Bennifer Part Two
Ben Affleck can't seem to get enough of women named Jennifer.
After popping the question to Jennifer Lopez two years ago, their romance fizzled. Now, the hunky actor has reportedly proposed again, this time to his latest flame, actress Jennifer Garner.
According to the rumor mill, Affleck apparently asked Garner to marry him after her birthday party last weekend. Are they or aren't they headed down the aisle?
Katrina Szish, style editor of Us Weekly, visited The Early Show to dish some dirt on Bennifer Part Two with co-anchor Julie Chen.
First of all, Affleck's publicist says of the engagement rumor: "It is garbage."
Says Szish, "Yes. I mean, the publicists love to say that everything is garbage until the celebrities themselves officially announce Britney's pregnancy: ''We are pregnant,' or 'We are engaged.' "
It's about the celebrities controlling their own stories. Is it likely that Affleck and Garner would announce in a month or two that they are married?
"I think that's completely likely in this case," says Szish, "because Ben and Jen Part Two are very, very low-profile, completely opposite of the first Bennifer monster we saw parading around the red carpets, and these guys are very low key. Wouldn't be surprised if everything they did was under the radar."
Jennifer Garner is known to be very private; it's just part of her personality, Szish explains. And Affleck has really seen what it's like to get burned if your personal life is too exposed in the media.
As for the alleged proposal, Szish reports, "What we've been hearing is that it was, of course, a big surprise, as was her party. And that following a poolside barbecue, where their parents were, it was family and friends, again, very, very low key, he popped the question with a very, very lovely half-million-dollar, 4.5 (carat) Harry Winston wedding ring."
Was it pink?
"It wasn't pink," Szish says. "That's the thing. Jennifer Lopez had a 6.5 carat pink ring that cost at least twice as much. I think the rings really symbolize the difference in the relationships. The ostentatious, large, huge, expenseive pink ring really reflected the ostentatious nature of Ben And Jen Part One."
Do we know if Ben Affleck asked her father for permission, or was this a surprise to everyone at the party?
Replies Szish, "We don't know if he asked permission, but he did fly in Jen's parents, who were vacationing in Mexico."
As for their careers, Garner is going strong with her TV series, "Alias," and Affleck appears to be laying low. Don't look for these two to make a movie together any time soon.