Ben Affleck Says the Press Treated Him 'Worse Than Scott Peterson' at the Height of Bennifer Madness

Oh man, Ben Affleck, I totally feel you on this shit. I have never understood the worldwide Affleck rancor—he just seems like a nice, funny, self-deprecating dude who makes pretty consistently good entertainment and dates attractive ladies. But for some reason, to a whole lot of people, he is literally the Eye of Sauron doing Gangnam Style or whatever. It makes no sense. Yes, sure, he became rather egregiously mauve and poreless during the Bennifer years, but is that a reason to hate someone? Extreme mauveness? Really?

“At the time, I knew on some level, ‘This is insane,'” shares the 40-year-old, who felt like he had become the press’ personal whipping boy. “What was that guy’s name who killed his wife and dumped her off the side of a boat? Peterson. I remember thinking he actually gets slightly better treatment than I do in the press. At least they had to say ‘alleged killer.’ Unfortunately, there’s an aspect of that that’s like one of those fights you see on YouTube where one of them falls down and then a bunch of people who were standing around come over and kick the person,” he continues. “They don’t know them, they have no involvement in the fight, but they recognize a moment that they can get a free shot in, and for some people it’s just too much to resist. And that was definitely me at that point. I was the guy. I was the designated person to loathe.”

Yeah. You’re weird, America. [Yahoo!]

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Oh, these housewives are mad at each other about something boring. TELL ME MORE:

Real Housewives of Atlanta star [Kim Zolciak] goes into detail about her tense showdown with castmate NeNe Leakes as she was leaving a party NeNe held, saying she “didn’t feel comfortable, safe, or happy about going in the first place” in a new Bravo blog, and RadarOnline.com has the details.

Kim, 34, says she only accepted the last-minute invitation to the bash to give her friend-turned-enemy “the benefit of the doubt,” despite “the numerous times she’s verbally and physically attacked me.

“I didn’t feel like I owed NeNe anything, especially since I swallowed my pride and decided to show up anyway.”

Then Zolciak stood too close to a lamp and melted, revealing herself to be a woman-shaped golem made entirely out of Smucker’s Orange Creme Magic Shell. [Radar]

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Apparently Dame Maggie Smith got a “special dispensation” from producers, excusing her from wearing corsets on the set of Downton Abbey:

Jessica Fellowes, niece of Downton creator Julian Fellowes, told a literary event: “Dame Maggie doesn’t ever wear a corset in the show, she says she had enough of wearing them over the years!”

It’s cute how they’re calling it a “special dispensation,” as though anyone could possibly force Dame Maggie Smith to do anything. As though Dame Maggie Smith isn’t a fucking COMPLETE BRITISH BOSS. [Express]

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The authorities have dropped all charges against Jon Bon Jovi‘s daughter Stephanie “Cinna” Bon Jovi.

Bongiovi, 19, who was arrested Wednesday after a suspected heroin overdose in her Hamilton College dorm, benefited from of a 2011 New York state law that prohibits prosecution of an individual who overdosed or who called for help in a life-threatening, drug-related situation, according to the Kirkland Police Department statement.

She also faced two marijuana-related charges and misdemeanor use of drug paraphernalia, but those charges have been dropped as well.

Bongiovi was reportedly recovering at a hospital on Wednesday.

Glad to hear it. I have to say, they do seem like nice people. [Extra]

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• Katt Williams has been arrested for allegedly bonking a man on the head with a bottle. [E!]
• Here’s what it would look like if you suddenly found yourself being greeted by Nicole Kidman. [JustJared]
• Here’s Heidi Montag pointing her butt at a photographer, just in case you forgot what her butt looked like since last week, when she did literally the exact same horribly posed photo shoot but in a different-colored bikini. [TMZ]
• Like my senior prom theme said, “2nite’s Tha Nite [that Joe Biden is going to be on Parks & Rec so are you pooping uncontrollably yet???]!” And yes, seriously, “2nite’s Tha Nite” was my actual prom theme. Not quite as good as our middle school graduation theme, “That’s Just the Way Life Goes.” Again, fact. [E!]
• Oh, you say David Hasselhoff is doing something weird again? Are you also here to tell me that mashed potatoes are delicious? [E!]
• “Victoria Beckham Superimposes Her Face on Dallas Star Victoria Principal‘s Body.” FACE/OFF. SHE LITERALLY TOOK HER FACE. OFF. [Us]
• Here’s Chelsea Handler being a completely unprofessional bitch to Kathie Lee and Hoda for no reason. [Us]
• Vanessa Hudgens says she’s not doing any more sex scenes. [ContactMusic]
• Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, says he attempted suicide in 2010 after his dog died. [People]
• LEA MICHELE GOT A SPRAY TAN AND THEN A DOG PEED ALL OVER HER. JUST FYI. [People]