Affleck, J-Lo to escape ‘Gigli’ misfire unscathed

GOOD MORNING: Ben Affleck talking: “The movie (‘Gigli’) didn’t work. You work just as hard on a good movie as on a bad one. We tried to fix it. But it was like putting a fish’s tail and a donkey’s head.” As for “fireworks” between director Martin Brest and Joe Roth, Affleck laughed, “Listen I’ve seen more fireworks from Harvey Weinstein in 10 minutes than on this picture. And I’ve made seven films with Harvey. And I’ll make more films with Martin and Revolution. I believe in Martin Brest. As for the reviews and the reviewers, he laughs, “I feel like we were caught in the eye of a storm — an earthquake that starts out at sea and by the time it reaches the shore it’s !!!” As for working together again, he says “It all depends on the story — always. But,” he laughed, “we probably won’t be getting many offers.” Want to bet! … Rick Sands, Miramax’ chief operating officer, had this to say about “Jersey Girl” which stars Affleck and Lopez. “We are completely supporting the movie — it is fantastic. We’ve had several research screenings and it’s received critical approval. (It) made the audiences laugh and cry — in the right places.” [SPOILER START] Lopez dies in childbirth — early in the film — and Affleck raises their baby daughter. Liv Tyler becomes the romantic interest, but I’ll leave the rest unsaid. [SPOILER END] Miramax picked a March 19 release date for “Jersey Girl” while “Gigli” was in production. Since that time, Affleck has completed “Paycheck,” co-starring Uma Thurman as his love interest. It will get a Paramount-DreamWorks release at Christmas. Producer John Davis gives Affleck a rave in this one as well. He plays an electronics expert whose memory is blacked out by his employer. Also out at Christmas will be J-Lo’s “Shall We Dance’” costarring Richard Gere. She’s also completed “An Unfinished Life” with Robert Redford … Affleck and Lopez are expected to be on hand Monday for the preem of Miramax’s feature “The Battle of Shaker Heights,” a product of Project Greenlight launched by Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, HBO and Bob and Harvey Weinstein. On Sunday, HBO will air the final (10th) seg on the docu of the making of “Shaker Heights,” the feature. And attendees, including Affleck and Lopez, will be lensed for future use in the Project Greenlight HBO TV series. It looks like there’s life ahead for the duo — on and off screen.

Jersey Girl director Kevin Smith is convinced the appalling reviews for Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s new film Gigli won’t affect box office sales for his upcoming venture. Real life couple and Jersey Girl stars Ben and Jen have watched as reviewer after reviewer have slammed Gigli for bad performances and poor plot – but Smith does not think the same can be said of his production. Speaking on his View Askew website, Smith says, “As far as all this worrying about that this weekend’s Gigli reception means for Jersey Girl – don’t waste your energy. We’re gonna be fine. Apples and oranges. S***, apples and blowjobs, really. No further prognostication necessary. I know it’s a hot topic this weekend for obvious reasons, but lest we have to endure all this nail-biting speculation for the next eight months, let’s curb it now. Whatever’s gonna happen’s gonna happen. If it’s any consolation, I’m not sweating it.” Smith says the reaction of test audiences to Jersey Girl has more than cemented his faith in the film. He explains, “I’ve seen Jersey Girl with audiences. I know all the stuff regarding the release plans for the flick that we don’t talk about here. And while I’m sorry that Gigli didn’t do better this weekend, its critical reaction and box office take won’t have the slightest effect on Jersey Girl. Take my word for it.”