervous."
- Courteney Cox, on post-Friends pressure

"When we began working on it, I was like, 'Wouldn't it be great to have a song that I could sing to a baby one day?"
- Jennifer Lopez, on her song "Tu" (You), which started out as a lullaby

"I have to go to therapy all the time. I need therapy. Or drugs. You quit for a while and then you know, it's like, 'I'm getting crazy again. Maybe I should go back."
- Chris Rock

"As much as I've explored this guy, I don't know what else to really do with him. I've been in one place for 10 years. That's enough. It's time for me to do other things."
- James Gandolfini, on playing Tony Soprano

"Noooo! [Lindsay is not an alcoholic.] She is just a 20-year-old who had to reel it in. And she's from an addictive personality genetically. And in that world, they give you things like candy. Hurt your ankle? 'Let's give her something.'"
- Dina Lohan, on daughter Lindsay Lohan

"He's suffering from stomach flu. It's a common side effect from Botox injections."
- Adam Sandler on filling in for David Letterman on The Late Show

"I feel like after the second child you lose your mind, which is how we got the third child."
- Kelly Ripa

Sorry, Violet Affleck, you're not enough for your mother.

While Jennifer Garner admits there are pitfalls to being a Hollywood mom, she also wants to add another tyke or two to her resume.

"I'm assuming we'll have at least one more, but not for a while," the former Alias star â€" and hot wife of Ben Affleck â€" tells the British edition of Marie Claire in its April issue.

Regarding the problems of raising a child in Hollywood, where parental indulgence often outweighs discipline, Garner tells the magazine, "If anyone has any ideas, let me know!"

Maybe just toss the kid into your car, have no worries, as Madonna would recommend.

But that would probably frighten the former Alias star.

She says she feels "both happiness and anxiety more deeply" since giving birth to Violet. For example:"Last night I read this script about cancer and had to get out of bed, get a drink of water and watch Grey's Anatomy, it was so terrifying to me."

Let's hope she didn't look at Ellen Pompeo too closely, however. That skeletal body can be scary in its own right.

With all due respect to Howard K. Stern (i.e. absolutely none whatsoever), there are better examples of celebrity parenting skills than this shady lawyer has recently depicted.

Take Jennifer Garner, for example.

The actress has proven, time and again, that her most appropriate alias is "great mother." Seen here, J-Garn is playing around with adorable baby, Violet. Mother and daughter have even made a new little friend.

Heck, it could be Jayden James Federline for all we know. It's not like we've seen pictures of him yet. Or like Britney Spears has a clue where the tyke is.

As numerous, evil people (yes, we're looking at you, Prince Frederick von Anhalt and Virgie Arthur) fight for custody of poor, lonely Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, we have an idea:

Give her to Garner. Even with Ben Affleck as a father, the girl will stand a great chance of growing up happily.

Not every celebrity mother is Britney Spears.

Some actually find time to play with their children. And wear underpants. Take the case of the following two beauties:

Jennifer Garner, a first-time mommy, looks like a natural with daughter Violet. We may have questioned this actress' taste when she wedded Ben Affleck, but there's no denying her parental skills. Way to be, Jen.

Then, there's maternal veteran and model, Heidi Klum. Three kids into her marriage to Seal and this knockout is as playful as ever. 

We're guessing Kara Janx, a former finalist on Klum's show, Project Runway, only hopes she and her new husband are equally caring parents someday. Don't we all?

After stopping in for a hair appointment with her stylist, Sally Hershberger, super actress and super mom Jennifer Garner was all smiles as she left the John Frieda Salon in West Hollywood Wednesday (below, left).

Later that day, Jen was seen out and about with one-year-old daughter Violet in Beverly Hills on Thursday. Pretty, happy and best of all, down to earth, it's easy to see why Bennifer is one of the Gossip's favorite couples. Yes, Ben Affleck doesn't get on our nerves nearly as much as he once did. It's good to see.

At the Hollywood Gossip, a large portion of our news coverage is dedicated to stars who fall into one (or more) of the following three categories:

1. Anorexic waifs (Nicole Richie)
2. No-talent hacks (Ashlee Simpson)
3. Slow-moving train wrecks (Britney Spears)

That said, we sometimes like to divert attention away from those people and focus on stars who can be classified as none of the above. As soon as we came across these Jennifer Garner pictures from this month's Elle magazine, we knew it was one of those times.

There are plenty of stars we love to hate. But with an adorable baby, a terrific career, a body that doesn't resemble a stick figure and a husband (Ben Affleck) who is sometimes annoying, but generally a good guy, Jennifer is one of those Hollywood stars we love to love.

Go Bennifer!

She's one of the less publicized celebrity babies. But that doesn't make Violet Affleck any less important.

Or any less baptized after Sunday night.

The adorable daughter of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, who turned 1 on December 1, was baptized on Christmas Eve at Christ Church United Methodist in Charleston, W. Va., where her mother grew up.

Garner's parents, sister and brother-in-law are members of the church, where Violet's cousin Alex was baptized the same day, the Associated Press reports. It was the sort of loving, low-key ceremony that probably made Jayden James Federline very jealous.

Affleck, a Golden Globe nominee for Hollywoodland, said earlier this month:

"Yes, I've changed diapers ... Parenthood, the whole thing is wonderful. All the clichés that all the people bore you with are, in fact, true."

We're sure Gwen Stefani would agree when it comes to little Kingston. Her, Affleck and Garner really do seem like some of the best famous parents around.